South Ural hockey teams will compete for the Kharlamov Cup

“Steel Foxes” from Magnitogorsk and “Polar Bears” from Chelyabinsk advanced to the next round of the MHL championship. This was reported by the press service of the League.

The regular season is coming to an end. Teams from the Chelyabinsk region will have to play a few more games before the start of the playoffs.

The Magnitogorsk team occupies the third line of the gold division of the East conference. A place in the playoffs “Steel Foxes” guaranteed themselves ahead of schedule, back in mid-February.

According to the JHL, the Steel Foxes are the only team in the East Conference who have participated in every playoff draw of the Kharlamov Cup.

Throughout its history, Magnitogorsk has reached the Cup final several times. So, in the 2009/2010 season, the Foxes won the main trophy of the MHL – the Kharlamov Cup. The following year they also played in the final, but lost the series to the Red Army. After that, they won the bronze medals of the championship. But in subsequent years, the team failed to advance beyond the second round. They were also eliminated in the second round last season.

The team from Chelyabinsk “Polar Bears” also guaranteed themselves participation in the playoffs. They are currently in fifth place in the Golden Division of the Eastern Conference.

According to experts, if Chelyabinsk also remains in fifth place, then in the first round of the playoffs they will play with a team that is in fourth place. Currently it is “Mammoths of Yugra”.

In the entire history of the MHL, the Polar Bears have become bronze medalists three times. The team played in the semi-finals. Note that last season the “black and white” did not qualify for the playoffs.

The playoff calendar is yet to be announced.