Dragons Rally Back and Steal the Win in Yaroslavl

YAROSLAVL – Shanghai stuns Lokomotiv with a wild third-period comeback and OT finish.

The Shanghai Dragons closed out their long road swing with a thriller in Yaroslavl, taking down Lokomotiv 4–3 in overtime despite dressing only 11 forwards and seven defensemen. With Austin Wagner unavailable, Alex Burmistrov returned to the lineup, while Patrik Rybar got the start in net.

Lokomotiv strike early

The home crowd barely had time to settle in before Andrei Shalunov opened the scoring just 23 seconds in, snapping a shot off the rush inside the far post for a 1–0 Lokomotiv lead. Yaroslavl immediately pushed for more, peppering Rybar from all angles, but the Dragons weathered the storm and eventually carved out chances of their own. Rendulic nearly tied the game on a one-timer from the high slot, only for Ilya Isaev to flash across with a tremendous stop.

Few chances, tight checking

Shanghai tried to establish more structured, layered pressure in the second period, cycling deep and looking for seams around the net. The best look came off a drive from behind the cage by Reilly, who slipped a perfect feed to the crease – Rendulic was tied up at the last moment. Popugayev also tested Isaev off the faceoff circle, but the Lokomotiv goaltender was dialed in. As the period progressed, Yaroslavl tilted the ice, building speed through the neutral zone and generating sustained O-zone movement. The pressure paid off late when Byron Froese buried a rebound to extend the lead to 2–0 at 37:16.

Everything flips

Lokomotiv pressed hard to put the game out of reach early in the third, but Rybar and the Dragons’ defense held just long enough for momentum to shift. A Shanghai power play cracked the door open: Nick Merkley jumped on a loose puck in the slot, cutting the deficit to 2–1. But just 90 seconds later, the Dragons were burned on an odd-man rush, with Yegor Surin restoring Lokomotiv’s two-goal cushion.

And then the game exploded

Merkley struck again -this time carving his way from behind the net to the crease, powering through traffic and sliding the puck past Isaev for a brilliant individual effort. Suddenly it was 3–2, and Shanghai had life. Moments later, Kevin Labanc threaded a perfect pass to Gage Quinney in tight, and Quinney buried the point-blank finish to tie the game 3–3 with 2:41 left. For the first time since the opening minute, the Dragons were level—and full of momentum.

Overtime belongs to Labanc

Lokomotiv controlled the puck early in OT, hemming Shanghai in for nearly two minutes. But once the Dragons finally gained possession, they needed only one surge. Troy Josephs attacked with speed and fired a low pass across the front of the net, where Labanc feathered a gorgeous redirection past Isaev to complete the comeback. Shanghai bench erupted. Final score: 4–3 Dragons.

The Dragons head back to St. Petersburg, where they’ll host Ak Bars on December 23. Tickets are on sale now.

FONBET KHL Regular Season
Lokomotiv Yaroslavl — Shanghai Dragons — 3—4 OT (1—0, 1—0, 1—3, 0—1)

November 19 | Arena-2000, Yaroslavl | Attendance: 7,844
Goaltenders: Isayev — Rybar

Scoring Summary:

1–0 Shalunov (Kayumov, Polunin) 00:37
2–0 Froese (Bereglazov, Nikolayev) 37:16
2–1 Merkley 42:13 PPG
3–1 Surin (Radulov, Ivanov) 43:45
3–2 Merkley (Somerby) 55:00
3–3 Quinney (Labanc) 57:19
3–4 Labanc (Josephs, Clendening) 62:55 OTW

Press-Office, Shanghai Dragons, Yaroslavl