RIGA — Dinamo Riga have achieved a franchise first in moving past the first round of the KHL playoffs.

It was an achievement that few had deemed possible, knocking out Western Conference champions St. Petersburg SKA with a 4-2 game 4 victory this evening in Riga. This, the same SKA St. Petersburg who defeated Dinamo Riga earlier this season 8-1 and the same SKA who were touted as one of the main prospects to win the [private_supervisor]Gagarin Cup. And this is a Dinamo Riga who has achieved the near impossible by just making the playoffs.

SKA came into the game once again with their backs up against the wall, knowing that anything sort of victory would spell an end to their season. However, having won a day previous and with Dinamo Riga missing key personnel in Edgars Masaļskis and Ģirts Ankipāns, the mountain they needed to climb did not seem quite as high tonight.

But if Dinamo Riga were hurting due to key players being ruled out, they certainly did not show it, with the rest of the team stepping up and showing no signs of discontent following yesterday’ loss. Having played second string to Masaļskis this season, Martin Prusek was showing few nerves in goal, helped in no small part to some impenetrable first period defense, that did not allow the puck to get near him. In fact such was the dominance of Dinamo Riga in the opening 15 minutes, SKA managed no more than two genuine shots on goal.

At the other end, life could not be much more different for SKA goalie Robert Esh who was under heavy fire being orchestrated by Lauris Dārziņš and Mārtiņš Cipulis.

Finally in the twelfth minute, inspirational captain Sandis Ozoliņš showed he is just as good offensively as he is defensively, providing the perfect slap-shot assist to Jānis Sprukts who was exactly where he has been all season long, making a menace of himself in front of the opposition net.

Two minutes later and Dinamo Riga were in for a second time. Again it was a defender providing the assist with Kristaps Sotnieks providing for Alexanders Ņiživijs who made the perfect deflection to beat Esh glove-side.  However, even the most one-eyed of Dinamo Riga fans would have been naïve to think that this game was anything but over.

Dinamo Riga knew that their attack could not hold up all night and soon enough they would be tested at the other end of the rink. Big pressure came in the opening 10 minutes of the second period but  their defense was proving no less effective than their offense with each save welcomed by rounds of applause and hearty chants of “Pruseks, Pruseks.”

After a sustained period of SKA attack, Dinamo Riga were finally able to clear their zone through Dārziņš who was able to work the puck up the right side of the rink before finding Martin Kariya open in the center. The pass was timed to perfection, as was Kariya’s shot which was to follow, putting his team up 3-0. It was also Kariya’s third of the playoffs. Pruseks was caught momentarily off-guard following a face-off in the Dinamo Riga zone, seeing the visitors pull one back. This game, in right playoff tradition was far from over.

As the final period got underway, fans spent as much time glancing nervously at the clock as they did watching the hockey. These stares became all the more regular following SKA’s 2^nd goal in the twelfth minute, when Yuri Trubachev was able to evade a diving Dinamo Riga attacker before putting the puck between an obscured Prusek’s legs.

The momentum on the ice built as did the noise from the 10,120 onlookers. SKA coach Barry Smith wasted no time at pulling Esh from the ice, leaving his team with an extra attacker for the final 90 seconds of the game. But, as we have seen in every other match in this series to date, the plan backfired with Dinamo Riga grabbing a fourth through Mārtiņš Karsums. It was one of the more extraordinary goals witnessed this season. Under clear instruction to the clear the zone at all costs and not to worry about aiming at the empty net, Karsums simply struck the puck across the ice, seeing it rebound of the boards in front of the SKA bench before sailing into the SKA goal. Karsums admitted after the game it was the luckiest goal  his career and certainly something he does not practice, with it looking something more akin to what is witnessed in a game of table hockey.

Smith was gracious in defeat, paying tribute to what the Dinamo Riga team and management had been able to achieve, in particular getting so many fans behind the team. ‘You have done a great thing for hockey, it was an amazing atmosphere.’ Smith was also proud of his own commands, complimenting them for not only being great people on the ice but of it as well. ‘It’s been a great season with great people and it has been a great ride. In the end we bet ourselves.’ He also confirmed a thought hold by many that Dinamo Riga is indeed the team to beat in the KHL right now.

Mike Iggulden paid big tribute to the fans following the game, claiming that yesterday and today were two of the loudest most supportive crowds he has played in front of in his life. He admitted to having goose bumps all over for the final two minutes of today’s game when the crowd rose to their feet and started chanting in unison.

“It just felt amazing. The fans here have blown me away. I have loved my season here,” Iggulden told Baltic Reports.

