Ihor Arkhypenko’s team was defeated by their main competitor in the championship as a result of an unsuccessful performance in the third period.

Dnipro (Kherson) – Kryzhynka (Kyiv) – 7:4 (2:1; 1:2; 4:1)
Pucks: 1:0 – Nikolaienko (Osadchyi, Khalin, – power play), 02:55; 1:1 – Shevchenko (Cheremnov, Shvachka, – power play), 04:50; 2:1 – Tsiura (Smerteniuk, Roiko, – power play), 14:19; 2:2 – Shvachka (Arkhypenko, Cheremnov, – power play), 22:20; 2:3 – Buniak (Shvachka, Cheremnov), 31:25; 3:3 – Derkach (Delii, Ivanchenko), 36:37; 4:3 – Osadchyi (Khalin, – double power play), 40:14; 5:3 – Duiun (Zhurenko), 44:11; 6:3 – Zhovtiak (Bortnikov, Khalin), 44:43; 6:4 – Diachenko (Zelenskyi), 48:32; 7:4 – Zhovtiak (Smerteniuk, Laktionov), 53:11.

Dnipro: Mykyta Terletskyi; Kyrylo Bortnikov (c) – Ivan Nikolaienko, Denys Osadchyi – Dmytro Khalin – Maksym Zhovtiak; Denys Roiko – Dmytro Klionov, Tymofii Laktionov – Mykhailo Tsiura – Yurii Smerteniuk; Vasyl Ivanchenko – Valentyn Muryn, Hlib Chupryna – Daniil Duyun – Tymofii Ponomariov; Oleksandr Zhurenko – Yehor Vasyliiev, Mykhailo Zinchenko – Oleksandr Zhurenko – Mykhailo Delii – Daniil Derkach
Head coach: Kostyantyn Butsenko

Kryzhynka: Danylo Makarenko; Vitalii Shvachka – Oleksandr Buniak (c), Oleksii Cheremnov – Viktor Chaika – Ihor Shevchenko; Andrii Baibarza – Yaroslav Filippov, Artem Arkhypenko – Illia Merzliak – Yehor Zelenskyi; Ihor Fedorenko – Nazar Katrusha, Mykhailo Olkhovenko – Roman Diachenko – Ihor Honcharov; Oleksandr Dreval
Head coach: Ihor Arkhypenko

The match was crucial for both teams as they vied for their first victory in the championship and a spot in fifth place in the standings.

It started off at a rapid pace, with the Pikes quickly capitalizing on their first power play opportunity as home team defender Nikolaienko scored a successful goal.

The Kyiv team responded promptly, also converting on a power play after one of their opponents was penalized, with Shevchenko notching his first goal of the season from a distance.

However, before the end of the first period, Kostiantyn Butsenko’s squad regained the lead with another power play goal, this time Tsiura scored after a successful offensive play in the opponent’s zone.

The second period continued the trend of power play goals, with Shvachka scoring to even the score after a beautiful play involving Arkhypenko and Cheremnov. Later in the period, Buniak put Ihor Arkhypenko’s team in the lead for the first time with his third goal of the championship. Despite their efforts, Kryzhynka couldn’t hold onto their lead for a long time, as Delii made a spectacular solo play across the rink and Derkach scored to tie the game once again.

By the end of the second period, Kryzhynka faced more challenges after Artem Arkhypenko and Katrusha were penalized. The Kherson team took advantage of their numerical advantage from the beginning of the next period. Khalin initiated a swift attack, setting up Osadchyi for a goal. The home team gained momentum and within the following 4,5 minutes, they made a crucial breakthrough in the game with goals from Duiun and Zhovtiak.

Despite this, our team continued to put up a strong fight. Zelenskyi made a fast counterattack, leading to a goal by Diachenko. The visitors exerted significant effort in their offensive plays, but they couldn’t close the gap in the score. In a missed opportunity after a powerplay, Kostiantyn Butsenko’s players scored their puck. Smerteniuk passed to Zhovtyak, who secured a brace, ultimately sealing a 7:4 victory.

The Pikes celebrated their first win of the championship and climbed to fifth place in the standings. Looking ahead, Kryzhynka will face Sokil in their next match scheduled for next Monday. Meanwhile, Dnipro will also clash with Oleg Shafarenko’s team two days later.