Belarus President’s hockey team claimed sixth victory in Republican Hockey League
The hockey team of the President of Belarus earned its sixth victory in the Republican Hockey League, BelTA reports
On March 9th, the Presidential squad beat the Vitebsk Region ice hockey players – 13:3 (4:0, 3:0, 6:3) – in the final match of the preliminary stage, held on the ice of Minsk’s Olympic Arena,
The final meeting of the first stage was held with a big advantage for the leaders. In the first period, the hosts hit the opponents’ goal four times. The captain of the Presidential squad, Oleg Antonenko, scored twice, Nikolai Lukashenko and top scorer Andrei Kostitsyn (who scored his tenth goal this season) scored once each. After the break, Oleg Antonenko scored his third goal. Moreover, Artyom Karkotsky and Dmitry Yudin also hit the Vitebsk Region net. In the third period, Nikolai Lukashenko scored twice, alongside Artyom Karkotsky who also scored twice and Andrei Bashko who scored another goal. Aleksandr Lukashenko twice assisted his teammates when scoring goals. The guests responded with accurate shots from Igor Kovalenya, Aleksei Korostik and Yevgeny Avdosev.
Nikolai Lukashenko and Ruslan Solodkin were named the best players of the match, receiving prizes from Sports and Tourism Minister Sergei Kovalchuk.
According to a long-established tradition, during the breaks of the hockey match, the audience saw performances by Belarusian pop singers. Moreover, the most active fans took part in exciting competitions right on the ice, with winners being presented with prizes from the President’s Sports Club. Immediately after the final whistle fans were given dozens of soft toys from the players of the President’s team.
Earlier this season, the Presidential team defeated ice hockey players from the Brest Region (7:2), the Minsk Region (9:4), the Gomel Region (12:6), the Mogilev Region (8:4) and the Grodno Region (10:4).
In the semi-finals, the Head of State’s squad will face the Grodno Region team, which finished fourth. The second semi-final pair is represented by the teams of the Minsk and Brest regions.
After the first stage, the list of top scorers is headed by Andrei Kostitsyn, who boasts 19 points (10 goals and 9 assists).
The President’s team is a 14-time winner of the National Amateur Ice Hockey Tournament, with hockey players from the Gomel and Minsk regions also claiming one title each. In the final series of last season, the Head of State’s ice hockey team beat the Minsk Region squad twice – 6:1 and 6:4. Bronze awards were earned by hockey players from the Brest Region, who defeated the Gomel Region team in the match for third place – 5:3.
The organisers of the amateur hockey tournament are the President’s Sports Club, the Sports and Tourism Ministry and the Minsk City Executive Committee.