When asked about next season, he said he would only be too happy to come back.

Martin Kariya was remaining with his feet firmly on the ground following the win, pointing out that the biggest games are still to come.

“It is amazing to just consider we have made it this far, especially if you think back to how we started the season. But this season is far from over,” Kariya told Baltic Reports. [/private_supervisor] [private_subscription 1 month]Gagarin Cup. And this is a Dinamo Riga who has achieved the near impossible by just making the playoffs.

SKA came into the game once again with their backs up against the wall, knowing that anything sort of victory would spell an end to their season. However, having won a day previous and with Dinamo Riga missing key personnel in Edgars Masaļskis and Ģirts Ankipāns, the mountain they needed to climb did not seem quite as high tonight.

But if Dinamo Riga were hurting due to key players being ruled out, they certainly did not show it, with the rest of the team stepping up and showing no signs of discontent following yesterday’ loss. Having played second string to Masaļskis this season, Martin Prusek was showing few nerves in goal, helped in no small part to some impenetrable first period defense, that did not allow the puck to get near him. In fact such was the dominance of Dinamo Riga in the opening 15 minutes, SKA managed no more than two genuine shots on goal.

At the other end, life could not be much more different for SKA goalie Robert Esh who was under heavy fire being orchestrated by Lauris Dārziņš and Mārtiņš Cipulis.

Finally in the twelfth minute, inspirational captain Sandis Ozoliņš showed he is just as good offensively as he is defensively, providing the perfect slap-shot assist to Jānis Sprukts who was exactly where he has been all season long, making a menace of himself in front of the opposition net.

Two minutes later and Dinamo Riga were in for a second time. Again it was a defender providing the assist with Kristaps Sotnieks providing for Alexanders Ņiživijs who made the perfect deflection to beat Esh glove-side. However, even the most one-eyed of Dinamo Riga fans would have been naïve to think that this game was anything but over.

Dinamo Riga knew that their attack could not hold up all night and soon enough they would be tested at the other end of the rink. Big pressure came in the opening 10 minutes of the second period but their defense was proving no less effective than their offense with each save welcomed by rounds of applause and hearty chants of “Pruseks, Pruseks.”

After a sustained period of SKA attack, Dinamo Riga were finally able to clear their zone through Dārziņš who was able to work the puck up the right side of the rink before finding Martin Kariya open in the center. The pass was timed to perfection, as was Kariya’s shot which was to follow, putting his team up 3-0. It was also Kariya’s third of the playoffs. Pruseks was caught momentarily off-guard following a face-off in the Dinamo Riga zone, seeing the visitors pull one back. This game, in right playoff tradition was far from over.

As the final period got underway, fans spent as much time glancing nervously at the clock as they did watching the hockey. These stares became all the more regular following SKA’s 2^nd goal in the twelfth minute, when Yuri Trubachev was able to evade a diving Dinamo Riga attacker before putting the puck between an obscured Prusek’s legs.

The momentum on the ice built as did the noise from the 10,120 onlookers. SKA coach Barry Smith wasted no time at pulling Esh from the ice, leaving his team with an extra attacker for the final 90 seconds of the game. But, as we have seen in every other match in this series to date, the plan backfired with Dinamo Riga grabbing a fourth through Mārtiņš Karsums. It was one of the more extraordinary goals witnessed this season. Under clear instruction to the clear the zone at all costs and not to worry about aiming at the empty net, Karsums simply struck the puck across the ice, seeing it rebound of the boards in front of the SKA bench before sailing into the SKA goal. Karsums admitted after the game it was the luckiest goal his career and certainly something he does not practice, with it looking something more akin to what is witnessed in a game of table hockey.

Smith was gracious in defeat, paying tribute to what the Dinamo Riga team and management had been able to achieve, in particular getting so many fans behind the team. ‘You have done a great thing for hockey, it was an amazing atmosphere.’ Smith was also proud of his own commands, complimenting them for not only being great people on the ice but of it as well. ‘It’s been a great season with great people and it has been a great ride. In the end we bet ourselves.’ He also confirmed a thought hold by many that Dinamo Riga is indeed the team to beat in the KHL right now.

Mike Iggulden paid big tribute to the fans following the game, claiming that yesterday and today were two of the loudest most supportive crowds he has played in front of in his life. He admitted to having goose bumps all over for the final two minutes of today’s game when the crowd rose to their feet and started chanting in unison.

“It just felt amazing. The fans here have blown me away. I have loved my season here,” Iggulden told Baltic Reports.

When asked about next season, he said he would only be too happy to come back.

Martin Kariya was remaining with his feet firmly on the ground following the win, pointing out that the biggest games are still to come.

