February 14, 17:00, Pinki, Inbox Ice Arena.
Oleg Tymchenko’s team returns to the ice after the international break and will once again face one of the TOP-4 representatives right away. If in January it was a victorious clash against Mogo/RSU, today our team will test its strength against Zemgale/LBTU.
There was plenty of news from the Kyiv camp during the two-week pause. Italian defenseman Alberto Colli and Latvian forward Ronalds Ķenins have joined the roster. However, Janis Voris will not be able to help the team in the near future after suffering an injury in the previous match.
As for Artis Abols’ side, their break was shorter. During the same two-week span, the Jelgava team played two games – defeating Panter (4:0) and losing in overtime to Mogo/RSU (2:3). Accordingly, Zemgale/LBTU enters this matchup in second place, holding a one-point advantage over their opponent, though having played two more games.
The head-to-head history between the teams consists of four matches. The record is perfectly balanced – one win each in regulation time and one each in overtime. The top performer for Artis Abols’ team in those meetings has been Rihards Marenis with six points (2+4). For the Kyiv side, five players have recorded three points each: Yang Hu (2+1), Rustams Begovs (2+1), Denys Honcharenko (1+2), Lauris Bajaruns (0+3), and Eduards Ugo Jansons (0+3).
Marenis also remains Zemgale/LBTU’s leading scorer so far this season, with 37 points (15+22). Interestingly, Kyiv Capitals captain Martins Karsums has identical statistics.
So this evening, we will see which side tips the balance in its favor across several key indicators.
