Tuesday, January 8, 2013

KHL January 8th 2012

First off, much appreciation for pushing me over 10,000 views on the blog. That's a huge number, and I honestly never thought I'd get that many when I started all those months ago. Thank you for sticking with me. For the KHL today, we have nine games, beginning in...

Ufa, as Salavat Yulaev finally returns home, hosting Dynamo Moscow. Alexander Sharychenkov and Andrei Vasilevsky will play in goal. Ufa led off in the first period as Igor Mirnov scored, with assists from Vasilevsky and Antti Pihlstrom. This was the game's only goal, resulting in a 1-0 win for Salavat Yulaev. Vasilevsky (25 save shutout), Sharychenkov (28 for 29 in saves), and Mirnov picked up the three stars.

Over in the west, CSKA Moscow hosts Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg. Chris Holt and Ilya Proskuryakov will make the starts. Yekaterinburg got going with a first period power play goal by Rastislav Spirko, with a lone assist from Branislav Mezei. Avtomobilist added on as Alexei Makeyev scored, thanks to Alexei Simakov and Spirko. Moscow got on the board when Sergei Gimayev scored, via Andrei Sergeyev. CSKA tied it in the second period as Vladimir Zharkov scored, with the help of Dmitry Kugryshev. Moscow took the lead with an Igor Radlov goal, passed from Patrick Davis. Yekaterinburg retied the game in the third period as Stanislav Zhmakin scored, courtesy of Mezei and Evgeny Lapenkov. The game went to a shootout, where CSKA got three goals, including two by Oleg Kvasha and one from Sergei Shirokov to top tallies by Avtomobilist's Zhmakin and Denis Sokolov. The three stars went to Kvasha, Spirko, and Zhmakin, while Mezei gets an honorable mention.

Moving along to Yaroslavl, with Lokomotiv hosting Dinamo Minsk. Kevin Lalande and Curtis Sanford are all padded up. Yaroslavl began with a first period goal by Alexander Guskov, assisted by Staffan Kronwall on the power play. Lokomotiv added on as Alexander Chernikov scored, with the help of Yury Petrov and Yegor Yakovlev. Minsk got on the board with a power play goal by Dmitry Meleshko, powered by Jere Karalahti and Lukas Krajicek. Yaroslavl answered as Guskov scored a power play goal, via Sergei Plotnikov and Alexei Kalyuzhny. Lokomotiv extended the lead in the second period as Petrov scored a power play goal, guided in by Chernikov and Guskov. The scoring ended here with the final being 4-1, with the three stars being Guskov, Sanford (36 for 37 in saves), and Chernikov, while Petrov gets the honorable mention.

Down in Mytishchi, Atlant hosts Severstal Cherepovets. Vasily Koshechkin and Stanislav Galimov are given the starting nods. Cherepovets was first to score in the first period with a power play goal by Niclas Bergfors, powered by Petr Caslava and Alexei Medvedev. Severstal struck again in the third period with a Mikhail Anisin goal, fueled by Vadim Berdnikov and Linus Videll on the power play. Cherepovets iced it at 3-0 with an Ignat Zemchenko goal, assisted by Videll. The three stars were Koshechkin (17 save shutout), Videll, and Bergfors.

Backtracking east, with Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod hosting Vityaz Chekhov. Sergei Denisov and Vitaly Koval will stand in the blue paint. Chekhov struck first in the first period on an Evgeny Timkin goal, passed from Pavel Chernov. Vityaz added on in the second period with a Chernov goal, set up by Nikita Dvurechensky. Nizhny Novgorod got one back as Alexei Vasilyev scored, with the help of Alexander Yevseyenkov. Chekhov shot back in the third period as Alexander Korolyuk converted a penalty shot that he was awarded when Yevseyenkov knocked the net off its posts. This made it a 3-1 game, the final, with Chernov, Denisov (44 for 45 in saves), and Korolyuk getting the three stars.

