KHL September 14th, 2014

Four games on today, beginning in...

Khabarovsk, as Amur hosts Salavat Yulaev Ufa. Vladimir Sokhatsky and Sergei Borisov are in goal. Ufa got going in the second period on a Denis Tolpeko goal, assisted by Dmitry Makarov and Teemu Hartikainen. Salavat Yulaev added on in the third period on an Alexei Glukhov goal, passed from Ilkka Heikkinen and Anton Slepyshev. This was good for a 2-0 win, with the three stars being Sokhatsky (36 save shutout), Tolpeko, and Glukhov.

Way to the west, Dinamo Minsk welcomes CSKA Moscow. Kevin Lalande and Lars Haugen draw the starts. Minsk began in the first period on a Charles Linglet goal, made possible by Ryan Vesce and Matt Ellison. Dinamo added on with an Artur Gavrus goal, coming off of Jonathan Cheechoo and Nick Bailen. Minsk extended the lead as Vesce scored a power play goal in the second period, powered by Linglet and Cheechoo. Moscow got on the board on a Vladimir Zharkov goal, with a lone assist by Maxim Mamin. CSKA pulled closer in the third period with a Stephane Da Costa goal, guided in by Alexei Bondarev and Grigory Panin. They failed to tie it, losing 3-2, with the three stars being Vesce, Linglet, and Cheechoo.

Moving along to Bratislava, where Slovan hosts Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod. Ivan Kasutin and Jaroslav Janus are the veteran goalies. Bratislava led off in the first period with a Milan Bartovic goal, courtesy of Ivan Baranka and Michal Sersen. Nizhny Novgorod tied it with a Sakari Salminen power play goal, with a lone helper by Jarkko Immonen. Torpedo took the lead on an Immonen goal, fueled by Sergei Bernatsky and Alexei Potapov. Slovan tied it again in the second period with a Ladislav Nagy power play goal, powered by Sersen. The tie lasted to a shootout, where Dmitry Kazionov of Nizhny Novgorod and Tomas Netik of Bratislava cancelled each other out before Immonen scored to lift Torpedo to a 3-2 win. The three stars Immonen, Sersen, and Kasutin (33 for 35 in saves).

Finally, Medvescak Zagreb brings in Severstal Cherepovets. Jakub Stepanek and Barry Brust are in the blue paint. Zagreb dented the scoreboard in the first period with a Martin St. Pierre goal, via Andrew Hutchinson. Medvescak added on with a Nathan Perkovich goal, with a lone assist by Hutchinson. Zagreb extended the lead with a power play goal in the second period by Mark Katic, powered by Brandon Segal and Jason Krog. Medvescak padded the lead with a Pascal Pelletier unassisted goal. Cherepovets got on the board with an Anatoly Nikontsev penalty shot goal he received after being slashed by Shaone Morrisonn. Zagreb shot back in the third period on an Andrew Murray goal, coming off of Mike Glumac and Patrick Bjorkstrand. Severstal answered with an Evgeny Mons goal, going in unassisted. This was as close as it got, with the final being 5-2. The three stars went to Brust (32 for 34 in saves), Katic, and Hutchinson.

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KHL September 13th, 2014

Eight games on today, beginning with...

Sibir Novosibirsk hosting Avangard Omsk. Konstantin Barulin and Mikko Koskinen tend the twines. Omsk was first to score in the first period with a Sergei Shirokov goal, coming off of Miroslav Blatak. Avangard added on in the second period as Shirokov scored again, with the help of Vladimir Sobotka and Blatak. Omsk extended the lead with a power play goal by Kirill Lyamin, powered by Sergei Kalinin and Evgeny Kulik. Novosibirsk got on the board as Alexei Kopeikin scored a power play goal, assisted by Vyacheslav Belov and Igor Ozhiganov. Sibir pulled closer with an Andreas Thuresson goal, with a lone assist by Jonas Enlund on the power play. Novosibirsk tied it in the third period as Kopeikin scored his second of the game, thanks to Dmitry Kugryshev. Avangard took the lead on a Kalinin goal, going in unassisted. Omsk iced it at 5-3 when Shirokov finished his hat trick on an empty net goal, set up by Denis Parshin and Ilya Dervuk. The three stars were Shirokov, Kalinin, and Kopeikin, while Blatak gets an honorable mention. 

