Love Earns First Win: Dragons Roll Past HC Sochi

Head coach Mitch Love picked up his first KHL victory in convincing fashion as the Shanghai Dragons skated to a 6–2 road win over HC Sochi on Sunday night.

Shanghai made a few lineup tweaks ahead of the matchup. Troy Josephs returned from injury, some forward combinations were reshuffled — including Nate Sucese moving to the wing — and goaltender Andrei Tikhomirov got the start.

Early changes, early pressure

The Dragons came out flying and immediately tested Sochi goaltender Khomchenko. Kevin Labanc nearly opened the scoring on the first rush, then ripped a wrist shot from the high slot moments later before heading to the penalty box, briefly slowing Shanghai’s momentum. Once the Dragons killed the penalty, Love’s team went right back on the attack, showing cleaner breakouts, quicker puck movement, and noticeably higher pace through the neutral zone.

Two quick strikes — and a big kill

Sochi had a couple of looks of its own, but it was Shanghai that struck first. At 6:08, Josephs finished a 2-on-1 rush with a precise shot to make it 1–0 in his return to the lineup. The pressure continued, and at 13:04 Nick Merkley caught Khomchenko off guard with a sharp point shot through traffic for a 2–0 lead. The Dragons were immediately tested, forced to kill 40 seconds of a 5-on-3 disadvantage, but held firm and went to the intermission with a rare multi-goal lead.

 Offense keeps coming

Sochi converted on an early second-period power play and briefly swung momentum, but the Dragons responded with authority. Josephs tipped in his second of the night at 30:07, and just 21 seconds later Reilly blasted a shot past Khomchenko, prompting a goalie change. The switch didn’t help. Labanc buried a power-play goal midway through the period to stretch the lead to 5–1 and firmly put the game under Shanghai’s control.

Short bench, strong finish

By the third period, the Dragons were down to just four defensemen. Bischoff played only two shifts before leaving the game, and Bryntsev was injured along the boards late in the second. Despite the thin blue line, Shanghai stayed organized, blocked shots, and limited Sochi’s chances. Quinni added another power-play goal at 51:49 to make it 6–1 before the Leopards answered once more. The Dragons closed things out calmly, sealing a dominant performance and Love’s first win behind the bench.

Shanghai will now return home to face HC Sochi again on January 29, kicking off a two-game set in Saint Petersburg.

FONBET KHL Regular Season
HC Sochi – Shanghai Dragons 2–6 (0–2, 1–3, 1–1)

January 26 | Sochi, Bolshoy Ice Dome | Attendance: 3,382
Goaltenders: Khomchenko (Samsonov 32:22) – Tikhomirov

Scoring Summary:

0–1 — Josephs (Rendulic, Wagner) 06:08
0–2 — Merkley (Bryntsev, Labanc) 13:04
1–2 — Popov (Ellis, Nikolayev) 21:47 PPG
1–3 — Josephs (Somerby, Rendulic) 30:07
1–4 — Reilly (Sutter, Sucese) 30:28
1–5 — Labanc (Josephs) 35:15 PPG
1–6 — Quinney (Rendulic, S. Foo) 51:49 PPG
2–6 — Kagarlitsky (Ellis, Nikolayev) 54:18 PPG

Press Office, Shanghai Dragons, Sochi