East again to Kazan, with Ak Bars hosting SKA St. Petersburg. Ilya Ezhov and Konstantin Barulin will be between the pipes. Kazan finally got going in the second period on a Danis Zaripov power play goal, set up by Konstanin Korneyev and Ilya Nikulin. Ak Bars extended the lead with a power play goal from Kirill Petrov, powered by Lauris Darzins and Alexei Tereshchenko. Kazan kept going in the third period as Zaripov scored again, with a lone assist from Alexei Morozov. St. Petersburg got on the board with a tony Martensson power play goal, passed from Ilya Kovalchuk and Dmitry Kalinin. This only made it 3-1, the final, with the three stars being Zaripov, Barulin (44 for 45 in saves), and Petrov.

Again in Moscow, where Spartak welcomes Donbass Donetsk. Jan Laco and Jan Lasak will guard the cages. Donetsk finally started in the second period on a Vaclav Nedorost goal, assisted by Evgeny Dadonov and Sergei Tereshchenko. Moscow tied it in the third period with an unassisted Anatoly Nikontsev goal. Spartak took the lead on a Branko Radivojevic goal, made possible by Mikhail Yunkov and Andrei Shefer. Moscow iced it at 3-1 with an empty net goal by Oleg Petrov, set up by Denis Bodrov and Nikolai Bushuyev. The three stars were Lasak (31 for 32 in saves), Radivojevic, and Nikontsev.

West to Prague, as Lev Praha hosts Metallurg Magnitogorsk. Ari Ahonen and Jakub Stepanek protect the nets. Magnitogorsk opened with a first period power play goal by Mats Zuccarello, powered by Denis Platonov and Ryan O'Reilly. Metallurg padded the lead in the second period on an O'Reilly goal, fueled by Platonov and Sergei Mozyakin. Magnitogorsk struck again on a Justin Hodgman goal, set up by Zuccarello and Yaroslav Kosov. Praha got on the board when Jiri Hunkes scored, thanks to Jakub Klepis and Tomas Rachunek. Metallurg replied in the third period on a Mozyakin goal, with a lone assist from O'Reilly. Lev took one back as Klepis scored an unassisted shorthanded goal. Magnitogorsk finished the scoring at 5-2 with a Kosov goal, coming off of Hodgman and Zuccarello. The three stars of the game were Zuccarello, O'Reilly, and Mozyakin, while Platonov, Kosov, Hodgman, and Klepis get the honorable mentions.

Finally, Slovan Bratislava brings in Traktor Chelyabinsk. Michael Garnett and Jaroslav Janus tend the twines. Bratislava started in the first period with a power play goal by Michel Miklik, powered by Roman Kukumberg and Lubomir Visnovsky. Slovan struck again in the second period as Andrej Kudrna scored, via Visnovsky and Kukumberg. Chelyabinsk got on the board with a power play goal by Valery Nichushkin, coming off of Vyacheslav Belov and Stanislav Chistov. Traktor tied it on a Vladimir Antipov goal, courtesy of Konstantin Panov and Yegor Dugin. Bratislava took the lead back as Jonathan Sigalet scored, with the help of Martin Bakos. Chelyabinsk tied it again in the third period as Panov scored, thanks to Evgeny Kuznetsov. The game went to overtime, where Slovan prevailed 4-3 on an unassisted Kukumberg goal. The three stars were Kukumberg, Visnovsky, and Panov.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.

Monday, January 7, 2013

KHL January 7th 2013

The first day after the mass exodus of NHL players back to North America. Only three games though, so the impact is yet to be fully felt, and some players have remained with their teams at first glance on the box score. First up...

Amur Khabarovsk hosts Avangard Omsk. Eduard Reizvikh and Alexei Kuznetsov will play in goal. Omsk led off in the second period as Dmitry Syomin scored, thanks to Sergei Kostitsyn and Alexander Frolov. Khabarovsk tied it as Alexander Yunkov scored a power play goal, powered by Juha-Pekka Hytonen. Avangard took the lead back in the third period on an Andrei Ivanov goal, made possible by Sergei Kalinin. Omsk iced it at 3-1 on a Frolov empty net goal, set up by Nikita Nikitin and Kostitsyn. The three stars went to Frolov, Reizvikh (33 for 34 in saves), and Kostitsyn.

