Victory in the sixth match and 14 shoot-outs before a miss: how the Russian youth team lost to Canadians in the Super Series

The Russian national hockey team failed to win the main trophy of the 2019 Super Series. According to the results of six matches, the Canadian hockey league team won on points - 10: 9. The outcome of the confrontation was decided in a series of shootouts after the wards of Valery Bragin equalized the score in the final match with the team of the Western Hockey League (WHL).

The fourth match of the series ended with the victory of the Russians in the shootout series, and they approached the decisive meetings in high spirits. Hockey players themselves noted that they are in a satisfactory shape and are ready to provide worthy resistance to the opponent.

Despite losing 21 times in the previous 32 games with WHL, Russia confidently started the fifth match of the Super Series. Already in the 6th minute, striker Maxim Sorokin pushed his team ahead, realizing the majority earned by Vasily Podkolzin. Bragin's wards did not stop there and continued to pressure the opponent, having several good chances to increase the lead.

The WHL team also responded with a number of missed opportunities, failing to take advantage of the minority from an opponent. It is worth paying tribute to goalkeeper Amir Mifkhatov, who reliably defended the last frontier and repelled several dangerous shots.

The Russians were at a steady pace towards a second consecutive victory, but the fate of the meeting was predetermined by the last seconds. Canadians replaced the goalkeeper with a field player, and the Russians had the opportunity to put an end to it, but striker Ilya Kruglov missed the target. Canadians punished the Russians for this mistake, 22 seconds before the final siren, transferring the match to overtime.

In extra time, the Russians were disappointed. Unlike Kruglov, who again failed to realize his moment, Kalen Addison took his chance and brought the match to victory.

After the match, Bragin noted that the game was largely affected by the fatigue accumulated after four previous meetings and a long move from Ontario to Saskatchewan.

“In the end, there was not enough strength, it was noticeable. In general, today there were good scoring chances, but implementation is needed - just one goal to win is not enough. I am satisfied with the quality of the game, but I repeat: I didn’t have enough strength with a fresh opponent, especially since I spent almost the whole day on the eve of the day, ”the FCR website quotes the mentor.

In anticipation of a decisive match, Russia was 7–8 points behind Canadians, and in order to win it needed to win in regular time. Opponents were well aware of the significance of this match, so both sides were careful in its beginning. The first half of the starting period was marked by only one dangerous moment at the gates of Daniil Isaev, who saved his team after the blow of Owen Byram.

In the 16th minute, Bragin's wards managed to outwit the opponent who left the striker Lev Komissarov without guardianship. He received a puck from Maxim Groshev from the side and ended the episode with an accurate shot on goal of Joel Hofer.

Gradually, the Russians increased their advantage on the ice, significantly ahead of the opponent in shots on goal. At the 24th minute, this paid off, and thanks to Kruglov's efforts, the team took 2-0.

However, this advantage not only did not give confidence to the team, but also played a cruel joke with it. The Russians lost concentration, followed by several deletions, which did not fail to take advantage of the WHL team. First, most of them were sold twice by Nolan Full, and in the second case, the game was in the “5x3” format, and then Ryan Chizhovki brought the Canadians forward. The ending of the third 20-minute was marked by a brawl with the participation of Zakhar Shablovsky and Carson Voht.

At the 54th minute, Shablovsky took advantage, breaking with an accurate shot from a nickle. A goalless overtime was followed by a series of shootouts, in which the Russians won.

Thus, the teams caught up on points in the series and were forced to go on the ice for the second series of shootouts. This time, Bragin's wards managed to realize only two shots from seven, while the Canadians scored one more goal.

After the final match, Bragin noted the tension of the current youth Super Series. According to him, both teams showed equal play and claimed to win, but the outcome of the tournament was decided by a difference of one bullet.

“Everything was decided by the nuances, and it was immediately clear who was worth what. The second half of the Super Series played tactically more literate. In the first matches, the size of the site and the need to make decisions faster had a big impact. In the second half, the quality was higher, ”said the head coach.

He added that following the results of the tournament, relevant conclusions will be made about the composition of the team for the upcoming World Cup, which will be held from December 26 to January 5 in the Czech Republic.

“Based on this, we will make a decision on calling candidates for the final gathering. How many will there be? About 30 players - from those who were at the Super Series, including Russian hockey players from local clubs and those who played at the Four Nations Tournament in Finland, ”concluded Bragin.