Continental Cup Group A: day1 recap

Crvena Zvezda - Bulldogs Liege 1-2 (0-0,1-0,0-2)

The Continental Cup season began in Sofia with Group A of the first round, featuring hosts Irbis-Skate, Crvena Zvezda Belgrade, Croatian team KHL Sisak (the clear favorites), and Bulldogs Liège from Belgium. The first match saw Crvena Zvezda face off against the Bulldogs.

Crvena Zvezda came to Sofia with a youthful roster, led by Russian goalie Vladislav Lyubimov. In contrast, Bulldogs Liège, under the guidance of German-Canadian coach Guido Lamberti, boasted a more seasoned lineup. The opening period was slow-paced, with limited chances on both sides. It ended scoreless, though the Belgians showed a slight edge.

The game opened up in the second period, becoming less tactical, exposing the inexperience of Crvena Zvezda’s defense. Despite several prime opportunities, Liège couldn’t break through. Instead, it was Crvena Zvezda that took the lead on a power play at 23:59. Igor Mitrovic, assisted by Srdjan Subotić, fired a precise volley that found the bottom corner, making it 1-0 for the Serbians.

However, Crvena Zvezda’s offensive struggles and shaky fitness began to show, and they failed to create more scoring opportunities. The third period was dominated by Bulldogs Liège, who deservedly equalized at 49:54. Russian forward Mikhail Shabanov pounced on a rebound from a long-range effort by Yoren De Smet, with Michael Distate also assisting on the play.

The tide turned fully in favor of the Belgians when they took the lead on a double power play at 53:25. Dutch player Boet van Gestel unleashed a long shot that goalie Lyubimov mishandled, allowing the puck to slip through. Assists came from Yoren de Smet and Bryan Henry. With the score 2-1, Crvena Zvezda had seven minutes to recover but struggled to mount a serious threat.

Their best chance came with a penalty shot by Andrija Spanjevic, but he missed the target. The Bulldogs secured a well-deserved victory, earning three points and celebrating with their traveling supporters. Goalie Troy Passingham, who stopped 31 of 32 shots, was named Man of the Match.

KHL Sisak - Irbis-Skate Sofia 15-1 (4-0;7-0;4-1)

KHL Sisak’s debut in the Continental Cup was more of a display of their firepower than a competitive contest, as they cruised to a commanding 15-1 victory over Irbis-Skate Sofia. The gap between the Croatian squad, preparing for the Alps Hockey League, and the Bulgarian amateurs was evident from the start.

Sisak controlled the game from the opening puck drop, firing 72 shots on goal while conceding just 7. They opened the scoring at 7:16 with Vito Idzan, assisted by his brother Bruno, and quickly extended the lead to 2-0 at 08:05 through a goal by American forward Carson Brière. The domination continued as Brière scored again at 12:31 on the power play, assisted by Tyrone Bronte and Patrik Dobrić.

By the end of the first period, Sisak had built a 4-0 lead. The second period saw more of the same, with power-play goals from Vlastimil Dostálek (22:20) and Ante Bebek (23:06), before Jan Smolec and Patrik Dobrić made it 8-0 within the span of a minute. A ninth goal followed almost immediately from Karlo Marinkovic (29:58).

Sisak’s relentless offense continued into the final period. By 43:30, they had added three more goals to make it 12-0. Despite the lopsided scoreline, Irbis-Skate found a small consolation when Dayan McMullin scored their only goal at 45:02, assisted by Martin Nakov. However, Sisak answered back swiftly with goals from Tyrone Bronte (46:12), Ivan Puzič (51:06), and Marko Baždar (54:30), closing the game at 15-1.

Sisak’s top performers included Carson Brière, who finished with 2 goals and 3 assists, and Patrik Dobrić, who notched a hat trick and an assist. Bruno Idžan also had a strong game with 1 goal and 3 assists. For Irbis-Skate, McMullin was the standout player with their lone goal, but they were largely overpowered throughout the match.

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