To the west, Sibir Novosibirsk hosts Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk. Edgars Masalskis and Jeff Glass protect the nets. Novosibirsk began in the first period with a Jonas Enlund goal, fueled by Nikita Zaitsev and Maxim Krivonozhkin. Sibir struck again in the second period as Enlund scored again, a power play goal with a lone assist by Krivonozhkin. Khanty-Mansiysk got on the board with a Rinat Ibragimov goal, passed from Igor Skorokhodov and Igor Magogin. Yugra tied it with a Skorokhodov power play goal, powered by Vitaly Sitnikov. Khanty-Mansiysk completed the comeback in overtime, winning 3-2 on an Anton But goal, assisted by Marek Troncinsky on the power play. The three stars were Skorokhodov, Enlund, and Krivonozhkin.

Finally, an interesting game ends our day in Novokuznetsk, as Metallurg hosts Barys Astana. Teemu Lassila and Alexander Lazushin started the game, but backups Pavel Poleuktov and Ilya Sorokin also saw time in the high-scoring affair. Astana started with a Dmitry Upper goal in the first period, courtesy of Mikhail Rakhmanov. Novokuznetsk tied it on a Konstantin Turukin goal, via Yury Nazarov. Barys took the lead again as Dustin Boyd scored, with help from Nigel Dawes and Rakhmanov. Astana padded the lead on a Talgat Zhailauov goal, made possible by Fyodor Polishchuk and Vadim Krasnoslobodtsev. Barys extended the lead with a Viktor Alexandrov goal, guided in by Andrei Gavrilin and Maxim Spiridonov. Metallurg shot back as Alexander Bumagin potted the puck, with a helper from Dmitry Kagarlitsky. Novokuznetsk pulled closer with a second period goal by Dmitry Chernykh, with a lone assist from Kagarlitsky. Metallurg tied it as Turukin scored, with the help of Nazarov. Astana took the lead back as Zhailauov scored a goal, helped along by Polishchuk. Novokuznetsk retied it on a Kagarlitsky goal, set up by Chernykh. Barys took the lead again with a Spiridonov goal, coming on the power play from Alexandrov. Astana got another as Roman Starchenko scored, fueled by Andrew Hutchinson. Metallurg chipped back in the third period when Alexander Mereskin scored a power play goal, powered by Stanislav Romanov and Nikita Vyglazov. Barys iced it at 8-6 with Zhailauov finishing his hat trick with a goal coming off of Polishchuk, who got a sock trick. The three stars went to Zhailauov, Polishchuk, and Rakhmanov, while the honorable mentions include Turukin, Nazarov, Alexandrov, Spiridonov, Kagarlitsky, and Chernykh.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.

Sunday, January 6, 2013

NFL Wild Card Weekend 2013

Four games, with the winner moving on and the loser going home. First up...

The Houston Texans host the Cincinnati Bengals for the early Saturday game. Houston started in the first quarter with a 48 yard Shayne Graham field goal. The Texans added on in the second quarter when Graham made a 27 yard field goal. Cincinnati took the lead as Leon Hall returned an interception of Matt Schaub for 20 yards and a touchdown, and Josh Brown had the go-ahead extra point. Houston took the lead back as Graham made a 22 yard field goal. The Texans padded the lead in the third quarter with a 1 yard touchdown run by Arian Foster, and Graham made the PAT. The Bengals replied as Brown made a 34 yard field goal. Houston answered on a fourth quarter Graham field goal from 24 yards away. Cincinnati chipped away on a 47 yard Brown field goal. This only made it 19-13, a final. Houston goes on to play the New England Patriots next week, while the Bengals are out.

Up in Green Bay, the Packers host the Minnesota Vikings in the late Saturday game. Minnesota led off with a first quarter Blair Walsh field goal of 33 yards. Green Bay took the lead as DuJuan Harris ran 9 yards for a touchdown, and Mason Crosby made the extra point. The Packers added on in the second quarter as Crosby made a 20 yard field goal. Green Bay added on as John Kuhn ran in a 3 yard touchdown, and Crosby was there with the PAT. The Packers got some more in the third quarter with Aaron Rodgers passing 9 yards to Kuhn for another touchdown, and Crosby handled the extra point. The Vikings chipped back in the fourth quarter as Joe Webb passed 50 yards for a touchdown to Michael Jenkins, and Walsh was true with the extra point. They got no closer, losing 24-10, with Green Bay moving on to play San Francisco next week, while Minnesota is out.

