<div align="center">
Norway's Dymo Ranjan stonewalls a shot deflection by Mikhail Krivokrasov in the 7th place match</div>

MOSCOW, RUSSIA - In an IIHF "offseason", so to speak, that saw Russia grow to a team that had new goaltender strength, better forward depth, and implemented 2 full strength lines incorporating an unconventional 4 forwards 1 defender setup, Russia came to the IIHF season with high hopes. With young guns taking on more impressive roles in the lineup, many had Russia spotted near the bottom 3 teams in the tournament.

<div align="center">
Chernika Banananov scores the game-winning goal against Czechoslovakia during a Round Robin game</div>

Russia was placed in Group B, which included Czechoslovakia, Norway, Germany, Finland, and Austria. Most in the Russian camp thought that this group, with the exception of powerhouse Finland and worthy foe Germany, would be an easier draw than a Group A that featured Latvia, Canada, Sweden, Ireland, the United States, and the United Kingdom. As things turned out in the medal rounds, the Russians were right in their assumption but were nonetheless taking on tough squads to qualify for the medal rounds.

<div align="center">THE GAMES

Game 1


Ales Smirnov is smothered after he notched his first IIHF goal</div>

Russia's first test was against an older Austrian squad, dominated by players from the SHL's Seattle Riot in Dustin Rose, Thomas King, Nicholas Flamel, Chara Brojled, Pavel Bursyuk, and Brandon Pomery. After a scoreless 1st period, Russia notched the 1st goal on Ales Smirnov's shot, his first IIHF tournament marker. Austria responded 4 minutes later with a Chara Brojled goal, but after that, the Russian team dominated the game, scoring 2 goals in the 3rd period off veterans Alexey Kovalenko and Mikhail Krivokrasov and securing Russia's first win.

FINAL SCORE

- 1
- 3

<div align="center">RECORD: 1-0-0

Game 2


Jackson Weekes was the better goaltender in the 2nd match of the Round Robin for Russia</div>

Germany started the game off with a quick powerplay goal off Chris McZerhl and immediately went to defense for the rest of the period. Russia finally found a way to break through the Berlin Wall schema and scored 2 quick goals off Yuri Boyka and Smirnov midway through the 2nd , but the lead was temporary. Germany retaliated with Yousef Scherbluk's 1st mark of the tournament and Russia stole the lead late in the 2nd off Armin Brovalchuk's powerplay goal. This lead again was short-lived as Rider Clitsome scored early in the 3rd and after Germany's Brandon Cant scored a powerplay goal with less than 10 minutes remaining, Russia earned their first loss.

FINAL SCORE

- 4
- 3

<div align="center">RECORD: 1-1-0

Game 3


Mark Harter makes a leg save against Riko Muerto's slap shot in the shootout</div>

Russia was now at .500 and needed a good win to get back to a winning record. Krivokrasov started them off right with a goal midway through the 1st, but Norway's Asbjørn Alexandersen proved his worth as an SHL prospect with a goal just 3 minutes later. The 2nd period would be littered with penalties and tough, defensive hockey, but Norway pierced the Iron Wall with Chester Cunningham's shot in the later part of the 3rd period. With time running out, Russia pressed and Krivokrasov scored his 2nd goal of the game to send the match to overtime. Overtime was a stalemate, so the shootout commenced and in the goalie matchup, Harter came away the better tender and Russia with the win.

FINAL SCORE

- 3
- 2

<div align="center">RECORD: 2-1-0

Game 4


Liam Kinsler scored the first of 3 powerplay goals for Austria in the rematch</div>

Russia was confident with a winning record and started the scoring with Sam Samsinov's powerplay goal. But just as Russia utilized the man advantage, Austria's next 3 goals came on the 5 on 4 matchups from Liam Kinsler, Nicholas Flamel, and Brandon Pomery. With the last minute dwindling away, Austria added insult to injury with a late tally by Thomas King to secure the win.