“It is amazing to just consider we have made it this far, especially if you think back to how we started the season. But this season is far from over,” Kariya told Baltic Reports. [/private_subscription 1 month] [private_subscription 4 months]Gagarin Cup. And this is a Dinamo Riga who has achieved the near impossible by just making the playoffs.

SKA came into the game once again with their backs up against the wall, knowing that anything sort of victory would spell an end to their season. However, having won a day previous and with Dinamo Riga missing key personnel in Edgars Masaļskis and Ģirts Ankipāns, the mountain they needed to climb did not seem quite as high tonight.

But if Dinamo Riga were hurting due to key players being ruled out, they certainly did not show it, with the rest of the team stepping up and showing no signs of discontent following yesterday’ loss. Having played second string to Masaļskis this season, Martin Prusek was showing few nerves in goal, helped in no small part to some impenetrable first period defense, that did not allow the puck to get near him. In fact such was the dominance of Dinamo Riga in the opening 15 minutes, SKA managed no more than two genuine shots on goal.

At the other end, life could not be much more different for SKA goalie Robert Esh who was under heavy fire being orchestrated by Lauris Dārziņš and Mārtiņš Cipulis.

Finally in the twelfth minute, inspirational captain Sandis Ozoliņš showed he is just as good offensively as he is defensively, providing the perfect slap-shot assist to Jānis Sprukts who was exactly where he has been all season long, making a menace of himself in front of the opposition net.

Two minutes later and Dinamo Riga were in for a second time. Again it was a defender providing the assist with Kristaps Sotnieks providing for Alexanders Ņiživijs who made the perfect deflection to beat Esh glove-side. However, even the most one-eyed of Dinamo Riga fans would have been naïve to think that this game was anything but over.

Dinamo Riga knew that their attack could not hold up all night and soon enough they would be tested at the other end of the rink. Big pressure came in the opening 10 minutes of the second period but their defense was proving no less effective than their offense with each save welcomed by rounds of applause and hearty chants of “Pruseks, Pruseks.”

After a sustained period of SKA attack, Dinamo Riga were finally able to clear their zone through Dārziņš who was able to work the puck up the right side of the rink before finding Martin Kariya open in the center. The pass was timed to perfection, as was Kariya’s shot which was to follow, putting his team up 3-0. It was also Kariya’s third of the playoffs. Pruseks was caught momentarily off-guard following a face-off in the Dinamo Riga zone, seeing the visitors pull one back. This game, in right playoff tradition was far from over.

As the final period got underway, fans spent as much time glancing nervously at the clock as they did watching the hockey. These stares became all the more regular following SKA’s 2^nd goal in the twelfth minute, when Yuri Trubachev was able to evade a diving Dinamo Riga attacker before putting the puck between an obscured Prusek’s legs.

The momentum on the ice built as did the noise from the 10,120 onlookers. SKA coach Barry Smith wasted no time at pulling Esh from the ice, leaving his team with an extra attacker for the final 90 seconds of the game. But, as we have seen in every other match in this series to date, the plan backfired with Dinamo Riga grabbing a fourth through Mārtiņš Karsums. It was one of the more extraordinary goals witnessed this season. Under clear instruction to the clear the zone at all costs and not to worry about aiming at the empty net, Karsums simply struck the puck across the ice, seeing it rebound of the boards in front of the SKA bench before sailing into the SKA goal. Karsums admitted after the game it was the luckiest goal his career and certainly something he does not practice, with it looking something more akin to what is witnessed in a game of table hockey.

Smith was gracious in defeat, paying tribute to what the Dinamo Riga team and management had been able to achieve, in particular getting so many fans behind the team. ‘You have done a great thing for hockey, it was an amazing atmosphere.’ Smith was also proud of his own commands, complimenting them for not only being great people on the ice but of it as well. ‘It’s been a great season with great people and it has been a great ride. In the end we bet ourselves.’ He also confirmed a thought hold by many that Dinamo Riga is indeed the team to beat in the KHL right now.

Mike Iggulden paid big tribute to the fans following the game, claiming that yesterday and today were two of the loudest most supportive crowds he has played in front of in his life. He admitted to having goose bumps all over for the final two minutes of today’s game when the crowd rose to their feet and started chanting in unison.

“It just felt amazing. The fans here have blown me away. I have loved my season here,” Iggulden told Baltic Reports.

When asked about next season, he said he would only be too happy to come back.

Martin Kariya was remaining with his feet firmly on the ground following the win, pointing out that the biggest games are still to come.

