Aleksandrs Nizivijs and Mārtiņš Cipulis hustle for position in front of the Amur goal. Photo courtesy of Dinamo Riga
RIGA — Dinamo Riga hit rock-bottom on Sunday evening crashing to a 4-3 overtime loss to fellow bottom of the league team Amur.
Playing in front of one of their biggest home crowds of the season (9,530), Dinamo Riga dominated for most of the game but somehow still failed to capture the win. They managed to come frustratingly close on a number of occasions with the difference between a goal and nothing being a matter of millimeters on more than one occasion. Where they have been at their weakest in previous weeks, defensive power plays, they were at their strongest on Sunday with Martin Prusek looking particularly capable in goal. However the players faces said it all after the game as they slumped out of Arena Riga.
The week off was paying dividends for Dinamo Riga in the opening stages, taking the ice looking a lot more energized than they had in games of recent. Sustained pressure on the Amur goalie finally paid off in the fifth minute when Adrian Foster was on hand to clean up the loose puck in front of Amur’s goal.
Amur applied a little more urgency to their game following the early goal and subsequently had a bigger part to play in proceedings. When Sandis Ozoliņš failed to clear the puck from within his third, Amur were quick to react with the puck making its way David Ling whose shot was too good for Prusek.
Dinamo Riga started the second period in a fashion similar to the first, dictating the flow of play. Like they had in the first, they made Amur pay as Lauris Dārziņš fired home Dinamo Riga’s second in the third minute. He had his team mate Mike Iggulden to thank as the Canadian picked up his second assist of the evening.
Martin Prusek makes a sparing dive to deny Leonid Koksharob the goal. Photo courtesy of Dinamo Riga
Dinamo Riga’s third came in the 15th as the home side opened a two goal gap courtesy of Foster with his second. Still on a trial period with the club, Foster staked his claim for a more permanent stay in Riga with his two goals assisting him in winning over the crowd. After the game he said that he is already starting to feel at home in Riga and is enjoying the beautiful city.
Before the second period came to a close, Amur pulled the lead back to one when Sergei Platinov struck home his team’s second. After being assisted from the ice earlier in the evening it was a surprise to see Platinov back out skating.
Dinamo Riga dominated the final period of play so it was somewhat surprising to see the two teams tied at the end of the period. Amur tied the game the game up half-way through the period through Ruslan Hasanshin leaving Dinamo Riga 10 minutes to try and snatch the win in regular time. However the final goal was not forthcoming as Amur scrambled to keep in the game. Of big concern to Dinamo Riga was goalie Prusek who could be seen stretching in front of the net at every opportunity.
The fears held for Prusek were with reason when he failed to return to the ice for overtime. Instead Edgars Masaļskis was entered into the game for the most clinical period of the evening. Masaļskis held out well, particularly when repelling a 4 on 3 Amur power-play, forcing the game into a shoot-out.
The shootout was short-lived with Aleksandrs Ņiživijs, Mike Iggulden (on his second start)and Mārtiņš Cipulis all missing the back of the net. At the other end Hasanshin was able to beat Masaļskis to see the stadium empty with an eerie quietness.
Following the game coach Juliuss Suplers again stressed the importance of his team sticking to the game plan as he attempted to field a number of pressing questions from a press room that it is not acquainted with their team sitting at the bottom of the ladder.
Foster admits that it has been difficult coming into a team that is going through a slump in form with morale currently low in the changing room. However, he was quick to add everyone in the team is remaining focused as no one, more than the players themselves, want to be languishing near the bottom of the league.
