Published: 14 December, 2007, 08:31
Edited: 14 December, 2007, 08:31
Russia got the latest round of the Eurotour Cup off to the best possible start, as they eased to a 4-1 win over Finland at the Khodinskaya Pole Arena.
It was almost six months to the day, that Finland broke Russian hearts in the semi-finals of the World Championships in Moscow.
Vyacheslav Bykov's side had revenge on their minds, as they once again came up against Doug Shedden's men.
The first period was quiet, with neither side managing to break the deadlock.
However, the second started with a bang. Jukka Vutilainen scored 51 seconds in.
The Russians were soon on level terms, Danny Markov's shot going through traffic and the Finnish net minder.
The home side continued to dominate for long periods, but was wasteful in front of goal.
Finland had a great chance early in the final period, with a five on three power play, but they were unable to find a way past Ereyomenko in the Russia goal.
With 12 minutes to go, Oleg Saprykin put Bykov's men were back in front after a long range effort.
And they all but made the game safe three minutes later when Ivan Nepryaev finished after good work from Fedor Fedorov.
And then Nepryaev turned provider, as he set up Fedorov, who finished well, to seal victory for the Russians.
“I think we just get better, we just get used to it. We used a lot of moments but we did not put all of them in the net. It was a lucky play,” said after Oleg Saprykin.
“It is the first match we played and there are some new additions to the squad. It often happens when you play together and the pack goes straight and it is difficult to find a teammate. But we played well and the goals came,” added Daniil Markov.
It was a good start for Russia, which will be facing Sweden and the Czech Republic over the weekend.