Russian Clubs Hold Top 3 Spots in World Rankings; Baikal Ranked #15

BOULDER, Colorado -- Dynamo Moscow is currently the best bandy club in the world, according the the latest ratings (including matches from October 16-November 1) by the website bandynet.ru. Just behind the Moscow club sit Zorky Krasnogorsk and Kuzbass Kemerovo.

The highest ranked team from outside Russia is Sweden's Edsbyns IF, which finished second in this year's ExTe World Cup to Dynamo. Finland's Tornea PV topped all other Finnish clubs at #20 despite losing all three matches in Ljusdal. Stabaek Bandy, also winless at the tournament, was ranked the top Norwegian club at #40.

All 21 teams from the Russian Bandy League made it into the top 50. Dynamo-Syktyvkar received the lowest rating, finishing 47th. Baikal-Energia's disappointing pre-season has them mired in the 15th spot, with nine Russian clubs ranked ahead of them.

The rankings, conducted last season by the Krasnoyarsk-based website RedYarsk, were begun this fall by Bandynet. They are based mostly on the performance of each club during the two-week period of the ranking.

This weekend: the final leg of the Russian Cup!

Dynamo Moscow Defeats Edsbyns for ExTe Cup

LJUSDAL, Sweden -- Dynamo Moscow defended their ExTe World Cup title by defeating Swedish side Edsbyns IF 5-0 in the final. Rinat Shamsutov scored a hat trick in the victory, while Ivan Maximov and Maxim Chernykh also added goals.

Dynamo had to defeat rivals Zorky Krasnogorsk to reach the final, besting them 4-3. Dynamo jumped out to a 4-0 lead thanks to goals from their big four scorers - Sergei Lomanov, Maximov, Yevgeny Ivanushkin, and Sergei Obukhov. Zorky rallied in the final 15 minutes, as Yury Loginoy's goal was bookended by a pair from the tournament's leading goal scorer, Sami Laakkonen.

In the "third-prize match," which, strangely, involved the two worst teams in the tournament, Norway's Stabaek Bandy defeated Finnish side Tornea PV 4-3.

Dynamo Moscow Beats Edsbyns IF for European Champions Cup

Krylatskoye Stadium, MOSCOW, Russia -- Dynamo Moscow added another trophy to their impressive case with a 4-2 win over Swedish club Edsbyns IF to win the European Champions Cup.

Yevgeny Ivanushkin opened the scoring 17 minutes minutes into the match, the only goal of the first half. At the 53 minute mark, Joakim Hedqvist put Edsbyns on the board off a corner, and seven minutes later, and Joel Edling put them up 2-1.

Alexander Tyukavin knotted the game at 2-2 and assisted on the goal from Ivan Maksimov that put Dynamo up for good. In the final minute, Makhail Sveshnikov gave Dynamo an insurance goal to seal the victory, 4-2.

Other scores from the Russian League:

Sunday, Decemeber 3

Sibselmash Novosibirsk 4, Sayany Abakan 3
Kuzbass Kemerovo 7, Yenisei Krasnoyarsk 1
Mayak Krasnoturinsk 3, Metallurg Bratsk 3
Zorky Krasnogorsk 8, AMNGR-Murman 2
Uralsky Trubnik Pervouralsk 8, Lokomotiv Orenburg 3
Rodina Kirov 12, Stroitel Syktyvkar 3