Russia and Slovakia compete in Student Hockey Challenge Cup finale

KRASNOYARSK — This past week the heart of Siberia has been the place for international university hockey players to showcase their early season skills as the upcoming Winter Universiade 2019 host city put on the Student Hockey Challenge Cup. The event is not only a premiere ice hockey tournament — it is also an important test for the local organisers as they prepare to host the Krasnoyarsk 2019 Winter Universiade from 2-12 March next year.

The newly minted Crystal Ice Arena also got to shine as the place to be for the best in athlete and spector experiences as the venue hosted the matches for the 5^th – 8^th places, as well as the semifinal matches of the International Student Team Tournament “Student hockey challenge” in the lead-up to Sunday’s finale.

Hockey players a USA university based in Florida team beat 7-5 American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) Select Team. During the match they fought head-to-head, but the goals of Evan Maxey and Trevor Mullaly at the end of the third period gave the victory to the Floridians.

The next to hit the ice were Derzhava (Tambov, Russian Federation) and UKPraha (Czeck Republic). The score after the second period was 1-1, but at the beginning of the third frame Vaclav Krudenc gave a lead to his team. In half a minute the Czechs lengthened the lead and soon grabbed it by two point-blank shots. Derzhava lost 1-5.

SHL Vostok and Dinamo (Barnaul) took the ice after, opening the playoffs part of the tournament. Following the results of the second period Barnaul players lost 2 – 3, but they managed to tie the match and soon the shot of Ilya Shubovich gave his team the edge over the opponent and they won 4-3. Several minutes before the end of the regulation time the goal of the SHL Vostok attacker Sergei Krivipustov took the game to overtime. The final result of the game was determined by the shootouts when the attacker of Dinamo (Barnaul) Ilya Vopilov handed the victory to his team, 5 – 4.

The fans were out in a show of force throughout the eight days of competition in Krasnoyrask

The final match of the next to the last day of the tournament UMB (Slovakya) confidently won  4 – 1 SHL West  and secured the getting into the final. Robert Mendel, Filip Kandra, Filip Adamcik and Jacub Vydurek scored in the winning team. The author of the only goal of the Russian team came from Alexei Cherkasov.

After the semifinals at Crystal Ice Arena, two press conferences were held during which the coaches of the teams gave their comments on the game and answered the questions from the media.  The first to speak were Artem Pletnev, the coach from SHL East and Alexander Usachev, the coach from Dinamo, they thanked each other for the game. Alexander Usachev said, “The game was tactical with equal chances, as a result the team from Barnaul turned out to be more skillful and more competent.”

After the second semifinal, Anvar Valiakhmetov, the coach of SHL West and Lukas Opath, the coach of UMB shared their emotions after the game. Anvar Valiakhmetov said that the game didn’t bring them any positive emotions, “Our emotions took the best of us, we had unrealized moments and major errors in defense and finally a sad result. It happens in hockey. We were not lucky.”

At the same time the coach from the Slovakian team UMB thanked the rivals for the game, underlying that the game wasn’t easy. “We knew that the game wouldn’t be easy, that both teams were very strong and skillful. Our team did everything possible to win,” coach Lukas Opath said.

 Anvar Valiakhmetov, the coach of SHL West team from Russia (left) and Lukas Opath, the coach of UMB team from Slovakia at the post game presser spoke of the high level of this event, and how they hoped to be back here for Winter Universiade 2019 in March

Coaches from both teams expressed their high opinion about the organization and delivery of the tournament as  Mr. Opath added, “This is for sure the level of major competitions. You are already prepared for the Winter Universiade 2019. I want to come here with our national Slovakian team and participate in the Games. I’m very impressed.”

 The Student Challenge Hockey Cup final