Olympia vs Perm

The opening period was scoreless, with both sides feeling their way into the game. Olympia, already with a competitive friendly against Bars (a 3–1 win on 5 August) under their belts, looked the sharper of the two.

The breakthrough came in the second period. Olympia capitalised on a scramble in the Perm zone to slot home the only goal of the match. The provider payload does not name the scorer, but the timing shifted the game decisively in the home side's favour.

The third period saw Perm push for an equaliser but the visitors could not solve Braginsky, who carried his form from the Bars friendly into this game. The 1–0 scoreline held through the final horn.

Olympia's second-period goal arrived when Perm were still finding their rhythm. With no competitive minutes played before this fixture, Lev Berdichevsky's side lacked the sharpness to recover from going a goal down. The pattern followed pre-match expectations: Olympia's established defensive system, built by Mikhail Zvyagin over the previous season, smothered Perm's attack once they had a lead to protect.

Dmitry Braginsky (Olympia) — The goalkeeper followed up his 93.3% save rate against Bars (per Betzona) with a clean sheet here. With Olympia conceding an average of 2.45 goals per game across the 2025/26 season, a shutout against a VHL-standard opponent is notable.

Olympia's defensive unit — Reinforced by off-season additions Ildar Abdeyev and Ivan Kovalev (per Betzona), the back line limited Perm to few clear chances across 60 minutes.

Perm's reshuffled roster — The absence of departed attackers Valery Polyakov and Maxim Kitsyn, along with goalkeeper Guskov and defenders Sobolevsky and Yerokhin, was evident. The new-look forward line failed to generate the quality needed to trouble Braginsky.

The 1–0 scoreline marks Olympia's second consecutive clean sheet in pre-season friendlies, following the 3–1 win over Bars where they conceded only after establishing a three-goal lead. Perm, who averaged 2.41 goals scored per game in the 2025/26 VHL season, were held scoreless here — their first blank since the end of the regular campaign.

The H2H record now stands at three wins for Olympia and two for Perm across all meetings, with the home team winning every encounter. In every VHL and friendly meeting between these sides — dating back to January 2025 — the hosts have prevailed.

Olympia continue their pre-season build-up with momentum. Having gone unbeaten in regular time across their last eight outings dating back to the 2025/26 VHL season, Zvyagin's side look well-prepared for the upcoming campaign. Perm, by contrast, face a reset: Berdichevsky must integrate his new arrivals rapidly. Their next friendly — a 4–3 defeat to Izhevsk on 15 August — suggests the defensive issues persist.

A professional, low-drama pre-season win for Olympia, built on defensive solidity and the advantage of being further along in their preparation. Perm's off-season turnover will take time to settle, and this match highlighted the gap in match sharpness between two sides at different stages of their pre-season schedules.