Kulager (hockey club)

The Kulager Hockey Club LLP from Petropavlovsk was officially formed on May 13, 2015 on the initiative of the akim of the North Kazakhstan region, Erik Khamzinovich Sultanov .

The club director is Marat Murzabayevich Sharipov.

Deputy Director - Roman Rubenovich Arakelov.

The team coaching staff includes Oleg Gushchin, Alexander Troitsky and Sergey Silantyev. The OFP trainer is Vitaly Didenko , a multiple world weight-lifting champion from Petropavlovsk. The team has both legionaries and students of Kazakhstan and, in particular, of the Peter and Paul hockey.

In the summer of 2015, the Petropavlovsk team took part in the pre-season Victory Cup tournament, which was held from 6 to 10 August in Kokshetau. The teams "Arlan" in Kokshetau , "Miner" in Ore , HK Temirtau, HK Astana and Kulager took part in the competition. Having confident victories over all four rivals, Kulager won the prestigious trophy, which was the first in the team for the team.

Next, the team performed in the drawing of the second most important national tournament - the Cup of Kazakhstan. Having won two victories in four matches of the group stage, our team, unfortunately, could not reach the final of the tournament.

In September 2015, Kulager, for the first time in its history, started in the main national tournament - the Open Championship of the Republic of Kazakhstan. At first, the results of our team were not too impressive. Due to the succession of injuries and constant traveling, the Peter and Paul team was at the bottom of the standings for two months.

However, at the end of October 2015, the long-awaited opening of the Palace of Sports took place in Petropavlovsk, and Kulager finally found its home. After that, the performance of our team went up sharply. Before New Year, Vyacheslav Belan’s wards won a number of victories over their principled rivals and leveled their standings by getting to the top of the standings. According to the results of the regular championship, “Kulager” took third place altogether, which guaranteed our team the advantage of their field in the first round of the playoffs.

At the ¼ final stage, the Petropavlovsk team agreed with the farm club of Karaganda “Saryharka” hockey club “Temirtau”. In this series to three victories "Kulager" managed for the minimum number of matches. And in two of the three meetings won, our team kept its goal intact.

At the stage of the semi-final, Kuleger was confronted by the double champion of Kazakhstan, Beybarys from Atyrau. In this series, the West Kazakhstan team was stronger. However, the Kulager still guaranteed itself Bronze Bronze Medals. And it happened in the first year of the team.

In the summer of 2016, Kulager once again took part in the Cup of Kazakhstan. The performance of our team in the group stage of the tournament can be called successful. Awarded four consecutive victories over all rivals, so that the team reached the final of the Cup. It should be noted that in two out of four fights in the group stage, “Kulager” won “dry” victories.

In the final our team met with Pavlodar "Irtysh". For a long time, Pavlodar people led in the long run due to the puck abandoned in the first period. However, the last minute of the meeting turned the course of the fight on its head. First, 24 seconds before the end of the third period, Anatoly Vasilyev equalized. And just a second before the siren, Ilya Akhmetov scored the second puck at the Irtysh gate and brought Kulager the title of RK Cup 2016 winner. It is worth noting that our goalkeeper Andrei Yankov was recognized as the best goalkeeper of the tournament.

Throughout the regular championship, Kulager was in the middle of the standings. As a result, our team finished fifth in the regular season. The rival of the Petropavlovsk team in the quarter finals was the well-known Pavlodar Irtysh. The team from the banks of the Irtysh confidently began the series to three victories, having won two victories in home games. However, Kulager responded to this with his two victories in Petropavlovsk. Thus, the winner of this series was determined in the final fifth match in Pavlodar. The victory with a minimum score of 1: 0 in this game was won by Irtysh. And the wards of Vyacheslav Belan finished the season at the stage of the first round of the playoffs.

It is worth noting that during the last season, the Kulager players in the national team of Kazakhstan played at various international tournaments. So, defender Alexander Nurek in the student team of the republic became the silver winner of the World Winter Universiade, held in Almaty. And strikers Maxim Volkov and Ilgiz Nuriev in the national team of Kazakhstan became the winners of the hockey tournament at the Asian Games in Sapporo.

From August 19 to August 27 in Kokshetau and Pavlodar there was a draw of the Republic of Kazakhstan Cup in ice hockey. Petropavlovsk "Kulager" got into group B, where "Arlan" from Kokshetau, HK "Temirtau", HK "Astana" and "Gornyak" from Rudny fought for entering the final part of the competition. Having won three victories in the preliminary stage and having lost only two points, Kulager won the first place in their group and for the second year in a row reached the Cup final.

In the final match, our team was confronted by the repeated champion of Kazakhstan, Beybarys from Atyrau. The main meeting time ended with the score 2: 2. And in the third minute of overtime, the victory of our team was brought by an accurate throw by the defender Sergey Kopylts. Thus, “Kulager” already in the third year of the team’s existence became the two-time winner of the RK Cup.

It should be noted that according to the results of the tournament, the defender of our team, Daniel Vasilyev, was recognized as the best young player of the Cup. Kulager forward Denis Stasyuk, who scored 5 goals in 5 matches, became one of the best snipers in the tournament. And the defender of the Petropavlovsk team, Vitaly Andreikiv, with a utility rating of +9, became the most useful player of the Cup.

According to the results of the regular championship 2017-2018, Kulager took the third place, passing ahead only the current champion of the country, Nomad from Astana, and Arlan from Kokshetau. At the stage of the finals, the Petropavlovsk team came together with Beybarys from Atyrau.

The series turned out the most spectacular and lingering among all the quarterfinal series. Her winner was determined only in the seventh match. Unfortunately, the Atyrau team went further. And “Kulager” for the second season in a row stopped its performance in the decisive match of the ¼ final.

It is worth noting that forward Stanislav Loginov, who moved to Kulager in the course of the season from Astana, became the best scorer of the OCNR.

Kazakhstan Championship

• 03!   Bronze OFM (2): 2015/2016, 2018/2019

Kazakhstan Cup

•   Holder (2): 2016 , 2017