Oleg Tymchenko’s men were unable to defeat Liepaja on their home ice for a second time.
Liepaja (Latvia) – Kyiv Capitals (Ukraine) – 5:3 (2:2; 1:0; 2:1)
Goals: 1:0 – Vutkevics (Niedrajs, Svars, – power play), 04:18; 1:1 – Jansons (Andreykiv, Bajaruns), 12:47; 2:1 – Svars (E. Butans), 13:44; 2:2 – Karsums (Jansons, Andreykiv), 14:22; 3:2 – Stradnieks (Ozolins), 23:10; 4:2 – Zile (Vutkevics, Andersons), 41:44; 4:3 – Tsarkovskyi (Fursa, Augstkalns, – power play), 57:00; 5:3 – Andersons (Stradnieks, Svars), 59:22.
Liepaja: Michael Valenta; Ralfs Grinbergs (c) – Gustavs Krumins, Dominykas Sadauskas – Kevins Stradnieks – Karlis Ozolins; Pauls Svars – Alberts Emils Snepste, Niks Zile – Rinalds Vutkevics – Daniels Andersons; Kristians Berzins – Reinholds Circenis, Endijs Butans – Roberts Freidenfelds – Kristers Butans; Adrians Berzins – Ignas Kaupaitis, Valters Niedrajs – Rudolfs Laivenieks – Niklavs Lagzdins.
Head coach: Edgars Brancis.
Kyiv Capitals: Nazar Boiko; Vitalii Andreykiv – Eduards Hugo Jansons, Martins Karsums (c) – Lauris Bajaruns – Rustams Begovs; Daniel Klinecky – Ivan Shamardin, Mykhailo Kovalchuk – Yang Hu – Daniil Fursa; Edmunds Augstkalns – Alberto Colli, Andrii Kryvonozhkin – Danylo Tsarkovskyi – Renars Cipruss; Andrejs Kostjuks, Valentyn Sirchenko – Denys Honcharenko – Aleksandrs Novikovs.
Head coach: Oleg Tymchenko.
For the final game of the week, Kyiv Capitals fielded the same lineup as in the match against HS Riga. The only change in the starting lineup was Boiko, who had entered that previous game during the first period.
The hosts started decisively, converting their first power play. Vutkevics earned his sixth point in a game against the Kyiv Capitals, putting his team ahead.
The minimal advantage held by Edgars Brancis’ side lasted quite a while, but the key moments of the first period came in its second half. Within 95 seconds, the teams scored three times. Jansons leveled the score, Svars restored the lead for the hosts, and Karsums set the final score of the opening twenty minutes at 2:2.
The hosts entered the third period with a narrow lead thanks to a goal from one of the league’s top-five scorers, Kevins Stradnieks, who recorded his 45th point of the season.
The score remained unchanged for almost an entire period. Early in the final twenty minutes, Zile gave his team a two-goal advantage for the first time in the match.
With three minutes left in regulation time, Tsarkovskyi scored on the power play to cut the deficit to one again. However, pulling Boiko for an extra attacker did not help Kyiv equalize, and Andersons’ goal put the result beyond doubt.
The 5:3 victory became Liepaja’s 12th consecutive win, bringing the team to 62 points. Kyiv, with 57 points, dropped to fourth place.