Beginning on Sunday, the Baltimore Ravens host the Indianapolis Colts. Baltimore got going in the second quarter as Justin Tucker kicked a 23 yard field goal. Indianapolis tied it on an Adam Vinatieri field goal from 47 yards out. The Ravens took the lead on a 2 yard touchdown run by Vonta Leach, and Tucker supplied the extra point. The Colts got some back on a 52 yard Vinatieri field goal. Baltimore extended the lead in the third quarter as Joe Flacco tossed a 20 yard touchdown to Dennis Pitta, and Tucker handled the extra point. Indianapolis shot back on a Vinatieri field goal of 26 yards. The Ravens padded the lead in the fourth quarter on a Flacco touchdown pass of 18 yards to Anquan Boldin, and Tucker tacked on the PAT. This made it 24-9, a final, with Baltimore moving on to play Denver next week while the Colts are out.

Finally, closing out the weekend, the Washington Redskins host the Seattle Seahawks. Washington opened with a first quarter Robert Griffin III touchdown pass of 4 yards to Evan Royster, and Kai Forbath made the extra point. The Redskins added on as Griffin found Logan Paulsen for 4 yards and a touchdown, and Forbath made another extra point. Seattle got on the board with a 32 yard field goal by Steven Hauschka in the second quarter. The Seahawks pulled closer as Russell Wilson passed 4 yards to Michael Robinson for a touchdown, and Hauschka tacked on the PAT. Seattle chipped away as Hauschka was able to make a 29 yard field goal. The Seahawks edged ahead in the fourth quarter as Marshawn Lynch ran 27 yards for a touchdown, and the two-point conversion from Wilson to Zach Miller was also good. Seattle iced it at 24-14 with a Hauschka 22 yard field goal. Seattle's win means they play in Atlanta next week, while Washington exits from the playoffs.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion. 

KHL January 6th 2013

Eight games on today, and with early rumblings of an NHL CBA deal, there could be a dramatic migration of players back to North America for the impending season. Regardless, the season continues with...

CSKA Moscow hosting Traktor Chelyabinsk. Michael Garnett and Rastislav Stana are in goal. Chelyabinsk opened in the second period on a Vladimir Antipov goal, fueled by Konstantin Panov. Moscow tied it with a third period Denis Denisov goal, coming off of Pavel Datsyuk and Alexander Radulov. Traktor took the lead back as Panov scored an unassisted goal shorthanded. CSKA retied the game as Datsyuk scored, via Igor Radulov and Sergei Shirokov. The game went into a shootout, where Datsyuk scored the only goal, leading CSKA to a 3-2 win. The three stars were Datsyuk, Panov, and Stana (41 for 43 in saves).

Back east, Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk hosts SKA St. Petersburg. Sergei Bobrovsky and Maxim Sokolov will be between the pipes. St. Petersburg was first to score in the first period with an unassisted Fyodor Fedorov goal. SKA added on in the third period with a Patrick Thoresen power play goal, powered by Petr Prucha and Kevin Dallman. St. Petersburg struck again as Maxim Afinogenov potted the puck, with the help of Dmitry Vorobyov. SKA extended the lead on another Fedorov goal, with a lone assist from Ivan Nepryayev. St. Petersburg iced it at 5-0 with a power play goal by Dmitry Kalinin, passed from Igor Makarov. The three stars went to Fedorov, Bobrovsky (40 save shutout), and Thoresen.

Westward again, as Atlant Mytishchi hosts Dinamo Minsk. Lars Haugen and Stanislav Galimov are given the starting nods. Minsk won the game 1-0 in overtime as Geoff Platt scored an unassisted goal. The three stars go to Platt, Haugen (19 save shutout), and Galimov (38 for 39 in saves).

