Salavat Yulaev Ufa Claims Historic KHL 3×3 Championship Title

The KHL 3×3 Championship Super Final took place on July 12 at CSKA Arena in Moscow. Salavat Yulaev Ufa became the first-ever champion in this new format, defeating Ak Bars in the final shootout.

The day began with the first semi-final between Salavat Yulaev and Traktor. Chelyabinsk missed an early chance to score when Sergei Shumakov failed to convert a penalty shot just 15 seconds in. Ufa quickly responded with two goals within a couple of minutes: first from Eduard Gimatzov, then Nikita Shchitov executed a perfectly placed shot top corner. In the opening moments of the second period, Traktor, through Artem Borodkin, narrowed the gap, but Ufa quickly responded 50 seconds later with Gimatzov completing his double.

In the third period, the championship`s top penalty shot scorer, Ildus Suleymanov, missed a chance to extend Salavat Yulaev`s lead. Shumakov`s goal gave Traktor fans hope, but Chelyabinsk conceded quickly again – Shchitov was in the right place in front of the net to capitalize on a pass. In the closing four minutes, the teams attempted six (!) penalty shots, three for each side, but none were successful. The final score was 4-2, with Salavat Yulaev becoming the first finalist of the KHL 3×3 Championship.

The second semi-final featured Ak Bars and Dinamo Minsk. Notably, Dinamo had handed Kazan their only loss in the Super Final group stage. This match served as a successful revenge for Ak Bars, starting with a bizarre goal by Daniil Chetverikov – Dinamo goaltender Alexander Osipkov seemed to have caught a long-range shot but accidentally pushed the puck into his own net. There were no more goals in the first period, although both teams missed a penalty shot – Vitaly Pinchuk (Dinamo) and Rasim Shakirov (Ak Bars) couldn`t beat the goalies.

In the second period, Pinchuk and Shakirov both earned penalty shots again, and this time Shakirov converted his attempt. Ak Bars` third goal was scored by team leader Yuri Muravyov, who was left alone in front of the net and expertly beat Osipkov.

For the third period, Nikita Mytnik took over in the Dinamo net but didn`t stay `dry` for long: Chetverikov scored on a penalty shot, and just seconds before that, Vyacheslav Andryushchenko had scored Dinamo`s first goal, also from a penalty shot. However, Dinamo couldn`t build momentum – Muravyov scored his second goal, effectively sealing the win, while Pinchuk`s late goal only reduced the deficit. Ak Bars won 5-2 and secured the second spot in the final.

In the third-place game, Dinamo opened the scoring through Daniil Lipsky in the second minute. Minsk had opportunities to extend their lead from penalty shots – Pinchuk took three but missed all of them. Traktor`s Maxim Askarov also missed a similar chance. However, the second period was decisive for Chelyabinsk, who scored four goals in three and a half minutes: Askarov redeemed himself after the missed penalty, and goals also came from Artem Borodkin, Kirill Kadyshev, and Artem Udot.

In the third period, Dinamo again switched goalies, replacing Osipkov with Mytnik, and Sergei Kuznetsov scored Dinamo`s second goal, bringing some intrigue back. It didn`t last long – Grigory Nesvetaev, Udot, and Kadyshev extended Traktor`s lead to five goals, and Lipsky`s late goal had no significant impact on the final outcome. Traktor won 7-3 and claimed the bronze medals.

Both Ak Bars and Salavat Yulaev are teams known for cherishing their opportunities and patiently waiting for opponent mistakes. In the first period of the final, there were several such moments but no goals. Kazan had two penalty shot opportunities but failed to score. Ufa created two excellent chances for Ilya Krikunov – in the first instance, his shot towards an empty net was blocked by Vladislav Shlyakhtov, and in the second, Pavel Gorokhov prevented him from shooting when Kazan goaltender Alexander Lazushin was out of position.

In the second period, Chetverikov missed an incredible chance – the Ak Bars player seemed certain to score, but Salavat Yulaev goaltender Yuri Sirotkin made a superb save. Immediately after, Suleymanov broke away, earned a penalty shot, and successfully converted it, giving Ufa the lead. Salavat Yulaev stuck to their strict tactics, creating no more dangerous moments but also preventing the opponent from doing so.

However, in the third period, Ak Bars finally found their chance to equalize – Shlyakhtov scored a crucial goal assisted by Chetverikov. There were no more goals in regulation time, and the final went to a shootout. Both goaltenders were brilliant until the end. The “golden” shot for Ufa was Krikunov`s attempt – he scored and brought Salavat Yulaev victory in the first-ever KHL 3×3 Championship.

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