All at the beginning

Belarus was relegated last year from Elite Division after 14 consecutive years at the top, underdog Lithuania won Division I Group B on home ice in Kaunas last year and is back to Division I after nine years. The game has all to be the classic David versus Goliath. But Baltics soon demonstrate of not wanting to be on a pleasure trip in Kazakhstan shocking the astonished opponent with two goals in the first eight minutes: Daniel Bogdziul opens the score shorthanded at 02:42, then serving the assist for the 2-0 scored by legendary Danius Zubrus, currently the President in charge of Lithuanian Federation, after a rebound of goalie Milchakov. Belarus falters managing to reduce the gap and then equalizing the game with two goals created with the same plot: aggressive play on the board, forcing the opponent to error: Baltrukonis at 08:51and Krakauskas at 15:52 lose the puck opening the road to the goal for Stanislav Lopachuck and Sergei Malyavko. The comeback is completed one minute after with a masterpiece of naturalized Geoff Platt, scoring a beautiful flips goal.

In the central period Belarus plays  more at ease, creating various opportunities, surviving a penalty shot firing by Bosas on Michalkov, showing a good hockey but without increasing the score, keeping Lithuania in the game.

Nikita Feoktistov seems to close the question scoring the fourth goal after three minutes in the last period, with Lithuania that lost the aggressiveness and the enthusiasm on first period. But a late goal by Gintautas, able to find the right corridor in the traffic, gives Baltics the energy for the final assault, pulling goalie Armalis without to find a goal more.

Belarus showed the strength of a cynic team, able to accelerate when necessary and control the opponent to economize energies.

MVP: Nerijus Alisauskas – Geoff Platt

Daniel Lacroix: “Congrats to team Belarus, they really played a great second period. We had a good start, guys played very well, very committed. Our young players play with enthusiasm and sometimes making mistakes. The opportunity to play at this level are useful also for them learning how to deal with pressure"

Andrei Sidorenko: “It was a real hard game, the guys battled hard and didn’t give up also when we were down. We played also a single preparation game because Belarussian championship finished late and we had few time to assembly the squad”

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