“It is amazing to just consider we have made it this far, especially if you think back to how we started the season. But this season is far from over,” Kariya told Baltic Reports. [/private_subscription 4 months] [private_subscription 1 year]Gagarin Cup. And this is a Dinamo Riga who has achieved the near impossible by just making the playoffs.

SKA came into the game once again with their backs up against the wall, knowing that anything sort of victory would spell an end to their season. However, having won a day previous and with Dinamo Riga missing key personnel in Edgars Masaļskis and Ģirts Ankipāns, the mountain they needed to climb did not seem quite as high tonight.

But if Dinamo Riga were hurting due to key players being ruled out, they certainly did not show it, with the rest of the team stepping up and showing no signs of discontent following yesterday’ loss. Having played second string to Masaļskis this season, Martin Prusek was showing few nerves in goal, helped in no small part to some impenetrable first period defense, that did not allow the puck to get near him. In fact such was the dominance of Dinamo Riga in the opening 15 minutes, SKA managed no more than two genuine shots on goal.

At the other end, life could not be much more different for SKA goalie Robert Esh who was under heavy fire being orchestrated by Lauris Dārziņš and Mārtiņš Cipulis.

Finally in the twelfth minute, inspirational captain Sandis Ozoliņš showed he is just as good offensively as he is defensively, providing the perfect slap-shot assist to Jānis Sprukts who was exactly where he has been all season long, making a menace of himself in front of the opposition net.

Two minutes later and Dinamo Riga were in for a second time. Again it was a defender providing the assist with Kristaps Sotnieks providing for Alexanders Ņiživijs who made the perfect deflection to beat Esh glove-side. However, even the most one-eyed of Dinamo Riga fans would have been naïve to think that this game was anything but over.

Dinamo Riga knew that their attack could not hold up all night and soon enough they would be tested at the other end of the rink. Big pressure came in the opening 10 minutes of the second period but their defense was proving no less effective than their offense with each save welcomed by rounds of applause and hearty chants of “Pruseks, Pruseks.”

After a sustained period of SKA attack, Dinamo Riga were finally able to clear their zone through Dārziņš who was able to work the puck up the right side of the rink before finding Martin Kariya open in the center. The pass was timed to perfection, as was Kariya’s shot which was to follow, putting his team up 3-0. It was also Kariya’s third of the playoffs. Pruseks was caught momentarily off-guard following a face-off in the Dinamo Riga zone, seeing the visitors pull one back. This game, in right playoff tradition was far from over.

As the final period got underway, fans spent as much time glancing nervously at the clock as they did watching the hockey. These stares became all the more regular following SKA’s 2^nd goal in the twelfth minute, when Yuri Trubachev was able to evade a diving Dinamo Riga attacker before putting the puck between an obscured Prusek’s legs.

The momentum on the ice built as did the noise from the 10,120 onlookers. SKA coach Barry Smith wasted no time at pulling Esh from the ice, leaving his team with an extra attacker for the final 90 seconds of the game. But, as we have seen in every other match in this series to date, the plan backfired with Dinamo Riga grabbing a fourth through Mārtiņš Karsums. It was one of the more extraordinary goals witnessed this season. Under clear instruction to the clear the zone at all costs and not to worry about aiming at the empty net, Karsums simply struck the puck across the ice, seeing it rebound of the boards in front of the SKA bench before sailing into the SKA goal. Karsums admitted after the game it was the luckiest goal his career and certainly something he does not practice, with it looking something more akin to what is witnessed in a game of table hockey.

Smith was gracious in defeat, paying tribute to what the Dinamo Riga team and management had been able to achieve, in particular getting so many fans behind the team. ‘You have done a great thing for hockey, it was an amazing atmosphere.’ Smith was also proud of his own commands, complimenting them for not only being great people on the ice but of it as well. ‘It’s been a great season with great people and it has been a great ride. In the end we bet ourselves.’ He also confirmed a thought hold by many that Dinamo Riga is indeed the team to beat in the KHL right now.

Mike Iggulden paid big tribute to the fans following the game, claiming that yesterday and today were two of the loudest most supportive crowds he has played in front of in his life. He admitted to having goose bumps all over for the final two minutes of today’s game when the crowd rose to their feet and started chanting in unison.

“It just felt amazing. The fans here have blown me away. I have loved my season here,” Iggulden told Baltic Reports.

When asked about next season, he said he would only be too happy to come back.

Martin Kariya was remaining with his feet firmly on the ground following the win, pointing out that the biggest games are still to come.

“It is amazing to just consider we have made it this far, especially if you think back to how we started the season. But this season is far from over,” Kariya told Baltic Reports.
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