Saturday, December 29, 2012

KHL December 29th 2012

Four games today, beginning in...

Kazan, with Ak Bars hosting Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk. Matt Dalton and Konstantin Barulin are in front of the nets. Kazan started with a first period goal by Konstantin Korneyev, courtesy of Danis Zaripov. Ak Bars added on in the second period with an Alexei Tereshchenko goal, fueled by Ilya Nikulin and Zaripov. Kazan padded the lead with a Tereshchenko power play goal, powered by Nikulin and Alexei Morozov. This prompted Maxim Sokolov to relieve Dalton in goal. Ak Bars struck again on an Artyom Lukoyanov goal, going down with help from Nikulin, who got a sock trick, and Evgeny Bodrov. Nizhnekamsk got one back as Maxim Pestushko scored, thanks to Martin Cibak. Neftekhimik chipped away as Cibak scored a goal, guided in by Yegor Milovzorov. The scoring went dry in the third period, leaving the final at 4-2 Ak Bars. Tereshchenko, Nikulin, and Cibak get the three stars while Zaripov gets an honorable mention.

West to Cherepovets, where Severstal welcomes Donbass Donetsk. Jan Laco and Vasily Koshechkin will play goal. Cherepovets opened with a first period power play goal by Denis Kazionov, passed from Vadim Shipachyov. Donetsk tied it on a Sergei Varlamov goal, made possible by Denis Kochetkov and Vitaly Donika. Donbass took the lead as Lukas Kaspar scored, with a lone assist from Alexei Ponikarovsky. Severstal retied it as Pavel Dedunov scored a goal, via Alexander Fedoseyev. Cherepovets gained the lead as Shipachyov scored, thanks to Evgeny Ketov. Severstal padded the lead with an Alexei Medvedev goal, assisted by Niclas Bergfors. Donetsk chipped back in the third period on a power play goal by Peter Podhradsky, powered by Vaclav Nedorost. They failed to tie the game, losing 4-3, with the three stars being Shipachyov, Medvedev, and Kazionov.

South to Chekhov, as Vityaz hosts Dinamo Riga. Mikael Tellqvist and Ivan Lisutin are the masked men. Chekhov led off with a first period goal by Artemy Panarin, going down unassisted. Riga tied it on an Alexandre Giroux goal, with a lone assist by Arvids Rekis. Vityaz took the lead back on a Dinar Khafizullin goal, courtesy of Alexei Badyukov. Chekhov extended the lead in the second period with an Evgeny Timkin goal, coming off of Georgy Belousov. This held up for a 3-1 win, with the three stars being Lisutin (31 for 32 in saves), Panarin, and Khafizullin.

Finally, in Minsk, Dinamo hosts Spartak Moscow. Alexei Yakhin and Lars Haugen will guard the cages. Minsk got going in the first period as Geoff Platt recorded a goal on a penalty shot he earned after being tripped on a breakaway by Jaroslav Obsut. Dinamo added on in the second period with a power play goal by Zbynek Irgl, powered by Libor Pivko. Minsk struck again in the third period as Janne Niskala scored, with the help of Pivko and Teemu Laine. This made it 3-0, the final, with the three stars being Haugen (30 save shutout), Pivko, and Platt.

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Friday, December 28, 2012

KHL December 28th 2012

Eight more games today, beginning in...

Omsk, as Avangard hosts Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod. Vitaly Koval and Karri Ramo tend the twines. Omsk got going in the second period on an Alexander Perezhogin goal, with a lone assist by Alexander Popov. This was the game's only goal, leaving the final at 1-0. Ramo (30 save shutout), Perezhogin, and Koval (16 for 17 in saves) received the three stars.

Northwest to Chelyabinsk, as Traktor welcomes Amur Khabarovsk. Alexei Kuznetsov and Michael Garnett are starting in goal. Khabarovsk finally got going in the second period with a Perttu Lindgren goal, made possible by Nikita Gusev. Chelyabinsk tied it on an Andrei Popov goal, assisted by Evgeny Kuznetsov and Dmitry Ryabykin. Traktor took the lead in the third period when Yegor Dugin scored, thanks to Konstantin Panov and Vladimir Antipov. Chelyabinsk added on with a goal by Panov, passed from Alexei Vasilchenko and Antipov. This made it a 3-1 final score, with Garnett (16 for 17 in saves), Panov, and Antipov getting the three stars.