Northeast to Nizhny Novgorod, with Torpedo hosting Severstal Cherepovets. Vasily Koshechkin and Vitaly Koval are the masked men. Cherepovets led off in the first period with a Vadim Berdnikov goal, with a lone assist from Linus Videll. Nizhny Novgorod tied it on a Dmitry Makarov goal, set up by Martin Thornberg. Severstal took the lead back with an unassisted Berdnikov goal. Torpedo tied it again in the second period as Maxim Potapov scored, thanks to Anton Volchenkov. Nizhny Novgorod took the lead as Thornberg scored, with the help of Alexander Yevseyenkov. Torpedo padded the lead on a Juuso Hietanen power play goal, powered by Mikhail Varnakov. Cherepovets got one back as Videll scored, courtesy of Alexander Ryazantsev. Nizhny Novgorod replied in the third period as Alexander Semin scored a power play goal, made possible by Hietanen and Pyotr Schastlivy. This produced the 5-3 final, with the three stars being Hietanen, Thornberg, and Berdnikov, while Videll gets an honorable mention.

Over to Yaroslavl, as Lokomotiv hosts Vityaz Chekhov. Ivan Lisutin and Curtis Sanford will protect the nets. Yaroslavl struck first in the first period as Alexander Chernikov scored, with the help of Yury Petrov. Lokomotiv added on as Alexei Kalyuzhny potted the puck, thanks to Niklas Hagman and Mikelis Redlihs in the second period. Chekhov got on the board in the third period on a Denis Sergeyev goal, made possible by Ainars Podzins and Vladimir Malevich. They failed to tie the game, falling 2-1, with the three stars being Sanford (26 for 27 in saves), Lisutin (32 for 34 in saves), and Kalyuzhny.

Moving out of Russia, Dinamo Riga welcomes Donbass Donetsk. Jan Laco and Mikael Tellqvist will make the starts. Riga started in the first period with an Alexandre Giroux goal, made possible by Kaspars Daugavins and Oskars Cibulskis. Donetsk tied the game with a Sergei Varlamov goal, passed from Denis Kochetkov and Jan Kolar. Donbass took the lead on a Vaclav Nedorost goal, courtesy of Tuomas Kiiskinen. Donetsk extended the lead in the second period with a goal by Evgeny Dadonov, assisted by Sergei Peretyagin. Donbass finished the scoring at 4-1 with an empty net goal by Alexei Ponikarovsky, with help from Petteri Wirtanen and Kolar. The three stars were given to Laco (27 for 28 in saves), Kolar, and Nedorost.

Further southwest, we stop in Prague as Lev Praha hosts Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg. Chris Holt and Tomas Popperle will guard the cages. Praha began in the second period on an Erik Christensen power play goal, powered by Nicklas Danielsson and Jakub Klepis. This was the only goal in the game, resulting in a 1-0 final, with the three stars being Popperle (23 save shutout), Christensen, and Holt (21 for 22 in saves).

Finally, we end in Bratislava, as Slovan welcomes Metallurg Magnitogorsk. Ari Ahonen and Jaroslav Janus tend the twines. Bratislava got going in the first period on a power play goal by Milan Bartovic, courtesy of Libor Hudacek and Jan Lipiansky. Slovan added on with a Hudacek power play goal, set up by Bartovic and Lipiansky. Magnitogorsk answered in the second period as Evgeny Malkin scored a power play goal, powered by Nikolai Kulemin and Sergei Mozyakin. Metallurg tied the game as Mozyakin scored, thanks to Kulemin and Malkin. Bratislava took the lead back in the third period on a Hudacek power play goal, passed from Lipiansky, who got a sock trick, and Michal Sersen. Magnitogorsk tied it again with another Mozyakin goal, assisted by Malkin and Kulemin, the latter getting a sock trick. Slovan ended up winning 4-3 in the shootout as Mario Bliznak scored two goals to overwhelm a lone Mozyakin tally. The three stars were Bliznak, Hudacek, and Lipiansky, while Bartovic, Mozyakin, Malkin, and Kulemin get the honorable mentions.

