Penza, 25 December 2014. PenzaNews. Home match between club “Diesel” and team “Kaztsink-Torpedo,” which was in jeopardy due to the strike declared by Penza hockey players based on non-payment, started in sports and entertainment complex “Diesel Arena” at 19.00 on Thursday, December 25.

Only five players of the regular team are involved in the game — Evgeny Rybnitsky, Alexei Surovegin, Nikita Kryskin, Artem Pugolovkin and Vladimir Peshekhonov, others — the representatives of youth team “Dizelist.”

The first of the hosts to take part in the game is Alexei Surovegin, Nikita Kryskin, Evgeny Rybnik, Artem Pugolovkin, Vladimir Peshekhonov and Denis Belov.

“Diesel” opened the score by Alexander Tarasov.

Currently the game continues.

As PenzaNews agency reported earlier, this past Tuesday, December 23, after a home game against Angarsk “Ermak,” Penza team captain Evgeny Chesalin went onto the ice of sports and entertainment complex “Diesel Arena” and appealed to the fans.

He explained that the low efficiency of Penza players is due to the fact that there is a 2,5-month wage debt to the team and the coaching staff.

Evgeny Chesalin also announced about the strike. The players are not going to take part in VHL championships as long as they do not pay the money required.

The wage debt was confirmed by Andrei Sidorenko, head coach of Penza club “Diesel,” during the press conference.

According to him, Penza has excellent conditions and opportunities, but “somehow what is visible is hockey retrogression.”

On the same day, pre-investigation on the fact of non-payment to players began.