A touch to the west, Metallurg Magnitogorsk hosts Metallurg Novokuznetsk. Yury Klyuchnikov and Ari Ahonen are in the creases. Magnitogorsk led off with a first period Sergei Mozyakin goal, assisted by Sergei Gonchar and Evgeny Malkin. Magnitogorsk struck again in the second period as Mats Zuccarello scored, with the help of Alexei Bondarev. Magnitogorsk added on as Nikolai Kulemin scored, with assists provided by Mozyakin and Malkin. Magnitogorsk extended the lead with a Ryan O'Reilly goal, coming off of Denis Platonov. Magnitogorsk padded the lead in the third period on a power play goal by Malkin, powered by O'Reilly and Gonchar. Magnitogorsk iced it at 6-0 with an O'Reilly goal, and Georgy Misharin got the lone assist. The three stars went to O'Reilly, Malkin, and Mozyakin, while Gonchar and Ahonen (22 save shutout) get the honorable mentions.

A bit north, Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg brings in Sibir Novosibirsk. Jeff Glass and Chris Holt are the masked men. Novosibirsk started in the second period as Evgeny Fyodorov scored an unassisted power play goal. Sibir iced it at 2-0 with a shorthanded empty net goal in the third period, recorded by Jori Lehtera and going down unassisted. Glass (20 save shutout), Fyodorov, and Holt (26 for 28 in saves) got the three stars. As a note, please remember these recaps are unofficial. I have no way to verify the statistics and actions presented in the KHL. 

Northeast to Khanty-Mansiysk, as Yugra hosts Atlant Mytishchi. Stanislav Galimov and Mikhail Biryukov will be between the pipes. Mytishchi began in the first period as Igor Ignatushkin scored, with the help of Jonas Andersson and Nikolai Zherdev. Atlant added on with an unassisted goal from Ilya Kablukov. Mytishchi extended the lead with an Andreas Engqvist goal, set up by Viktor Stalberg and Jonas Frogren. Khanty-Mansiysk got on the board in the second period as Anton But scored, with a lone assist from Dmitry Altaryov. Atlant replied on an Andersson goal, fueled by Zherdev. Yugra shot back on a Sergei Demagin goal, courtesy of Kirill Safronov and But. Mytishchi answered with Stalberg scoring a goal, guided in by Engqvist. Khanty-Mansiysk got one back in the third period on a power play goal by Rinat Ibragimov, powered by Konstantin Glazachev and Safronov. They failed to score again, losing 5-3, with the three stars going to Engqvist, Stalberg, and Andersson, while Zherdev, Safronov, and But receive the honorable mentions.

Down in Kazakhstan, Barys Astana hosts Lokomotiv Yaroslavl. Curtis Sanford and Vitaly Yeremeyev protect the nets. Astana was first to score in the first period as Dmitry Upper potted the puck, thanks to Andrew Hutchinson and Konstantin Rudenko. Barys added on in the second period with a power play goal by Vadim Krasnoslobodtsev, powered by Talgat Zhailauov and Fyodor Polishchuk. This was it for the scoring, resulting in a 2-0 win for Barys. Upper, Yeremeyev (27 save shutout), and Krasnoslobodtsev.

Northwest to Moscow, as Dynamo hosts Lev Praha. Tomas Popperle and Alexander Sharychenkov guard the cages. Praha opened in the first period with a Tomas Rachunek goal, coming off of Jiri Hunkes and Jakub Klepis. Lev added on in the second period as Jakub Krejcik scored a power play goal, powered by Jakub Voracek. Praha kept going in the third period with a Klepis goal, fueled by Rachunek and Petr Vrana. Lev struck again as Rachunek scored another goal, via Mathias Porseland and Voracek. Moscow got on the board with a shorthanded and unassisted goal by Denis Kokarev. Dynamo got another as Alexei Tsvetkov scored, with the help of Konstantin Volkov and Maxim Solovyov. This was as close as it got, with the final being 4-2, leaving the three stars were Rachunek, Klepis, and Voracek.

Finally, ending the day in St. Petersburg, with SKA welcoming Slovan Bratislava. Jaroslav Janus and Sergei Bobrovsky receive the starting nods. St. Petersburg struck first in the first period with an unassisted Ilya Kovalchuk goal. This stood throughout the game for a 1-0 final, with the three stars being Bobrovsky (27 save shutout), Kovalchuk, and Janus (23 for 24 in saves).

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Thursday, December 27, 2012

KHL December 27th 2012

Four games on for today, the first coming from...

