Kazakhstan put the pressure back on Hungary

Going into this game Kazakhstan had a point to prove as they could not slip up against the South Koreans in the same manner Hungary did on Monday evening. The Koreans, who have made a habit of falling behind early on in games continued this tradition as the Kazakhs really turned up the heat on their opponents. The Kazakhs had 26 shots in the first period alone, and forced the South Koreans to take three penalties due to their offensive zone pressure. Talgat Zhailauov had a good chance early on after a Roman Savchenko point shot, but his rebound effort trickled across the crease but Vadim Krasnoslobodtsev was unable to tap the puck in at the far post. However, 2:26 into the opening frame Kazakhstan would take the lead, as the Kazakh captain Alexei Troshinski, playing the centre role on the powerplay, received the pass from Krasnoslobodtsev and rifled the one timer past Sungje Park. Park made a fantastic glove save just after the goal on Roman Starchenko, and a couple of seconds later Andrei Spiridinov rattled the pipes with a wrist shot on the rush. Kazakhstan doubled their advantage with 7:04 left in the first period, as Zhailauov would get a goal to go with his earlier assist, as he was able to beat Park short side with a goal that the Korean netminder would want back. Two minutes later the Kazakhs were three goals to the good, as Starchenko used his speed on the counter attack and wired a laser beam from the right faceoff dot.

The second period was less one sided, with the Kazakhs visibly taking their foot off the accelerator. They failed to score on an early powerplay, but in the seventh minute Starchenko would get his second of the game and third of the tournament. Both teams replaced their netminders mid way through the second period, with Pavel Poluektov making his first appearance in the tournament, and the Barys Astana netminder would make one of the saves of the game on a penalty shot chance in the 38^th minute. Woosang Park won the penalty shot with a stunning deke which saw him get through the pair of Yevgeni Blokhin and Vitali Novopashin, with the latter hauling the lanky forward down. Park thought he had found a gap on the penalty shot with some quick hands, but Poluektov managed to reach back with the pad and keep the effort out.

The South Koreans would get some joy in the third period, outshooting their opponents and once again improving as the game went on. They would break Kazakhstan’s shutout bid early on in the third as a 2 on 1 counter attack ended with Minho Cho dishing the puck to Won Jung Kim who tapped the puck into the gaping net. The game petered out to its eventual conclusion, although there was the prospect of South Korea repeating Monday’s heroics, as Brock Radunske scored with a little over two and a half minutes to go, coming from behind the net and beating Poluektov at his near post. However, a struggle to gain offensive zone time late in the third meant that Kazakhstan would hold on for the victory, which now piles the pressure back on Italy and Hungary for the promotion push. South Korea's attention now turns to the early game on Saturday, where despite their victory against Hungary, they still may be relegated if they lose to Great Britain in regulation.

South Korea forward Brock Radunske spoke to Eurohockey after the game and lamented his side's habit of falling behind early in games. 'The Kazakhstan team really showed their skill and speed and showed why they’re ranked where they are. It’s difficult for our guys to match that level of skill if we don’t play against it all year round, but it’s a goal of ours to get better'.

 

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