SAINT PETERSBURG, Russia (Interstat) — Ruslan Abrosimov scored the decisive shootout goal Wednesday afternoon, lifting Severstal Cherepovets to a 3-2 victory over SKA Saint Petersburg in a Kontinental Hockey League match at Ice Palace Saint Petersburg.

The win avenged a 3-1 home loss to SKA just two weeks prior and improved Severstal’s record across all competitions to 36 wins and 22 losses. SKA’s record moved to 24 wins, 23 losses and one tie.

Alexander Samoilov made 27 saves through overtime for Severstal and stopped all attempts in the shootout to secure the win. His counterpart, Artemy Pleshkov, made 27 saves on 29 shots for SKA but was ultimately tagged with the shootout loss.

The game unfolded as a tight, back-and-forth affair, closely mirroring the pregame projection from Interstat, which had simulated a 3-2 Severstal victory. That outcome defied the same service’s ELO rating system, which had given SKA a 54.2 percent probability to win on home ice.

Severstal opened the scoring midway through the first period. Alexander Skorenov netted his 17th goal of the season at the 7:38 mark, with assists from Ioannis Kaldis and Mikhail Ilyin. The visitors capitalized on a penalty to SKA’s Scott Wilson for slashing later in the period, though they did not score on the ensuing power play.

SKA responded in the second period to tie the game. Nikolai Goldobin scored his 14th goal at 26:36, assisted by Sergei Plotnikov and defenseman Sergei Sapego. The tie was short-lived, as Severstal reclaimed the lead just over four minutes later. Abrosimov scored his team-leading 23rd goal at 30:41, with Ilya Reingardt and Vladimir Grudinin earning the assists.

Holding a 2-1 lead entering the final minutes of the third period, Severstal appeared poised for a regulation win. SKA, however, pulled Pleshkov for an extra attacker and found the equalizer with just 15 seconds remaining in regulation. Matvei Polyakov pounced on a rebound to score his 13th goal, assisted by Matvei Korotky and Wilson, sending the game to overtime.

After a scoreless five-minute overtime period, the contest proceeded to a shootout, where Abrosimov provided the only conversion to seal the extra point for the visiting team.

Key performances for Severstal included Abrosimov’s goal, three shots, and two penalty minutes, while Skorenov added a goal and three shots. Samoilov was steady in net, matching Pleshkov save for save. For SKA, Polyakov’s late goal forced overtime, Korotky recorded an assist and a game-high seven hits, and Goldobin contributed a goal.

The victory extends Severstal’s recent strong form, having won three of their last four games. They continue a road trip Friday at Traktor Chelyabinsk before visiting Barys Astana on Sunday and Metallurg Magnitogorsk next Tuesday.

SKA, which had won three straight coming into the game, looks to rebound at home Saturday against CSKA Moscow. The two teams are scheduled to meet again in Saint Petersburg on March 13.