Bitter Cold

On December 26, Admiral played one of two games against Sibir that would wrap up the hockey year of 2025.

There were only minor changes to the lineup for the game against the Snowflakes. Shepelev appeared on the ice in place of Solyanikov, while Fomin from Typhoon was dressed as the 13th forward.

The opening 20 minutes did not go according to the Sailors’ script. The visitors struck on the 5th minute. Leshchenko found space at the far post and finished a cross-ice feed from Pyanov. The misfortunes of the Primorye side did not end there. At the midway point of the period, Muranov and Darin collided, after which the latter suffered an injury and headed to the locker room. Fomin entered the ice, replacing No. 41 in the line with Muranov and Osnovin.

At the 13th minute, Admiral took their first penalty of the game. The Sailors failed to withstand the pressure from the opponent’s special teams. Wilson, with a behind-the-back pass, set up Shirokov for a shot from point-blank range, and the experienced forward left himself no chance to miss. The teams went into the intermission with the visitors holding a two-goal advantage.

The second period began with a double minor penalty served by Starkov. This time, the Primorye side’s penalty-killing unit came out on top in the four-minute battle. Admiral earned their first power-play opportunity at the 34th minute. During the man advantage, the Sailors created three quality chances, two of them generated by Olson, who was digging for the puck at the crease. In one episode, the puck ended up behind Krasotkin, right in front of the goal line, but there was no one to tap it in.

Starkov had another chance to cut the deficit, finishing a pass from behind the net by Geraskin from the low slot, but Krasotkin stood firm. The opponents, however, were more fortunate. Sibir scored their third goal a minute before the intermission, and it was almost a carbon copy of the previous ones. Just like before, the attacker opened up at the far post and finished a timely cross-ice pass. The goal was credited to Klimovich.

In the third period, the Sailors were unable to turn the game around, but it turned out to be their best stretch of the night. At the 53rd minute, Shulak brought the intrigue back into the game, converting the power play with a blast from the blue line. However, the opponent did not allow the hosts to build on that momentum, finding an opening for a counterattack. Beck rushed toward the net, chose not to close in, and fired a powerful shot into the top corner.

That goal did not put a full stop to the game. With seven seconds left before the final buzzer, Shulak waited for the pass at the crease and completed his brace, slightly sweetening the evening for the fans. The final score was 4–2 in favor of Sibir.

Admiral — Sibir 2:4 (0:2, 0:1, 2:1)
December 26, 2025
Vladivostok, Fetisov Arena

Goals:
0:1 Leshchenko (Pyanov, Fedotov, 04:07)
0:2 Shirokov (Wilson, Alanov, 13:52, PP)
0:3 Klimovich (Yakovlev, Valitov, 38:13)
1:3 Shulak (Soshnikov, Zavgorodniy, 52:52, PP)
1:4 Beck (Nikolenko, Wilson, 55:20)
2:4 Shulak (Tertyshny, Olson, 59:53)

Game statistics:
Shots: 60–59
Shots on goal: 28–32
Goals: 2–4
Faceoffs: 31–31
Blocked shots: 13–14
Hits: 7–10
Takeaways: 1–1
Turnovers: 15–6
Interceptions: 5–4
Time on attack: 12:17–15:16
Penalty minutes: 10–6

Admiral lineup:
Shugaev — Tsyba, Shulak–Grman, Geraskin–Shestakov–Soshnikov;
Ruchkin–Deryabin, Zavgorodniy–Olson–Starkov;
Shepelev–Koledov, Gutik–Shen–Tertyshny;
Kudashov, Darin–Osnovin–Muranov;
Fomin

Goaltenders: Shugaev — Krasotkin