FINAL SCORE

- 1
- 4

<div align="center">RECORD: 2-2-0

Game 5


Russia celebrates Kovalenko's insurance that the game would not end in a shutout loss</div>

Back even and with the foul taste of a 3 goal loss, Russia was not in the right mindset to take on powerhouse Finland and paid for it. Adrian Thomaz's 2 goals and Valterri Bottas's marker made the score 3-0 by the end of the 1st and Harter was yanked when he let his 4th goal of the game go past him thanks to Esa Anrikkanen less than 2 minutes into the 2nd (giving Harter a GAA of 10.91 for the game). Gustavo let in another tally to Miles Berger midway through the 2nd and the 6th goal of the game came from Vidrik Onoprienko 5 minutes into the 3rd. As a consolation, Kovalenko prevented the shutout, scoring Russia's only tally midway through the 3rd en route to Russia's 2nd consecutive blowout loss.

FINAL SCORE

- 1
- 6

<div align="center">RECORD: 2-3-0

Game 6


Captain Roy Razin started the scoring for Russia against the Czechs</div>

After 2 blowout losses, Russia needed goals to level their goal differential. Lucky for them, the Czechs were their next opponent. After an early goal by Pierre-Luc Laflamme, Russia scored 5 straight goals, the first from Razin, 3 from Boyka, and the 5th from Brovalchuk. The Czechs pulled Verminski in favor of letting the team doctor play goaltender after Brovalchuk's goal, but it didn't make much difference. Ondrej Ravchitikov gave the Czechs another tally, but that was squandered by Russia's 3 unanswered goals late, coming from Samsinov, Kovalenko, and Banananov for the dominating victory.

FINAL SCORE

- 8
- 2

<div align="center">RECORD: 3-3-0

Game 7


Andrey Barbashev gets close with Aittokallio and goes to the box instead of scoring a goal</div>

Russia still remembered the 6-1 blowout from just a few days ago and played more defensive hockey, keeping the Finns offense in check. Through almost 2 scoreless periods, Berger broke the ice for Finland and scored with 5 minutes in the 2nd and started the scoring. Russia would tie things up with Razin's goal in the 3rd, but Esa Anrikkanen scored off the next faceoff and kept the Finnish lead. Banananov evened the game with 6 minutes left on a powerplay shot, but the Finns turned to overdrive in the last minutes, scoring goals from Adrian Thomaz and Ivo Willems for the secured win.

FINAL SCORE

- 4
- 2

<div align="center">RECORD: 3-4-0

Game 8


Razin celebrates the tying goal in a close match with the Germans</div>

Germany was up again and the Russians were looking for a win this time. Unfortunately, the German Machine kept chugging along, scoring the first goal with David Winter as the central cog. Razin retaliated with a powerplay goal and the game was tied at 1 5 minutes in. Niklas Stryker would score a minute later and the Berlin Wall had no Ronald Reagan from Russia to tear it down as Germany held on through 2 scoreless periods (almost 55 minutes of no scoring) for the win.

FINAL SCORE

- 1
- 2

<div align="center">RECORD: 3-5-0

Game 9


Andrey Barbashev celebrates his 1st IIHF goal</div>

With a rousing 8-2 victory still plaguing the Czechs, Russia was able to play a more run and gun game and still hold for the win despite a less defensive performance. Andrey Barbashev started the scoring, giving Russia the lead midway through the 1st. Samsinov would follow to put the Ruskis up by 2 with 8 to go in the 1st. The Czechs would cut that lead to 1 off a Walter White laser with 5 remaining in the 1st and then tie the whole thing up midway through the 2nd on a Merit Csonka goal. The 3rd started off red hot with Boyka scoring less than 30 seconds in and Csonka notching his 2nd for the tie, but Banananov would again seal the deal with a late period goal.

FINAL SCORE

- 3
- 4

<div align="center">RECORD: 4-5-0

Game 10


Alexey Kovalenko gives Russia their 3rd goal of the game, securing Russia's win and their berth into the medal rounds and out of the bottom 4</div>

Norway was already guaranteed a spot in the medal rounds and might have taken a day off, but that made the Russian performance look that much better. After Muerto's early goal, Boyka responded within a minute and tied the game. Smirnov would come in 20 seconds later to take the lead 3 minutes in for the Russians, a lead that would hold until the end of the 1st when Alexander Andrezjeck scored a late man advantage marker. Russia would then score 4 unanswered goals over the next 2 periods, with goals scored by Kovalenko, Banananov, Vsevolod Nikitin, and Kovalenko again for a solid berth into the medal rounds!

