Athletistic/Hockey. One of the most popular sports is hockey. The most important competition in Europe can be called the Continental Hockey League (KHL). Most Russian teams take part in it. However, the league’s geography is not limited to Russia. The KHL also includes teams from other countries. One of them is Kazakhstan. In the league’s Eastern Conference, the Barys hockey club from Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, plays. Athletistic visited this wonderful city and the match between Barys and Amur, which took place on Saturday, November 19. It started at 5:00 p.m. local time (2:00 p.m. Moscow time). It should be noted that the Bars, a symbol of the local hockey club, meet people as soon as they arrive in the city. We saw such an animal on the fourth floor of Nurly Zhol station in Astana. There is also a club shop.
In Astana, the two main sports facilities are located on Turan Avenue, located in the Yesil district. On one side of the street is the Astana Arena, where local football club Astana plays. Surely many people remember the disqualified Russian coach Andrei Tikhonov. On the other side you can see hockey “Barys Arena”.
As for the purchase of tickets, they can be purchased on the official website of “Barys” after registration. A ticket for a match with “Amur” on a day off and for places like in the photo below costs 4,000 tenge (about 529 rubles). Also, when registering, a bonus of 500 tenge is given. If you wish, you can use it immediately and thus reduce the ticket price. In addition to good visibility, it can be noted that the Barys Arena has very comfortable and soft seats.
It is unlikely that it will be possible to pay via a Russian bank card. Card payment from the MIR payment system is not provided in principle, and when trying to pay with Visa and Mastercard cards from Russian banks, an error occurs. Therefore, it is worth looking for a person with a Visa or Mastercard from a bank in another country, or you can buy tickets at the stadium box office, including cash. This is probably the only negative point found.
The Barys Arena device is very practical. At the entrance there are metal detectors and inspection, which are passed quite quickly, then you need to go through the turnstile, attaching the ticket barcode. In general, there were a lot of police in and around the arena. This was due to the fact that presidential elections in the Republic of Kazakhstan were scheduled for the following day, November 20. There is a changing room on the ground floor of the arena, but most people prefer to take their jackets with them to the stands. Then, using a convenient elevator, you can either go up to the third floor, where the first level is, or even higher to the second level. Upstairs, there is everything necessary for fans – stores of club merchandise, buffets with hot dogs and other goodies, toilets, as well as an entertainment program.
If we talk about the match itself, it turned out quite interesting. Towards the end of the first half, the Kazakh team got the majority and managed to convert it. Ansar Shaikhmeddenov became the author of the puck. A minute later, Sergei Dubakin equalized. He also converted the majority. At the start of the second period, “Cupidon” took the lead thanks to the puck from Jan Drozg. For a long time, there were no dropped pucks. At the same time, Barys managed to create plenty of dangerous moments. However, Andrei Skabelka’s wards were often unlucky – the puck hit the post, and then the defenders of the Russian team. Towards the end of the game, “Cupid” scored the third goal, hitting the opponent’s already empty net. Its author was Alexander Sharov. At the same time, for some time it was not possible to score the puck – the players of “Barys” desperately defended their gates and covered the shots, but Sharov still managed to knock on the gate of the opponent by spinning the puck.
The capacity of the Barys Arena is 12,000 people. The match brought together 6126 spectators. And the very serious love of local residents for hockey was visible. Fans of “Barys” have always supported their team, were not indifferent to any episode. The reaction to the Astana team’s goalkeeper save was so strong that not all arenas react like this to their team’s dropped puck. During the stops, all the stands applauded to the rhythm of the music. Although many left that day unsatisfied, at the time of this writing we know the team has improved. On Monday, November 21, Andrei Skabelka’s wards defeated Salavat Yulaev with the score 4:1.
Match “Barys”, visited by us, left only the most positive emotions. The atmosphere that reigned at the Barys Arena inspires great things and encourages us to believe in the best. I would also like to congratulate all the employees of the club and the arena and the city as a whole for the brilliant organization of the matches and their visits for the supporters. There was no discomfort during the match.
Barys is an important club for the KHL. I would like the Astana team and Kazakh hockey in general to continue to flourish.
Yaroslav Pyatikh, Athletistic
Subscribe to Athletistic:
Source: Sport
I am Sandra Jackson, a journalist and content creator with extensive experience in the news industry. I have been working in the news media for over five years. During this time, I have worked as an author and editor at various outlets producing high-quality content that attracts readers from different demographics.