By now, you may have heard that the NHL is eying a return between the 15th and the 19th of this month. When the lockout began and I started blogging the KHL, I made the promise that I would continue to work on the KHL regardless of if the NHL returned or not. I fully intend to keep this promise, and will work on both the KHL and NHL when the NHL gets underway. Thank you for your support as always, and follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.

Saturday, January 5, 2013

KHL January 5th 2013

Only four games today, but they were big ones in the east. First up...

Amur Khabarovsk hosts Barys Astana. Vitaly Yeremeyev and Alexei Kuznetsov will be between the pipes. Khabarovsk got going in the first period as Evgeny Orlov scored, courtesy of Igor Ozhiganov and Timofei Shishkanov. Amur added on as Mikhail Fisenko scored, via Andrei Stepanov. Khabarovsk struck again with a Perttu Lindgren goal, made possible by Jakub Petruzalek and Nikita Gusev. Astana got on the board as Nigel Dawes scored, thanks to Vitaly Novopashin and Brandon Bochenski. Amur replied in the second period as Gusev scored, with a lone assist from Juha-Pekka Hytonen. Barys shot back with a power play goal by Roman Savchenko, powered by Alexei Litvinenko and Vadim Krasnoslobodtsev. Khabarovsk struck back as Dmitry Tarasov netted the puck, with helpers provided by Ozhiganov and Alexander Osipov. Barys pulled Yeremeyev at this time, in favor of Pavel Poluektov. Astana pulled closer in the third period as Talgat Zhailauov scored a goal, assisted by Fyodor Polishchuk and Krasnoslobodtsev. Barys chipped away as Samvel Mnatsyan scored a goal, guided in by Dawes and Dustin Boyd. They failed to tie the game, falling 5-4, with the three stars being Gusev, Ozhiganov, and Dawes, while Krasnoslobodtsev gets an honorable mention.

Westward, as Sibir Novosibirsk hosts Avangard Omsk. Karri Ramo and Sergei Gaiduchenko have the green light to start. Omsk led off with a first period Igor Volkov goal, assisted by Anton Belov and Tomas Zaborsky on the power play. Avangard added on in the second period as Volkov scored again, with helpers provided by Zaborsky and Anssi Salmela. Omsk padded the lead in the third period as Zaborsky scored a power play goal, powered by Alexander Popov and Volkov. Novosibirsk got on the board with a power play goal from Evgeny Fyodorov, passed from Alexander Romanov and Viktor Bobrov. This was as close as it got, with the final being 3-1, and the three stars were Volkov, Zaborsky, and Ramo (34 for 35 in saves).

Moving along to Novokuznetsk, as Metallurg hosts Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk. Edgars Masalskis and Yury Klyuchnikov are all padded up. Khanty-Mansiysk was first to score in the first period as Stanislav Bocharov scored an unassisted goal. Novokuznetsk tied it with an Alexander Islamov goal, passed from Brent Sopel. Metallurg took the lead on a Yury Nazarov goal, set up by Konstantin Turukin. Novokuznetsk extended the lead with an Alexei Yefimov goal, made possible by Anton Lazarev and Alexander Mereskin. Yugra shot back with an unassisted goal by Alexei Pepelyaev. Metallurg responded as Nazarov scored again in the second period, this time with a lone assist coming from Chris Simon. Khanty-Mansiysk chipped away with a power play goal by Sergei Demagin, powered by Tomas Starosta. Yugra tied the game with a Rinat Ibragimov goal, guided in by Anton Krysanov and Kirill Safronov. The game went into overtime, where Khanty-Mansiysk won with three seconds remaining as Igor Magogin scored, courtesy of Ibragimov, for a 5-4 final. The three stars were Ibragimov, Nazarov, and Magogin.

