Returning to action after a two-week hiatus, the Minsk Bisons traveled to Yaroslavl to take on the reigning KHL champion Lokomotiv. The guests were chasing the game from the third minute onward. A penalty for putting the puck over the glass by Kristian Khenkel proved costly, as HC Lokomotiv Yaroslavl scored on the resulting man advantage in a mere 15 seconds. The home side added another midway through the period, but Xavier Ouellet gave Minsk a lifeline with a goal late in the first to make it 1-2.

After a goalless middle frame, the Minsk Bisons struck back at the beginning of the third with Alex Limoges’ power-play goal to make it 2-2. With the score still level after 60 minutes and overtime, the contest was settled from the penalty spot, with the Yaroslavl side showing better composure. As a result, HC Dinamo Minsk lost 2-3. The score mirrored their previous encounter on 29 September. The outcome, however, was reversed: in the first game, it was the Minsk Bisons who held their nerve in the shootout.

The defeat snapped the five-game winning streak of HC Dinamo Minsk. The team remains in third place in the Western Conference standings with 48 points. The second and final match of the away series for Dmitri Kvartalnov’s squad will be in Yekaterinburg on 18 December, with the game against HC Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg scheduled for 5 p.m. Minsk time.

Photo courtesy of the Belarusian Ministry of Sport and Tourism