NZEL & Novaya Zemlya Hockey Newswire

by **Novaya Zemlya** » Mon Feb 22, 2016 2:24 am

SCORES AND STANDINGS

SEASON 26
Regular Season - Part 2/3
Part 1/3

STANDINGS

Elite League                   Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Metallurg Matochkingrad      40   23   7  10   160  125  +35    53
 2 Antipha United               40   21   8  11   110   87  +23    50
 3 Partizan Belushya Guba       40   22   5  13   142  123  +19    49
 4 Unitia City Wanderers        40   21   4  15   116   92  +24    46
 5 Shakhter Ulyanovsk           40   19   8  13   117  101  +16    46
 6 Torpedo Belushya Guba        40   20   2  18   121  100  +21    42
 7 Severnaya Oblast             40   17   8  15   105   94  +11    42
 8 Akademik Sakhaninsk          40   17   7  16   143  129  +14    41
 9 Stolitsa Arktiki             40   15   9  16   121  117   +4    39
10 New Oksfjord Dons            40   16   6  18   110  124  −14    38
11 Lokomotiv Neznaemy           40   16   3  21    99  113  −14    35
12 Rotor Rogachevo              40   14   7  19   102  117  −15    35
13 Dynamo Podrezovsk            40   14   7  19    99  125  −26    35
14 Zvezda Rozhnovgorsk          40   15   2  23   100  132  −32    32
15 Krasnaya Zarya               40   12   5  23   111  139  −28    29
16 Avangard Oktyabrgrad         40    9  10  21    74  112  −38    28

GAMES

by **Novaya Zemlya** » Sat Feb 27, 2016 1:12 pm

Season 26 - Matchday #28

ROUGH SEASON IN OKTYABRGRAD
Coach throws his veteran players under the bus - "It's pathetic"

OKTYABRGRAD They have been known to play a solid brand of defensive, disciplined hockey, and for having the best young goaltender in the league, but the first half of season 26 has been an unmitigated disaster for Avangard Oktyabrgrad. The club currently sits in 15th place, tied at 19 points with last place Krasnaya Zarya.

Avangard has always been known for their lack of offensive firepower, but their ineptitude has hit a new low this year - a meager 55 goals in 27 games makes them worst in the league by a fair margin. To make matters worse, their usually rock solid defense has not been its usual self either, and last season's Goalie of the Year, Anton Lopatin, has looked decidedly average at times.

"It's been rough, but you just gotta try and stay focused," Lopatin says. "As bad as we have been, we're still only 8 points out of a playoff spot with half the season to go."

Despite being hailed as "The Next One" among goalies in Novaya Zemlya, Lopatin's less than stellar performance this season led to him being left off the Olympic team. Instead, Shakhter's Konstantin Fedchenkov and Yevdokim Vedernikov from Akademik will be the ones backing up Iosif Bezukladnikov at the Olympic tournament in Electrum, which will start in a few days.

In the off-season, it was widely acknowledged Avangard was looking for offensive help. After reportedly missing out on Manuel Aleixos (who went to Partizan), they ended up signing another Ficiscian winger, Andreios Rusus.

"I'm happy with Andreios' efforts," coach Ivan Muravyov said. "I think many fans had unrealistic expectations when he came in. They saw Aleixos tear it up at the World Juniors and thought every guy from Ficiscia would be like him. You can't expect an 18 year old to come in and dominate right away at this level, not many players can do that. It took Andreios a while to adjust to the NZEL game, but he's getting better every day and he is starting to put up some points lately. He's a hard working, coachable kid with a great future."

"I'm more concerned with the so called veterans on this club," the coach added. "You look at guys like Gavrilyuk [Oleksandr] and Mizenov [Yefom], and I'm like 'hey guys, you get to play hockey for a living, is it too much to ask that you show some ******' interest once in a while?'"

It remains to be seen whether coach Muravyov has what it takes to right the ship, or if he might find himself looking for a new job in the near future.

by **Alphatheta** » Sat Mar 05, 2016 7:07 am

Young Stars & Tough Fights

Elite League                   Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Metallurg Matochkingrad      33   18   6   9   122   99  +23    42
 2 Partizan Belushya Guba       33   18   5  10   119  105  +14    41
 3 Unitia City Wanderers        33   18   4  11    94   73  +21    40
 4 Antipha United               33   16   6  11    86   74  +12    38
 5 Shakhter Ulyanovsk           33   15   7  11   100   89  +11    37
 6 Akademik Sakhaninsk          33   15   6  12   122   98  +24    36
 7 Torpedo Belushya Guba        33   17   1  15    99   84  +15    35
 8 Severnaya Oblast             33   14   6  13    84   80   +4    34
9 Stolitsa Arktiki             33   13   7  13    97   92   +5    33
10 Dynamo Podrezovsk            33   13   6  14    86   93   −7    32
11 Rotor Rogachevo              33   12   7  14    88  101  −13    31
12 New Oksfjord Dons            33   11   6  16    92  107  −15    28
13 Lokomotiv Neznaemy           33   13   2  18    76   92  −16    28
14 Zvezda Rozhnovgorsk          33   12   2  19    83  108  −25    26
15 Krasnaya Zarya               33   11   2  20    92  117  −25    24
16 Avangard Oktyabrgrad         33    7   9  17    65   93  −28    23

Wytropolis MSK+7 9:14am - For the moment, the bouncing seems to have stopped. As the midpoint of the season has been rounded, Antipha United seems to have settled comfortably in the top five of NZEL Season 26. Fans across the nation are crediting the settling both to old favourites and new talent.

"So much of this is Šimon [Pecora]," a fan in Wytropolis told us. "I don't know why they don't have him just completely take over for [Leighton] O'Hare. Šimon's been crushing it every single time they give him the net."

Pecora is brand new to the Tors, but at 25 years old already an old hat at professional ice hockey. He was recruited to Spartak Vorotagrad at the age of 20 straight out of Theta Yedinyy, where he had been distinguishing himself since the age of 16. He debuted with the Tors in the second game of the season, shutting out Rotor Rogachevo completely. The Tors have met Rotor again twice this season, both times with O'Hare at the net. The latest match had O'Hare giving up three.

Team captain Žarko Császár has also been an outspoken fan of Pecora, whose performance this season has accounted for 4 of the team's 6 shutouts. Also clearly excited about Pecora is O'Hare himself.

"Šimon and Chris [Ansel] are working well together, and he's just clicking like wildfire with Žarko and Draško [Browne] like nobody's business. It's exactly what you want to see," O'Hare told us this past week. "I'm not going to be around forever, and it's really heartening to both have a chance to help the replacement get settled-- and to see it working out so well. It's definitely going to be a good thing going forward."

Also frequently credited by the fans are Bhàtair Robert and Yakov Matheson. "They're not like Ožbej [Althaus]," a fan in Arryx told us. "They're consistent. Ožbej has hot streaks and then just-- stops for a while, completely kaput. But Bhàtair and Matheson-- not explosive, but they're consistent. You have to give them credit for that."

Despite the upcoming Olympiad games, fans say they're dedicated to sticking their televisions to the NZEL. Many admit they'll be switching between Tors games and watching Zenit Wytropolis and Vershina Wytropolis in Prescott (ETM), but a solid plurality say they'll choose NZEL games over following the Olympics.

