MINSK, 1 April (BelTA) – The Belarus President’s team have notched the first win in the playoffs of the 16th edition of the national amateur ice hockey tournament for the prizes of the Presidential Sports Club, BelTA has learned.
The Belarus President’s team faced the team of Minsk Oblast at the Olympic Arena on 1 April. The goalless opening period was followed by a 5-on-3 shorthanded goal from Maksim Slysh who put the visitors on the scoreboard early in the second frame. The hosts tied the game seven minutes later through the efforts of Aleksei Shantyka.
Just before the second hooter Oleg Antonenko put the Belarus President’s team on top with a one-goal lead and at the start of the third period Artyom Antonenko extended the advantage to 3-1. The Belarus President’s team scored three more in the remaining time. Artyom Karkotsky got a feed from Aleksandr Lukashenko and Mikhail Grabovski to make it 4-1. Andrei Kostitsyn scored a double to secure the final score at 6-1.
Forward Maksim Slysh (Minsk Oblast) and goalkeeper Stepan Goryachevskikh (Belarus President’s team) were named the best players of the match. The second game of the final series (until two victories) is scheduled for 8 April. The teams of Brest Oblast and Gomel Oblast will face each other in a bronze-medal game. The Belarus President’s team topped the table in the group stage with five wins and one draw.
The Belarus President’s team is a 13-time winner of the national amateur ice hockey tournament. The teams of Gomel Oblast and Minsk Oblast raised the trophy one time each. The organizers of the national amateur ice hockey tournament are the Presidential Sports Club, the Sports and Tourism Ministry, and the Minsk City Hall.
Photos by Sergei Sheleg
