SPORT The Minsk Times Thursday, October 10, 2013 11 Bright start to the season for Minsk ‘dragons’ spread NHL player By Yegor Glebov their powerful wings Belarus’ only representative in the planet’s strongest hockey league, Mikhail Grabovski, has Minsk Tsmoki starts the new made his first hat-trick in his overseas career during his first season in the VTB United League. official match for Washington Capitals It’s their fourth year in a row for In the first match of the sea- the country’s major basketball son, the Belarusian hockey-play- er’s club faced the Chicago Black- club which is trying to make a hawks, the current holders of the Stanley Cup, and lost 4:6 in this name for itself in one of Europe’s away match. The Washington Capitals went down by one goal, strongest club championships. In but then the Russian, Alexander Ovechkin, assisted by Grabovski the past, this has truly shown to be restored the balance. The Belaru- a challenge. sian went on to score three times himself, bringing the scores to By Dmitry Baranovsky team played its first match against 2:2, 3:3 and 4:3 in favour of his local VEF. One of Belarus’ most team. However, mistakes in de- Each year, due to selection and promising players, and brother of fence cancelled out the successes problems related to preparation, the renowned Yegor Meshcherya- made during their attacks. After the Minsk club only begins dem- kov, Nikita Meshcheryakov, signed onstrating a sufficient level of qual- a contract. In recent years, he has ity basketball by mid-season. As played for American leagues, and a result, no more than a couple of spent last season with the Italian victories were ever common. How- team from Triesta. He certainly ever, this year, the team-s heads be- has the chance to improve Tsmoki’s lieve that things will be different. performance. An invitation to Vi- Changes have been made at the taly Lyutych, from Bereza, is an- top, during mid-season, Lithuanian other strong move for the team. He specialist, Donaldas Kairys, was spent three seasons in the Lithua- appointed the team’s head coach, nian Championships and, during while its former leader, Andrey a recent qualification tournament Krivonos, who guided our guys for the European Championship, since the team’s formation in 2006, he made quite a stir on court. The moved to the post of second coach. player is eager to show his best Mikhail Grabovski It’s yet too early to say whether this sporting capabilities in the VTB Grabovski’s final goal, Chicago change is efficient but no doubt, the United League. Blackhawks went on to score team’s performance will change. However, the team lost a key three more times, not missing a According to Mr. Kairys, his player, Alexander Kudryavtsev, single attempt on goal. players are truly capable, “In the who has moved to Turkey and also Mikhail Grabovski played for mid-season, our club did a great Alexander Pustogvar. In addition, 17 minutes and 13 seconds, earn- job to pick-up players, and I think the second block of players consists ing himself 4 (3+1) points, with we’ve succeeded in creating a team of many young athletes who will, BELTA four shots on target during this able to demonstrate bright and ef- most probably, stay as reserves this Minsk Tsmoki’s promise to show attractive and effective time. He played alongside Cana- ficient basketball. I hope we won’t season. However, both Denis Kor- basketball in the new season dians Troy Brouwer and Brooks disappoint our fans.” shuk and Alexey Lashkevich are in the overseas signings. Mr. Kul relies Live match broadcasts — to be Laich, (1st forward line-up) and, This time, the Minskers’ ac- good shape now and a lot of hope is on the new lineup, saying, “Without arranged by the Belarus 5 Sports when the Capitals had a chance tion on the transfer market looks pinned on Lyutych. At the official fear of jinxing it, I could assert that TV Channel — would definitely to realise their numerical advan- far more reasonable and effi- presentation, Alexander Kul, the our guys would perform success- please fans. Moreover, the club tage, assisted Russia’s, Alexander cient. One of the most impressive former central player and present fully the coming season. The club would receive its mascot, to be pre- Ovechkin and Nicklas Bäckström pieces of news came on the eve of Director of Tsmoki’s Sporting Mar- has managed to accumulate money sented on October 14th, during the from Sweden. Tsmoki’s trip to Riga, where the keting Centre, talked as equals with to invite high level players.” first home match. Confident Big leaders testing each other of victory By Dmitry Komashko zone’ for the team. A single head- to-head meeting during the sea- in the final HC Dinamo Minsk and HC son does not decide anything Meshkov Brest hold first head- now. Of course, if the Brest play- Belarusian Max Mirnyi and to-head match of the national ers lost all their matches to Di- Romanian Horia Tecau win the championship namo, they would have to make China Open Tennis event in The confrontation of the two some serious changes. The im- Beijing clubs has long become a hall- portant thing for the Brest team In the final match of the doubles mark of Belarusian handball, and is not to drop to fourth place and event, the Belarusian-Romanian with the growth of ambition of thereby meet with Dinamo who pair easily defeated Italians Fabio the teams on the European cir- are already in the semi-final. Fognini and Andreas Seppi, 6:4, 6:2. cuit, their personal meetings are Right now, both leaders are con- To reach the final of the Bei- attracting more and more atten- centrated on the Balkan SEHA jing tournament, Mirnyi and Tecau tion from the fans. League and Champions League. achieved a straight sets two victory The Minsk team started suc- The next tests in the Europe- over the international pairing of Ju- cessfully in the Group Stage of BELTA an arena were not long in com- lien Benneteau (France) and Nenad the Champions League, defeating HC Dinamo Minsk and HC Meshkov Brest are main rivals ing. On Sunday, the Brest club Zimonjic (Serbia), beating them 6:3, the Macedonian team, Vardar, at Brest’s Victoria Sports Centre than their rivals. However, the continued with a match in the 6:4, and Colin Fleming and Jonathan home. The Brest players do not right up to the last minute. HC defeat for Brest, even from their Balkan Championship against Marray, the UK doubles pair, 6:4, 7:6 hide their championship ambi- Dinamo were the deserved win- main rivals, was not a catastro- the leaders of the tournament, (7:3). In the semi-final Max Mirnyi tions in the Balkan SEHA League, ners. The wards of the Croatian phe at all. With the introduction the Croatian team Zagreb, whilst and Horia Tecau were supposed to and both clubs declare their wish trainer, Boris Denič, who took of a play-off stage in the Cham- on October 10th Dinamo will meet Novak Djokovic (Serbia) and for a championship title. There- over the role of head coach from pionship of Belarus, Alexander play against Swiss team, Wacker Stanislas Wawrinka (Switzerland), fore, it is not surprising that it Sergey Bebeshko, looked better, Meshkov, the main patron of Thun, in the Minsk Sports Pal- however the Swiss tennis player was really hot on the parquet of more reliable and more accurate Brest club, thus created a ‘safety ace. pulled out from the tournament.