Almost perfect

Champion Neman Grodno, waiting to receive the trophy tonight after the last game, completes its Continental Cup campaign with what could be considered the top match before the tournament, the game against Ertis Pavlodar. But Kazakh team, the real disappointment of the tournament, takes the ice with an unenviable record of two defeats. The battle against Angers has left the marks in Ertis roster, coach Julius Penzes has three key players undressed due to injury: first line defender Martin Cakajik and forwards Aleksei Vorontsov and Tomas Vak. Maxim Osipov isn’t in the roster for Neman. Debut in the tournament for goalie Yan Shelepnyov, Marek Pinc is back in the net for Ertis.

Belarusians, with the trophy already won, play relaxed and the game is enjoyable.  Pavel Boyarchuk has the first great chance skating until Pinc but the goalie blocks the tentative. Is Ertis to open the score with Richard Huna well served by Tryasunov at 14:45: Slovak forward uses his best weapon, the speed, to fly towards Shelepnyov and beat him. His brother Robert could double the score shortly after when his shot cross all the goal line without passing it. In the first power play Neman ties the game: Samuel Mlynarovic  is stopped by Shelepnyov in a one-to-one, the action moves on Ertis defense where Konstantin Lastovetsky serves the prompt Andrei Korshunov for the goal.

Neman overturns the score at 21:31 after surviving a power play: Egor Stepanov finds the net in a messy action. Three consecutive penalties forces Ertis to play with a man down with a great physical effort after three games in three days and Neman finds the goal at 30:59 with Sergei Khomko from the angle, served by Korshunov. In a period dominated by Neman, as a flash Ertis scores at 34:16with a nice personal action by Peter Fabus. On power play Pavlodar is dangerous with Zalesak , Shelepnyov is ready to block the shot and with Troshinski, his shot from the distance is blocked.

In the middle of an insipid third period, Ertis ties game at 54:08 with Martin Chovan on power play, Yan Shelepnyov seems not perfect in the circumstance. Andrei Troschinki tries to give his team the first points but his try finishes on Shelepnyov pad. With a minute left Marek Pinc’s crossbar rings, hit by Kopylets with a missile to send teams to overtime.

A shot from the blue by Miroshnichenko blocked by Shelepnyov opens the additional time. Grodno has a great chance at last minute but no-one deflects the smart pass of Aleksandr Malyavko.

In the shoot-outs all the shooters for Ertis - Zalesak, Fabus and Hujsa - miss their try while Aleksejs Sirokovs scores the first - Vladimir Mikhailov fails the second – giving Neman also the last victory

Aleksejs Sirokovs scoring the decisive shoot-out

MVP: Andrei Troshinski - Aleksandr Malyavko

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