"You have to keep watching Metallurg Matochkingrad and the Unitia City Wanderers," a fan in Kholmstad explained. "They're totally on fire. It's just honestly the best hockey broadcast in Alphatheta."

by **Novaya Zemlya** » Mon Mar 14, 2016 2:00 am

SEASON 26
Regular Season - Part 1/2

Division II                Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Dizel Mashigingrad       30   17   9   4   105   75  +30    43
 2 Gornyak Karelka          30   19   3   8   112   71  +41    41
 3 Traktor Sukhoi Nos       30   18   4   8   116   92  +24    40
 4 Spartak Krestovaya       30   13  13   4    90   71  +19    39
 5 Iskra Kostinsk           30   16   6   8    94   69  +25    38
 6 Krylya GZ                30   13   9   8    72   64   +8    35
 7 Karskoe More             30   15   3  12    92   82  +10    33
 8 Gigant Pakhtusovo        30   14   5  11   102   93   +9    33
 9 Sokol Khramtsovgrad      30   10   7  13    94   90   +4    27
10 Bolshevik Yunau          30   11   5  14    65   65    0    27
11 Rapid Chornaya Guba      30   11   4  15    76   86  -10    26
12 Amiral Yugovostok        30    9   7  14    59   76  -17    25
13 Khimik Savvina           30    9   7  14    85  109  -24    25
14 Pyat Arkhitektorov       30    8   3  19    68  100  -32    19
15 Dinamit Krupchatka       30    5   7  18    49   90  -41    17
16 JVSU Belushya Guba       30    4   4  22    72  118  -46    12

by **Novaya Zemlya** » Mon Mar 14, 2016 2:05 am

SEASON 26
Regular Season - Part 1/2

Elite Division                      Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Severnaya Oblast U20              26   17   1   8    96   85  +11    35
 2 Shakhter Ulyanovsk U20            26   15   3   8   101   72  +29    33
 3 Stolitsa Arktiki U20              26   15   1  10   106   85  +21    31
 4 Lokomotiv Neznaemy U20            26   13   5   8    79   75   +4    31
 5 Akademik Sakhaninsk U20           26   13   4   9    96   72  +24    30
 6 Metallurg Matochkingrad U20       26   13   4   9    90   77  +13    30
 7 Torpedo BG U20                    26   13   3  10   101   78  +23    29
 8 Belushye Hockey Academy Blue      26   12   3  11    92   88   +4    27
 9 Iskra Kostinsk U20                26   11   3  12    76   97  -21    25
10 Partizan BG U20                   26    9   4  13    87  100  -13    22
11 Traktor Sukhoi Nos U20            26    7   6  13    77  101  -24    20
12 Avangard Oktyabrgrad U20          26    8   3  15    64   83  -19    19
13 Karskoe More U20                  26    7   3  16    79   92  -13    17
14 Zvezda Rozhnovgorsk U20           26    7   1  18    59   98  -39    15

Second Division South               Pld    W   D   L   GD   Pts 
 1 Rotor Rogachevo U20               22   16   5   1  +34    37
 2 Belushye Hockey Academy Red       22   16   3   3  +42    35
 3 Krasnaya Zarya U20                22   13   2   7  +32    28
 4 Krylya GZ U20                     22   12   3   7  +17    27
 5 Bolshevik Yunau U20               22   13   1   8  +14    27
 6 Pyat Arkhitektorov U20            22    8   4  10   -9    20
 7 Dinamit Krupchatka U20            22    7   4  11  -22    18
 8 Dynamo Podrezovsk U20             22    7   3  12   -5    17
 9 Rapid CG U20                      22    8   1  13  -13    17
10 Amiral Yugovostok U20             22    7   1  14  -18    15
11 JVSU BG U20                       22    4   5  13  -34    13
12 Khimik Savvina U20                22    4   2  16  -38    10

Second Division North               Pld    W   D   L   GD   Pts 
 1 Zapolyarny Athletic (NYG)         22   17   2   3  +52    36
 2 Sokol Khramtsovgrad U20           22   14   4   4  +23    32
 3 Dizel Mashigingrad U20            22   13   4   5  +23    30
 4 Gornyak Karelka U20               22   12   2   8  +10    26
 5 Vostok Hockey Academy             22   11   2   9   -6    24
 6 Spartak Krestovaya U20            22   11   1  10   -2    23
 7 Gigant Pakhtusovo U20             22    7   8   7   +9    22
 8 Shar Hockey Academy               22    6   7   9  -13    19
 9 Brigada Oktyabrgrad               22    6   4  12  -15    16
10 Internatsionalny U20              22    5   3  14  -26    13
11 Medvedi Matochkingrad             22    3   6  13  -27    12
12 Pobeda Neznaemy U20               22    2   7  13  -28    11

by **Novaya Zemlya** » Mon Mar 14, 2016 2:14 am

SCORES AND STANDINGS

SEASON 26
Regular Season - Part 3/3
Part 1/3 | Part 2/3

STANDINGS

Elite League                       Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1  Metallurg Matochkingrad      60   33   9  18   209  169  +40    75
 2  Antipha United               60   33   9  18   159  124  +35    75
 3  Shakhter Ulyanovsk           60   31  12  17   180  146  +34    74
 4  Torpedo Belushya Guba        60   32   6  22   206  158  +48    70
 5  Unitia City Wanderers        60   31   8  21   180  143  +37    70
 6  Partizan Belushya Guba       60   29   9  22   213  197  +16    67
 7  Akademik Sakhaninsk          60   27   9  24   205  194  +11    63
 8  Stolitsa Arktiki             60   24  12  24   186  167  +19    60
 9  New Oksfjord Dons            60   24  12  24   165  176  −11    60
10  Severnaya Oblast             60   25   9  26   166  162   +4    59
11  Krasnaya Zarya               60   23   7  30   165  196  −31    53
12  Lokomotiv Neznaemy           60   21   9  30   144  170  −26    51
13  Dynamo Podrezovsk            60   18  11  31   146  189  −43    47
14  Rotor Rogachevo              60   19   8  33   145  183  −38    46
15  Zvezda Rozhnovgorsk          60   20   6  34   140  188  −48    46
16  Avangard Oktyabrgrad         60   16  12  32   116  163  −47    44

GAMES

by **Novaya Zemlya** » Wed Mar 30, 2016 8:41 am

SEASON 26
Regular Season - Part 2/2
Part 1/2

Division II                Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts  
 1 Dizel Mashigingrad       60   34  14  12   213  162  +51    82
 2 Gornyak Karelka          60   37   6  17   233  165  +68    80
 3 Iskra Kostinsk           60   33  11  16   182  136  +46    77
 4 Traktor Sukhoi Nos       60   30  12  18   224  178  +46    72
 5 Krylya GZ                60   29  12  19   143  135   +8    70
 6 Amiral Yugovostok        60   27  11  22   140  128  +12    65
 7 Spartak Krestovaya       60   22  21  17   160  163   −3    65
 8 Bolshevik Yunau          60   27  10  23   139  128  +11    64
 9 Karskoe More             60   28   7  25   193  169  +24    63
10 Sokol Khramtsovgrad      60   22  13  25   182  175   +7    57
11 Khimik Savvina           60   20  15  25   178  203  −25    55
12 Gigant Pakhtusovo        60   21   9  30   176  193  −17    51
13 Pyat Arkhitektorov       60   21   8  31   154  195  −41    50
14 Rapid Chornaya Guba      60   20   8  32   159  192  −33    48
15 JVSU Belushya Guba       60   13   5  42   174  246  −72    31
16 Dinamit Krupchatka       60    8  14  38   106  188  −82    30

by **Novaya Zemlya** » Wed Mar 30, 2016 9:39 am

THE JOURNAL'S PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS - QUARTERFINALS

It's that time of year again - NZEL playoffs! Let's take a look at the quarterfinals matchups.