FINAL SCORE

- 2
- 6

<div align="center">RECORD: 5-5-0

Game 11


Steven Jalopski takes a Roughing minor en route to Canada's dominating win</div>

If Russia thought their win against Norway would give them a chance at a medal, those thoughts were quickly dissipated as the results came that Canada was their quarterfinal draw. After a quick score by Canada's Phil Schenn and a rousing effort by Russia to get Krivokrasov another tournament goal, Canada scored 6 straight goals, with Brian Morley scoring a hat trick in the process and the other 3 goals coming from Theo Kane, Jordan Hall, and Mark Longford. Captain Razin would score a late man advantage goal to keep the lead to 5, but Russia was already out of medal contention.

FINAL SCORE

- 2
- 7

<div align="center">RECORD: 5-6-0

Game 12


Russia sits stone-faced on the bench during a timeout in their loss to Ireland</div>

Russia's consequence for losing to Canada was that they now had to take on a hot Ireland team to try and keep in the top 6 on the tournament, or else lose and fight for 7th place. The 1st period was quiet, each team feeling out the other as Russia and Ireland don't play against each other often. Finally Pedro Sarantez opens the scoring on a powerplay 2 minutes into the 2nd. Russia responded with a powerplay marker from Armin Brovalchuk midway through the 2nd and the rest of the period was as quiet as the 1st. Ireland broke the silence in the 3rd with 3 goals inside 8 minutes coming from Tommy Creller, Jed Hackert, and Etienne Modano. Russia would cut the lead to 2 late off a Banananov goal but the Russians were crushed that they were now a team in the bottom 6 of the tournament final standings.

FINAL SCORE

- 4
- 2

<div align="center">RECORD: 5-7-0

Game 13


Norway's Riko Muerto gets a lead on Yuri Boyka to score the overtime winner</div>

Russia faced a familiar foe in Norway for the honor of the best of the rest in Russia's final game. Ausy Willison scored his 1st goal of the tournament in the 1st to give Russia the early lead, and Boyka added to the lead in the 2nd with another goal. Chester Cunningham scored late in the 2nd, but Luka Zaitsev scored in the last 2 minutes to give Russia a 2 goal lead into the 3rd. Russia held strong until midway through the 3rd when the Nords scored 2 goals in 6 seconds, forcing an overtime. There, Riko Muerto was able to notch the game winner, sending Norway to 7th place and Russia to 8th.

FINAL SCORE

- 4
- 3

<div align="center">FINAL PLACE: 7th Place

THE DRAMA


Evgeny Semin waves to a crowd of Russian fans after his announcement</div>

Russia has always been a big player in the International Transfers market (formerly known as the Dual Nationality trade), and had a recruit all lined up for making the switch to Russia. Evgeny Semin, formerly known as Trill, was decided upon coming over to Team Russia and would be a valuable tool in the top 6 forwards group and Russia announced their intents along with Semin's after the S23 SHL Entry Draft. Unfortunately, the IIHF tournament had passed the point of roster modifications, and Semin's transfer could not go through until the market, rules, and eligibility of every player in the IIHF system was determined (which takes a long time, but that's understandable), which took up time that Russia wanted to use to display Semin's offensive production on the ice. This also went for Sasha-Alexei Smirnov, a Russian player who had played well for the federation prior to S22, but had fallen off the radar and was playing in the SMJHL to develop and train. Smirnov was finally ready to play, but since the deadline for roster modifications had passed, Russia was without 2 of their top centers for most of the tournament.

<div align="center">
Krivokrasov celebrates his goal against Canada in the Quarterfinals</div>

Meanwhile, past conflicts between GM Vsevolod Nikitin and forward Mikhail Krivokrasov came to an end as Krivokrasov scored almost a point per game throughout the round robin and the medal rounds, thanks in large part to his restored status as a 1st line forward. This helped Russia secure their place in the medal rounds in the first place, though wasn't enough to save Russia from 3 straight losses to end the game. Krivokrasov will continue to be a part of Russia's top line if he keeps his point per game pace.

