Club Friendly· Season 2026
Andrei Dulnev scored twice and added an assist as Irbis beat SKA-Akademiya 5-2 at the N.E. Maslov Memorial Tournament in St. Petersburg on 3 August 2026.
Match Videos
Match Analysis
AI SummaryHow It Unfolded
SKA-Akademiya opened the scoring for the second match running through Nikita Lvov, who raced clear on a breakaway and beat goaltender Igor Saburin one-on-one at 07:33 (assist: Pyotr Gorbushin).
Irbis replied inside the final five minutes of the first period. With the SKA penalty kill still settling after a Matvei Kovalyov holding infraction, Roman Gorodilov finished off a scramble in front at 15:49, with Ilya Kolomytsev and Mikhail Chirkov drawing assists.
The second period belonged entirely to the visitors. A double-minor carryover from the first period — Lvov's unsportsmanlike conduct and Mikhail Makeyev's holding penalty — handed Irbis a 5-on-3 advantage for 1:25. They needed just 56 seconds: Andrei Dulnev hammered home from the slot at 20:56 to make it 2-1.
Dulnev struck again at 30:41, this time at even strength, converting from Artur Gimadiev and Irek Gainullin to stretch the lead to 3-1.
Irbis put the game to bed inside 82 seconds early in the third period. Mikhail Chirkov made it 4-1 at 41:54, and Roman Gorodilov notched his second of the night at 43:16, finishing from Rustem Rezepov and Dulnev to make it 5-1.
SKA-Akademiya pulled one back at 50:16 — Roman Arutyunov one-timed a feed from Denis Chermnykh and Leonid Gavrilov to cut the deficit to 5-2 — but the hosts could not mount a further comeback despite a late power play. A scuffle at 58:01 saw Matvei Kovalyov (SKA) and Askar Kamalov (Irbis) ejected with match misconducts.
The Turning Point
The 5-on-3 power play conceded inside the first minute of the second period was decisive. SKA-Akademiya had held Irbis to 1-1 through 20 disciplined minutes, but the back-to-back minors at the first-period buzzer gifted the visitors a two-man advantage they converted immediately. The goal changed the structure of the game: Irbis could play with the lead, while SKA had to chase.
Key Performers
- Andrei Dulnev (Irbis) — Player of the match. Two goals (one PP, one ES) plus the primary assist on Gorodilov's second. A three-point night from the blue line. His power-play strike at 20:56 was the game's pivotal moment.
- Roman Gorodilov (Irbis) — Two goals (15:49, 43:16), both at even strength. Showed a nose for the net-front area.
- Nikita Lvov (SKA-Akademiya) — Opened the scoring with a well-taken breakaway, his second goal in as many games at the tournament. His unsportsmanlike conduct penalty at 20:00, however, handed Irbis the window they needed.
By the Numbers — Interpreted
Irbis outshot SKA-Akademiya 54-48 overall (30-25 on target), a shot volume that reflects sustained offensive pressure across all three periods. The faceoff battle went SKA's way 30-23, but Irbis compensated by blocking 13 shots to SKA's 10. The penalty minutes (39-37) were inflated by the late-game fracas, but the damage was done early: Irbis's 1-for-2 on the power play was the statistical difference on the scoreboard.
What It Means
Irbis (2-0 at the Maslov Memorial) have won both their pre-season matches by convincing margins — 7-3 and 5-2 — under new head coach Alexander Shcherbina. They face Avto on 4 August in their final tournament fixture.
SKA-Akademiya (0-2) have conceded 10 goals across two matches and sit bottom of the tournament standings. They play Krasnaya Armiya on 4 August, seeking their first win.
Verdict
Irbis look sharp for a side early in pre-season: their special teams clicked, they generated 54 shots, and they spread scoring across five different goal-getters. SKA-Akademiya have shown they can create chances — Lvov's breakaway and Arutyunov's one-timer were quality finishes — but defensive lapses and undisciplined penalties at the wrong moments have cost them in both tournament matches.
Statistics are for informational purposes only. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
API data: 5 Aug 2026