Nearby, Metallurg Novokuznetsk welcomes Barys Astana. Jan Laco and Ilya Sorokin are set to start in goal. Astana began in the first period with a Nikolai Antropov goal, via Konstantin Rudenko and Roman Starchenko. Barys added on with a Starchenko power play goal, powered by Antropov. Novokuznetsk got on the board in the second period on a Ryan Stoa goal, courtesy of Matt Lashoff and Cade Fairchild. Astana shot back with a Dustin Boyd goal, assisted by Brandon Bochenski. Barys extended the lead as Boyd scored his second of the game, a power play goal with a lone assist by Nigel Dawes. Astana padded the lead with a Bochenski shorthanded goal, set up by Boyd. Metallurg got one back on an Ansel Galimov goal, guided in by Alexander Makarov. The scoring went silent in the third period, so the final was 5-2. The three stars were Starchenko, Boyd, and Bochenski, while Antropov gets an honorable mention.

Out west a bit, Traktor Chelyabinsk hosts Jokerit Helsinki. Riku Helenius and Vladislav Fokin guard the cages. Chelyabinsk got going in the first period with a Stanislav Chistov goal, assisted by Kyle Wilson and Andrei Kostitsyn. Helsinki tied it on a second period Juhamatti Aaltonen goal, fueled by Ryan Gunderson and Niko Kapanen. Jokerit took the lead as Gunderson scored a power play goal, powered by Ville Lajunen. This held up for a 2-1 final, with Gunderson, Helenius (31 for 32 in saves), and Aaltonen being the three stars.

Up in Nizhnekamsk, Neftekhimik brings in Dinamo Riga. Jakub Sedlacek and Ville Kolppanen are the backups making spot starts. Nizhnekamsk dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Maxin Rybin goal, with a lone helper from Mikhail Zhukov. Riga tied it on a Kaspars Saulietis goal, courtesy of Krisjanis Redlihs and Gunars Skvorcovs. Dinamo took the lead as Marcel Hossa scored, thanks to Charles Genoway and Redlihs on the power play. Neftekhimik tied it again with a Yegor Antropov goal, assisted by Maxim Berezin and Pavel Zdunov. Riga took the lead with an unassisted Lauris Darzins goal. This was good for a 3-2 win at the end of the game, with the three stars being Darzins, Hossa, and Sedlacek (35 for 37 in saves).

West again to Yaroslavl, where Lokomotiv hosts Metallurg Magnitogorsk. Vasily Koshechkin and Curtis Sanford are the masked men. Magnitogorsk struck first in the first period with a power play goal by Danis Zaripov, powered by Sergei Mozyakin and Jan Kovar. Metallurg added on with another Zaripov goal, guided in by Mozyakin and Maxim Yakutsenya. Magnitogorsk extended the lead in the second period on a Sergei Tereshchenko goal, fueled by Danis Platonov and Kovar. Metallurg padded the lead in the third period with a Yaroslav Kosov power play goal, assisted by Rafael Batyrshin and Vladislav Kamenev. Yaroslavl got on the board with a Yegor Yakovlev goal, with a lone assist by Daniil Apalkov. This made it a 4-1 final, with the three stars being Zaripov, Mozyakin, and Kovar.

Down in Podolsk, Vityaz welcomes Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg. Jakub Kovar and Harri Sateri are in the blue paint. Yekaterinburg started in the first period with an Igor Yemeleyev goal, assisted by Evgeny Lapenkov and Eduard Lewandowski. Podolsk tied it in the second period on an Vyacheslav Solodukhin goal, coming off of Anton Korolyov. Vityaz took the lead in the third period with a Robert Kousal goal, via Maxim Afinogenov and Nikita Vyglazov. Podolsk added on with a Roman Horak power play goal, powered by Dmitry Tsyganov and Mathias Porseland. Vityaz extended the lead as Korolyov scored, thanks to Solodukhin and Yury Koksharov. Evgeny Lobanov relieved Kovar after this quick outburst. Podolsk padded the lead with a Koksharov goal, guided in by Korolyov and Denis Grebeshkov. Vityaz finished it at 6-1 with a Nikita Shatsky goal, made possible by Roman Kudinov and Georgy Berdyukov. The three stars went to Korolyov, Solodukhin, and Koksharov.

