In Minsk, CSKA looked to extend their six-game winning streak. There were no surprises in our lineup, save for Dmitry Gamzin getting the nod in goal after sitting out the last game.
CSKA had a rough start out of the gate. The hosts pushed forward aggressively, created several scoring chances, and played with a man advantage. The Army Men had to weather the storm. And they got the job done. And then they struck right back. Marat Khairullin sniped on the power play left the goalie completely helpless." Less than 30 seconds later, the Army Men struck again. Former Dynamo player Robert Hamilton fired a shot that went in at an awkward height for the goalie. In the second period, the Army Men once again played excellent defense, even though Dynamo tried their best to score at least one goal. We managed to capitalize on one of our chances. Dmitry Samorukov fired a precise shot from the mid-slot that was initially credited as his goal, but it was later changed to Marat Khayrullin, who got a tip-in right in front of the net. Down 3-0, our opponent made a goalie change and brought in Vasily Demchenko.
Of course, against such a tough opponent, the game was never going to end quietly, even with a three-goal cushion. Early in the third period, CSKA took a four-minute minor, and their opponent capitalized on the power play as Daniil Sotishvili broke the shutout. Luckily, our team skated through the rest of the penalty kill unscathed. Dinamo kept pressing, but CSKA held their ground. In the final seconds, the Army men sealed the win with an empty-netter.
