Gornyak Rudny vs Pavlodar

The first period was a one-sided affair that somehow finished goalless. Gornyak fired 24 shots at Pavlodar goaltender Albert Koval in the opening 20 minutes — an extraordinary volume — but could not find a way through. Pavlodar managed just three shots on Alexander Kudryavtsev at the other end.

The deadlock broke early in the second period, and in spectacular fashion. While shorthanded after Kirill Kankin's tripping penalty, Sultanbek Rakhimov broke away and beat Koval at 23:44, with Vladislav Zhabunin providing the assist for a 1-0 shorthanded opener.

Pavlodar responded immediately. Just 29 seconds later, Vladislav Kladov levelled on the powerplay at 24:13, set up by Mikhail Guly and Nikita Smelov.

That equaliser lasted only 47 seconds before Gornyak struck again. Alexander Kurshuk restored the lead on the powerplay at 26:00, with Vladimir Krotov and Timur Shingareyev assisting. Andrey Yakovlev made it 3-1 at 27:56, converting from Dmitry Stulov and Ruslan Utebayev.

Vladislav Ikonnikov pulled one back for Pavlodar at 33:26 (assist Mikhail Guly), but Alexander Katkov restored the two-goal cushion at 36:16, again set up by Dmitry Stulov. The period finished 4-2, with Gornyak outshooting Pavlodar 24-13 in the second frame alone.

The third period was a rout. Gornyak replaced starting netminder Kudryavtsev with Vladislav Tikhonov at the intermission, then poured in four more goals:

• 41:37 — Vladimir Krotov (PP), assists Oskar Yulbarisov and Timur Shingareyev (5-2)
• 43:00 — Sergei Lazarev (PP), assists Maxim Mozzherin and Nikita Lyapunov (6-2)
• 55:30 — Vladimir Krotov (2nd), assists Oskar Yulbarisov and Timur Shingareyev (7-2)
• 57:12 — Maxim Mozzherin, assist Nikita Lyapunov (8-2)

Rakhimov's shorthanded opener at 23:44 was the defining moment. Pavlodar had survived the first-period onslaught and might have believed they could frustrate Gornyak into mistakes. Instead, the shorthanded strike — Gornyak's first shot of the period — shattered that plan and triggered a sequence of four goals in 12 minutes that effectively settled the match.

Vladimir Krotov (Gornyak Rudny) — Two goals (one on the powerplay) and one primary assist. His powerful net-front presence was the difference in the middle frame. Player of the match.

Timur Shingareyev (Gornyak Rudny) — Three primary assists, all on powerplay or key goals. The playmaker pulled the strings from the half-wall.

Alexander Kudryavtsev (Gornyak Rudny) — Stopped all three Pavlodar shots he faced in the first period and made 10 saves on 12 shots through two periods. His clean 20 minutes at the start kept the game scoreless while Gornyak found their range.

Albert Koval (Pavlodar) — Despite conceding eight, the Pavlodar goaltender faced 75 shots and made 67 saves. Without him, the scoreline could have been far worse.

The shot clock tells the full story: 75-22 in Gornyak's favour (a ratio of 3.4:1). That is not a statistical quirk — it reflects a game played almost entirely in the Pavlodar zone. Gornyak won 45 of 61 faceoffs (74%), controlled special teams with three powerplay goals and one shorthanded strike, and outshot Pavlodar 24-3, 24-13 and 27-6 across the three periods. The 1st-period scoreboard read 0-0, but Gornyak's 24-3 shot advantage was a warning Pavlodar could not heed.

With the win, Gornyak Rudny moved to 2-1 in Kazakhstan Cup Group B (6 points), having beaten Kulager 2-1 on 14 August before the 6-3 loss to Saryarka on 16 August. Pavlodar remain winless at 0-3, with defeats to Saryarka (4-2, 14 Aug), Beibarys (0-3, 15 Aug) and now this heavy loss — a goal difference of 4-15 across three games.

Group B also features Saryarka Karaganda, Beibarys Atyrau and Kulager Petropavlovsk, with the top two advancing to the semi-finals. Gornyak's next fixture is against Beibarys on 19 August 2026, while Pavlodar face Kulager on 18 August 2026.

This was less a contest and more a shooting gallery. Gornyak's 75-shot barrage — against a Pavlodar side that has lost all three group games by a combined margin of 4-15 — exposed a vast gulf in quality. The shorthanded-and-powerplay combination in the second period broke Pavlodar's resistance, and the third period became a formality.