Finally, in Kazan, Ak Bars hosts Salavat Yulaev Ufa. Iiro Tarkki and Konstantin Barulin will guard the cages. Kazan opened in the first period with a Janne Pesonen goal, via Alexei Yemelin and Alexei Tereshchenko. Ak Bars added on with an Alexei Morozov goal, courtesy of Danis Zaripov and Denis Kulyash. Kazan struck again on a Kirill Petrov goal, passed from Tereshchenko and Lauris Darzins. Ufa got on the board with Miroslav Blatak's goal, made possible by Antti Pihlstrom and Alexei Kaigorodov. Ak Bars padded the lead on a Konstantin Korneyev goal, coming off of Ilya Nikulin and Zaripov. Kazan extended the lead again as Kapanen scored an unassisted power play goal. Ak Bars kept going as Zaripov scored a power play goal, powered by Korneyev and Nikulin. Kazan padded the lead again on a Darzins power play goal, helped along by Petrov and Tereshchenko, the latter getting a sock trick. Salavat Yulaev answered in the third period with an unassisted Alexander Svitov goal. Ak Bars responded as Kapanen scored another power play goal, this time set up by Morozov and Nikulin, the latter getting a sock trick. Kazan scored again as Darsins netted a power play goal, pushed through by Petrov and Tereshchenko. Ufa got one back with a power play goal by Pihlstrom, with assists provided by Kirill Koltsov and Igor Mirnov. This produced the 9-3 final, with the three stars being Darzins, Tereshchenko, and Kapanen, while Zaripov, Nikulin, Korneyev, Morozov, Petrov, and Pihlstrom get the honorable mentions.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.

Friday, January 4, 2013

KHL January 4th 2013

Five games going on today, with the first coming from...

Magnitogorsk, as Metallurg hosts Traktor Chelyabinsk. Michael Garnett and Ari Ahonen tend the twines. Magnitogorsk started with a first period power play goal by Evgeny Malkin, powered by Sergei Mozyakin and Sergei Gonchar. Metallurg added on in the second period as Malkin scored again, with the help of Mozyakin and Nikolai Kulemin. Magnitogorsk iced it at 3-0 in the third period when Malkin finished his hat trick with his third goal of the night, assisted by Mozyakin, who got a sock trick, and Enver Lisin. The three stars were Malkin, Ahonen (23 save shutout), and Mozyakin.

In the west, CSKA Moscow hosts Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk. Matt Dalton and Rastislav Stana are the masked men. Moscow opened with a first period power play goal from Alexander Radulov, powered by Yakov Rylov and Pavel Datsyuk. Nizhnekamsk tied the game on a Maxim Pestushko goal, fueled by Yegor Milovzorov. CSKA took the lead back in the second period with an Ilya Zubov goal, coming on the power play from Niklas Persson and Sergei Shirokov. Moscow finished it at 3-1 with an empty net goal scored by Shirokov, with a lone assist by Igor Radulov. The three stars went to Shirokov, Stana (21 for 22 in saves), and Zubov.

Also in Moscow, Dynamo hosts Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod. Vitaly Koval and Alexander Yeryomenko will be in the blue paint. Nizhny Novgorod struck first in the first period as Ruslan Zainullin scored, via Martin Thornberg. Moscow tied it on a second period power play goal by Richard Gynge, going in unassisted. Dynamo took the lead as Alexander Ovechkin scored, courtesy of Leo Komarov and Konstantin Gorovikov. Moscow extended the lead as Dominik Granak scored, with helpers provided by Gynge and Denis Kokarev. This was it for the scoring, resulting in a 3-1 final, with the three stars going to Gynge, Yeryomenko (23 for 24 in saves), and Ovechkin.

A little west, SKA St. Petersburg hosts Lokomotiv Yaroslavl. Semyon Varlamov and Sergei Bobrovsky are the NHL level goalies. St. Petersburg got going in the second period with a power play goal by Patrick Thoresen, powered by Yury Alexandrov and Tony Martensson. SKA added on as Alexander Kucheryavenko scored, with a lone assist provided by Maxim Afinogenov. St. Petersburg extended the lead in the third period as Vladimir Tarasenko scored, thanks to Dmitry Kalinin. SKA wrapped it up with an Ilya Kovalchuk empty net goal, passed from Tarasenko. The three stars went to Tarasenko, Bobrovsky (26 save shutout), and Thoresen.