Cherepovets, as Severstal hosts Dinamo Riga. Mikael Tellqvist and Vasily Koshechkin guard the cages. Riga led off with a first period goal by Girts Ankipans, assisted by Andris Dzerins and Mathieu Carle. Cherepovets tied it on a Denis Kazionov goal, fueled by Niclas Andersen and Gennady Stolyarov. Dinamo took the lead back in the second period on a power play goal by Kristaps Sotnieks, powered by Aleksandrs Nizivijs and Gints Meija. Riga padded the lead in the third period with Dzerins scoring a goal, passed from Nizivijs. Severstal got one back as Kazionov scored again, thanks to Bogdan Kiselevich and Vadim Shipachyov. Dinamo iced it at 4-2 with an unassisted empty net goal by Alexandre Giroux. The three stars went to Dzerins, Nizivijs, and Kazionov.

Back east, Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk welcomes Ak Bars Kazan. Konstantin Barulin and Matt Dalton are in the blue paint. Kazan opened in the first period as Evgeny Medvedev scored, thanks to Jarkko Immonen and Dmitry Obukhov. Nizhnekamsk tied it in the second period on a power play goal by Yegor Milovzorov, powered by Maxim Pestushko and Alexander Seluyanov. Ak Bars took the lead back as Ilya Nikulin scored, with a lone assist from Niko Kapanen. Neftekhimik retied it on a Pyotr Khokhryakov goal, made possible by Yaroslav Alshevsky. The game went to overtime, where Kazan won 3-2 on a goal by Medvedev, helped along by Grigory Panin. The three stars were Medvedev, Barulin (29 for 31 in saves), and Dalton (35 for 38 in saves).

Back west, Vityaz Chekhov hosts Spartak Moscow. Sergei Borisov and Ivan Lisutin receive the starting nods. Georgy Belousov started the scoring for Chekhov, and he received helpers from Dinar Khafizullin and Alexei Badyukov. Moscow tied it with a power play goal by Mikhail Yunkov, with assists coming from Jaroslav Obshut and Branko Radivojevic. Vityaz retook the lead in the second period as Badyukov scored, courtesy of Evgeny Timkin. Spartak tied it again as Stefan Ruzicka scored, with the help of Oleg Petrov. Chekhov regained the lead in the third period on a power play goal from Alexander Korolyuk, powered by Josh Hennessy. Moscow tied it once more as Denis Bodrov scored, via Petrov. Spartak won 4-3 with a lone shootout tally by Mikhail Zhukov. The three stars were Petrov, Badyukov, and Zhukov.

Finally, in Minsk, Dinamo brings in Donbass Donetsk. Jan Laco and Lars Haugen are the masked men. Minsk began with a power play goal by Geoff Platt, powered by Teemu Laine and Janne Niskala. Dinamo added on as Andrei Stas scored, via Dmitry Meleshko and Zbynek Irgl. Minsk extended the lead in the second period on an unassisted Laine goal. Donetsk got on the board late in the third period with a power play goal by Ruslan Fedotenko, coming off of Lukas Kaspar and Oskars Bartulis. This only made it 3-1, a final, with Laine, Haugen (25 for 26 in saves), and Stas getting the three stars.

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Wednesday, December 26, 2012

KHL December 26th 2012

Eight games going on today as we approach the new year. First up...

Avangard Omsk hosts Lokomotiv Yaroslavl. Semyon Varlamov and Karri Ramo tend the twines. Omsk led off in the first period with an Anssi Salmela goal, assisted by Alexander Nesterov and Vladimir Pervushin. Yaroslavl tied it in the second period on a Mikhail Pashnin goal with a lone assist from Yegor Yakovlev. Avangard retook the lead on an unassisted power play goal by Anton Kuryanov. Lokomotiv tied it again as Maxim Trunyov scored an unassisted goal. Omsk edged ahead on an Alexander Perezhogin goal, courtesy of Alexander Popov and Tomas Zaborsky. Avangard iced it at 4-2 with a power play goal going into an empty net off the tape of Perezhogin, with Popov claiming the only helper. This was a final, with the three stars being Perezhogin, Popov, and Salmela.

To the northwest, Traktor Chelyabinsk hosts Metallurg Novokuznetsk. Alexander Lazushin and Michael Garnett are the masked men. Chelyabinsk was first to score in the first period with a power play goal by Maxim Karpov, powered by Deron Quint and Evgeny Kuznetsov. Novokuznetsk tied it on a Yury Nazarov goal, fueled by Vadim Mitryakov. Traktor took the lead back with a power play goal by Maxim Yakutsenya, coming off of Vyacheslav Belov. Chelyabinsk added on in the second period as Yakutsenya scored again, with the help of Jan Bulis, and this goal chased Lazushin from the game. He was replaced by Yury Klyuchnikov. This worked well defensively, but the offense fell flat and lost 3-1. The three stars were Yakutsenya, Garnett (20 for 21 in saves), and Karpov.

