MHC Spartak vs Din. St. Petersburg

Din. St. Petersburg struck first at 9:04 of the opening period. Erik Pastukhov fired home from close range on the doorstep, with Nikita Starshinov and Nikita Gromakov collecting the assists. Spartak responded at 18:50 — Ivan Oblashchikov levelled the score with help from Gleb Perelygin and Ilarion Babkin, and the teams entered the first intermission at 1-1.

The second period brought goals in quick succession. Just 40 seconds after the restart, Vladimir Bakhtov restored Dinamo's lead, again set up by Starshinov and Gromakov. Spartak hit back inside three minutes: Arseniy Krylov made it 2-2 at 23:23, assisted by A. Ilyin.

The decisive moment arrived at 25:36. Spartak were down to three skaters against five after penalties left them shorthanded by two men, and Medunitsin — who scored a double in the previous day's meeting — made them pay on the power play, with Shamil Gimbatov and Bogdan Boronin providing the helpers.

The third period finished scoreless, leaving the 2-3 scoreline intact. Din. St. Petersburg also won the training overtime that followed.

Spartak's discipline unravelled early in the second period. A pair of minor penalties left the Moscow side defending 3-on-5, and Medunitsin exploited the space with a clinical finish from the slot. Spartak had generated decent pressure on the power play earlier — they could not convert any of their own man-advantage opportunities — but a two-man deficit against a sharp Dinamo unit was always going to be costly. That goal stood as the winner despite over 34 minutes of hockey remaining.

Arseniy Medunitsin (Din. St. Petersburg) — already on a hot streak after his double the day before, Medunitsin delivered the game-winner on the power play. He has three goals across the two pre-season friendlies against Spartak.

Kirill Molchanov (Din. St. Petersburg) — the goaltender stopped 36 of 38 shots faced, per the MHL match report, keeping Dinamo in the game through sustained Spartak pressure in the middle frame.

Nikita Starshinov (Din. St. Petersburg) — the captain registered two primary assists (Pastukhov, Bakhtov goals) and dictated play from the forward line.

Ivan Oblashchikov (MHC Spartak) — scored Spartak's first equaliser and was active in the offensive zone throughout.

The historical head-to-head shows this fixture typically produces goals — 94% of 50 meetings have gone Over 2.5, and both teams scored in 86% of them. This match slotted neatly into that pattern. Molchanov's 36 saves on 38 shots suggest Spartak generated a heavy shot count that did not translate to goals. The key discrepancy came on special teams — Dinamo converted their only extended 5-on-3 opportunity, while Spartak's man advantages yielded nothing.

These were the second of back-to-back pre-season friendlies between the two MHL sides, and Din. St. Petersburg swept both by identical 3-2 scores. Spartak had returned from the N.E. Maslov Memorial Tournament in early August, where they won three of five games, and now have time to sharpen their execution before the regular season.

MHC Spartak next face Amurskie Tigry on 21 August. Din. St. Petersburg travel to Tula for the Governor's Cup, starting 19 August against AKM-Junior at 14:00 MSK.

A clean, workmanlike pre-season performance from Din. St. Petersburg — disciplined enough to draw penalties and clinical enough on the resulting power play. Spartak created chances but lacked the finishing touch, and special teams ultimately decided a tight game that could have gone either way at even strength.