Finally, Slovan Bratislava welcomes Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg. Evgeny Lobanov and Jaroslav Janus receive the starting nods. Bratislava finally led off in the third period as Vladimir Mihalik scored, with the help of Roman Kukumberg. Slovan extended the lead as Jan Lipiansky scored, via Libor Hudacek and Milan Bartovic. Yekaterinburg got one back late as Rastislav Spirko scored, thanks to Fyodor Malykhin and Alexei Simakov. Bratislava finished the scoring at 3-1 with a power play goal by Bartovic, powered by Hudacek. The three stars were Bartovic, Janus (23 for 24 in saves), and Hudacek

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.

Thursday, January 3, 2013

KHL January 3rd 2013 + 1,000th post special

Only three games for today, all being played in the west. First up...

Vityaz Chekhov hosts Salavat Yulaev Ufa. Iiro Tarkki and Ivan Lisutin earn the starting nods. Ufa was first to score with a first period Alexander Svitov goal, with a lone assist from Alexander Pankov. Salavat Yulaev added on in the second period as Antti Pihlstrom scored, via Igor Mirnov. Ufa iced it at 3-0 with an unassisted goal by Oleg Saprykin in the third period. The three stars went to Tarkki (24 save shutout), Svitov, and Pihlstrom.

Up in Cherepovets, Severstal welcomes Spartak Moscow. Alexei Yakhin and Vasily Koshechkin are between the pipes. Cherepovets led off with a first period Vadim Berdnikov goal, going down unassisted. Severstal padded the lead as Evgeny Ketov scored, with the help of Denis Kazionov and Vadim Shipachyov. Moscow got on the board with a power play goal by Nikolai Bushuyev, powered by Jaroslav Obsut and Denis Bodrov. Cherepovets shot back with a second period goal by Pavel Dedunov, an unassisted goal. Severstal extended the lead as Shipachyov scored a power play goal, assisted by Alexander Ryazantsev and Petr Caslava. This was it for the scoring, leaving the final at 4-1, with the three stars going to Shipachyov, Koshechkin (15 for 16 in saves), and Ketov.

Finally, we end in Riga, with Dinamo Minsk hosting Dinamo Riga. Mikael Tellqvist and Lars Haugen guard the cages. Riga started with a first period goal by Oskars Cibulskis, passed from Gints Meija and Andris Dzerins. Riga added on as Alexandre Giroux scored an unassisted goal. Minsk got on the board in the second period as Vladimir Denisov potted the puck with an unassisted goal. Minsk tied it in the third period with a Lukas Krajicek goal, set up by Teemu Laine. Riga took the lead back with a goal form Paul Szczechura, guided in by Krisjanis Redlihs. This held up for a 3-2 final, with the three stars being Szczechura, Tellqvist (33 for 35 in saves), and Giroux.

As promised, a special message. Twenty-five and a half months ago, I started working on this blog at the whim of a friend of mine. Since then, I have taken many different paths with my efforts on here. Originally intended to represent three areas of life, the sports section became a much more important factor to me. While I have dropped the music and Subway aspects of the blog, the name has not yet changed. Partially out of a reverence for the history of my work and partially out of laziness, the name and design is the same as always. While there are changes ahead, today is not the time for them. Today, on the day of my 1,000th blog post, I would like to once again extend my appreciation to all of my readers, fans, friends, and family that have supported me. I have blogged many partial and full seasons of baseball, football, and hockey, and throughout the trials of keeping up with the pace, I have found something that I enjoy doing. This is why my plans for the future include keeping up with this blog en route to a career in something very similar. When I leave for college in August, I cannot promise that I will be able to keep up with the workload on here anymore. What I can promise is that I won't be wasting time, and if I am to come back to writing on my own blog, it will be with the knowledge and abilities of a more full-fledged and official writer. I plan to study journalism in my higher education, with a specific knack for sports. Combining my passion for writing with an even stronger love of sports is something I hope I can accomplish in my life, and hopefully I can look back to this project of mine as where it all began. As I said, what I have here is far from complete, and I will continue working on this site until I am unable to do to whatever circumstances may arise as my life continues. Once again, thank you all for your support. It means the absolute world to me that so many people have seen this blog. The first 1,000 posts were good; here's to 1,000 more great ones.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.