<div align="center">
Mark Harter could use a season of SHL experience to help become better than his performance against Canada</div>

All in all, an 8th place finish in the tournament has left Russia at the bottom of the post-tournament world rankings, something a group of young developing stars isn't too worried about. According to sources from the locker room, the mentality is that a year in the SHL for the younger players will translate to a better team in the IIHF season. This is something that the Russians can look forward to along with their new defenseman.

<div align="center">
Mountain Maan sits at a press conference where he announced his intent to play in the SMJHL for a chance to be drafted to the SHL</div>

Mountain Maan, the enforcer from Moscow, declared just a few days ago that he will be coming to North America to play in the SMJHL, the SHL's junior system, in hopes of being drafted next season to the SHL. This also opens his options to making an IIHF roster in Russia that only holds 4 defenders. Last season, Kovalenko and Samsinov played as forwards from the blue line through the tournament, and now with Maan joining, Team Russia should have a more defensively-balanced team for the upcoming IIHF season. They will still need 1 more defender for the future, something that might be filled in next season's Transfer market or in the next SMJHL draft class. One thing's for sure: having a Maan on Team Russia won't hurt.

Code:

WC: 2468 Words

Stavros Kondos || F || Seattle Argonauts



Theo Kondos || F || Jesster & Darr Winner - CC x2 || 
-- CAREER STATS --
-- SHL Regular Season --
S58 - GP:66 | G:17 | A:36 | P:53 |  SOG: 130 |  HITS:35  |  TOI: 17:32
S59 - GP:66 | G:14 | A:36 | P:50 |  SOG: 181 |  HITS:41  |  TOI: 18:15
S60 - GP:66 | G:19 | A:37 | P:56 |  SOG: 184 |  HITS:44  |  TOI: 18:34
S61 - GP:66 | G:32 | A:26 | P:58 |  SOG: 188 |  HITS:48  |  TOI: 19:50
S62 - GP:66 | G:21 | A:32 | P:53 |  SOG: 207 |  HITS:57  |  TOI: 20:36
S63 - GP:66 | G:23 | A:40 | P:63 |  SOG: 297 |  HITS:90  |  TOI: 22:00
S64 - GP:66 | G:27 | A:59 | P:86 |  SOG: 237 |  HITS:110 |  TOI: 21:30
S65 - GP:66 | G:39 | A:46 | P:85 |  SOG: 240 |  HITS:161 |  TOI: 21:59
S66 - GP:66 | G:39 | A:65 | P:104| SOG: 230 |  HITS:134 |  TOI: 22:08
S67 - GP:66 | G:27 | A:38 | P:65 |  SOG: 177 |  HITS:164 |  TOI: 21:40
S68 - GP:66 | G:19| A:41 | P:60  |  SOG: 177 |  HITS:159 |  TOI: 19:51
S69 - GP:66 | G:16| A:41 | P:57  |  SOG: 143 |  HITS:110 |  TOI: 19:21
S70 - GP:66 | G:11| A:37 | P:48  |  SOG: 120 |  HITS:123 |  TOI: 18:40
S71 - GP:66 | G:30| A:36 | P:66  |  SOG: 199 |  HITS:126 |  TOI: 20:46
-- SHL Playoffs --
S58 - GP:12 |  G:2 |  A:7   |  P:9   | SOG: 16  | HITS:6  | TOI: 17:35
S59 - GP:16 |  G:6 |  A:10 |  P:16  | SOG: 33  | HITS:4  | TOI: 19:39
S60 - GP:9  |  G:0 |  A:5   |  P:5   | SOG: 23  | HITS:11 | TOI: 18:55
S61 - GP:19 |  G:6 |  A:12 |  P:18  | SOG: 47  | HITS:18 | TOI: 19:21
S62 - GP:24 |  G:9 |  A:11 |  P:20  | SOG: 75  | HITS:34 | TOI: 20:55
S63 - GP:9  |  G:0 |  A:3   |  P:3   | SOG: 37  | HITS:20 | TOI: 22:21
S64 - GP:13 |  G:3 |  A:10 |  P:13 |  SOG: 58 | HITS:31 | TOI: 22:55
S65 - GP:17 |  G:3 |  A:7 |  P:10  |  SOG: 46 | HITS:46 | TOI: 22:21
S66 - GP:14|  G:8|  A:12 |  P:20  |  SOG: 56 | HITS:22 | TOI: 21:59
S67 - GP:7 |  G:0 |  A:4  |  P:4  |  SOG: 18  | HITS:9 | TOI: 22:01
S68 - GP:15|  G:5 |  A:12 |  P:17 |  SOG: 56 | HITS:27 | TOI: 21:45
S69 - GP:7|   G:1 |  A:6 |  P:7 |  SOG: 14 | HITS:19 | TOI: 19:59
-- SMJHL --
S54 - GP:50, G:7, A:7, P:14, SOG: 47, HITS:31, TOI: 11:22
S55 - GP:50, G:13, A:16, P:29, SOG: 98, HITS:35, TOI: 18:09
S56 - GP:50, G:18, A:26, P:44, SOG: 128, HITS:35, TOI: 16:53
S57 - GP:66, G:26, A:26, P:52, SOG: 220, HITS:48, TOI: 19:05
-- AWARDS --
S54: Drafted 6th Overall - Anchorage Armada[SMJHL]
S55: Drafted 5th Overall - Texas Renegades [SHL]
S57: Four Star Cup Champions - Anchorage Armada [SMJHL]
S57: DeMaricus Smyth Award for Top Forward - Dach [WJC]
S57: Brady McIntyre Award for WJC MVP - Dach [WJC]
S58: Ryan Jesster Award - Best SHL Rookie [SHL]
S58: All Rookie Team [SHL]
S59: CHALLENGE CUP WINNERS [SHL]
S62: CHALLENGE CUP WINNERS [SHL]
S64: West All Star [SHL]
S64: 2nd Team All Star [SHL]
S65: West All Star [SHL]
S65: 3rd Team All Star [SHL]
S65: Darr Nominee [SHL]
S66: West All Star [SHL]
S66: Darr Winner [SHL]
S66: 1st Team All Star [SHL]
S68: Bronze Medal - Austria  [IIHF]
S71: West All Star [SHL]