METALLURG MATOCHKINGRAD (1) vs STOLITSA ARKTIKI (8)
Metallurg has had an outstanding season so far. Tatiana Portnyagin has established herself as an Elite League starter at the age of 18, while the off-season acquisition of Vaska Schmidt has provided stability on the back end. Stolitsa, on the other hand, barely squeaked into the playoffs thanks to a win against Rotor on the very last day of the regular season. We suspect this series to become the most lopsided, as the Matochkingrad machine keeps rolling.
PREDICTION: Metallurg in five

ANTIPHA UNITED (2) vs AKADEMIK SAKHANINSK (7)
Akademik had a solid year by their standards, despite losing some scoring ability when winger Igor Strelnikov decied to leave for greener pastures in Ficiscia mid-season. However, the chances of them upsetting the defending champs in a 7 game series are close to non-existent. The Tors have the best defense in the league bar none, giving up only 2.06 goals per game. Akademik will have to hope for a miracle.
PREDICTION: Anitpha United in five

SHAKHTER ULYANOVSK (3) vs PARTIZAN BELUSHYA GUBA (6)
Partizan got off to a good start early in the season, but slowed down considerably towards the end. They have been plagued by injuries on the blueline, and Andrei Yegorov will reportedly miss the first few games of the series. Shakhter, meanwhile, finished only one point out of first place in the regular season and beat Partizan 5-4 on matchday 60, so they will have some momentum on their side going into the series. The fact that Shakhter has home ice advantage may prove to be the deciding factor in this one.
PREDICTION: Shakhter in seven

TORPEDO BELUSHYA GUBA (4) vs UNITIA CITY WANDERERS (5)
Torpedo had an atrocious start to the season, spending nearly half of it well outside the playoff picture. They managed to get it together in time and eventually finished 4th to get home ice in the quarterfinals. The Wanderers, however, have put up a solid season in their second year of NZEL hockey and will look to build on last year's QF exit in game 7 against Metallurg. This will likely be a close-fought contest. Torpedo's top players have played a lot of hockey in the last year, with the season 25 finals appearance, the World Cup of Hockey, Hockey Champions League and the Winter Olympics. Could fatigue become a factor?
PREDICTION: Wanderers in seven

by **Novaya Zemlya** » Thu Mar 31, 2016 2:01 am

SEASON 26
Regular Season - Part 2/2
Part 1/2

Elite Division                      Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Metallurg Matochkingrad U20       52   30   9  13   191  144  +47    69
 2 Belushye Hockey Academy Blue      52   27  10  15   185  151  +34    64
 3 Stolitsa Arktiki U20              52   28   5  19   214  184  +30    61
 4 Torpedo BG U20                    52   26   6  20   197  167  +30    58
 5 Shakhter Ulyanovsk U20            52   24  10  18   186  157  +29    58
 6 Severnaya Oblast U20              52   27   4  21   181  166  +15    58
 7 Lokomotiv Neznaemy U20            52   25   8  19   155  149   +6    58
 8 Akademik Sakhaninsk U20           52   25   7  20   183  159  +24    57
 9 Iskra Kostinsk U20                52   21   7  24   150  189  −39    49
10 Partizan BG U20                   52   18   9  25   170  187  −17    45
11 Traktor Sukhoi Nos U20            52   18   8  26   157  193  −36    44
12 Avangard Oktyabrgrad U20          52   16   6  30   151  180  −29    38
13 Zvezda Rozhnovgorsk U20           52   17   3  32   139  187  −48    37
14 Karskoe More U20                  52   13   6  33   156  202  −46    32

Second Division South               Pld    W   D   L   GD   Pts 
 1 Rotor Rogachevo U20               44   32   9   3  +67    73
 2 Belushye Hockey Academy Red*      44   28   9   7  +65    65
 3 Krasnaya Zarya U20                44   27   6  11  +58    60
 4 Bolshevik Yunau U20               44   23   7  14  +40    53
 5 Krylya GZ U20                     44   21   6  17  +25    48
 6 Dynamo Podrezovsk U20             44   18   7  19  +10    43
 7 Pyat Arkhitektorov U20            44   16   6  22  −23    38
 8 Rapid CG U20                      44   14   8  22  −21    36
 9 Amiral Yugovostok U20             44   15   4  25  −28    34
10 Dinamit Krupchatka U20            44   11   9  24  −53    31
11 JVSU BG U20                       44   10   6  28  −76    26
12 Khimik Savvina U20                44    7   7  30  −64    21

* Not eligible for promotion due to already having a team in Elite Division

Second Division North               Pld    W   D   L   GD   Pts 
 1 Zapolyarny Athletic (NYG)         44   31   2  11  +80    64
 2 Dizel Mashigingrad U20            44   29   6   9  +55    64
 3 Sokol Khramtsovgrad U20           44   27   6  11  +55    60
 4 Gornyak Karelka U20               44   22   5  17   +4    49
 5 Vostok Hockey Academy             44   20   5  19   −2    45
 6 Gigant Pakhtusovo U20             44   15  12  17  +14    42
 7 Spartak Krestovaya U20            44   19   4  21  −10    42
 8 Medvedi Matochkingrad             44   16   6  22  −18    38
 9 Brigada Oktyabrgrad               44   16   6  22  −22    38
10 Shar Hockey Academy               44   13  10  21  −33    36
11 Internatsionalny U20              44   10   6  28  −62    26
12 Pobeda Neznaemy U20               44    7  10  27  −61    24

by **Novaya Zemlya** » Thu Mar 31, 2016 2:21 am

SEASON 26
Playoffs - Quarterfinals
Regular Season Part 1/3 | Part 2/3 | Part 3/3

QF 1

METALLURG MATOCHKINGRAD (1) vs STOLITSA ARKTIKI (8)

Metallurg Matochkingrad 6–4 Stolitsa Arktiki
Metallurg Matochkingrad 5–3 Stolitsa Arktiki
Stolitsa Arktiki 3–2 Metallurg Matochkingrad
Stolitsa Arktiki 4–2 Metallurg Matochkingrad
Metallurg Matochkingrad 9–5 Stolitsa Arktiki
Stolitsa Arktiki 7–4 Metallurg Matochkingrad
Metallurg Matochkingrad 3–1 Stolitsa Arktiki

Metallurg wins eries 4-3

QF 2

ANTIPHA UNITED (2) vs AKADEMIK SAKHANINSK (7)

Antipha United 7–3 Akademik Sakhaninsk
Antipha United 5–6 Akademik Sakhaninsk
Akademik Sakhaninsk 4–4 Antipha United (4–5 OT)
Akademik Sakhaninsk 6–6 Antipha United (6–7 OT)
Antipha United 5–4 Akademik Sakhaninsk

Antipha United wins series 4-1

QF 3

SHAKHTER ULYANOVSK (3) vs PARTIZAN BELUSHYA GUBA (6)

Shakhter Ulyanovsk 3–2 Partizan Belushya Guba
Shakhter Ulyanovsk 6–5 Partizan Belushya Guba
Partizan Belushya Guba 1–3 Shakhter Ulyanovsk
Partizan Belushya Guba 5–5 Shakhter Ulyanovsk (5–6 OT)

Shakhter wins series 4-0

QF 4

TORPEDO BELUSHYA GUBA (4) vs UNITIA CITY WANDERERS (5)

Torpedo Belushya Guba 5–1 Unitia City Wanderers
Torpedo Belushya Guba 7–5 Unitia City Wanderers
Unitia City Wanderers 5–4 Torpedo Belushya Guba
Unitia City Wanderers 6–6 Torpedo Belushya Guba (7–6 OT)
Torpedo Belushya Guba 3–0 Unitia City Wanderers
Unitia City Wanderers 5–3 Torpedo Belushya Guba
Torpedo Belushya Guba 1–1 Unitia City Wanderers (2–1 OT)

Torpedo wins series 4-3

by **Novaya Zemlya** » Tue Apr 05, 2016 1:52 am

SEASON 26
Playoffs
Regular Season Part 1/2 | Part 2/2

QUARTERFINALS

DIZEL MASHIGINGRAD (1) - BOLSHEVIK YUNAU (8)
Dizel Mashigingrad 2–0 Bolshevik Yunau
Dizel Mashigingrad 2–2 Bolshevik Yunau (3–2 OT)
Bolshevik Yunau 1–0 Dizel Mashigingrad
Bolshevik Yunau 5–2 Dizel Mashigingrad
Dizel Mashigingrad 4–3 Bolshevik Yunau
Bolshevik Yunau 3–1 Dizel Mashigingrad
Dizel Mashigingrad 2–2 Bolshevik Yunau (3–2 OT)

