Alexei Cherepanov, Jaromir Jagr, and Dmitri Pestunov each had a goal and two assists on Monday as Avangard topped HK MVD in new head coach Wayne Fleming’s KHL debut. With the 7-4 victory, the Hawks extended their winning streak to six games.
Avangard took the early lead thanks to a 5-on-3 power play goal from the left point by Dmitri Ryabikin (watch). Before the second penalty expired, Denis Ezhov made it 2-1 from the top of the left face off circle courtesy of a perfect cross-ice pass from Cherepanov in the right corner (watch). Cherepanov scored a power play goal of his own at 6:35 of the second with a slam-dunk from the slot off a seeing eye pass from behind the net by linemate Anton Kuryanov (watch) to give the Hawks what appeared to be a commanding lead.
But with the 3-0 lead the Hawks relaxed, apparently thinking they had the game wrapped up. MVD showed otherwise, scoring two even strength goals, the first at 8:05 of the second (watch) and the second at 13:49 (watch) to pull within one as the teams started the final period. Just short of the 6-minute mark they tied the score with a soft shot that found its way through a tangle of bodies to beat starting goalie John Grahame stick side (watch).
But the home team put themselves back in the lead only a minute later when Cherepanov and Igor Volkov broke into the offensive zone on a two-on-one. Cherepanov dished a backhand pass to Volkov, who slipped the puck past Canadian goaltender Michael Garnett before being taken down and sent crashing into the net (watch). But once again the Hawks couldn’t hold the lead, and MVD tied it 54 seconds later on the power play (watch).
That’s when Jagr took control of game, scoring with a wrist shot from his office in the right face off circle to give Omsk the 5-4 lead on the power play (watch). He followed it up with an assist on Pestunov’s even strength marker at 15:56 to made it 6-4 (watch). Volkov got his second of the game into the empty net to make it 7-4 as time wound down (watch). Grahame, who stopped 27 of 31 shots in the game, earned his first KHL point, an assist, on the goal.
Jagr’s 3-point performance gives him 13 points (8-5) in 12 games and earned him first star of the game. Cherepanov’s second star performance brought him to the point-per-game level with 10 points (5-5) in 10 games. Third star went to 23-year old Pestunov, who retained the fortunate position of playing Jagr’s opposite wing despite Pavel Rosa’s return to the line up.
Fleming, having only had a 40-minute practice with which to familiarize himself with his team, seemed to leave most of the coaching to his assistants, though after the game Cherepanov assured the press that the Canadian was in control behind the bench. “The hand of the head coach was felt. In spite of the fact that he spoke English on the bench, everyone understood him.” Asked about his team’s seemingly sudden offensive success, the 19-year old explained “We have a good team. We should have played this way on the attack since the start of the season. But the ability to consistently score has come only recently. The same will come on defense in time, I think. Everything will improve.”
The third-year pro enjoyed his first practice under his new North American coach. “Only 25 minutes, but so intense,” he marveled. “In a short time I was so tired, while in an hour and a half previously I didn’t get tired.” He liked the North American approach to practicing. “I consider this more practical,” he admitted.
His initial impression of his new coach was a good one. “Fleming, in principle, I like. Simple in communication, fair.” Fleming let his charges know early that he would break from the typical Russian coaching practice of rolling four lines in succession at all times. “Before the game he spoke with each player separately,” Cherepanov shared. “He immediately warned us to be ready, that he will put lines out on the ice not by turn, but as he sees necessary.” That warning proved true, as Fleming used his fourth line sparingly in today’s game.
Off the ice, Omsk GM Anatoli Bardin, never one to miss an opportunity to name-drop, confirmed speculation by Rangers beat writer Sam Weinman last week that Rangers head coach Tom Renney played a role in Fleming’s recruitment. “As for the appearance of Fleming, the recommendation of New York Rangers head coach Tom Renney played a decisive role in his invitation,” Bardin confirmed. Hopefully the new coach will return the favor by providing Cherepanov with a similarly positive recommendation of Renney and the Rangers organization once the KHL season ends.
