I. Metshin and veterans of the “Ak Bars” played in the match-opening of a new hockey box

(KZN.RU, December 22, Mikhail Chentsov). A new hockey box appeared on the territory of gymnasium №4 in the Kirovsky district of Kazan. The teams “Berket" (the school №70) and “Zarechie” (the gymnasium №4) went on the ice first and held a friendly opening match. Ilsur Metshin, the Mayor of Kazan, Sergey Mironov, the head of the Kirovsky and Moskovsky districts’ administration, the masters of sports of the USSR, the veterans of the Kazan hockey club “Ak Bars” Rafik Yakubov, Andrey Pisarev, Azat Vafin, and Ravil Fazleev took part in the game along with the children.

Despite the cold, an impressive squad of fans gathered to watch an ice hockey match. To ensure that the audience didn’t get cold, a food court was set up near the site, where everyone could enjoy pastries, porridge, and hot tea. Before the match, Ilsur Metshin addressed the audience with a welcoming speech. “We open a hockey box in a good place and believe that new names will come out from this site that will glorify Tatarstan and Kazan hockey. I congratulate everyone and wish that there will always be a lot of hockey and figure skating fans”, said the Mayor of Kazan.

Earlier the hockey box was already located on the territory of the gymnasium. However, its characteristics didn’t allow holding competitions. Ilsur Metshin instructed to re-equip the site in accordance with the standards. In total, 78 modern plastic hockey boxes function in Kazan. For today, ice is poured into 46 of them. The rest of the work has not yet been completed.

The match has a lot of goals. Each team sought to win despite the friendly status of the fight. As a result, the hockey players of “Berket” scored the decisive puck in the last seconds of the game and won with the score 8:7. Ilsur Metshin, playing as the left forward in the winner team, made a double strike.

The best players of the meeting were Batyr Kakharov (“Zarechie”) and Nikita Mutagarov (“Berket”). Nikita Mutagarov noted that the new site is comfortable, and he will remember the match for a long time. “I liked it, there was a very cool atmosphere, I played with the Mayor of Kazan himself. The new site is very comfortable, the ice is good”, he said after the game.

Andrey Pisarev, a veteran of the “Ak Bars”, shared his impressions. “We all started on such boxes in the fresh air. The guys played well. Maybe someone will have a chance to get to the “Ak Bars” school”, he said. The teams of the gymnasium №4 and the school №70 take part in the All-Russian tournament of young hockey players “Golden Puck” every year and have a lot of victories.

In conclusion of the hockey holiday, all the children who took part in the opening match received a gift from the hands of Rafik Yakubov, the famous Kazan hockey player.