Playoff Semifinal, March 24, 19:15, Riga, Mogo Ice Arena.
After a six-day break, the next challenge awaits the team coached by Oleg Tymchenko – the start of the semifinal series. A 3:0 victory over Prizma in the previous stage gave Kyiv Capitals more time for focused preparation ahead of their clash with the reigning champions of the Optibet Hockey League.
Among the teams still competing for the title, the Riga side had the longest rest – 13 days. On March 11, the Girts Ankipans` tea defeated Liepaja, securing first place in the regular season standings. Overall, Mogo/RSU is currently on a five-game winning streak.
Over the course of the season, the opponents played five head-to-head games, with Kyiv winning three (3:2, 3:2, 5:3) and Riga winning two (3:1, 9:1). The most painful defeat came in their last meeting on March 7, which was one of the worst performances of the season for Tymchenko’s team. However, the Capitals drew the right conclusions and went on to win their next four games.
In head-to-head matchups, the top scorers for the two teams are Niks Fenenko of Mogo/RSU with 8 points (5+3), and two Kyiv players – Rustams Begovs and Martins Karsums – with 4 points each (1+3).
It is also worth highlighting the Capitals’ players playoff statistics. Three players have recorded four points each – the best mark on the team: Eduards Hugo Jansons (4+0), Martins Karsums (0+4), and Andrejs Kostjuks (0+4).
It should also be noted that the other semifinal pair has already played its first game. Zemgale/LBTU defeated Liepaja in overtime to take a 1:0 lead in the series. So now we eagerly await the start of the battle for a place in the final at Mogo Ice Arena.
