Lauris Dārziņš (10) attempts a goal after scoring the first of the match for Dinamo Riga. Photo used courtesy of Dinamo Riga.

RIGA — Dinamo Riga produced their best performance of the season to date in a surprise 4-1 victory over SKA St. Petersburg Friday evening.

Given their poor standing and an earlier 0-2 at home to SKA this season, the doubters had more than enough reason to believe the game’s outcome would not turn out like this. With seemingly nothing that coach Juliuss Suplers has tried so far working, fans took matters into their own hands with the Dinamo Riga fan club staging a walkout following the national anthems, hoping that their team would take note of their displeasure with how their beloved team is performing.

Plenty of the 8,130-strong crowd remained in Arena Riga, though to see Dinamo Riga’s finest first period to date this year as they gave SKA an early Halloween haunting. You’d have to be able to crawl inside the player’s heads to know whether or not it was the walkout that spurred on Dinamo Riga, but judging by how they played it was a different team that took the ice Friday.

Lauris Dārziņš was the first to score for the hosts in the third minute, producing the finest goal of the night. Mike Iggulden was the second to cash in when he finished of a strong attacking play in the fourteenth minute. Following Iggulden’s goal the crowd had hardly sat down when they were again on their feet with Dinamo Riga scoring their third just 24 seconds later. After providing the assist for Dārziņš’ goal earlier in the evening, it was Miķelis Rēdlihs’ turn to take the limelight, hooking onto a sharp pass from Armands Bērziņš, who had one of his strongest games of the season to date.

Tempers flared as the whistle signaling the end of the first period sounded. Oleg Sorokin took offense to a nudge in the back  from Petr Chayanek. Sandis Ozoliņš was quickly on hand to help his team mate as the two teams found a less conventional way to end the period. Dinamo Riga had come to play.

As the halfway stage of the game approached Edgars Masaļskis was looking like an impenetrable brick wall in goal, having no trouble with everything that came his way. It was a performance that would eventually earn him man of the match.

Maxim Ribin (left) and Jekabs Rēdlihs (right) go at it in second period. Photo used courtesy of Dinamo Riga.

Nearly eight minutes into the second period and the tempers were once again flaring, this time seeing Maxim Ribkin and Miķelis Rēdlihs remove the gloves as they exchanged blows. The fight ensued for half a minute bringing the crowd to their feet and chagrin expressions from their team mates. In the end is was Ribkin who went to the ice first and ultimately the shower as well as he removed from the remainder of the evening‘s proceedings.

Following the fight Dinamo Riga continued to attack hard, finally being rewarded in the 15th minute when Robert Petrovicky penetrated the SKA defense before feeding the puck back to Hossa with the deftest of touches. Hossa’s slapshot was always going to be too good for Maxim Sokolov in goal as Dinamo Riga put the game out of SKA’s reach. However, they were forced straight back onto defense when Rodrigo Lavins was given to minutes in the box. In recent games, oppositions would have almost been assured of a sure goal but this was a different Dinamo Riga on ice to what had been witnessed of recent, as their concentration never faltered.

Sandis Ozoliņš (8) reacted when Petr Chayanek (16) allegedly took out Edgars Masaļskis (2) and a fight between the three broke out. Photo used courtesy of Dinamo Riga.

Tempers continued to flare and as the period reached its closing stages Sandis Ozoliņš reacted when Chayanek allegedly took out Masaļskis as the third fight of the night broke out. It saw SKA go on a 2-minute power play as well as see Ozoliņš spend an additional 10 minutes in the penalty box. With his team looking comfortable at 4-0, the veteran would have taken some pleasure out of the 10 minute rest.

In the 17th minute SKA captain Maxim Sushensky thwarted any plans Masaļskis may have been having of completing the perfect game when the visitors got their first of the night, following some messy play in front of the Dinamo Riga goal.
It was the most complete performance by Dinamo Riga this season to date. Following the game, SKA coach Barry Smith was complimentary of Dinamo Riga’s performance.

“They played a great game tonight. I was very concerned about this game. The reason being everybody can beat somebody and it was time for them to step up and they stepped up and played hard. When you let in three goals it is very hard to come back and win. Hockey is a strange game, it goes to the team that has momentum and hunger and they were hungry for points. We played for every day of October except for today,” Smith said.

Later Smith said something so many Dinamo Riga fans have been craving to hear.

“They can beat most teams if they play like they played tonight,” Smith said.

Dinamo Riga say good-bye to Arena Riga now for 20 days as they go on a four-game road trip, beginning in Minsk on Sunday.