Metallurg gets first win

After a narrow 1-0 loss to Donetsk, Metallurg Zhlobin reacted with a 3-1 victory against defending Continental Cup champion Rouen Dragons on Saturday.

The decision came in the second period when the Belarusians scored three unanswered goals into the net of French national goalie Fabrice Lhenry.

In the first period it was a competitive game between the two teams with some but not too many scoring chances at each end.

The direction changed in the second frame when Metallurg Zhlobin took the reins. It was the first line that opened the scoring. Kirill Brikun received the puck at the red line, skated into the Dragons’ zone where he beat Lhenry through the five-hole.

The third line took care of the rest of the business in the second period. 85 seconds after the first goal, Vyacheslav Andryushenko made it 2-0 and forced Rouen coach Rodolphe Garnier to use his time-out.

However, the Rouen Dragons had only few shots despite two power-play opportunities and the second man advantage didn’t exactly end in the French’s favour.

With 20 seconds left, Nikita Remezov made it a three-goal lead going into the third period. He scored the shorthanded goal after a great pass from the left side from Alexei Yeremin.

With the final buzzer approaching, the Rouen Dragons gained hope with François-Pierre Guénette’s third goal of the tournament. Marc-André Thinel successfully battled for the puck at the side boards, skated toward the crease and sent a drop pass to Guénette, who capitalized on the opportunity.

The Rouen Dragons tried to gain momentum but didn’t manage to beat Metallurg goalie Dmitri Milchakov once again.

After the Belarusians’ victory, both Metallurg Zhlobin and the Rouen Dragons remain in the race to win the Continental Cup.

 

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