The New York Islanders have claimed defenseman Tomas Pöck off waivers. The 26-year old Austrian’s AHL-proven offensive skills, which were often padded by playing long stretches of games at forward, were never quite enough to make up for his defensive shortcomings and win him a full-time job with the Rangers. Now he’ll get the chance to prove he’s worthy of the position with a depth-deprived Islanders team.
While most Rangers fans will remember Pöck for scoring in his first NHL game at the tail end of the dark years — the bright spots back then were so few and far between after all — my enduring memories of the Austrian Assassin will be seeing him get caught flat-footed as the opposing team scored (countless time) and this extremely rare fight, when he charged former-Islanders farmhand Drew Fata after Fata laid out Marcel Hossa during his brief conditioning stint with the Pack last season.
At least Pöck is already accustomed to the AHL-sized crowds he’ll encounter should he actually get the opportunity to ply his trade at the Nassau Coliseum.
Back in Hartford, his ex-teammates kicked off training camp on Saturday with a roster of 47 players, including 5 goalies, 15 defenseman, and 27 forwards. Among them are 21-year old Guillaume Parenteau, younger brother of Pierre-Alexandre (call me P.A.), who lead the Pack in scoring last season and looks destined to reprise that role after clearing waivers this afternoon. Lyon Messier, who was invited to the Rangers camp as a favor to his dad Mark (you may have heard of him), continues his bid to make it to the pro ranks with a try out in Hartford. Dad and grandad watched from the stands yesterday as coach Ken Gernander ran the team through its paces. For a full report from practice, see Howlings.
Prior to Thursday’s exhibition game against the Tampa Bay Lightning Sport Express correspondent Vasily Osipov caught up with a jovial Tom Renney to ask the Rangers bench boss about the three Russians still playing for jobs on his team, the Blueshirts’ upcoming trip to Europe, and his thoughts on his team’s participation in the inaugural Victoria Cup, set to take place in Bern, Switzerland this Wednesday. The coach, who’s entering his fourth full year behind the bench New York, made it clear that while he and his team take the Victoria Cup seriously, the coaching staff won’t alter the way the team plays or prepares for this one game.
“Naturally, everyone on the Rangers recognizes that special interest is being paid to this match in Russia,” Renney conceded. “We respect that. Rest assured, my guys will play to win.” But he added a caveat: “At the same time you have to understand that we don’t plan to change our style of play to try to adapt to the larger ice surface for the sake of winning one — although important — game.” Quite simply, Renney explained, “Because before us is the fight for the most prestigious trophy in club hockey — the Stanley Cup.”
The Cranbrook, British Columbia native is comfortable with the information he has collected about his team’s Victoria Cup opponent, last year’s European champions, Metallurg Magnitigorsk. “I have sufficient and diverse information available about Metallurg, a large part of which was given to me by my friend [Canadian Dave King] who trained this Russian team in the past.” Renney added, “So I know roughly what to expect from our opponent.” But it will be his own team’s play that is of greater importance to him. “The bigger concern to me will be how the Rangers play in light of our preparation for the NHL season.”
The team is approaching the trip with one goal only. “The purpose put before the Rangers is to come back home with four points in the NHL regular season standings,” the coach states bluntly. “It is important to us to achieve the best possible result, which is why we will try not to lose a lot of time to meetings with politicians, actors, players of youth teams and other local celebrities.”
Renney, who has plenty of experience in taking teams overseas from his days spent coaching Team Canada, was asked to share his secrets for helping his players combat the effects of jet lag. After jokingly recommending that one should “take a small bottle of whisky as soon as you step on the plane, and sleep the whole way” — assuring the reporter that “two days after arrival you’ll be in top form” — Renney became more serious. “First of all it is necessary to make sure that players do not get dehydrated. Since I prefer to hold an intensive practice the day of the flight, it is necessary that the body be fully stocked with fluids.” The pre-flight practice is meant to help the players sleep on a long flight. “After the hard practice the guys will involuntarily want to sleep on the plane because of the accumulated fatigue,” Renney explained. Upon landing, it’s right back to work. “Right after getting settled in the hotel I take the team to the rink, or if one is not available nearby, a soccer field, where we generally work for about an hour. After that, dinner and a short tour, or simply a walk.”