Dizel wins series 4-3

GORNYAK KARELKA (2) - SPARTAK KRESTOVAYA (7)
Gornyak Karelka 4–0 Spartak Krestovaya
Gornyak Karelka 5–6 Spartak Krestovaya
Spartak Krestovaya 5–6 Gornyak Karelka
Spartak Krestovaya 2–1 Gornyak Karelka
Gornyak Karelka 7–4 Spartak Krestovaya
Spartak Krestovaya 5–5 Gornyak Karelka (5–6 OT)

Gornyak wins series 4-2

ISKRA KOSTINSK (3) - AMIRAL YUGOVOSTOK (6)
Iskra Kostinsk 2–3 Amiral Yugovostok
Iskra Kostinsk 5–1 Amiral Yugovostok
Amiral Yugovostok 2–1 Iskra Kostinsk
Amiral Yugovostok 3–1 Iskra Kostinsk
Iskra Kostinsk 5–4 Amiral Yugovostok
Amiral Yugovostok 2–3 Iskra Kostinsk
Iskra Kostinsk 4–0 Amiral Yugovostok

Iskra wins series 4-3

TRAKTOR SUKHOI NOS (4) - KRYLYA GZ (5)
Traktor Sukhoi Nos 2–0 Krylya GZ
Traktor Sukhoi Nos 5–3 Krylya GZ
Krylya GZ 5–2 Traktor Sukhoi Nos
Krylya GZ 4–1 Traktor Sukhoi Nos
Traktor Sukhoi Nos 4–2 Krylya GZ
Krylya GZ 0–5 Traktor Sukhoi Nos

Traktor wins series 4-2

SEMIFINALS

DIZEL MASHIGINGRAD - TRAKTOR SUKHOI NOS
Dizel Mashigingrad 7–3 Traktor Sukhoi Nos
Dizel Mashigingrad 7–4 Traktor Sukhoi Nos
Traktor Sukhoi Nos 3–1 Dizel Mashigingrad
Traktor Sukhoi Nos 6–2 Dizel Mashigingrad
Dizel Mashigingrad 0–5 Traktor Sukhoi Nos
Traktor Sukhoi Nos 4–2 Dizel Mashigingrad

Traktor wins series 4-2

GORNYAK KARELKA - ISKRA KOSTINSK
Gornyak Karelka 4–2 Iskra Kostinsk
Gornyak Karelka 5–4 Iskra Kostinsk
Iskra Kostinsk 4–3 Gornyak Karelka
Iskra Kostinsk 6–3 Gornyak Karelka
Gornyak Karelka 4–3 Iskra Kostinsk
Iskra Kostinsk 2–1 Gornyak Karelka
Gornyak Karelka 1–5 Iskra Kostinsk

Iskra wins series 4-3

FINALS

ISKRA KOSTINSK - TRAKTOR SUKHOI NOS
Iskra Kostinsk 4–5 Traktor Sukhoi Nos
Iskra Kostinsk 6–5 Traktor Sukhoi Nos
Traktor Sukhoi Nos 3–1 Iskra Kostinsk
Traktor Sukhoi Nos 4–4 Iskra Kostinsk (4–5 OT)
Iskra Kostinsk 4–2 Traktor Sukhoi Nos
Traktor Sukhoi Nos 2–2 Iskra Kostinsk (2–3 OT)

Iskra wins series 4-2

Division II Champions
SEASON 26

ISKRA KOSTINSK

DIVISION II AWARDS

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER - Taras Zakharin, Dizel
PLAYOFF MVP - Rasim Zhernakov, Iskra
DEFENSEMAN OF THE YEAR - Lev Vedenin, Iskra
GOALIE OF THE YEAR - Oksana Konyasheva, Iskra
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR - Yegor Gorshkov, Gornyak
ALL STAR TEAM
LW - Taras Zakharin, Dizel
CE - Porfiriy Kolontayev, Traktor
RW - Agafon Slepynin, Iskra
D - Lev Vedenin, Iskra
D - Yevdokim Kolomnikov, Amiral
G - Oksana Konyasheva, Iskra

by **Novaya Zemlya** » Thu Apr 07, 2016 2:11 am

SEASON 26
Playoffs
Regular Season Part 1/2 | Part 2/2

QUARTERFINALS

METALLURG MATOCHKINGRAD U20 - AKADEMIK SAKHANINSK U20
Metallurg Matochkingrad U20 5–3 Akademik Sakhaninsk U20
Metallurg Matochkingrad U20 5–6 Akademik Sakhaninsk U20
Akademik Sakhaninsk U20 3–1 Metallurg Matochkingrad U20
Akademik Sakhaninsk U20 3–2 Metallurg Matochkingrad U20

Akademik U20 wins series 3-1

BELUSHYE HOCKEY ACADEMY - LOKOMOTIV NEZNAEMY U20
Belushye Hockey Academy Blue 6–2 Lokomotiv Neznaemy U20
Belushye Hockey Academy Blue 3–1 Lokomotiv Neznaemy U20
Lokomotiv Neznaemy U20 4–0 Belushye Hockey Academy Blue
Lokomotiv Neznaemy U20 6–6 Belushye Hockey Academy Blue (7–6 OT)
Belushye Hockey Academy Blue 3–2 Lokomotiv Neznaemy U20

Belushye Hockey Academy wins series 3-2

STOLITSA ARKTIKI U20 - SEVERNAYA OBLAST U20
Stolitsa Arktiki U20 4–2 Severnaya Oblast U20
Stolitsa Arktiki U20 4–4 Severnaya Oblast U20 (5–4 OT)
Severnaya Oblast U20 4–4 Stolitsa Arktiki U20 (4–5 OT)

Stolitsa Arktiki wins series 3-0

TORPEDO BG U20 - SHAKHTER ULYANOVSK U20
Torpedo BG U20 9–5 Shakhter Ulyanovsk U20
Torpedo BG U20 3–3 Shakhter Ulyanovsk U20 (4–3 OT)
Shakhter Ulyanovsk U20 5–2 Torpedo BG U20
Shakhter Ulyanovsk U20 5–4 Torpedo BG U20
Torpedo BG U20 3–3 Shakhter Ulyanovsk U20 (4–3 OT)

Torpedo U20 wins series 3-2

SEMIFINALS

BELUSHYE HOCKEY ACADEMY - AKADEMIK SAKHANINSK U20
Belushye Hockey Academy Blue 7–4 Akademik Sakhaninsk U20
Belushye Hockey Academy Blue 10–3 Akademik Sakhaninsk U20
Akademik Sakhaninsk U20 4–4 Belushye Hockey Academy Blue (5–4 OT)
Akademik Sakhaninsk U20 3–4 Belushye Hockey Academy Blue

Belushye Hockey Academy wins series 3-1

STOLITSA ARKTIKI U20 - TORPEDO BG U20
Stolitsa Arktiki U20 5–6 Torpedo BG U20
Stolitsa Arktiki U20 4–6 Torpedo BG U20
Torpedo BG U20 2–2 Stolitsa Arktiki U20 (3–2 OT)

Torpedo U20 wins series 3-0

FINALS

BELUSHYE HOCKEY ACADEMY - TORPEDO BG U20
Belushye Hockey Academy Blue 3–2 Torpedo BG U20
Belushye Hockey Academy Blue 8–3 Torpedo BG U20
Torpedo BG U20 4–3 Belushye Hockey Academy Blue
Torpedo BG U20 4–4 Belushye Hockey Academy Blue (4–5 OT)