A little southwest to Magnitogorsk, with Metallurg welcoming Sibir Novosibirsk. Sergei Gaiduchenko and Ari Ahonen receive the starting nods. Novosibirsk began in the first period as Viktor Drugov scored a power play goal with the help of Alexander Nikulin. Magnitogorsk tied it with a power play goal by Sergei Mozyakin, powered by Evgeny Malkin and Sergei Gonchar. Sibir retook the lead on a Viktor Bobrov goal, passed from Igor Velichkin. Novosibirsk extended the lead in the second period on a Maxim Krivonozhkin goal, guided in by Jori Lehtera. Metallurg replied on an unassisted power play goal by Dmitry Kazionov. Magnitogorsk tied it with another Mozyakin goal, made possible by Nikolai Kulemin and Malkin. Sibir took the lead back in the third period on an unassisted goal by Krivonozhkin. Novosibirsk struck again with a power play goal by Jonas Enlund, via Nikulin and Krivonozhkin. This made it 5-3, the final, with Krivonozhkin, Mozyakin, and Nikulin getting the three stars, while Malkin gets the honorable mention.

Northeast to Yekaterinburg, where Avtomobilist brings in Amur Khabarovsk. Alexei Kuznetsov and Chris Holt are in the blue paint. Khabarovsk opened with a first period goal by Mikhail Fisenko, assisted by Dmitry Lugin and Andrei Stepanov. Amur added on with a Timofei Shishkanov goal, helped along by Evgeny Orlov. Yekaterinburg got on the board as Rastislav Spirko scored, with helpers provided by Sergei Gusev and Alexei Simakov. Khabarovsk answered in the second period with an Alexander Yunkov goal, via Janne Lahti and Anton Poleshchuk. Avtomobilist shot back on an Artyom Kryukov goal, courtesy of Branislav Mezei. Yekaterinburg tied it in the third period when Simakov potted the puck, thanks to Gusev and Alexei Makeyev. Amur won 4-3 in the shootout with a lone tally by Yunkov. The three stars were Yunkov, Simakov, and Gusev.

Farther to the northeast, Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk hosts Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod. Vitaly Koval and Edgars Masalskis are between the pipes. Khanty-Mansiysk quickly opened in the first period with a Dmitry Altaryov goal fourteen seconds in, helped along by Anton But and Sergei Demagin. Nizhny Novgorod tied the game as Mikhail Varnakov scored on a penalty shot after being hooked by Altaryov on the breakaway. Yugra took the lead back in the second period as Stanislav Bocharov scored, with a lone assist coming from Khanty-Mansiysk added on as Igor Magogin scored a power play goal, powered by Vitaly Sitnikov and Denis Grebeshkov. Yugra padded the lead as Sitnikov scored, thanks to Igor Skorokhodov and Magogin. Torpedo answered in the third period on a Dmitry Makarov goal, set up by Alexei Ugarov. Nizhny Novgorod pulled closer on an unassisted Alexander Semin power play goal. They failed to tie the game, losing 4-3, with the three stars being Sitnikov, Magogin, and Altaryov.

Down in Kazakhstan, Barys Astana hosts Atlant Mytishchi. Anton Khudobin and Vitaly Yeremeyev are in the creases. Astana started in the first period with a Konstantin Pushkaryov goal, fueled by Mikhail Grigoryev. Barys added on as Brandon Bochenski scored, thanks to Maxim Spiridonov and Ilya Solaryov. Astana kept going with a Fyodor Polishchuk goal, made possible by Vadim Krasnoslobodtsev. Barys extended the lead in the second period as Dustin Boyd scored, with the help of Vitaly Novopashin and Pushkaryov. Mytishchi got on the board as Mikhail Glukhov scored a goal, assisted by Ilya Kablukov and Roman Rukavishnikov. Atlant pulled closer on an Alexander Shavchenko goal, coming off of Sandis Ozolins. Mytishchi chipped away in the third period on another Shavchenko goal, via Andreas Engqvist and Ozolins. Atlant tied the game as Viktor Stalberg scored, with a lone assist from Engqvist. They failed to complete the comeback, losing in the shootout as goals from Astana's Roman Starchenko and Nigel Dawes overpowered the lone tally from Mytishchi's Nikolai Zherdev. The three stars belong to Pushkaryov, Shavchenko, and Engqvist, while Ozolins gets an honorable mention.

