Sochi vs Admiral. Will Sochi players be able to start the home tournament with a win?
In the final match of the first gaming day of the Sochi Hockey Open, representatives of the local HC Sochi and Admiral from Vladivostok will take to the ice.
Southerners had an extremely unsuccessful last season, losing their chances of getting into the playoffs long before the end of the regular championship. Nevertheless, the club's management did not rush to organizational conclusions and the coaching staff, headed by Andrey Nazarov, retained its place. Changes in the roster are also of a targeted nature, unlike many KHL clubs, the Sochi residents did not change the roster on a large scale, relying on proven fighters. Of the notable last season figures, defenders Rundblad and Dyblenko, as well as forwards Melnichenko and Morozov, left the club. Of the newcomers, it is worth paying attention to Melnichuk, Altybarmakyan and Zavgorodny, who played overseas in the Student Leagues, as well as experienced defense players Morrow and Pivatskin.
Despite the home status of the tournament, Sochi players do not perform well on their home ice. So, for the previous six draws, the southerners have only one hit in the top three winners, but immediately in first place. In 2019, the Sochi team perfectly passed the tournament distance, beating such titled teams as SKA, Yaroslavl Lokomotiv and Omsk Avangard in the final standings.
Admiral
The fate of the club from Vladivostok last season is in many ways similar to the fate of the Sochi team. Weak game at the start of the season, the expected change of coach, a short-term game surge and, as a natural result, 11th place in the Eastern Conference, 13 points from the playoff zone. For the 2022/23 season, the team is being prepared by Leonid Tambiev, for whom work in the Admiral was the first at the level of the head coach of the KHL team. Admiral's problems are the same - rather meager funding, coupled with geographical remoteness, does not allow the club's management to carry out high-quality selection. Even now, there are many young hockey players on the team who are not suitable for more titled teams. Of the advantages, it is worth noting the acquisition of two high-quality Czech hockey players,
Admiral was one of the first in the KHL to come out of vacation and had already managed to hold a test match at the end of July. In Balashikha near Moscow, the Far East confidently beat the local Vityaz, losing during the match with a score of 0-1. Lisovets, Belyaev and Ivanov scored goals for the Admiral.
Our Expert Predictions & Analysis on Sochi vs Admiral
SochiSoutherners had an extremely unsuccessful last season, losing their chances of getting into the playoffs long before the end of the regular championship. Nevertheless, the club's management did not rush to organizational conclusions and the coaching staff, headed by Andrey Nazarov, retained its place. Changes in the roster are also of a targeted nature, unlike many KHL clubs, the Sochi residents did not change the roster on a large scale, relying on proven fighters. Of the notable last season figures, defenders Rundblad and Dyblenko, as well as forwards Melnichenko and Morozov, left the club. Of the newcomers, it is worth paying attention to Melnichuk, Altybarmakyan and Zavgorodny, who played overseas in the Student Leagues, as well as experienced defense players Morrow and Pivatskin.
Despite the home status of the tournament, Sochi players do not perform well on their home ice. So, for the previous six draws, the southerners have only one hit in the top three winners, but immediately in first place. In 2019, the Sochi team perfectly passed the tournament distance, beating such titled teams as SKA, Yaroslavl Lokomotiv and Omsk Avangard in the final standings.
Admiral
The fate of the club from Vladivostok last season is in many ways similar to the fate of the Sochi team. Weak game at the start of the season, the expected change of coach, a short-term game surge and, as a natural result, 11th place in the Eastern Conference, 13 points from the playoff zone. For the 2022/23 season, the team is being prepared by Leonid Tambiev, for whom work in the Admiral was the first at the level of the head coach of the KHL team. Admiral's problems are the same - rather meager funding, coupled with geographical remoteness, does not allow the club's management to carry out high-quality selection. Even now, there are many young hockey players on the team who are not suitable for more titled teams. Of the advantages, it is worth noting the acquisition of two high-quality Czech hockey players,
Admiral was one of the first in the KHL to come out of vacation and had already managed to hold a test match at the end of July. In Balashikha near Moscow, the Far East confidently beat the local Vityaz, losing during the match with a score of 0-1. Lisovets, Belyaev and Ivanov scored goals for the Admiral.
Comments 0