Belushye Hockey Academy wins series 3-1

NZ Junior Hockey League Champions
SEASON 26

BELUSHYE HOCKEY ACADEMY

ELITE DIVISION QUALIFICATION

Qualifiers                      Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Zvezda Rozhnovgorsk U20        10    5   3   2    27   20   +7    13
2 Zapolyarny Athletic (NYG)      10    6   0   4    29   32   −3    12
3 Karskoe More U20               10    5   1   4    31   25   +6    11
4 Krasnaya Zarya U20             10    5   1   4    30   27   +3    11
5 Rotor Rogachevo U20            10    4   0   6    30   29   +1     8
6 Dizel Mashigingrad U20         10    1   3   6    23   37  −14     5

NZJHL AWARDS

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER - Valeri Kalagin, Belushye Hockey Academy
PLAYOFF MVP - Valeri Kalagin, Belushye Hockey Academy
DEFENSEMAN OF THE YEAR - Vyacheslav Kubyshkin , Severnaya Oblast U20
GOALIE OF THE YEAR - Boris Permyakov, Belushye Hockey Academy
ALL STAR TEAM
LW - Viktor Silayev, Stolitsa Arktiki U20
CE - Valeri Kalagin, Belushye Hockey Academy
RW - Shuhab Zdravkov, Lokotmotiv U20
D - Denis Yeshugov, Belushye Hockey Academy
D - Vyacheslav Kubyshkin, Severnaya Oblast U20
G - Boris Permyakov, Belushye Hockey Academy

by **Novaya Zemlya** » Thu Apr 07, 2016 2:20 am

SEASON 26
Playoffs - Semifinals
Quarterfinals

SF 1

METALLURG MATOCHKINGRAD (1) vs TORPEDO BELUSHYA GUBA (4)

Metallurg Matochkingrad 7–2 Torpedo Belushya Guba
Metallurg Matochkingrad 4–3 Torpedo Belushya Guba
Torpedo Belushya Guba 2–4 Metallurg Matochkingrad
Torpedo Belushya Guba 6–4 Metallurg Matochkingrad
Metallurg Matochkingrad 4–2 Torpedo Belushya Guba

Metallurg wins series 4-1

SF 2

ANTIPHA UNITED (2) vs SHAKHTER ULYANOVSK (3)

Antipha United 2–3 Shakhter Ulyanovsk
Antipha United 4–1 Shakhter Ulyanovsk
Shakhter Ulyanovsk 2–2 Antipha United (3–2 OT)
Shakhter Ulyanovsk 2–0 Antipha United
Antipha United 0–1 Shakhter Ulyanovsk

Shakhter wins series 4-1

by **Novaya Zemlya** » Mon Apr 11, 2016 1:39 am

SEASON 26
Relegation Playoff

AVANGARD OKTYABRGRAD vs ISKRA KOSTINSK

Avangard Oktyabrgrad 7–3 Iskra Kostinsk
Avangard Oktyabrgrad 1–1 Iskra Kostinsk (2–1 OT)
Iskra Kostinsk 2–2 Avangard Oktyabrgrad (3–2 OT)
Iskra Kostinsk 6–2 Avangard Oktyabrgrad
Avangard Oktyabrgrad 3–1 Iskra Kostinsk
Iskra Kostinsk 3–4 Avangard Oktyabrgrad

Avangard wins series 4-2 and remains in the NZEL next season

by **Novaya Zemlya** » Wed Apr 13, 2016 3:29 am

SEASON 26
Playoffs - Finals
Quarterfinals | Semifinals

METALLURG MATOCHKINGRAD (1) vs SHAKHTER ULYANOVSK (3)

Metallurg Matochkingrad 3–3 Shakhter Ulyanovsk (4–3 OT)
Metallurg Matochkingrad 3–0 Shakhter Ulyanovsk
Shakhter Ulyanovsk 8–3 Metallurg Matochkingrad
Shakhter Ulyanovsk 3–3 Metallurg Matochkingrad (4–3 OT)
Metallurg Matochkingrad 3–2 Shakhter Ulyanovsk
Shakhter Ulyanovsk 5–1 Metallurg Matochkingrad
Metallurg Matochkingrad 5–0 Shakhter Ulyanovsk

Metallurg wins series 4-3

Novaya Zemlya Elite League Champions
SEASON 26

METALLURG MATOCHKINGRAD

by **Novaya Zemlya** » Thu Apr 21, 2016 2:23 pm

SEASON 26
Award Ceremony

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER - Zakhar Golumbovsky, Metallurg Matochkingrad
Other nominees: Leighton O'Hare, Volodya Polzin | Season 25 winner: Krasimir Yerokhin, Partizan

PLAYOFF MVP - Aleksei Lubashev, Metallurg Matochkingrad
Other nominees: Zakhar Golumbovsky, Tatiyana Portnyagin | Season 25 winner: Žarko Császár, Antipha United

DEFENSEMAN OF THE YEAR - Žarko Császár, Antipha United
Other nominees: Dmitriy Chupalov, Enver Anoshkin | Season 25 winner: Dmitriy Chupalov, Torpedo

GOALIE OF THE YEAR - Leighton O'Hare, Antipha United
Other nominees: Nathan Bernard, Iosif Bezukladnikov | Season 25 winner: Anton Lopatin, Avangard

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR - Manuel Aleixos, Partizan Belushya Guba
Other nominees: Šimon Pecora, Jeremy Finley | Season 25 winner: Ožbej Althaus, Antipha United

COACH OF THE YEAR - Valentina Dyatlova, Metallurg Matochkingrad
Other nominees: Wilson Wilson, Valdemar Mencík | Season 25 winner: Wilson Wilson, Antipha United

NZEL ALL STAR TEAM
Voted by players

F - Dominik Shelagin, Partizan Belushya Guba
F - Danis Mironov, Shakhter Ulyanovsk
F - Zakhar Golumbovsky, Metallurg Matochkingrad
D - Dmitriy Chupalov, Torpedo Belushya Guba
D - Žarko Császár, Antipha United
G - Leighton O'Hare, Antipha United

NZEL ALL ROOKIE TEAM
Voted by head coaches

F - Akim Kurtanidze, Akademik Sakhaninsk
F - Flakor Yugov, Lokomotiv Neznaemy
F - Manuel Aleixos, Partizan Belushya Guba
D - Jeremy Finley, Unitia City Wanderers
D - Miloš Jankovic, Stolitsa Arktiki
G - Šimon Pecora, Antipha United

by **Novaya Zemlya** » Sun May 15, 2016 5:59 am

THE OFF-SEASON BLOG

KALAGIN'S FUTURE STILL UNCERTAIN

It is still unkown where 18 year old phenom Valeri Kalagin will play next season. The centerman surprised many hockey fans last year when he decided to spend another season at Belushye Hockey Academy instead of going pro, shredding NZJHL scoring records in the process. His agreement with the academy recently ran out, and he is now a free agent. It is rumoured that he recieved contract offers from both Partizan and Torpedo this off-season, but rejected both of them. Kalagin will most likely feature as Novaya Zemlya's first line center at the upcoming World Junior Hockey Championships.
Posted 3 hours ago | 4 Comments | Comment this post

PARTIZAN FIRES PONIKAROV

Partizan Belushya Guba announces that head coach Gennadiy Ponikarov has been relieved of his duties. This would come as no surprise after the five-time champions got swept 4-0 by Shakhter in the first playoff round. "We are thankful for Gennadiy's contributions over the years, but we feel it is time to move in a new direction," the club said in a statement. 66 year old Ponikarov had coached Partizan for nine seasons, winning four championships during his tenure.
Posted 4 days ago | 167 Comments | Comment this post

