Chelmet Chelyabinsk — CSK VVS: 4:5, VHL

CSK VVS came away with a 5:4 victory over Chelmet Chelyabinsk in the Higher Hockey League on Wednesday. The match finished with the visitors taking all three points in what proved to be a closely contested affair between two sides still finding their feet at the start of the season.

Both teams sat at the bottom of the standings with 0 points from their opening fixtures, so this result shifted the balance considerably. Chelmet had played eight games while CSK VVS had eleven, meaning the visitors had simply been through more of the early grind before this one.

Chelmet's recent run showed flashes of promise alongside the struggles. They had beaten Zvezda Moscow 2:1 on the 22nd before losing three of their last four, including a heavy 0:6 defeat to Khimik on the 24th. CSK VVS had enjoyed a 6:4 win over Perm on the 21st but followed it with back-to-back 0:3 losses to Magritka and Orsk.

And here's the thing — the prediction we'd given before the match called for Chelmet to win, with 53 per cent confidence. The forecast didn't materialise. CSK VVS simply refused to let the game slip away when they could have done, and that resilience proved decisive when it mattered.

The result leaves CSK VVS a touch further clear of the basement than Chelmet, though neither side has built any real momentum yet. Eight games down for the hosts and eleven for the visitors, and the table still tells only the early chapters of this season's story.