Continental Cup: Yunost wins and hopes

Asiago closes its disappointing Continental Cup facing Yunost Minsk with the support of French fans hoping the Italian team can stop reigning champions and feeds some hopes of victory for Rouen. Coach John Tucker, after been praised by his young goalie Anthony Grieco, decides to…replace him and to risk first string Jeff Lerg, even if not complete recovered from an injury. A complete roster for the Zakharov troop: The Belarusian's have to win and cheer tonight for a miracle by Rouen.

Asiago starts well and is able to put pressure on Oksa with Benetti and Pitton but again Italian team offers a lot of power play minutes to its opponents: at 05.18 Yunost accepts the gift and in 5vs3 opens the scoring with Armands Berzins: an easy deflection for the Latvian. Viktor Turkin doubles the score assisted by Shafarenko, while Lerg avoids the third by the same Tymchenko, all in 3 minutes. While Matteo Tessari and Jason Pitton test Oksa reflexes, Lerg makes a more difficult save on Maksim Slysh and Berzins, as usual with Asiago with a man in the sin bin.

In the central period Strazzabosco opens the fire with a missile from the blue but Oksa is ready, as his colleague Jeff Lerg, another level compared to Grieco, on Slysh and Mikhailov. A minor brawl between Berzins and Pitton gives Yunost another power play, becoming a double penalty when also Intranuovo was penalized, but this time the Italian fort survives. Around the middle of the period in a good moment for Italian, Matteo Tessari and Henrich have good chances but Oksa answers brilliantly. Finnish goalie is amazing denying goal to Intranuovo on a fast Asiago a counterattack after a chance for Irek Khafizov, is stopped by Lerg. The game is enjoyable and full of chances for both teams, Asiago plays more relaxing and creates, but Yunost concreteness is typical of a big team, also mentally powerful: Irek Khafizov and Sergei Zadelenov plot a perfect counterattack finalized in Lerg’s net. Same concreteness is missed among the Italians: Jason Pitton doesn’t finalize a favorable chance.

In the last period Maksim Slysh scores Yunost's fourth goal after two minutes, finalizing a Berzins pass, and freezing the few remained Asiago’s ambitions, so last 20 minutes flowing without many emotions with Italian fans chanting: "what a shame you are" (well, not so polite…) and French encouraging Asiago players to score at least one goal, but real chances miss out of a couple from an active Layne Ulmer. When Raffaele Intranuovo finally deflects a Borrelli pass at 58 – in a doubtful action, probably with a charge on Oksa, protesting a lot with referees – the arena explodes as for a Stanley Cup final decisive goal.

The game now hasn’t really more to say, Yunost closes its tournament failing just a period in three games, the second against Donbass in the first game, but unfortunately for Zakharov's guys, the most important one. Disastrous campaign for Asiago, despite massive French clapping after the game. Italian champion shows all its limits and has to concentrate now on the domestic league trying to grab a problematic qualification to the title group.

During press conference Italian coach John Tucker says he hasn't regrets about his team campaign: "We played with very strong team, we wrong first game and generally we alllowed a lot of power play but I can't say balance is negative. Was a great experience for us." Tucker said he was impressed by Rouen's Julien Desrosiers -  "A key player, all pucks passed on his stick" - and Carl Mallette - "A lucky player...I'm joking, he has a great puck control and when seems he loose the puck, it is again on his stick". The Eastern teams? "Well, they play in a different style, it's difficult to say who is the best when you have four equally strong lines".
Yunost coach Mikhail Zakharov is satisfies: "We played very well also today, finding two goals quickly and then controlling the match, pity we lost first game." Finally Oleg Tymchenko, chosen as MVP, is modest: "It's a pity that prize can't be awarded to more players because I think today all the team should deserve it"

MVP: Federico Benetti – Oleg Tymchenko

 

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