08.12 Varlamov Should Reunite With Domestic Abuse Accuser - Kovalchuk

MOSCOW, December 8 (R-Sport) - Colorado Avalanche goaltender Semyon Varlamov should patch things up with his ex-girlfriend despite her being his accuser in an ongoing domestic abuse case, his fellow Russian hockey star Ilya Kovalchuk has said.

Varlamov was charged last month in Denver with a count of third-degree assault after his girlfriend Yevgeniya Vavrinyuk alleged he knocked her to the ground, stomped on her chest and dragged her by the hair during an argument last month.

Varlamov is awaiting trial and his ex-girlfriend has a restraining order against him.

“I hope to God it all pans out well and maybe he can somehow reach an agreement with his princess and finally she’d be given a green card, which she really wants,” Kovalchuk said.

The Colorado Avalanche netminder, 25, is widely expected to feature on the Russian roster for February’s Olympics in Sochi alongside Kovalchuk, who left the New Jersey Devils in the summer to return to Russia with SKA St. Petersburg.

Russia’s hockey stars “are all supporting” Varlamov, Kovalchuk said.