Ostap Maksimov || D || Retired || Challenge Cup x3 ||
------------------------------------------------------------
SHL Regular Season Statistics:
600 GP - 325 P - 3 Cups
--------------



Ales Smirnov RW/D || Retired || Ron Mexico MVP: S35 ||
-- CAREER STATS --
REGULAR SEASON GP: 857 G:210 A:389 P:599
-- AWARDS --
S21: SMJHL Presidents Trophy & Four Star Cup | Kelowna Knights
S21:Elias Armia Trophy (Award in Excellence Given By The League Commissioner.)
S22: Four Star Cup Champs | Kelowna Knights
S22: Ted Lindsay Award (SMJHL MVP)
S22: Brodie Witzel Trophy (Playoffs MVP)
S23: SHL All Rookie Team
S26: IIHF Gold (Russia)
S28: IIHF Silver (Russia)
S32: IIHF Bronze (Russia)
S35: Ron Mexico (SHL MVP)
S38: IIHF Gold (Russia)

we should do better after the cap is removed from many of our players

S77 Yuri Boyka III ||LW|| Nevada Battleborn ||Peak :461 TPE||
Name: Yuri Boyka III
Birthplace: Russia
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 230 lbs
Number: 17
------------------------------------------------------------
Career Statistics:
SMJHL Regular Season:
42 OA pick in s76 SMJHL draft
S76 | 0 GP | 0 G | 0 A | 0 P | 0 +/- | 0 PPP | 0 PIM | 0 H | 0 SB
S76 | 0 GP | 0 G | 0 A | 0 P | 0 +/- | 0 PPP | 0 PIM | 0 H | 0 SB
S76 | 0 GP | 0 G | 0 A | 0 P | 0 +/- | 0 PPP | 0 PIM | 0 H | 0 SB
SHL Regular Season:
11th OA pick in s77 SHL draft
S?? |  GP |  G |  A |  P | +/- |  PPP |  PIM |  H

Originally posted by soulja@Apr 15 2015, 03:47 PM
we should do better after the cap is removed from many of our players

That first year in the SHL does wonders