Still, the coach is less concerned about the teams physical condition in Europe, expecting that the excitement of playing in an unfamiliar country will give his charges an emotional boost. The coach is more focused on how the team will fare after their return flight to New York. “What worries me more is when we need to return to America after the Czech Republic to play in the first regular season NHL games,” the coach admitted.
Renney was asked to discuss the three Russian players expected to play a roll in this year’s team, and spoke about each one in turn. Regarding 20-year old prospect Artem Anisimov, the coach shared “Arts [Anisimov] is a good young player who’s growth we follow very closely. At present he has quite a good chance of earning a place on the team. And in general this hockey player has a long career in the NHL ahead of him, which will begin as soon as he is completely ready.” Anisimov was demoted to the Rangers farm team in Hartford the day after the interview, but could factor as a mid-season call up should injuries require.
On free-agent defenseman Dmitri Kalinin, Renney noted the former Buffalo Sabre’s vision and passing. “Kalinin, certainly, has added depth to our defense,” he explained. “We searched for a long time for such a strong defenseman who reads the game well and possesses an excellent pass.”
And finally, Renney suggested there could be big things ahead for 23-year old winger Nikolai Zherdev in his first season in New York. “He is a very talented, creative player, and recently he has improved his defensive play noticably,” Renney shared. “All I ask of him is that he utilize his speed and the quickness of his hands as much as possible.” Renney went on to suggest a 30-goal season is not out of reach for the presumed top-line winger. “Nik has the potential, as a first line player, to score 30 goals this season. The main thing for him is to not dwell on what he’s attained and to continue to make progress.”
Jaromir Jagr set the mark for the fastest tally in the KHL on Tuesday when he scored just 38 seconds into Avangard Omsk’s game against Metallurg Novokuznetsk. He bettered that mark before the record book could even be updated when he gave Avangard a 1-0 lead a mere 31 seconds into Avangard’s second of two consecutive games against Amur Khabarovsk on Friday. It was his first of two goals in the game, and helped the Hawks stretch interim coach Igor Nikitin’s undefeated record to five with a 4-3 victory, catapulting the team into third place in the league — after they wallowed near the bottom of the table just over a week ago.
After seeing their team get shut out 4-0 by the Hawks on Thursday, Khabarovsk fans must have felt they were experiencing déjà vu on Friday as Omsk once again roared out to a 4-0 lead, all before ten and a half minutes had passed in the game. Alexei Cherepanov, who finished third in voting in Sportbox.ru’s player of the week poll this week, gave Avangard a 2-0 lead at 8:17 by batting the puck past starting goalie Sergei Borisov with the shaft of his stick as he was being flattened from behind in the crease. After a lengthy video review, the goal, which Soviet Sport described as a “small hockey masterpiece”, was allowed to stand. That may have been a slight overstatement, but you can judge for yourself by watching the highlights at the bottom of this post.
Thursday’s starter Taylor Moss was called from the the Khabarovsk bench to replace Borosov after Jagr scored his second of the game and seventh of the season just twenty four seconds later. But even Moss couldn’t stem the tide right away, getting beaten by an even strength Anton Kuryanov tally less than two minutes later.
But unlike Thursday, Moss’ teammates mounted a comeback, starting with a power play goal at 11:45 that beat a screened Alexander Fomichev in the Avangard net. Tempers flared just 3:15 later when Jacob Klepis hit an Amur defenseman hard along the half boards inside the Khabarovsk zone. Moss flew from his net to his teammate’s defense, and within seconds everyone else had joined in. Ultimately only Klepish and Maxim Yushkov paired off and dropped their gloves to fight, while Jagr played peacemaker, pacifying the Canadian goaltender.
The hit and subsequent rough stuff inspired Khabarovsk, and they used the 2-minute power play that resulted from the original hit to make it 4-2 at 15:48. Then, in the first minute of the second period, they cut the deficit down to just one with an even strength goal from Oleg Belkin. But that was as close as they would come. Belkin had the opportunity to tie things up when he was awarded a penalty shot at 4:49 into the period after he was hauled down during a partial breakaway, but Fomichev thwarted his attempt, as he did all other opportunities Khabarovsk had in the game. Moss too stopped everything he faced the rest of the way; his 21 saves on 22 shots earned him second star of the game. Cherepanov, who played 17:02 minutes in 19 shifts, was named 3rd star, while Jagr, not surprisingly, was awarded the first star of the game.