Backtracking to Togliatti, where Lada hosts SKA St. Petersburg. Alexander Salak and Ilya Ezhov are between the pipes. St. Petersburg opened in the first period with an Ilya Kovalchuk power play goal, powered by Artemy Panarin. SKA added on with a Tony Martensson goal, guided in by Patrick Thoresen and Roman Cervenka. Togliatti got on the board in the second period with a Stanislav Bocharov goal, fueled by Dmitry Vorobyov and Zyuzyakin. St. Petersburg shot back with another Kovalchuk goal in the third period, with a lone assist by Jimmie Ericsson. Lada pulled back with a Martin Zatovic goal, assisted by Semyon Valuisky. SKA answered when Kovalchuk finished his hat trick, thanks to Vadim Shipachyov and Panarin on the power play. This made it 4-2, the final, with the three stars going to Kovalchuk, Panarin, and Martensson.

Finally, in Moscow again, Dynamo brings in Ak Bars Kazan. Emil Garipov and Alexander Lazushin are called on to start. Moscow led off in the first period with a power play goal by Dmitry Vishnevsky, powered by Filip Novak and Yury Babenko. Kazan tied it with an Oscar Moller goal, fueled by Justin Azevedo on the power play. Dynamo took the lead back in the second period as Konstantin Gorovikov scored, thanks to Maxim Pestushko and Kaspars Daugavins. Ak Bars tied it again as Fyodor Malykhin scored, with the help of Sergei Kostitsyn. Moscow pulled ahead again on a Denis Mosalyov goal, guided in by Nikolai Zherdev. This made it 3-2, which was a final, and the three stars went to Mosalyov, Gorovikov, and Vishnevsky.

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KHL September 12th, 2014

Just another single-game day, with Dinamo Minsk hosting Atlant Mytishchi. Atte Engren and Lars Haugen are set to start in goal. Minsk started in the first period with a Matt Ellison power play goal, powered by Charles Linglet. Dinamo added on in the second period as Ryan Vesce scored a power play goal, fueled by Ellison and Nick Bailen. Minsk extended the lead in the third period with a Paul Szczechura goal, guided in by Jonathan Cheechoo. Mytishchi got on the board as Andreas Engqvist scored, thanks to Vyacheslav Leshchenko. Atlant pulled closer with a Yaroslav Dyblenko goal, with a lone helper by Mikhail Glukhov. They failed to tie the game, losing 3-2, with the three stars being Ellison, Haugen (25 for 27 in saves), and Szczechura.

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KHL September 11th, 2014

Just one game today, as Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk hosts Lada Togliatti. Jeff Glass and Ville Kolppanen are the masked men. Nizhnekamsk struck first in the first period with a Maxim Rybin goal, assisted by Alexander Yevseyenkov. Neftekhimik added on as Yegor Milovzorov scored an unassisted goal. Nizhnekamsk extended the lead with another goal by Milovzorov, guided in by Dan Sexton. Togliatti got on the board in the second period as Yury Petrov scored, thanks to Alexander Chernikov. Lada pulled closer with an unassisted Semyon Valuisky goal on the power play. Neftekhimik shot back with a Tim Stapleton goal, made possible by Sexton and Milovzorov. This was it for the scoring, with the final being 4-2, and the three stars awarded to Milovzorov, Sexton, and Kolppanen (30 for 32 in saves).

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MLS Wednesday, September 10th, 2014

Three matches on for the midweek, with the first in...

Montreal, as the Impact host the Los Angeles Galaxy. Brian Rowe and Evan Bush are called on to start in goal. Montreal began in the twenty-eighth minute with a Marco Di Vaio goal, assisted by Dilly Duka and Ignacio Piatti. Los Angeles' Dan Gargan took a yellow card in the thirty-seventh minute for a foul. In the forty-third minute, Piatti added on for the Impact, with the help of Felipe Martins and Duka. The Galaxy took another foul in the forty-fourth minute for dissent by Landon Donovan. Piatti was booked on a yellow card in the fifty-third minute for a foul. Los Angeles got on the board in the fifty-ninth minute as Gyasi Zardes scored, thanks to Juninho. The Galaxy pulled level in the sixty-fourth minute as Alan Gordon scored, with the help of Robbie Keane and Donovan. Montreal took another yellow card for a Martins foul in the eightieth minute. The Impact saw the referee visit Calum Mallace in the eighty-seventh minute to give him a yellow card for a foul as well. The score stood at 2-2, with the man of the match being Piatti.

Down in New York, the Red Bulls welcome DC United. Bill Hamid and Luis Robles are in the six yard boxes. DC went down to ten men when Fabian Espindola was given a red card in the thirty-second minute for a serious foul. New York took a pair of yellow cards in the thirty-ninth minute for Armando making no impact on timing, and for Roy Miller's unsporting behavior. The Red Bulls escaped with a 1-0 win after a ninetieth minute goal by Lloyd Sam, via Thierry Henry and Jamison Olave. The man of the match was Sam for his timely goal.

