Following a dominant 5-1 victory over Traktor in Moscow, CSKA heads to Chelyabinsk looking to sweep the home-and-home series. Our lineup didn't hold any surprises, except for the starting goalie. Dmitry Gamzin was in net this time.
The Army Men looked completely at home on the road. We took the lead just four minutes into the first period. On a rush, Prokhor Poltapov drew the defenders and passed it over to Marat Khairullin, who beat the goalie low. Bit by bit, the opponent came alive, establishing their offensive game, and the Chelyabinsk side converted on one of their opportunities. Nikita Soshnikov, former CSKA player, found the back of the net. But CSKA had no intention of giving up the momentum. Jeremy Roy fired a dangerous shot, forcing a tough save from the goalie. And he had no answer for Mamin’s shot. The Norwegian goalie misplayed the deflection and bundled the puck into his own net. The second period often favors the home team, and that was exactly the case in this game. Traktor picked up the pace, outshot us, and managed to bounce back again. Just like in the previous game, the Army Men stepped it up as the match went on and wore their opponents down. By the end of the third period, they had firmly taken control of the game, even though they couldn't find the game-winner. But it was only a matter of time before they scored in overtime, as CSKA spent most of the period buzzing in the opponent's zone. In the final minute, Robert Hamilton iced the game with a soft but pinpoint low shot. That's three in a row!
