Overtime Again, Victory Again! Menell Lifts Dragons Past Dinamo Minsk
For the second time in three games, the Shanghai Dragons needed overtime.
For the second time, they found a way to win.
Brennan Menell scored 1:53 into overtime after Dmitrij Jaskin forced extra time with a late 6-on-5 goal, lifting the Dragons to a dramatic 4–3 victory over Dinamo Minsk at Minsk Arena on Thursday night.
Following the loss in Yaroslavl, Mitch Love and his coaching staff made their first adjustments to the forward lines. David Chen moved alongside Nick Petan and Jaskin, while Nikita Alexandrov joined Vladislav Barulin and Mikhail Kotlyarevsky. Sergei Boikov entered the lineup on defense, while Pavel Khomchenko made his first regular-season start in net.
Early Punch, Quick Recovery
The opening minute may have given Love an unwelcome sense of déjà vu.
Minsk. Cedric Paquette? No — Sam Enas. First shot. First minute. Goal.
Just 23 seconds into the game, Enas converted a setup from Chukhrayev and Smith to give Dinamo an immediate 1–0 lead.
The hosts smelled an opportunity and kept coming, putting Shanghai under heavy pressure in the minutes that followed.
Khomchenko, however, refused to let the early goal define his night.
The Dragons goaltender settled in quickly and made several difficult saves as Minsk generated a steady stream of chances. Shanghai weathered the storm, stayed within one and eventually found its response late in the period.
At 17:49, Alexandrov spotted Nick Cicek jumping into the play. The defenseman stepped into the feed and fired it past Vasily Demchenko in one motion.
1–1 after 20.
Post Denies Alexandrov
Shanghai began the second period shorthanded, forcing Khomchenko straight back to work after he had already made several key saves before the first intermission.
The Dragons killed the penalty — and nearly took the lead immediately afterward.
Alexandrov found himself with a glorious opportunity around the crease and fired the rebound off the post.
Minsk went right back the other way and nearly scored itself.
The message was clear: neither team had much interest in sitting back.
Murray Makes Minsk Pay
At the 26-minute mark, former Dragons defenseman Jake Bischoff delivered a hit on Brett Murray in the neutral zone and was sent to the penalty box.
Murray provided the response on the scoreboard.
Vladimir Kuznetsov fired the puck toward the net, and Murray battled through traffic around the crease to finish the play at 27:19.
2–1 Dragons.
Minsk immediately raised the tempo and began applying sustained pressure on Khomchenko’s net.
Shanghai held firm at even strength, but Dinamo eventually found its equalizer on the power play. Sergei Kuznetsov converted at 35:36 off a setup from Enas and Smith to make it 2–2.
Things became even more complicated for Shanghai late in the period when Calen Addison was assessed a four-minute double minor for high-sticking.
Jaskin Forces Overtime
The Dragons killed almost the entire penalty to begin the third.
Almost.
Just 54 seconds into the period, an unpredictable deflection off a Shanghai stick redirected the puck into the net, with Chris Tierney credited for the power-play goal that gave Minsk a 3–2 lead.
Shanghai had an immediate opportunity to respond when Dinamo was assessed a four-minute penalty of its own, but the Dragons couldn’t capitalize.
With the lead, Minsk became more conservative. Shanghai was allowed more possession, but the hosts remained dangerous in transition and kept the Dragons’ defense from taking unnecessary risks.
As the clock wound down, Shanghai had no choice but to push.
Khomchenko went to the bench for the extra attacker.
And the captain delivered.
At 57:13, Petan and Menell helped work the puck to Jaskin, who buried the 6-on-5 equalizer to make it 3–3 and send the Dragons to overtime for the second time in three games.
Menell Ends It
Shanghai didn’t need much time to finish the job.
Jaskin, having already rescued a point in regulation, created the decisive play in overtime.
The captain found Menell with room to attack, and the defenseman made no mistake, beating Demchenko at 61:53 to complete another road comeback.
4–3 Dragons.
Jaskin finished with the game-tying goal and the primary assist on the overtime winner, while Menell recorded a goal and an assist — giving him points on both of Shanghai’s final two goals.
Khomchenko earned the victory in his first regular-season start after recovering from a goal on the game’s opening shot and delivering a composed performance under sustained pressure.
Three road games. Two overtime wins.
The Dragons now head back to St. Petersburg, where they will face SKA on September 15.
KHL Regular Season 2026–27
Dinamo Minsk – Shanghai Dragons 3–4 OT (1–1, 1–1, 1–1, 0–1)
September 10 | Minsk, Minsk Arena | Attendance: 15,086
Goaltenders: Demchenko – Khomchenko
Scoring Summary
1–0 — Anas (Chukhrayev, Smith) — 00:23
1–1 — Cicek (Alexandrov) — 17:49
1–2 — Murray (V. Kuznetsov, Addison) — 27:19 PP
2–2 — S. Kuznetsov (Anas, Smith) — 35:36 PP
3–2 — Tierney (Aube-Kubel, Smith) — 40:54 PP
3–3 — Jaskin (Petan, Menell) — 57:13, 6-on-5
3–4 — Menell (Jaskin) — 61:53 OTW
Shanghai Dragons Media Relations, Minsk
