no higher than second

Yesterday in Kemerovo, Dynamo Moscow, in front of local fans, mercilessly killed the hope of Kuzbass to compete for the title of Russian bandy champion in the 2007/08 season. After the match, which ended with a score of 11:5 in favor of the guests, it became obvious that the capital’s hockey players in eastern Russia have no equal yet. Kuzbass and Dynamo entered yesterday's match with an equal number of points - 33 each. The hosts successfully started the second stage of the Russian championship, defeating Ural Trubnik in Pervouralsk, and Raketa in Kazan. This gave their fans hope that the team of head coach Sergei Myaus was ready to fight on equal terms with the capital's Dynamo, which is the base club of the Russian national team.
The current champions of the country flew to Kemerovo the day before the match and managed to try out the ice of the Khimik stadium, which is very familiar to many Dynamo players from last year’s performance at the World Championships as part of the Russian national team. Andrei Nuzhdinov’s players were satisfied with the condition of the ice field.
The first minutes strengthened the brightest hopes of Kemerovo fans. The hosts' top scorer Vadim Sapega was the first to finish, and the packed Khimik bubbled with delight. Only time during the match. Dynamo, having taken the initiative into their own hands, methodically began to create threats to the goal of the goalkeeper of the Russian national team, Kemerovo Roman Geizil. The latter did not keep his goal “dry” for long. In the fifth minute, the strongest player in the world of bandy, Mikhail Sveshnikov, equalized the score, and after another seven minutes, Evgeniy Ivanushkin brought the Moscow team ahead.
The Kemerovo residents were unable to recover from such a blow. Before the end of the first half, the capital's hockey players scored three more times - Denis Cheremnykh and Swedish midfielder Markus Bergwall (twice) silenced the Kemerovo stadium. However, the silence did not last long. At the break, Kuzbass fans saw off their team with whistles, and the head coach of the Siberians, Sergei Myaus, had no choice but to send his substitutes to warm up behind the goal.
The 15-minute break did not benefit the hosts. Dynamo continued to create dangerous chances at the Kemerovo goal one after another, and seven minutes after the break Bergval scored a hat-trick. It is curious that only with the score 6:1 in favor of the guests did Dynamo and the Russian national team forwards Sergei Obukhov and Sergei Lomanov, who played in front of the eyes of his father, the legendary forward of the USSR national team Sergei Lomanov Sr., come out of the shadows. The Muscovites calmly brought the matter to a victory with a score of 11:5.
“Kuzbass was a serious irritant for our team,” Andrei Nuzhdinov said after the match. “We were well prepared for the game and were able to convert our chances in the first half.” He treated the feelings of the Kemerovo fans with understanding, noting that, despite his team’s confident victory, he believed that “Kuzbass” was quite capable of successfully finishing the championship. “I’m not writing off the Kemerovo residents as candidates for gold medals,” he encouraged the hosts.
“We lost to the Dynamo club in all components of hockey,” admitted Sergei Myaus, in turn. — The Muscovites were more mobile and showed a championship game; it is difficult for any team to compete with them on equal terms. But I hope that in the next rounds we will be able to show a higher level of play.”
Having won the third victory in a row, Dynamo topped the standings together with Zorkiy near Moscow with 36 points. Kuzbass has 33 points left.
Maxim Grushev, Kemerovo

Kommersant (Novosibirsk) No. 30 dated 02/22/2008, p. 15

Dynamo put Kuzbass in its place