The pre-semi-finals happened today, and it was the tale of two games. The first one put the home crowd through a rollercoaster of emotions, going from glad, to sad, to hopeful, then finally ecstatic. The second game wasn't as wild, as a first period goal rush was enough to win.
Jokerit Helsinki 4 - HC Davos 5 (OT)
The game started off with some notable scratches. Brandon Kozun was out for Jokerit, while Devin Setoguchi and Perttu Lindgren were not dressed for Davos. The Swiss club even had a change in goal, as Gilles Senn got the start over Leonardo Genoni. HC Davos had a good opportunity to open the scoring seconds into the match, but Samuel Walser did not get much on his shot, sending it wide. Davos kept the up pressure though, as they were determined to score first. They would be rewarded, as Lukas Sieber stole the puck behind the net and fed Jerome Portmann out front, who converted on the chance to put the host up 1-0. Davos got a couple chances to extend there lead, but Enzo Corvi attempt was stopped while Mauro Jorg rang his shot off the crossbar. Jokerit would catch a break though, as Davos' Marc Aeschlimann was called for hooking. Jokerit couldn't get much done on the man advantage though as the two minutes flew by with the score still in favour of Davos. Jokerit caught another break moments later, as Daine Todd was hooked while on a breakaway, leading to a penalty shot being awarded. Todd made good on his chance, as he beat Senn to tie the game. Jokerit found themselves on the man advantage again a minute later, as David Moss was called for hooking. That powerplay lasted a minute though, as Artus Kulda was called for a hooking as well, making it a four-on-four game. Jokerit had a couple chances with the ice more open, but could not convert on them. Jokerit ended the period with a chance to go ahead, but Peter Regin would be stopped by the glove of Senn. The teams headed into the first intermission tied at ones.
Jokerit came out of the break flying, as they got a couple early chances. Things didn't really pick up until midway through the period, starting with Todd getting sent to the box for holding. That powerplay was what Davos needed, as Ville Koistinen's wrister beat a semi-screened Riku Helenius to put the Swiss club back in the lead. That lead lasted for a minute, as Juhamatti Aaltonen connected with Jesse Joensuu on a give-and-go, resulting in Aaltonen cutting in and tucking the puck over Senn's shoulder to tie the game. Jokerit were now on the attack, as they looked for their first lead of the game. Jesper Jensen had a good chance for the Finnish club, but he missed on his shot. Roope Talaja would ended up getting the go-ahead goal for Jokerit, as he tipped Atte Ohtamaa's point shot past Senn. Jokerit kept attacking, and it kept working. Minutes later, Peter Regin's shot would trickle past Senn, as Jokerit went up 4-2. The buzzer would sound shorty after, as Jokerit headed into the second intermission up by two.
Both teams would get three-on-twos early in the period, but neither could convert on the odd-man rush. It got heated though, as Joensuu (HEL) and Gregory Sciaroni (HCD) ended up fighting. Both players received double-minors for roughing, as well as a ten minute misconduct. Things settled down, as Davos looked for a way to get back into the game. Jorg would find the way, as he took a pass from Corvi and beat Helenius short side, pulling Davos to within a goal. It would be the Pekka Jormakka show for a bit as the Jokerit winger got a few chances to regain his team's two goal lead. Unfortunately for Jormakka, and Jokerit, he could not. The animosity between the two teams cranked up again, as Artus Kulda and Alexandre Picard got into a shoving match while the play was ongoing. Kulda would be the only on penalized, as he viciously hooked Picard down to the ice. Davos' best chance on that powerplay came near the end, as David Moss would be stopped on a breakaway. Just over four minutes left in the period, Davos found magic. Andres Ambuhl, Felicien du Bois, and Samuel Walser connected on a tic-tac-toe play that resulted in Walser roofing it past a diving Helenius. Davos looked rejuvenated afterwards, as they pressured for the go-ahead goal. It would turn on the host team though, as Koistinen was called for tripping. Jokerit managed to set up their powerplay a few times, but Davos did well in defending, as they took away the cross-ice pass Jokerit wanted. The penalty was successfully killed by Davos. The remaining 12 seconds were uneventful, as both teams were tied 4-4 at the end of regulation.
Overtime was needed to solve the game. New for this year was overtime being three-on-three, and it created a ton of rushes for each team. Jokerit had the best chance early on, as Topi Jaakola kept on a two-on-one and cut in, only to be stopped by Senn. DAvos pressured as time in the period wound down. Ambuhl would circle around the slot, and find an open Sciaroni in the slot. Sciaroni wasted no time getting the shot off, as the puck sailed past Helenius's glove and into the net. Davos created the dramatic for the home crowd, as they came back and won the game 5-4. HC Davos now go on to face Team Canada in the semi-finals.
