The Russian men’s hockey squad, competing in PyeongChang under the name Olympic Athletes from Russia (OAR), has claimed Olympic gold, defeating Germany 4-3 in an overtime thriller, RT reports.
For the first time since 1992, Russian players have claimed an Olympic victory in hockey, thanks to an overtime goal by 20-year-old forward Kirill Kaprizov.
The opening goal of the game came near the end of the first period, when two-time Stanley Cup champion defenseman Vyacheslav Voynov’s slapshot gave the OAR team the lead. Germany replied in the second period. Forward Felix Schutz scored on an excellent pass from Brooks Macek 10 minutes in.
The third period saw both team playing with caution until the last 10 minutes, during which a total of four goals were scored. The game became a thriller when just 10 seconds after a goal by Russian forward Nikita Gusev, Germany answered with a game-tying goal yet again – this time by Dominik Kahun – making the score 2-2.
With just three minutes remaining in the game, Germany took a 3-2 lead. Hopes for a Russian comeback were dimmed when just five seconds after the go-ahead goal, former New Jersey Devils player Sergey Kalinin received a two-minute penalty for tripping, leaving the OAR team shorthanded with a one-goal deficit with just two minutes left in the game.
OAR head coach Oleg Znarok pulled goaltender Vasily Koshechkin with one minute and 23 second left in third period to make it five-on-five on the ice and retain a faint glimmer of hope. It took his men just 27 seconds to score the game-tying goal. Gusev scored his second goal of the night with an amazing backhand shot, and perhaps the most important goal for his team in the entire tournament, sending the game into overtime.
Overtime, which is played as a full 20-minute period in the finals, lasted nine minutes and 40 seconds. After German forward Patrick Reimer received a two-minute penalty for high sticking, OAR capitalized on the one-man advantage within 29 seconds. Assisted by Voynov and Gusev, Minnesota Wild prospect Kaprizov scored the winning goal