Finally, out west, the Vancouver Whitecaps FC bring in the San Jose Earthquakes. Jon Busch and David Ousted are the reliable goalies. Vancouver struck first in the thirty-ninth minute as Pedro Morales converted a penalty kick. San Jose's Jordan Stewart was given a yellow card in the forty-sixth minute for a foul. The Whitecaps added on in the fifty-sixth minute with a Kendall Watson goal, via Morales. Vancouver's Sebastian Fernandez was given a yellow card in the fifty-ninth minute for persistent infringement. The score held at 2-0, with the man of the match being Morales.

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KHL September 10th, 2014

Nine games on today as the KHL allows for some travel before kicking the schedule back into its highest gear. First up...

Avangard Omsk hosts Amur Khabarovsk. Sergei Borisov and Konstantin Barulin are in the blue paint. Omsk opened in the first period with a power play goal by Anton Kuryanov, powered by Alexander Popov and Tom Wandell. Avangard added on with an Alexander Perezhogin goal, assisted by Sergei Kalinin. Omsk extended the lead on a Vladimir Sobotka power play goal, guided in by Denis Parshin. Avangard padded the lead in the second period as Roman Berdnikov scored, thanks to Kirill Semyonov. Khabarovsk got on the board when Sergei Teryayev scored, via Mikhail Fisenko. The scoring was silenced in the third period, so Avangard won 4-1. Barulin (15 for 16 in saves), Perezhogin, and Sobotka were named the three stars.

Over to Magnitogorsk, where Metallurg welcomes Medvescak Zagreb. Mark Dekanich and Vasily Koshechkin guard the cages. Magnitogorsk struck first in the first period with a Sergei Mozyakin goal, assisted by Alexei Bereglazov and Jan Kovar. Metallurg added on with a Danis Zaripov power play goal, powered by Chris Lee and Mozyakin. Magnitogorsk extended the lead as Maxim Yakutsenya scored in the second period, thanks to Tim Brent. Metallurg padded the lead in the third period with a Viktor Antipin goal, via Zaripov and Kovar. Magnitogorsk kept going with a Vladislav Kamenev power play goal, fueled by Rafael Batyrshin and Yaroslav Kosov. Metallurg iced it at 6-0 with a shorthanded Yakutsenya goal, set up by Brent and Evgeny Biryukov. The three stars belonged to Yakutsenya, Mozyakin, and Zaripov, while Koshechkin (31 save shutout), Kovar, and Brent got the honorable mentions.

Up in Ufa, Salavat Yulaev brings in Admiral Vladivostok. Ivan Nalimov and Vitaly Koval draw the starts in goal. Vladivostok was first to score in the first period on an Alexei Ugarov goal, fueled by Denis Osipov. Admiral added on with a power play goal by Logan Pyett, powered by Osipov and Niclas Bergfors. Ufa got on the board with an Ivan Vishnevsky power play goal, coming off of Alexei Kaigorodov and Evgeny Skachkov. Vladivostok shot back with an Andrei Sigaryov goal, courtesy of Osipov, who got a sock trick, and Bergfors. Salavat Yulaev got one back in the second period on a Kirill Koltsov power play goal, made possible by Vishnevsky and Kaigorodov. Ufa tied it with an Alexander Stepanov goal, via Antti Pihlstrom and Alexei Glukhov. Admiral took the lead back on another Ugarov goal, with assists by Enver Lisin and Jan Kolar. Salavat Yulaev tied it again on a power play goal by Koltsov, his second of the game helped along by Vishnevsky and Kaigorodov, the latter getting a sock trick. Ufa took the lead in the third period on a Teemu Hartikainen goal, passed from Dmitry Makarov and Alexander Kutuzov on the power play. Salavat Yulaev went on to win 6-4 on a Pihlstrom goal, pushed through by Kaigorodov and Skachkov. The three stars were Koltsov, Kaigorodov, and Vishnevsky, while Ugarov, Osipov, Bergfors, Skachkov, and Pihlstrom were given honorable mentions.

South to Kazakhstan, as Barys Astana hosts Vityaz Podolsk. Harri Sateri and Jan Laco are between the pipes. Podolsk led off with a first period Yury Koksharov goal, fueled by Ivan Vereshchagin. Vityaz added on in the second period on a Mario Kempe goal, going in unassisted. This was all they needed to win 2-0, with the three stars being Sateri (37 save shutout), Koksharov, and Kempe.