Friday’s game was the last the team will play under undefeated interim coach Nikitin, since new head coach Wayne Fleming, who’s contract has been finalized and will take him through the end of the current season, arrives in Omsk on Sunday. Fleming will lead his first practice on Monday morning and take his place behind the bench for the first time later that day in a home game against HK MVD. Meanwhile, Czech coach Miloslav Gorzhava, who was expected to serve as an assistant to Fleming, will not be joining the Siberian side after all. Contractual issues with his Czech team are said to be at fault, but one has to wonder if Nikitin’s undefeated record since taking over for former head coach Sergei Gersonsky influenced a change of heart. Nikitin will server as Senior Coach under Fleming. Current assistant coach Sergei Khramtsov will stay on in his current role.
Avangard Omsk vs. Amur Khabarovsk - Period 1 Highlights
Avangard Omsk vs. Amur Khabarovsk - Periods 2 & 3 Highlights
With rumors swirling that one or more of Pavel Rosa, Viktor Aleksandrov, and Maxim Yakutsenya could be headed to St. Petersburg in exchange for Jaromir Jagr’s lockout-year center Maxim Sushinsky, it was Avangard Omsk’s second line of Alexander Popov, Anton Kuryanov and future Ranger Alexei Cherepanov that led the team to a dominant 4-0 victory in Khabarovsk today. John Grahame got his second shutout of the season, stopping 14 shots as the Hawks won their fourth straight under interim head coach Igor Nikitin.
Popov got Omsk on the board at 15:56 of the first period with an even strength marker from the slot off a nice feed from Kuryanov from behind the goal line. The line struck again at 6:10 of the second when Cherepanov and Kuryanov, who’d finish with three assists in the game, combined to feed Nikita Nikitin for an even-strength point shot that beat Khabarovsk goalie Taylor Moss through a screen.
The lone goal the line wasn’t responsible for came on the power play at 4:36 of the second off the stick of Dmitri Ryabikin, who’s gotten an extended tryout on Jagr’s opposite wing and has performed well. Assists went to Dmitri Pestunov and Alexei Bondarev. Cherepanov capped off the scoring five minutes later when he tapped in a feed from Kuryanov on a perfectly executed 2-on-1. Popov was credited with the secondary assist on the even strength goal. Each member of the line finished the game a +3.
You can watch the archived game for yourself at Sportbox, or catch the highlights on the KHL’s web site. The two teams face off again in Khabarovsk Friday. After the post-game comments made by their coach — calling his team’s performance “a disgrace” and promising “serious consequences” — you can bet Amur will come out eager to improve upon their lackluster 14-shot effort.
No, this post isn’t about self-proclaimed “hockey mom” and vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. It just seemed like an appropriate way to describe today’s announcement from the Hartford Wolf Pack exulting their new partnership with WTIC-AM/WTIC-FM, who will provide radio broadcasts of the Pack’s games for the coming season.
The new agreement replaces one that previously existed between the club and 1410 ESPN radio, who regularly preempted Wolf Pack games in favor of UCONN basketball, Yankees broadcasts, or the occasional tiddlywinks tournament. I’m happy to report that such disrespect is a thing of the past. Because under this new partnership “All of the Wolf Pack’s regular season and playoff games will air…” Hallelujah!
But wait, there’s a catch. The sentence continues “…on 96.5 WTIC-FM’s HD 2 channel…” HD 2?
Raise your hand if you have an HD radio.
Go on, don’t be shy.
Right. That’s what I suspected.
Never fear, Pack games will still be streamed online, at www.wtic.com. And you’ll still have the opportunity to catch the occasional Wolf Pack game over the air, since “select games will be carried live on the 50,000-watt AM powerhouse, WTIC NewsTalk 1080.” I’m curious if “select” amounts to more or less games than could previously be heard on 1410. I’m guessing less. But hey, I’m a pessimist. A pessimist who enjoyed being able to catch a bit of the pre-game show on my way home from work, even down here, a hundred miles from Hartford.
