HK Arlan Kokschetau won 4-3 at HC Kulager Petropavlsk in regulation, and the margin was built long before the final buzzer. Two road goals in the opening 23 minutes gave Arlan a cushion that survived a frantic third period.
Arlan scored once in the first and once in the second to lead 2-0 after 40 minutes. The third turned into a seven-goal sequence between the two sides, Kulager scoring three times and Arlan twice in the period, with the last of the seven goals coming at the 58th minute; the home side's push left them one short at 3-4.
The decisive number is the third period itself: 3-2 to the home team, which was not enough against a two-goal deficit. Arlan's two second-period-or-earlier goals — at 20 and 23 minutes — stand as the difference in a game where no scorers were recorded.