To the west, Dynamo Moscow welcomes Slovan Bratislava. Jaroslav Janus and Alexander Yeryomenko guard the cages. Bratislava got going in the first period on a power play goal by Milan Bartovic, with a lone assist by Andrej Sekera. Moscow tied it as Alexander Ovechkin scored a power play goal, powered by Ilya Gorokhov and Leo Komarov. The game went into a shootout, where Dynamo came out on top, riding two goals from Richard Gynge and one from Marek Kvapil to top goals by Slovan's Mario Bliznak and Jan Lipiansky. The final was 2-1, with the three stars being Gynge, Yeryomenko (26 for 27 in saves), and Janus (33 for 34 in saves).

Finally, we end in St. Petersburg, with SKA hosting CSKA Moscow. Ilya Bryzgalov faces his former Philadelphia Flyers backup, Sergei Bobrovsky, in goal. St. Petersburg struck first in the first period as Petr Prucha scored a power play goal, powered by Maxim Chudinov and Patrick Thoresen. Moscow tied it in the second period with a Pavel Datsyuk goal, fueled by Alexander Radulov and Yakov Rylov. CSKA won 2-1 in overtime as Mikhail Grabovsky scored, with a lone assist by Radulov. The three stars were Radulov, Bryzgalov (16 for 17 in saves), and Grabovsky.

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Tuesday, December 25, 2012

KHL December 25th 2012

Merry Christmas everybody. This may be a first-time occurrence, with me blogging on Christmas. There's just one game on in the KHL, played between the host Donbass Donetsk and the visiting Vityaz Chekhov. Ivan Kasutin and Jan Laco play in goal. Chekhov opened with a first period goal by Josh Hennessy, assisted by Alexander Korolyuk. Donetsk tied it with a Jan Kolar goal, fueled by Lukas Kaspar and Jani Tuppurainen. Vityaz took the lead back in the second period as Hennessy scored again, a power play goal powered by Alexei Troshchinsky. Chekhov padded the lead with an unassisted Artemy Panarin goal. Donbass got one back as Petr Podhradsky scored a power play goal, made possible by Kaspar and Petteri Wirtanen. Donetsk tied it in the third period as Evgeny Dadonov scored, via Vaclav Nedorost. Donbass took the lead with a Ruslan Fedotenko goal, courtesy of Alexei Ponikarovsky and Fredrik Pettersson. Donetsk kept going with a Fedotenko power play goal with a lone assist by Clay Wilson. Donbass extended the lead with a Wirtanen power play goal, passed from Kaspar, who got a sock trick, and Podhradsky. Vityaz got one back late as Nikita Dvurechensky scored a power play goal, with helpers provided by Pavel Chernov and Panarin. This made it a 6-4 final score, with the three stars being Fedotenko, Podhradsky, and Wirtanen, while Hennessy, Kaspar, and Panarin get the honorable mentions.

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Monday, December 24, 2012

KHL December 24th 2012

Two games for Christmas Eve, none of which being played in Russia. First up...

Dinamo Riga hosts Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk. Edgars Masalskis and Mikael Tellqvist are the masked men. Riga led off in the first period with an Alexandre Giroux goal, assisted by Paul Szczechura and Kaspars Daugavins. Khanty-Mansiysk tied it on an Igor Skorokhodov goal, passed from Vitaly Sitnikov and Igor Magogin. Yugra took the lead in the second period as Konstantin Glazachev scored, with the help of Marek Troncinsky and Alexander Rybakov. Khanty-Mansiysk iced it at 3-1 in the third period on an empty net goal by Anton But, set up by Kirill Safronov and Sergei Demagin. The three stars belong to Glazachev, Masalskis (24 for 25 in saves), and Skorokhodov.

Ending the day in Prague as Lev Praha hosts Ak Bars Kazan. Emil Garipov and Jakub Stepanek tend the twines. Kazan began with a first period power play goal from Lauris Darzins, powered by Ilya Nikulin and Alexei Morozov. Ak Bars extended the lead with a Janne Pesonen power play goal, coming off of Jarkko Immonen and Evgeny Medvedev. This was it for the scoring, resulting in a 2-0 final, and the three stars were Garipov (23 save shutout), Darzins, and Pesonen.

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Fantasy Football All-Stars Championship Weekend

Rough week for my teams, as I claimed a whopping 0 championships, as well as 4 second places, 0 third places, and 2 fourth places. Here's who was probably against me.

Quarterback: Aaron Rodgers
Running Backs: Reggie Bush and Jamaal Charles
Wide Receivers: Dez Bryant and Roddy White
Tight End: Lance Kendricks
Kicker: Justin Tucker
Team Defense: San Diego and Chicago
Defensive Players: Richard Sherman and Julius Peppers

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