The following is the game account by Jim Matheson in today's Edmonton
Journal.
 
        ...The Ukrainians lost 4-2 in their first ever battle with Russia.
        They're 0-3 in the world junior but this was definitely a moral
victory.  Ukraine had a couple of tigers--goalie Igor Karpenko and weird
Igor Yankovitch, a terrific belter on the blue line--and they weren't
about to go into the tank as a team...
        Ukraine had a strong opening 23 minutes battling the Russians to a
2-2 draw and trailing only 10-8 on the shot clock.  After that, Karpenko,
who's as big as a minute but stood on his head for an hour, kept the
rumble from turning into a rout in a very emotional game.  The final
shots: 32-15...
        The Ukrainian fans lowered their yellow and blue flags to half
mast only once--when Russian forwards Vadim Epantichinsev and Igor
Melyakow (with his second of the night) beat Karpenko 12 seconds apart in
the second to make it 4-2...
        Vitali Yachmenev, the OHL's rookie of the year last season in
North Bay, scored the other goal on Karpenko.  Yankovitch, who should be
drafted this June, and Andrei Kuzminsky scored for Ukraine.
 
Arthur Berman  [log in to unmask]