The ISHF LIGA PRO ELECTROSTAL OPEN 2021 regular championship, which took place in Electrostal from 1 April, came to an end on 10 May. The teams played a total of 450 games in 38 game days. Regular champions were Balashikha’s Armeets that won the gold medals in the second half of the tournament and didn’t give it away.
The second place was taken by Minsk team Belsk who during the whole tournament were competing with the leaders for a place in the top three, but finally managed to climb up to the second spot just a few days before the end of the tournament.
The third place was taken by the Uralets team. The team from Kachkanar started the tournament with serious problems on goalkeeping, but in the end the team was able to organize their game smartly and rise from the middle of the table to the top 3.
The tournament’s nominal host, Crystal from Electrostal, who had been the leader all tournament, but due to numerous injuries could not defend their place in the top three and generally dropped out of the medal standings, due to disappointing results at the end of the championship.
Fifth place went to Kuznya Mogilev. The team showed a very high level of play from the early days, and the selection of players allowed the team to hold onto second place in the standings for a long time. An injury to the captain derailed the team’s plans and the result was only fifth place, which still gives them the right to play in the play-offs.
Sixth place went to the tournament debutants, the Ledianye Voiny, who could not find a stable and balanced game all tournament. More often than not, the team’s performance was like a rollercoaster: from maximally successful, to tragically unsuccessful. They could score 3 resounding victories in the evening, and the very next day the same resounding defeats. For a long time the team was in the top half of the table, but in the end they dropped to the bottom of it.
Seventh are the Chetyre Ledokola, who heroically managed to rise from the bottom of the table to the play-off zone. Until the middle of the championship the team couldn’t get out of the 9th position, which traitorously prevented the team from potentially making the playoffs, but thanks to the concerted actions of the Moscow squad in the end of the championship, the team managed to jump into the relegation zone, moreover securing themselves from potential relegation by finishing in the final 7th place.
The team that boarded the last wagon leaving for the Jakhn Cup was Kazakhstan’s Almaty. After an unsightly start and a run of defeats, the team from Almaty had a good run in the middle of the tournament, upsetting many of the leaders, but towards the finish, they got back to square one – defeats, with very few exceptions.
The Molotoboytsy were a nightmare for the league leaders, especially Crystal, who lost most of their games against this team at the wire. Unfortunately, the team failed to perform at the level everyone expected of them and with a 30+ point gap, the team bids farewell to the tournament.
Last place went to Ferrum, who throughout the tournament struggled with internal problems within the team, which in turn were reflected in their play. It’s impossible to be specific about what the team lacked – just a little bit of everything, but in short hockey, that’s the kind of detail that counts. The team managed to finish the tournament with a few bright matches, but for the whole championship the team from Latvia failed to rise from 10th place.
Personal awards were also given to the best players of this tournament:
Best Sniper and Scorer – Egor Aleshin, Crystal.
Best assistant – Anton Borko, Uralets.
Best goalkeeper – Denis Shupinskiy, Armeets.
Regular Championship MVP – Egor Feofanov, Belsk