Former Teammates Embarass Baikal, Neftyanik Wins 8-4

Khimik Stadium, KEMEROVO, Russia -- Baikal-Energia Irkutsk fans had been waiting for this match for weeks, ever since six players left the team amid bitter contract disputes for rival SKA-Neftyanik Khabarovsk.

Within minutes, Khabarovsk proved that these were players Baikal could not afford to lose.

For Baikal, 19-year-old Ilya Novitsky made the first start of his career in goal, and he did not impress, allowing seven goals in just the first 30 minutes.

"Our goalie was nowhere," Baikal head coach Alexander Shishkin said. "He had to step up at certain moments, and he basically didn't step up at all."

Shishkin admitted that Khabarovsk, who finished last season well behind Baikal in the standings, was the stronger team now.

"Of course, in some areas, Khabarovsk is in a higher class," he said. "But to play so disorganized in the first half - for us that was nonsense. In skill, in technique, we're behind Khabarovsk."

Two goals each from Yevgeny Stebletsov, Stanislav Ismagilov and Sergei Yusupov, as well as an unassisted tally from Yevgeny Mavrin opened up a massive 7-0 lead.

Baikal bounced back with three goals, starting with one from Konstantin Savchenko in the 54th minute. That was followed by Pavel Naumov in the 64th, then Alexander Nasonov in the 75th - his first of the tournament.

Four minutes later, Ismagilov capped off his hat trick to halt Baikal's rally. Maxim Blem cut the lead back to four in the 82nd minute, off a corner delivered by Savchenko. That assist gives him eight points for the tournament (two goals, six assists), which leads the team.

Other Sunday scores:

SKA Zabaikalets-Energia 5:5 SKA-Sverdlovsk Yekaterinburg (Group II)
Vodnik Arkhangelsk 8:5 Zorky-2 Krasnogorsk (Group I)
Uralsky Trubnik Pervouralsk 7:4 Volga Ulyanovsk (Group I)

Current Standings:
GP/Pts./GF-GA

Group I

1. Dynamo Moscow - 3/9/38-5
2. Zorky Krasnogorsk - 3/7/26-6
3. Volga Ulyanovsk - 2/6/15-13
4. Vodnik Arkhangelsk - 3/6/15-13
5. Rodina Kirov - 3/5/22-9
6. Raketa Kazan - 3/4/18-23
7. Uralsky Trubnik Pervouralsk - 3/3/19-14
8. Start Nizhny Novgorod - 3/3/11-32
9. Stroitel Syktyvkar - 3/0/10-38
10. Zorky-2 Krasnogorsk 3/0/10-44

Group II

1. SKA-Neftyanik Khabarovsk - 4/12/26-12
2. Sibselmash Novosibirsk - 4/9/23-12
3. Sayany Abakan - 4/9/14-11
4. Yenisei Krasnoyarsk - 4/7/16-10
5. Kuzbass Kemerovo - 3/6/31-11
6. Baikal-Energia Irkutsk - 3/6/14-13
7. Mayak Krasnoturinsk - 3/3/19-21
8. Metallurg Bratsk - 4/3/13-23
9. Lesokhimik Ust-Ilimsk - 4/1/12-22
10. SKA Zabaikalets-Energia Chita - 3/1/9-20
11. SKA-Sverdlovsk Yekaterinburg - 4/1/16-38