This is the price of legionnaires! Extracted “MMK” Curry from the reserve – and lost to the Canadian “Vanguard”

– We were in this situation last year, – recalled the Metallurg manager with a hint that his team won in the end, and added: – We have no right to retreat to the central zone to carry the stick and give the opponent a chance. The first period was not a success for us. Then they took the game out. They pulled it out and here they brought a goal for themselves. Hence the defeat.

Vorobyov was referring to the episode in the 47th minute with a score of 3:3, when Curry, the striker of the Urals, in a completely harmless situation right in the center of the field, hit the Siberian striker Tolchinsky with a club teeth. It’s good that the victim did not bleed, and the judges limited themselves to a small fine. It took the hosts 83 seconds to equalize a two-piece Bush–Tkachev–Bush and score the decisive goal.

So a clumsy, or rather irresponsible one! – the movement of the Canadian, put into reserve on March 10, thwarted all the efforts of Magnitogorsk, led by the 39-year-old goalkeeper-grenadier Koshechkin. Although in the third period Curry spent only two rounds, but after his blatant negligence, it was already too late for the guests to drink Borjomi. Although they eventually replaced the Olympic champion with the sixth player on the field, Knight won four fights in a row in his zone, which deprived the Steelworkers of a chance for salvation.

However, I would put Metallurg in this game as an asset. After conceding three goals in the first third without too much resistance and having replaced Pasquale with Koshechkin, the visitors still managed to find the strength to restart and get back into the game. Let Akolzin’s first return goal turn out to be somewhat accidental: Knight threw the puck to the side from behind his gate, hit the ledge, bounced right off Akolzin’s stick and stuck it to the gaping Demchenko in the near corner. But the other two were really work. Dronov shot accurately from a distance after Maye won the face off from Laipsik, who bowled it under the defender’s click. And Korostelev equalized in the 45th minute after a quick opening in the center between Svedberg and Bereglazov.

Photo source: HC Avangard

It would seem that now the most important thing will begin – the teams will curl up, eliminate all risks and, at least until the end of regular time, wait for the opponent’s mistakes. But no, Curry thought otherwise.

Yes, a year ago, in the Eastern semi-final, after two initial meetings, Metallurg also flew to Avangard – 0-2. However, there is one significant difference. Then the “Steelmen” managed to blow up these two matches at home. But how – 1:8! In the 15th minute, Nalimov replaced Koshechkin with the score 0:4. Then – 5:7. In the 25th minute, with the score 1:5, Koshechkin was again replaced by Nalimov, but after the second break, with the score 5:6, Vorobyov made a reverse castling. Vasily managed to pull himself together and helped Magnitogorsk to take revenge on the road twice – 5:2 and 5:1, and finally put the “hawks” under pressure in the series 4-3.

Now Metallurg does not have such terrible turbulence. They also started with two defeats, but now on a slim one – 1:2 after overtime and 3:4. If Urals continue on the same line as Omsk, where the score of 0:3 was converted to 3:3, the series could turn around. The most important thing is that the Magnitogorsk fans finally fill the arena to capacity. Spectator support is vital for “steelworkers”!