Medveščak Wins their KHL Debut (Preseason)

Brian Willsie scored two goals and Matt Murley added another as KHL Medveščak Zagreb won in their KHL debut over Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod.  Only a week ago did the Zagreb Bears get together for their first practice.  Torpedo has had a lot of changes and also lost their top scorer Dmitri Makarov in the offseason.  However, the win was impressive for Zagreb as they were dominant at times over their future KHL opponent after such a short period together.

Both Mark Dekanich and Barry Brust would get time in net.  Dekanich would get a shutout in his debut, while Brust let in the only goal.  Brust was dominant and confident in net, but took a point blank shot from the bottom of the left circle after a defensive mix-up. Georgy Gelashvili would let in two goals for Torpedo.

When Torpedo scored, Medveščak was already up 2-0 with a second period goal from Willsie and a third period goal by Murley.  Right after the score, Torpedo would get a chance on the power play to tie the game, but they could not capitalize.  Two minutes later, Torpedo would pull their keeper with a faceoff in the Zagreb zone.  Bill Thomas would make a great play on the puck and push the play up ice, leading to a Willsie empty netter to seal the first win.  Willsie played with the AHL Hershey Bears under current Medveščak coach Mark French where he scored 68 points during the 2010-2011 campaign.

It appeared Medveščak was experimenting with their lineup and giving some players the opportunity to earn a spot on the 25-man roster.  When the veterans were playing together on the ice, Medveščak was clearly the better side.  In limited minutes, Jonathan Cheechoo showed flashes of brilliance on equal strength forecheck and a third period penalty kill.  Torpedo controlled the first period handily, but gave Medveščak room to get momentum as the game moved on.

The teams will get another opportunity on Thursday to refine their lines and rosters as Medveščak plays HDD Olimpija Ljubljana and Torpedo plays HC Slovan Bratislava.

Tim Bourcier is a writer for Eurohockey.com and The Hockey Writers following the KHL and hockey in Croatia.  Follow him on Twitter @bourciertm and read his blog following KHL Medveščak Zagreb at the Bears Hockey Blog (@BearsHockeyBlog).

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