MINSK, 4 January (BelTA) – The Belarus President's team defeated the IIHF Team 11-3 in the opening match of the 16th Christmas International Amateur Ice Hockey Tournament in Minsk on 3 January, BelTA has learned.
The Belarus President's team seized the initiative in the game in Group A on the big ice rink of the Chizhovka Arena from the very first minutes. Gennady Savilov opened the scoring eight minutes into the game and secured a hat trick by the end of the second period. Aleksandr Lukashenko scored two and made one assist. Dmitry Meleshko and Maksim Slysh also scored two each. Andrei Glebov and Denis Kurdeko added two more.
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Belarus' Sports and Tourism Minister Sergei Kovalchuk awarded the best players of the game, Gennady Savilov (Belarus President's team) and Rauno Parras (IIHF Team), after the final hooter.
On 4 January, the Belarus President's team will face the United States.
On the first day of the Christmas ice hockey tournament Ukraine defeated Switzerland 4-1, the UAE beat China 17-11, and Germany and the Baltics team played in a draw.
Belarus won the tournament 12 times. Russia raised the trophy three times in Minsk.