But there is good news! All 2,500 or so Wolf Pack season ticket holders (and I’m being extremely generous) are eligible to receive a free HD car radio, installation included. Thank goodness the already-established fanbase will continue to have the ability to hear the games in their car (while they’re sitting in the XL Center, watching them.) It’s a shame no one else will. Especially when you consider that the franchise has already seen interest and attendance decline each year since the season after their Calder Cup win in 2000.
So count me amongst the folks who’ll miss tuning in to Bob Crawford’s post game breakdown on my way home from games.
Then again, given Northland AEG’s new policy of refusing to sell individual tickets by phone — forcing fans who can’t commit to a ticket package to pay ridiculous Ticketmaster fees (it cost us $39 to purchase two $10 opening night tickets) or line up at the box office on game day — the chances are we’ll be going to less of them this season anyway.
Here’s hoping rumors of B2 Networks demise as the AHL’s online video broadcast partner prove true, and that Neulion, the company responsible for the NHL’s higher quality online broadcasts, do in fact replace them. Cause it could certainly save us some gas money.
Avangard Omsk interim coach Igor Nikitin remains undefeated after his team won their third in a row, a 3-2 victory over Metallurg Novokuznetsk, which entered the game today in an unlikely second place in the KHL. Jaromir Jagr got the Hawks off to an early start when he scored just 38 seconds into the game — the earliest marker scored in a KHL game this season. Ten minutes later Anton Kuryanov scored on the power play to make it 2-0.
Metallurg applied pressure in the second period, but goaltender Alexander Fomichev withstood their onslaught. Frustration got the best of them fourteen minutes into the period, however, resulting in just under a minute of 5-on-3 power play time. Ranger prospect Alexei Cherepanov made them pay, scoring at 15:47 to give Omsk the 3-0 lead and the eventual game winner.
Avangard looked to be en route to an easy victory in the third until they were whistled for a full two minutes of 5-on-3 at 14:01 of the period. Nikolai Semin got the home team on the board a minute and forty-one seconds later, and Metallurg made things interesting with just a minute and a half to play ithe game, when Dmitri Dudarav deflected the puck off the leg of Omsk defender Nikita Nikitin and into the net. With goaltender Maxim Sokolov on the bench, Novokuznetsk applied furious pressure, but were unable to put the puck behind Fomichev, allowing Omsk to hang on for the victory.
Avangard will face Amur Khabarovsk in the first of back-to-back games on Thursday. The game will be available online starting at 4am EDT (and archived afterward at the same address).
Off the ice, the arrival of new head coach Wayne Fleming has been delayed by visa problems. The former Calgary assistant is now unlikely to arrive in Russia until sometime next week. And the Hawks have joined the list of teams vying for the services of Russian star Maxim Sushinsky, who played nine seasons in Omsk, including the lockout year on a very successful line with Jagr. Sushinsky was recently suspended by SKA St. Petersburg (and reprimanded by the league) for critical comments he made about the team in an interview, and is as a result is rumored to be on the trade block. Both Jagr and Bardin have been quoted in favor of bringing the world champion back to Omsk, so it would seem to only be a matter of time before Sushinsky is Siberia-bound.
Former Ranger Jussi Markkenen and his wife Sanna faced the worst tragedy a parent can confront Monday when their son Ole-Matias fell from their apartment window in Moscow. The 4-year old was pronounced dead at the scene. According to Russian web site Life.ru, the boy was playing with his brother in the family’s apartment when he climbed on to the window sill and slipped.
The family had only recently joined Markkanen in Moscow, where he’s playing for CSKA Moscow this season after spending last year with Jokerit in his native Finland. He learned of the news while preparing for the team’s game against Dinamo Riga Monday night and immediately left the team. His teammates joined the family at their apartment after the game (a 4-3 loss) to offer their support.
“What has happened in Jussi’s family is a major tragedy for all of us,” teammate Alexei Tertshny told Life. “We will do everything in our power to help our teammate. The management of CSKA is already doing everything possible. But of course everything now will depend only on Jussi himself. I hope very much that everything will be ok…”
Our thoughts and prayers are with the Markkanen family.