NEDELYAYEV HANGS THEM UP

Veteran defenseman Artem Nedelyayev retires from professional hockey after 18 Elite League seasons, all of them with Torpedo. Nedelyayev, 37, was born in Kolzakovsk and came to Torpedo from Karskoe More at the start of season 9. The four-time NZEL champion also represented Novaya Zemlya at World Cup of Hockey 25. It is rumoured that he considers a future career in coaching. Torpedo has announced that Nedelyayev's jersey will be retired at the start of season 27. Shakhter netminder Viktor Pyzhaliv and Avangard defenseman Vadim Spasov are two other players who recently announced their retirement.
Posted 5 days ago | 29 Comments | Comment this post

SEVERNAYA OBLAST IN INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION

Severnaya Oblast will participate in the first edition of the International Club Hockey Challenge. The tournament will take place in Friya, Ficiscia later this month. As to why Severnaya, who missed the playoffs for the second straight season, will represent the NZEL? According to a Hockey Federation official, the top 4 teams were unavailable because of their Hockey Champions League commitment, although the future of that tournament seems uncertain. Partizan apparently declined, citing a "lack of financial incentive". Akademik declined as well, because of the strained financial situation at the club. Stolitsa Arktiki is reportedly not on speaking terms with the Hockey Federation, ever since the refereeing controversy during the playoffs of season 25, and never bothered to answer the invitation. Severnaya Oblast was next in line and gladly accepted the opportunity. Let's go Severnaya, I guess.
Posted 12 days ago | 46 Comments | Comment this post

by **Novaya Zemlya** » Thu May 26, 2016 6:54 am

METALLURG WINS HOCKEY CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

Enthusiastic Metallurg supporters welcomed the team
at Matochkingrad Airport.

MATOCHKINGRAD Only weeks after their third NZEL championship title, Metallurg Matochkingrad fans get to celebrate again, as their team managed to beat Vanorian club Therathor Majestics 3-2 in the final of Hockey Champions League 5.

On their way to the final, Metallurg were able to eliminate Saint John Acadiens and Acadie-Bathurst Titan from the QHL, as well as the defending champions, Raynor City Raptors from Valanora in the semifinals.

"I'm extatic," one fan said, waiting at Matochkingrad Airport for his heroes to arrive back home. "I simply can't believe it, what an achievement."

This is the first time an NZEL team has won the HCL. Antipha United came close last time, falling 4-2 to Raynor City in the finals. Before that, Partizan had been the most successful entrant from the NZEL with their semifinals appearance back in HCL 1, in which they lost to Invermuir Eagles from Polar Islandstates.

Novozemlyan Hockey Federation president Miron Telitsyn was one of many to congratulate Metallurg on their win. "This is a milestone for Novozemlyan hockey, congrats, and well done," he said in a statement.

The other entrants from the NZEL had a less impressive showing in HCL 5. All three of Shakhter, Torpedo and Antipha United were ousted in the Round of 16 by Quebecois opponents.

by **Novaya Zemlya** » Wed Jun 15, 2016 2:46 pm

THE OFF-SEASON BLOG

LOKOMOTIV ACQUIRES NEW DEFENSIVE PAIR

In what is probably the most unexpected move of the off-season, Lokomotiv Neznaemy announced that they have signed brothers Peter and Ian Pollock out of The Republic of Mercedini. The two defensemen from Trivotex Hockey featured on the top pairing of the Mercedinian national team in the World Cup of Hockey in Norrehavn. Although the Mercedinians struggled in their first WCoH campaign, recording 4 losses and one draw, Lokomotiv scouts were apparently impressed by the Pollock brothers and decided to start transfer negotiations with Trivotex. Contract details and transfer fees have not yet been disclosed, but it is rumored to be a two-year deal.

"We are very happy to have reached an agreement with Peter and Ian," Lokomotiv said in a statement. "They are both skilled and tough players with a lot of character. We firmly believe they will be an important part of our team going forward. We would also like to thank Trivotex and the Mercedinian Hockey Association for their help in facilitating this deal."
Posted 2 hours ago | 5 Comments | Comment this post

PERMYAKOV SIGNS THREE-YEAR DEAL WITH SHAKHTER

19 year old goaltender Boris Permyakov had a fantastic performance at the World Junior Championships XI in Ethane, in which the Pioneers eventually finished in 4th place. Permyakov recorded 4 shutouts and a 0.57 Goals Against Average in 7 games, which earned him a contract offer from Shakhter Ulyanovsk. According to reports, the contract runs for three seasons. While Permyakov surely hopes to steal the starter job, he is expected to be backing up Konstantin Fedchenkov. Permyakov has won NZJHL's Goalie of The Year award the last two seasons, and recently won the NZJHL Championship with Belushye Hockey Academy.
Posted 14 hours ago | 17 Comments | Comment this post

KALAGIN TO ROGACHEVO?

Rumors that Valeri Kalagin might be close to a deal with Rotor Rogachevo are heating up. The 18 year old center led the Novozemlyan junior team in scoring at the WJHC and has been a hot commodity in the free agent market. He has previously rejected contract offers from Torpedo, Partizan and Stolitsa Arktiki. In an interview with the Journal, he confirmed that he would not sign with a Belushya Guba team. It was speculated that he had hoped to attract interest from foreign clubs during the WJHC, but it appears that did not happen. In the last few days, we have recieved reports of contract negotiations between Rotor and Kalagin's camp. The club refused to comment on the rumors, but several sources indicate that Kalagin is close to signing a one-year deal.
Posted 1 day ago | 224 Comments | Comment this post

by **Novaya Zemlya** » Wed Jun 15, 2016 2:47 pm

Welcome to the Transfer Central™. This is where you can track all NZEL & Novozemlyan player transactions during off-season.
(Please note that this service is based on information provided by the Novozemlyan Hockey Federation and we take no responsibility for its correctness.)

PLAYER		       POS     AGE	FROM				TO
 Potap Karandashov	LW	21	Free Agency			 Zvezda Rozhnovgorsk
 Georgiy Belochkin	D	32	Lokomotiv Neznaemy		 Zvezda Rozhnovgorsk
 Vadim Spasov		D	38	Avangard Oktyabrgrad		 Retired
 Viktor Pyzhaliv	G	36	Shakhter Ulyanovsk		 Retired
 Artem Nedelyayev	D	37	Torpedo Belushya Guba		 Retired
 P Yevstigneyev	RW	33	Torpedo Belushya Guba		 Free Agency
 Vyacheslav Ugolev	LW	22	Volna Gagarkin			 Rotor Rogachevo
 Lazar Korovin	W	21	Metallurg Matochkingrad		 Dynamo Podrezovsk
 Boris Permyakov	G	20	Belushye Hockey Academy		 Shakhter Ulyanovsk
 Denis Yeshugov	D	19	Belushye Hockey Academy		 Krasnaya Zarya
 Mikhail Dostovalov	C	20	Partizan Belushya Guba		 Karskoe More (loan)
 Ian Pollock		D	23	Trivotex Hockey (MRC)		 Lokomotiv Neznaemy
 Peter Pollock	D	27	Trivotex Hockey (MRC)		 Lokomotiv Neznaemy
 Viktor Sukharnikov	RW	36	Stolitsa Arktiki		 Retired
 Valeri Lubashev	D	31	Severnaya Oblast		 Avangard Oktyabrgrad
 Valeri Kalagin	C	19	Free Agency			 Rotor Rogachevo
 Vernon Long		D	31	Unitia City Wanderers		 Rotor Rogachevo
 Noah Froese		F	26	Macquire Rangers (WPG)		 Unitia City Wanderers
 Sebastian Gallagher	D	22	Free Agency			 Unitia City Wanderers
 Demian Shurshalin	C	20	Dizel Mashigingrad		 Akademik Sakhaninsk
 Adam Keane		D	24	Davenport Dockers (EJM)		 Partizan Belushya Guba
 Bill Townsend	LW	18	Coventry Puffins (EJM)		 Partizan Belushya Guba
 Ethan Swinburne	LW	27	Elejamie City Ice Elephants(EJM) Metallurg Matochkingrad
 Anatoly Kasputin	RW	32	Coventry Puffins (EJM)		 Torpedo Belushya Guba

