In the evening Mayor’s Cup matchup, CSKA and Dinamo Minsk battled for a spot in the tournament final. But wins and losses don't matter in the preseason, so the coaching staff made a few roster changes to test out as many players as possible before the regular season starts. Team captain Pavel Karnaukhov, Maxim Mamin, and Denis Guryanov were left out of the squad, replaced by a trio of young forwards: Yaroslav Yapparov, Oleg Maistrenko, and Alexey Churkin. Nineteen-year-old defenseman Ivan Yukin filled for Ivan Patrikhaev, and Alexander Samonov kept goal.
The first period was largely uneventful. The tempo picked up right after Dinamo scored. Our opponent scored on a rebound from the slot. After that, both teams picked up the pace and physical play, making the game much more exciting to watch. The Army men created scoring chances on the power play but then they had to play 4-on-5. After a solid defensive stand, our team turned up the heat. They locked Dinamo in their own zone for a long shift late in the period, but couldn't cash in. The third period also remained scoreless, despite having looks. The puck just wouldn't go in, and in the end, we gave up when pulling the goalie.