Evgeni Grachev, the New York Rangers third pick (75th over all) in the 2008 entry draft, has been signed to an entry level contract. The 6′4″ 18-year old, who already tips the scales at 220 pounds, is a product of the Yaroslavl Lokomotiv hockey school, which also developed future teammate Artem Anisimov. He played 30 games for Lokomotiv’s junior team last season, scoring 17 goals and 20 assists for 37 points. He also saw action in one game for the senior team.
Though eligible to play in Hartford of the AHL this season, Grachev is currently slated to become the first ever Russian-born player to play for the Brampton Battalion of the Ontario Hockey League, the team for which fellow prospect Bobby Sanguinetti played last season. Grachev, who caught the attention of scouts with a 2-goal, 3-assist performance at the under-18 World Championships last April for silver medal-winning Team Russia, is expected to be invited to play for Team Russia in this winter’s World Junior Championships in Ottawa, Canada.
Jaromir Jagr scored his second goal of the game 3:34 into overtime Sunday to lift Avangard Omsk to a 3-2 victory over fellow Siberians Novosibirsk Sibir. And after days of refusing to confirm North American reports that Canadian Wayne Fleming had been pegged to replace fired coach Sergei Gersonsky, Avangard general manager Anatoli Bardin finally came clean, though he refuted claims that Jagr had contacted the former Team Canada bench boss about the job.
First, the game. As the score suggests, it was battle of two well-matched teams. After playing an even first period, Omsk applied pressure in the final three minutes of the frame, pinning Novosibirsk in their own zone. That pressure paid off as the buzzer sounded to end the period, but the referee ruled that the puck crossed the goal line after time had expired, leaving the teams locked at a 0-0 tie as they went to the locker rooms for the first intermission.
Sibir took advantage of their good fortune in the second period, scoring 8:40 in. But Jagr got his first of the game to tie the score less than 8 minutes later, an even strength marker on an assist by defenseman Alexei Bondarev. Jagr’s goal was the first in a flurry of three quick goals in the final five minutes of the period. The second put Sibir back in the lead — a deflection of a point shot on the power play with only a minute and a half left to play. But Omsk once again applied late-period pressure, and this time their efforts were rewarded when Anton Kuryanov, in his first game back after missing three games with a hand injury, scored with only three seconds remaining, with assists going to Alexander Popov and Ranger prospect Alexei Cherepanov.
Omsk had the opportunity to take the lead in the middle of the final frame, when they were awarded and extended 5-on-3, but their efforts proved fruitless. Sibir then had back-to-back power play opportunities, but despite a flurry of chances, also were unable to break the deadlock. And so the game went to overtime, where Jagr scored at 3:34 to give Avangard and interim head coach Igor Nikitin their second win in a row, helping them climb from the bottom of the standings to the middle of the 24-team league table.
On the coaching front, after days of secrecy and vague hints, GM Bardin has finally confirmed that Fleming has been chosen to succeed Gersonsky, though the team has yet to formally announce the hiring. Bardin told Championat.ru “We consulted with many trainers and players of the NHL. All spoke very well of him. Not a bad word! But the most important — Fleming worked not only in the NHL, but for team Canada. In addition, he also successfully headed European clubs. And that means that European players and our case will not be a novelty to him.”
At the same time, Bardin denied reports that Jagr had called the prospective coach to offer him the job. “No, Jaromir did not call the coach. But he called a few of his friends in the NHL, and helped us make our inquiries. But I had already talked with Fleming. And we both remain satisfied with this conversation.”
Meanwhile in the Canadian press Fleming himself admitted being contacted by Jagr. “He (Jagr) called to see if I had any interest,” Fleming told the Globe and Mail. “He said, ‘we have a list of candidates, but I’ve told them you’re No. 1, and I’m calling to see if you’d come.’ He said because the manager doesn’t speak English, they’d call and talk through an interpreter, but before that, they thought it would be best to see if you’re interested first.”
In the Calgary Herald, Fleming suggested the future hall of famer had helped sway him in his decision to head to Siberia. “He was very positive,” shared Fleming. “Jaromir played there during the lockout year and for him to go back again, there had to be something that was acceptable. He was very positive about the community. It’s a franchise that’s over 50-some years old, and so has a big tradition in Russian, European and international hockey.”
Given Bardin’s track record and false promises that Cherepanov would be at Rangers training camp right now, Fleming’s version of events seem far more believable…