Updated NZEL Rosters

by **Novaya Zemlya** » Sun Jun 19, 2016 10:54 am

SCORES AND STANDINGS

SEASON 27
Regular Season - Part 1/3

STANDINGS

Elite League    	           Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1  Dynamo Podrezovsk            20    9   8   3    58   51   +7    26
 2  Shakhter Ulyanovsk           20   11   3   6    54   40  +14    25
 3  Severnaya Oblast             20   10   5   5    66   60   +6    25
 4  Metallurg Matochkingrad      20    9   6   5    56   52   +4    24
 5  Rotor Rogachevo              20   10   2   8    67   56  +11    22
 6  Torpedo Belushya Guba        20    9   4   7    55   46   +9    22
 7  Stolitsa Arktiki             20    7   7   6    48   45   +3    21
 8  Unitia City Wanderers        20    8   4   8    45   44   +1    20
 9  Partizan Belushya Guba       20    8   3   9    69   66   +3    19
10  Akademik Sakhaninsk          20    7   5   8    59   65   −6    19
11  Zvezda Rozhnovgorsk          20    7   4   9    46   50   −4    18
12  Lokomotiv Neznaemy           20    7   3  10    53   56   −3    17
13  Avangard Oktyabrgrad         20    5   7   8    53   62   −9    17
14  Antipha United               20    6   5   9    41   52  −11    17
15  Krasnaya Zarya               20    4   6  10    45   54   −9    14
16  New Oksfjord Dons            20    5   4  11    51   67  −16    14

GAMES

by **Novaya Zemlya** » Fri Jun 24, 2016 5:01 am

PARTIZAN PRESENTS TRIO FROM ELEJAMIE
New coach and WCoH-winning defenseman to join the team - "He will instantly become a key player"

BELUSHYA GUBA Last season was a bit of a disaster for Partizan Belushya Guba, at least by their own high standards. They finished 6th in the regular season and were embarrasingly swept by Shakhter in the quarterfinals, which meant they failed to qualify for the HCL as well. Other than coach Gennadiy Ponikarov being fired, we have heard very little from the club during the off-season and the beginning of season 27 - until today, that is, when they made a big splash. The team held a press conference and announced no less than three major acquisitions: a new head coach, a World Cup of Hockey-winning defenseman and an 18 year old winger labeled as a future star - all three of them from the nation of Elejamie, a well known super heavyweight in international hockey who won the 29th WCoH and came within inches of repeating in WCoH 30.

New Partizan head coach is 40 year old Andy Bailey. He is not the first foreigner to coach in Novaya Zemlya - Kaboomlandian Paul Saxton was hired as head coach of the Novozemlyan U20 national team after WJHC 9 - but he is the first to coach a Novozemlyan club team. Many view Partizan BG as the epitome of Novaya Zemlya's conservative hockey establishment and were surprised to hear that the club had gone abroad looking for a coach, but general manager Milomir Lapotnikov claims it was an easy decision.

"We felt it was time to go in a new direction," Lapotnikov said. "A lot of NZEL teams are stuck in the past, doing things the same way they have always done, but we wanted to look at how things are done in the rest of the world. And what could be a better place to look than Elejamie? If you look at their results internationally, they must be doing something right, don't you think? So we went there and talked to people, and that's when we came in contact with Andy. He is a great hockey mind and we had some constructive discussions. We are very happy to announce that he will be our new head coach."

Andy Bailey has worked as an assistant manager for Elejamie's national junior team, as well as coaching the Edgebaston Shamrocks junior team. He has previously been head coach for the Shamrocks senior team in the ENIHL for a couple of seasons. He is known as an analytical coach and a strong tactician who is able to adjust his game plan depending on the circumstances and opposition.

The second announcement was the signing of defenseman Adam Keane. The 24-year-old is described as an offensive defenseman and has been a staple on the Elejamian national team, the Icy Elephants, ever since their debut in WCoH 26. Up until now, he has played for the Davenport Dockers in the ENIHL.

"This guy has a World Cup of Hockey to his name," Lapotnikov said of his new defenseman. "How many NZEL'ers can say that? Not a single one, that's how many. If you can name me a better defenseman in this league, I'm all ears. Adam will instantly become a key player for us."

The acquistion comes at a good time for Partizan, whose blueline underperformed for long stretches last season. Veteran Andrei Yegorov has trouble staying healthy for a whole season nowadays, and as a result the team had to lean heavily on Fyodor Ryzhkov, who looked gassed on many nights. Lapotnikov acknowledged this fact, saying that the arrival of Keane will make an enormous difference and also make the other defenders more effective as they don't have to play more minutes than they can handle.

Finally, Lapotnikov introduced the third signing of the day - 18 year old left winger Bill Townsend from Coventry Puffins' junior program. Townsend featured on the Elejamian team in the recent WJHC in Ethane and comes highly recommended by coach Bailey.

"That's right," Lapotnikov said. "Andy has worked with the Elejamian U20 national team and he pointed us in Townsend's direction. According to Andy, Bill is ready to take the step from juniors. We watched him closely at the World Juniors and he is indeed a great young player. He reminds me a lot of Manuel Aleixos, a dynamic sniper with a deadly quick release that just simply beats goalies. He is still young though, so we don't expect miracles right away. But he has all the tools to become an impact player for us."

The Elejamian trio had not yet arrived to Belushya Guba, but according to Lapotnikov they would make it in time for tonight's game against Metallurg. "Bailey, Keane and Townsend are being flown in as we speak," the GM said. "All the necessary paperwork has been filed with the Elejamian and Novozemlyan federations. We are good to go."

BREAKING NEWS: METALLURG STRIKES BACK
The defending champs sign Elejamian NT forward Ethan Swinburne

MATOCHKINGRAD Only mere hours after Partizan announced their new additions from Elejamie, Metallurg Matochkingrad answered right back with a splash of their own. The club announces that they have reached an agreement with Elejamie City Ice Elephants forward Ethan Swinburne. Swinburne is a 27 year old winger who has represented his native Elejamie at five World Cups of Hockey. He is described as a power forward who can create plays and does not shy away from the rough stuff. Since Swinburne has not yet arrived to Matochkingrad, the club chose to not call a press conference and instead released a written announcement.

"We are very happy to be a adding a player of Ethan's caliber to our team. He is a proven winner and a WCoH-champion," Metallurg said in their announcement. "Ethan Swinburne has all the qualities we want in a hockey player, and we are sure he will contribute to the continued success of our hockey club."

"Very, very good news for Metallurg fans. Although, I don't think this was a reaction to Partizan's signings," the Journal's hockey expert Anatoly Timofeyev commented. "I know Metallurg has been scouting in Elejamie for a while. They wanted to get bigger and tougher up front, and Swinburne fits the bill perfectly. And, more importantly, he is skilled too. They needed a guy like him, especially in the Hockey Champions League were many teams play a more physical game than what we are used to in Novaya Zemlya. Coach Dyatlova now has a classic luxury problem on her hands, does she play Swinburne with Zakhar Golumbovsky - they would likely be unstoppable - or does she put them on separate lines to try and spread out the scoring threats?"

Alhtough unconfirmed, it is rumored that Metallurg had to pay a transfer fee of $250,000 to Elejamie City, and a player of Swinburne's ilk is likely to command a respectable salary. Can Metallurg afford it?

"That is a good question. I'm sure this caused some grumbling and growling in their accounting department," Timofeyev said. "However, their HCL success last season probably boosted their budget a fair bit this year. Plus, we know Metallurg is owned by the gigantic Novaya Zemlya Steel and they threat the hockey team as an entertainment expense to keep employees happy, more or less. I'm sure we will see more of this in the future, where the teams with financial backing will be able to attract top flight international talent and the have-nots will lag further behind. We may not like it, but that is where we are headed."

