Chelmet Chelyabinsk vs Magnitka Magnitogorsk

Despite Chelmet controlling large stretches of possession and out-shooting their opponents from the opening puck drop, the first period ended scoreless (0-0) after both sides prioritised defensive structure over risk-taking — typical of a mid-August pre-season encounter.

The deadlock broke at 37:41 of the second period. Forward Alexander Shen (#16) collected a feed from Gusmanov in the slot and beat Magnitka goaltender Dzhelal-ad-Din Amirbekov, sending Chelmet into the second intermission with a 1-0 lead.

The third period saw the home side pull clear. Telegin (#57) doubled the lead at 56:22, and just 55 seconds later Mikhail Mokin (#29) added a third into an empty net at 57:17, assisted by Semenikhin, after Magnitka pushed numbers forward in a late attempt to get on the board.

Final score: 3-0 (0-0, 1-0, 2-0).

The first goal — and the timing of it. Chelmet's sustained pressure in the neutral zone finally paid off inside the final three minutes of the second period. Shen's strike forced Magnitka to open up in the third, which played directly into Chelmet's counter-attacking strength and led directly to the two late goals.

• Alexander Shen (#16): Opened the scoring with a well-timed slot finish in a game where goals were hard to come by. His 37th-minute strike was the release valve Chelmet needed.
• Mikhail Mokin (#29): Capped the win with an empty-net goal at 57:17, but his work rate on the forecheck throughout the third period was equally valuable.
• Denis Utenkov (#30, Chelmet G): A clean sheet in pre-season is a confidence builder. Utenkov wasn't heavily tested but handled everything Magnitka threw at him, including a busy third-period spell before Chelmet's late double.

Player of the Match: Alexander Shen

The period-by-period scoring (0-0, 1-0, 2-0) tracks with a team growing into a pre-season game. Chelmet's shot volume was higher across all three periods, but the scoreline undersells the competitiveness through 40 minutes. Magnitka's Amirbekov kept his side in it until the final three minutes of the second period. The empty-net goal flatters the margin slightly, but Chelmet were the sharper side territorially throughout.

The H2H record shows Magnitka leading 5-2 in 7 all-time meetings, and 86% of those games saw both teams score — making this 3-0 clean sheet a relative outlier in the rivalry.

For Chelmet, this is a third consecutive pre-season victory (after wins over Yuzhny Ural Orsk), continuing a promising build-up to the 2026/27 VHL season. Magnitka, who finished higher in the VHL standings last season, will treat this as an early fitness exercise — the scoreline matters less in August than the reps.

Chelmet's next pre-season fixture: a second meeting with Magnitka on 15 August 2026 (also in Chelyabinsk), plus further friendlies against Izhstal and Molot before the VHL regular season gets underway.

A professional, measured pre-season win from Chelmet. The clean sheet and controlled third-period finish are more meaningful than the 3-0 scoreline at this stage of the calendar. Magnitka will sharpen up with more game time.