Back in Russia, Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg welcomes Atlant Mytishchi. Atte Engren is mismatched with Jakub Kovar in goal. Yekaterinburg began in the first period with an Anton Lazarev power play goal, powered by Tobias Viklund. Mytishchi tied it with a Yaroslav Dyblenko goal, via Alexander Kadeikin. Atlant took the lead in the second period on a Roman Rukavishnikov goal, assisted by Artyom Chernov and Sergei Shmelyov. Avtomobilist tied it in the third period with a Dmitry Megalinsky goal, coming off of Nikita Komarov on the power play. Yekaterinburg pulled ahead with an Evgeny Lapenkov goal, passed from Eduard Lewandowski and Andrei Antonov. Mytishchi retied it with a power play goal by Matthew Gilroy, set up by Andreas Engqvist. It took until the shootout for the game to be decided, which favored Atlant 4-3 after a lone tally by Igor Radulov. The three stars were given to Gilroy, Radulov, and Lapenkov.

West to Cherepovets, where Severstal brings in Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk. Stepan Goryachevskikh and Jakub Stepanek are the masked men. Khanty-Mansiysk started in the first period on a Ben Maxwell goal, with a lone assist by Toni Rajala. Cherepovets tied it in the second period with a Pavel Chernov goal, made possible by Evgeny Mons on the power play. Severstal took the lead as Chernov scored again, thanks to Mons and Dmitry Kagarlitsky. Cherepovets added on with a power play goal by Pavel Lukin, powered by Kagarlitsky and Andrei Shefer. Yugra got one back with a Nikita Filatov goal, guided in by Denis Gorbunov and Pavel Medvedev. Severstal shot back with a Marek Kvapil goal, coming off of Pavel Buchnevich and Alexander Urbom. This held up for a 4-2 win, with the three stars being Chernov, Mons, and Kagarlitsky.

Into Moscow, where CSKA hosts Traktor Chelyabinsk. Vladislav Fokin and Stanislav Galimov are in the creases. Moscow opened in the first period with a Jan Mursak goal, assisted by Nikolai Prokhorkin. CSKA added on in the third period with a power play goal by Chad Billins, powered by Mursak. The final stood from here at 2-0, with the three stars being Galimov (22 save shutout), Mursak, and Billins.

Backtracking to Kazan, where Ak Bars welcomes Slovan Bratislava. Johan Backlund and Anders Nilsson receive the starting nods. Bratislava started in the first period with a Ladislav Nagy power play goal, with a lone assist by Vaclav Nedorost. Slovan added on with a Matt Murley goal, via Jonathan Sigalet. Kazan got on the board with a Ziyat Paigan goal, fueled by Sergei Kostitsyn and Igor Mirnov. Ak Bars tied it on an Evgeny Medvedev goal, made possible by Kirill Petrov and Justin Azevedo. Bratislava got the lead back with a third period Michal Vondrka goal, assisted by Ziga Jeglic. Kazan retied it on a Janne Pesonen goal, passed from Paigin. Ak Bars took the lead with an unassisted Mikhail Varnakov goal. The final was 4-3, with the three stars handed to Paigin, Varnakov, and Pesonen.

Finally, Dinamo Riga brings in the Sochi Leopards. Tomas Popperle and Jakub Sedlacek protect the nets. Sochi got going in the second period on a Mikhail Anisin goal, assisted by Alexander Shcherbina. Riga tied it in the third period on a Martins Cipulis goal, fueled by Miks Indrasis. The Leopards took the lead back with an Andre Petersson goal, coming off of Cory Emmerton. They held on for a 2-1 win, with the three stars going to Popperle (30 for 31 in saves), Petersson, and Anisin.

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KHL September 9th, 2014

Just one game for today, with Metallurg Novokuznetsk hosting Sibir Novosibirsk. Mikko Koskinen and Ilya Sorokin protect the nets. Novosibirsk began in the first period with a Dmitry Kugryshev power play goal, powered by Igor Ozhiganov. Novokuznetsk tied it on an Ansel Galimov goal, via Ryan Stoa. Metallurg gained the lead with an Alexander Romanov goal, guided in by Nikolai Skladnichenko. Sibir tied it in the third period on a Maxim Ignatovich goal, going in unassisted. Novosibirsk won it in overtime as Kugryshev scored his second of the game to make it 3-2, with the help of Alexei Kopeikin. The three stars were Kugryshev, Sorokin (51 for 54 in saves), and Ignatovich.

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