Metallurg will play Partizan in Belushya Guba tonight, and barring any unforeseen circumstances Swinburne will be in the line-up.

Transfer Central™
Updated NZEL Rosters

by **Witty Penguins** » Sun Jun 26, 2016 1:41 am

ICE HOCKEY: Unitia City seize early successes in the NZEL

June 26, 2016

BELUSHYA GUBA, SPR NOVAYA ZEMLYA - At the conclusion of the preceding NZEL season, Ian Richmond said that despite obtaining a pleasing 5th place (an improvement over their debut season), the team is determined to get further. With yesterday's 4-3 away victory against Stolitsa Artiki placing them in top position early on in the 27th season, it seems that this determination may be paying off.

The match at Ogromny Dom was hotly contested. Stolitsa gained a 2-1 lead over the visitors early on in the match, pulling off an impressive offensive against the Penguinish defence. However a change in tactics by a visibly fuming Pierre Guillot led to a goal by new recruit Noah Froese to equalize the scoreboard. Guillot would follow with a 3rd goal to place them into the lead. Stolitsa jumped back into the race with another goal to put the scoreline at 3-3 at the end of the 2nd period. The deadlock would remain until about half-way through the 3rd period, when Lee Carson narrowly hit the puck past Stolitsa's goalie to seize a fifth victory.

The team is one of two teams yet to have been defeated, and their worst performance thus far was a 2-2 draw against Season 25 winner Antipha United. The other team without a loss is 2nd place Rotor Rogachevo, the team which former Unitia defender Vernon Long recently signed with. It is still very early days for the Wanderers, and with Rogachevo hot on their trails with strings of impressive performances as well, it will be a few hard weeks. Nonetheless these early successes will at least be a confidence booster for both the coach and the players.

by **Novaya Zemlya** » Mon Jun 27, 2016 3:51 am

CONFIRMED: ANATOLY KASPUTIN JOINS THE NZEL
Elejamian Superstar Signs Monster Deal With Torpedo - "The Lost Son Comes Home"

BELUSHYA GUBA Torpedo Belushya Guba announces that they have agreed to terms with Elejamian forward Anatoly Kasputin. The 32 year old acclaimed right winger reportedly signed a 4 year contract, with the possibility of a one-year extension if Kasputin so chooses.

Kasputin has been captain of Elejamie's national team for the last five World Cups of Hockey. He led his team to the championship in WCoH 29, and came close to repeating in WCoH 30. Contract numbers have not been disclosed, but reports indicate that the deal takes up well over half of Torpedo's players budget. Sources in the league office confirmed that the deal is the biggest in Novozemlyan hockey history, by a large margin. In addition, there is speculation that Kasputin might be the highest paid individual in all of Novaya Zemlya.

Kasputin jersey sales are
quickly approaching
insane levels.

Even though he was born in Elejamie, Kasputin has Novozemlyan roots and became wildly popular in the country during WCoH 27 when he, besides playing great hockey, made TV interviews in Novozemlyan. He told us his parents came from Ulyanovsk and fled the country during the repression that followed The Great Miners' Strike in the old days. The family name was originally Kapustin, but there was a typo in an official form and his parents decided to roll with the new name.

Torpedo has had an atrocious start to season 27, recording only one win in seven games. Team captain Dmitriy Chupalov hopes the addition of Kasputin can help turn things around.

"Anatoly is a legend," he said. "He is one of the best forwards in the game, and a complete hockey player. A surefire hall of famer. I played against him in WCoH 27 and he is impossible to contain. He can snipe with the best of them, but he is also a world class playmaker."

Chupalov also revealed that he will hand over the captaincy to his new teammate. "He is a great leader and our best player, plus he speaks the language and understands our culture. It is a no-brainer."

It is reported that Kasputin's former team, the ENIHL's Coventry Puffins have been compensated with a transfer fee of $500,000.

by **Novaya Zemlya** » Tue Jun 28, 2016 7:29 pm

Youth hockey players in Novaya Zemlya play in local or regional leagues up until the age of 16, when the most talented of them usually move to a bigger club or academy in the NZ Junior Hockey League.

Before that age, the only all-national competition is the Yedinstvo Cup, which is contested yearly in every age group from 10 to 16 year olds. The U16 version of the cup is a highly prestigious tournament that draws huge crowds and gives future hockey stars a chance to impress scouts from professional clubs. Being selected to represent your home district is considered a huge honor.

The 8 districts ('oblasts') of Novaya Zemlya plus the Novozemlyan Overseas Territory each have one team. In addition, The Democratic Republic of Nyaryaga, a close neighbour and ally of Novaya Zemlya, has participated in the last few Cups as well.

District		Registered players	Cup Wins
Capital District (9)	44,400			8
Yuzhnaya Oblast (8)	30,740			4
Shar Oblast (4)		25,500			5
Vostok Oblast (7)	22,500			6
Lednikovaya Oblast (3)	 6,800			1
Gusinaya Zemlya (6)	 6,250			0
Sukhaya	Oblast (2)	 3,430			0
Severnaya Oblast (1)	 1,950			1
Overseas Territory (5)	   900			0
---------------------------------------------------------
Novaya Zemlya Total    142,470

Nyaryaga		 2,460			0

This year's Yedinstvo Cup took place in a sold out Pioneers Sport Centre in Menshikovsk and participants were split into two groups for the round-robin. Group A saw a huge upset as the Overseas Territory beat the favorites from Belushya Guba 4-2 in the opening game. The Capital District still managed to qualify for the semi-finals however, something they have done 22 times out of 25.
Over in Group B, Yuzhnaya Oblast seemed to benefit from the support of the home crowd, recording 4 straight wins. Lednikovaya Oblast edged out Shar and Sukhaya Oblasts on goal differential for the second semifinals berth, while Nyaryaga failed to register a win for the second straight year.

After two very close semifinal battles, Vostok Oblast and Capital District emerged as finalists. In the final Vostok Oblast controlled most of the play, but the Capital District still managed to win their 9th championship thanks to quick counter-attacks and two goals from Lukyan Yudachyov. The speedy left winger reportedly started playing hockey only three years ago, having earlier pursued a career in bandy.

Group A                 Pld   W  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Vostok Oblast           4   4  0   24   9 +15    8
2 Capital District        4   2  2   13  15  −2    4
3 Severnaya Oblast        4   2  2   10  13  −3    4
4 Overseas Territory      4   1  3   11  16  −5    2
5 Gusinaya Zemlya         4   1  3    6  11  −5    2

Group B                 Pld   W  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Yuzhnaya Oblast         4   4  0   19   9 +10    8
2 Lednikovaya Oblast      4   2  2   10   9  +1    4
3 Shar Oblast             4   2  2   16  17  −1    4
4 Sukhaya Oblast          4   2  2   11  13  −2    4
5 Nyaryaga                4   0  4    4  12  −8    0

SEMIFINALS

Vostok Oblast 3–3 Lednikovaya Oblast (4–3 OT)
Yuzhnaya Oblast 3–4 Capital District

FINAL

Vostok Oblast 2–3 Capital District

ALL-STAR TEAM

LW - Lukyan Yudachyov, Capital District
CE - Alik Kuvayev, Shar Oblast
RW - Matysh Ivanenko, Vostok Oblast
LD - Larion Mikheyev, Yuzhnaya Oblast
RD - Ignatiy Rusnak, Vostok Oblast
G - Damir Pashkin, Lednikovaya Oblast

NZEL & Novaya Zemlya Hockey Newswire

S26 MD33

Season 27 - MD 5

UNITIA CITY TIMES - 26 June 2016

Season 27 - MD 8

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