Baikal Slips Behind Yenisei, Qualifies for Playoffs

BOULDER, Colorado -- Baikal-Energia Irkutsk split their final two games of the regular season to finish in fifth place in the East Division, good enough to guarantee them a spot in the league playoffs.

Baikal lost to Yenisei Krasnoyarsk on February 6, 6-4. But they finished off the season on a strong note, coming from behind to defeat Sayany Abakan 6-5 on February 9.

Alexander Nasonov continued his hot streak, netting three goals in the two games to give him a team-leading 24 on the season. He also led the team in points with 29, followed by Yevgeny Yakovlev with 18 and Konstantin Savchenko's 16.

Baikal-Energia finished the season with a 9-8-1 record, good for 28 points in the East Division. Here are the final standings:

Team (W-L-T-/Pts.)
1. Kuzbass Kemerovo (17-1-0/51)
2. SKA-Neftyanik Khabarovsk (15-1-2/47)
3. Sibselmash Novosibirsk (10-5-3/33)
4. Yenisei Krasnoyarsk (10-7-1/31)
5. Baikal-Energia Irkustsk (9-8-1/28)
6. Lesokhimik Ust-Ilimsk (5-11-2/17)
7. Mayak Krasnoturinsk (5-12-1/16)
8. Sayany Abakan (4-11-3/15)
9. SKA-Sverdlovsk Yekaterinburg (4-13-1/13)
10. Metallurg Bratsk (3-13-2/11)

Under the playoff format established last season, the top six teams from each division reach the second round, a round robin tournament in which the teams must play each team from their opposite division twice. The overall leader in the standings following this tournament is declared the league champion.

Here is the schedule of Baikal's playoff matches:

February 14th: Rodina Kirov 7:3 Baikal-Energia Irkutsk
February 17th: @ Zorky Krasnogorsk
February 21st: vs. Raketa Kazan
February 24th: vs. Uralsky Trubnik Pervouralsk
February 27th: @ Volga Ulyanovsk
March 1st: @ Dynamo Moscow
March 5th: vs. Rodina Kirov
March 8th: vs. Zorky Krasnogorsk
March 12th: @ Raketa Kazan
March 15th: @ Uralsky Trubnik Pervouralsk
March 19th: vs. Volga Ulyanovsk
March 21st: vs. Dynamo Moscow

The teams that finished ranked 7th-10th in their respective divisions will also play a round robin tournament to determine the 13th-20th places. The team that finishes in last place will be relegated to the first division, while the winner of the first division playoffs will be invited to the elite league next season.