Metallurg Cherepovets vs Sakhalinskie Akuly

The match took just 88 seconds to produce its first goal. On their first power-play opportunity, Sakhalinskie Akuly needed only four seconds of the man advantage — Anton Plekhov redirected Alexander Ustinov's point shot past Metallurg goaltender Bogatyrev for a 1–0 lead at 01:28.

Yaroslav Ovchinnikov doubled the lead at 03:36, deflecting Leonid Belov's shot after a feed from captain Daniil Bannov.

Metallurg responded immediately. Konstantin Borisov converted at 04:03 off passes from Provorov and Goryunov to cut the deficit to 2–1.

But Sakhalinskie restored their two-goal cushion in the final minute of the first period. Dmitry Korenev scored at 19:52 off assists from Cherepanov and Levandovsky — a classic "goal in the dressing room" that made it 3–1 after 20 minutes.

The second period saw fewer chances but one decisive moment. Alexander Ustinov scored at 30:30 to extend the lead to 4–1, and Sakhalinskie made a goaltending change — debutant Andrei Belous replaced starter Alexander Privalov.

In the third period, Makar Kuratov converted a penalty shot at 54:54 after being fouled on a breakaway, making it 5–1. Matvey Khalilov added a sixth at 55:34 from Plekhov and Makar Lysenko.

Maxim Shkakin pulled one back for Metallurg at 57:55, but it was too little, too late.

Korenev's goal at 19:52 of the first period — with just eight seconds left on the clock — was the hammer blow. Metallurg had fought back to within one goal after Borisov's quick reply, and taking a 3–1 lead into the first intermission rather than 2–1 shifted the game's entire trajectory. Sakhalinskie out-shot Metallurg 32–15 in the first period, and the scoreline accurately reflected their dominance.

Anton Plekhov (Sakhalinskie Akuly) — Opened the scoring inside 90 seconds on the power play and assisted Khalilov's goal. Set the early tone.

Yaroslav Ovchinnikov (Sakhalinskie Akuly) — One goal and one assist, including the clever redirection that made it 2–0.

Alexander Ustinov (Sakhalinskie Akuly) — Scored Sakhalinskie's fourth goal and set up Plekhov's opener. Controlled play from the blue line.

Konstantin Borisov (Metallurg Cherepovets) — His equaliser at 04:03 briefly gave the home side hope. One of the few bright spots for Metallurg.

Player of the match: Anton Plekhov (Sakhalinskie Akuly)

The raw shot counts tell the story: Sakhalinskie Akuly out-shot Metallurg 86–36 overall and 50–19 on target. That is not a statistical quirk — it reflects sustained offensive pressure across all three periods, with the visitors generating 32 shots in the first period alone. The 13–33 disparity in hits also points to Sakhalinskie imposing their physical game. Both teams were close on faceoffs (29–28 in favour of Metallurg), but control of the puck in open play was entirely one-sided.

This was the opening match of the 48th P.I. Belyaev Memorial Tournament, an annual pre-season competition hosted in Cherepovets featuring MHL and NMHL clubs. Sakhalinskie Akuly, representing the MHL's Silver Division, began their pre-season campaign with a statement victory.

Metallurg Cherepovets, the reigning NMHL champions, suffered a heavy defeat at home. They followed this with a 1–6 loss to Atlant the next day (31 July) and a 1–6 defeat to Loko-76 on 2 August.

Sakhalinskie Akuly next faced Almaz on 1 August (won 3–2), then went on to finish second in the tournament standings behind Krasnaya Mashina Atlant, according to TIA Ostrova.

1. MHL game summary (game 902813): https://mhl.khl.ru/game/1449/902813/summary/
2. MHL text broadcast: https://text.mhl.khl.ru/902813.html
3. MHL news report: https://mhl.khl.ru/news/20105/1173778/
4. Sakhalinskie Akuly official site: https://sakh-sharks.ru/news/post/2345/
5. Bookmaker Ratings match report: https://bookmaker-ratings.ru/match/hockey/187-club-friendly/metallurg-cherepovets-sakhalinskie-akuly-30-07-2026/
6. TIA Ostrova tournament recap: https://tia-ostrova.ru/news/sport/201388/
7. Betmana match page: https://betmana.co.uk/hockey/match/world/club_friendly/season-2026/2026-07-30/443638-metallurg-cherepovets-vs-sakhalinskie-akuly/
8. YouTube full broadcast (MHL): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_XMJdOdUo4