Players of the game: Mauro Jorg (HCD), Juhamatti Aaltonen (HEL)
Jorg had a good game for the host club. He finished with a goal, an assist, and a solid shot off the crossbar. Aaltonen played well for Jokerit, as he had a goal and an assist. He also had a couple chances in overtime, but could not find the back of the net.
Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg 3 - Adler Mannheim 1
Adler Mannheim was hurting before the game began, as the tournament's leading scorer, Ryan MacMurchy, was out. They would get the first decent chance of the game though, as Jochen Hecht opted to keep on a two-on-one, but his effort was stopped by Igor Ustinsky. Yekartinburg worked a give-and-go moments later, but Petr Koukal could not handle the return pass. The first goal of the game came over seven minutes in, as Tommi Kivisto received a pass from Ondrej Roman and released a shot from the point. It squeezed by Dennis Endras' glove, as Yekaterinburg took a 1-0 lead. Mannheim pressured soon after that good, as they looked to tie the game. They could not get anything set up though, as Yekaterinburg would go the other way. Alexander Torchenyuk received a pass from Roman from behind the net, deke into the slot, and slipped it past Endras to put the Russian club up 2-0. Mannheim looked to come back, but they could not muster any quality chances. Anatoli Golyshev had a chance for Yekartinburg, but his breakaway attempt was stopped by Endras. Later on, Yekartinburg would find themselves on the powerplay, as Mannheim's Steve Eminger was called for tripping. A minute into the man advantage, Kivisto's point shot was tipped by Sergey Yemelin and found it's way past Endras, making it 3-0 for Yekaterinburg. Golyshev would get another opportunity for a goal moments later, but this time he failed to hit the target. Mannheim a chance to get on the board as time wind down, but Brett Raedeke's shot was saved by Ustinsky. With three seconds left and a faceoff in the Yekaterinburg end, Mannheim pulled Endras for the extra attacker. While they managed to get a decent shot off, it was easily saved. The first period ended with Yekaterinburg up 3-0.
The second started with Mannheim continuing to look for their first goal. Instead, they found their second penalty of the game, as Christoph Ullmann was called for slashing. Yekaterinburg could not establish their powerplay though, as the two minutes went by without a goal. Play would go back and forth for a bit, as both teams could not establish an attack. Mannheim got a bit of a scare, as Golyshev collided with Endras on a breakaway attempt. The trainer went out to check on Endras, who wasn't too shaken up by the play, as he stayed in net. The chances did start to pick up after that, starting with Ronny Arendt's shot being turned aside by Ustinski. Alexei Mikhnov had one soon after, as he deked into the slot, only to be stopped by Endras. Kai Hospelt had Mannheim's next chance, but was stopped on his shot from the slot. The ice would open up a bit midway through the period, as Petr Koukal (AVT) and Hecht (MAN) received off-setting minor penalties. Almost as the four-on-four ended, it Raedeke would be called for hooking, setting up a four-on-three for Yekaterinburg for 17 seconds. It was enough time for Yekaterinburg to get one solid chance. Dmitri Megalinsky stepped in with a wrist shot that hit Endras' stick and went wide. Yekartinburg didn't do much else with the man advantage. Mannheim put on the pressure late in the period, as they still looked to get on the board. It was all for not though, as the score remained 3-0 after 40 minutes.
The third period started off rough for Yekaterinburg, as Koukal and Golyshev got hurt on two separate plays. Luckily for the Russian club, both players would be fine, and not need to miss a shift. Mannheim controlled most of the play early on, but could not get anything going, as they were either scrambling or being kept to the outside. Mannheim got a break five minutes into the period, as Yekaterinburg was called for too many men on the ice. Their powerplay was sloppy though, and ended 39 seconds in, as Hospelt was penalized for tripping. Mannheim was more organized on the four-on-four, as it led to a good backhand chance by Jon Rheault. Yekaterinburg had a chance of their own, but Koukal could not hit the net on a two-on-one. The short powerplay by Yekaterinburg didn't result in much. Once five-on-five play resumed, Mannheim was back on the attack. Hecht had a good chance, but he just missed on his short side attempt. The German club would finally get on the board midway through the period. A point shot by Mathieu Carle would be tipped and saved, but Raedeke was able to dive for the rebound and poke it into the net. Mannheim continued to pressure after that goal, but to no avail. Yekaterinburg would take control minutes later, but could not convert on multiple chances. Mannheim sustained pressure for the last six minutes of regulation, desperately looking for a way to tie the game. While they got a few good chances, none of them found the back of the net. Yekaterinburg held on to win the game 3-1. They now move on to face HC Lugano in the semi-finals.
Players of the game: Brett Raedeke (MAN), Anatoli Golyshev (AVT)
There weren't too many players to choose from for Mannheim. Raedeke gets the nod as he was the lone goalscorer for Mannheim. While he didn't get a point, Golyshev had multiple chances to.
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