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SUPER SERIES '76-77: Team USSR
Clubs vs. WHA clubs
Winnipeg Free Press
January 6, 1977
Edmonton, Alberta (CP)
Aleksandr Yakushev scored two goals Wednesday night
to lead the Soviet Union's touring all-star
team to a 3-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers of
the World Hockey Association in an exhibition international
game before a record Edmonton crowd of 15,571.
The Soviets have now won five of six games of their
tour of WHA
cities but it is doubtful they could have worked
harder even
in their victory than they had to work against the
Oilers.
Wayne Connely's second goal with less than
four minutes remaining
pulled the Oilers within one goal and they applied
heavy pressure
against Alexander Sidelnikov, until Russian referee
Victor Dombrowski
called a spearing penalty against defenseman Doug
Barrie with
77 seconds remaining.
The Soviets moved into the Edmonton zone and controlled
the
puck but had only one good chance to score as they
ran out the
clock.
Peter Prirodin score the other Soviet goal deflecting
a perfect
pass by Alexander Bilialetdinov only 14 seconds
after Cowboy
Flett of the Oilers was banished for playing with
a broken stick.
Although the Oilers served eight of 12 minor penalties,
they
out-shot the Soviets -considered the strongest Soviet
team ever
put together 28-23. However Sidelnikov had fewer
tough saves
than Ken Broderick, the Edmonton goaltender who
had substantial
international experience as an amateur.
Dombrowski let both clubs get away with apparent
infractions
until close to the end of the second period when
Sidelnikov and
Gavin Kirk of Edmonton were penalized for roughing.
Sidelnikov
also engaged Flett in a roughing joust with less
than five minutes
remaining moments after he foiled Flett on a good
chance and
saw a shot by Rick Morris bounce off the post behind
him.
The Oilers had the first good chance when Flett
banged a shot
of the crossbar after Frank Beaton and Bobby Russell
forechecked
the puck loose. Yakushev scored his first goal from
the edge
of the crease.
Before the period ended, Boris Golikov rammed a
shot off the
goalpost with Broderick beaten.
Connelly scored score early in the second period
when the sped
of Randy Rota and Claude St. Saveur created an opportunity.
After Prirodin scored Yakushev found himself at
the corner of
the crease to complete a perfect passing play with
Vladimir Shadrin
and Victor Shalimov four seconds after Dave Langevin
returned
from a charging penalty.
Less than three minutes later Connelly put the
Oilers back in
the game with a screened shot but the penalty to
Barrie ended
the rally.
It was the second appearance of Edmonton against
a touring international
team this season, following a 6-4 victory over a
Czechoslovakian
team last month. The Oilers entered the game in
fourth place
in the western division of the WHA.
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