Astana's hockey club Barys got off to a rough start at the preseason Republic of Bashkortostan Cup tournament in Ufa, losing 1-4 to the hosts, Salavat Yulaev, in their opening game, reports infohub.kz.
The first day of the tournament began with a match between Khabarovsk's Amur and Tolyatti's Lada. The Far Eastern team confidently defeated their opponents, scoring five unanswered goals (5:0). Then the official opening ceremony of the Cup took place, after which Salavat Yulaev and Barys took to the ice.
The hosts opened the scoring in the 15th minute on the power play, with Maxim Kuznetsov finding the back of the net. Before the end of the first period, the Astana team managed to tie the game, as Alikhan Omirbekov finished off a combination involving American Chase Priske and Madi Dikhanbek, making it 1-1. However, after the break, Ufa again successfully converted a man advantage, and then scored twice more against Andrei Shutov late in the game, extending their lead to a decisive 4-1.
It is worth noting that Barys traditionally began their season preparations with training camps in Astana. Newcomers joined the team, but not all of the main roster players made the trip to Ufa. Americans Justin Bailey and Mason Morelli are sorting out paperwork, while Alikhan Asetov is recovering from an injury under an individual program.
The coaching staff and players have decided on the team captain for the upcoming season, with Kirill Savitsky retaining the role. Jake Massie, Samat Daniyar, and the aforementioned Mason Morelli have been named assistant captains.
In the next tournament match, scheduled for tomorrow, August 18, Barys will face Khabarovsk's Amur. On the final day of the competition, August 20, the Astana team will take on Tolyatti's Lada.
It is worth recalling that the Ufa offseason tournament was first held in 1999 under the name "Tournament for Prizes of the Salavat Yulaev Hockey Club." From 2001 to 2012, it was called the "President of the Republic of Bashkortostan Cup," and since 2012 it has been known as the Republic of Bashkortostan Cup.
The tournament hosts have won the main trophy 12 times. Among other teams, Yaroslavl's Lokomotiv has been the most successful with three titles, while Avangard, Ak Bars, Lada, Molot-Prikamye, Neftekhimik, SKA, Yugra, Severstal, and Slovakia's Skalica have each won once. Barys finished fourth at the tournament in Ufa in 2018.