Valery Bragin, the head coach of the youth national team of Russia, called the victory over the Canadians a present for the New Year. He noted that on the eve of the meeting the team experienced a certain excitement.
“I want to congratulate the whole country with the New Year! We tried to play with dignity, everything turned out - this is a gift to the whole country. I would not say that the game was close to perfect. There are some mistakes in every match. But the team is felt, especially with victories - they unite even more. Configured in a quiet mode. Of course, there was a certain excitement, but the rivals were dismantled, suggested how to play correctly, and it worked out in segments. In the last two minutes, they played calmly, in such situations, the main thing is composure, ”the press-service of the Federation of Hockey of Russia quotes Bragin.
The match between Russia and Canada was notable for simulations by the ice masters, which did not go unnoticed by the mentor of the Russian youth team.
“We had a difficult game yesterday, and the Canadians rested, so there were concerns about the third period, but they left the situation decently. Canadians pretend from the first game. Perhaps they have a certain task. Any poke - they fall ", - quotes a specialist Sport24.
One of these episodes happened to the captains of two teams of Klim Kostin and Max Komtua. A Canadian player fell on the ice after Kostin’s push, for which he was removed by two minutes. Russian hockey player compared his actions with the behavior of a football player Neymar, known for his simulations during the games.
“He worked in a circus in a past life, you did not know? He switched to hockey, but circus habits remained. He probably beat football in the summer. I don’t know, maybe Neymar’s best friend, ”said Kostin on Match TV.
Pavel Shen, who scored the winning goal, was declared the best player of the match. He admitted that he tried not to be distracted by the congratulations on the New Year from Russia in order to prepare for the game.
“Canadians always provoke, but we talked before the game, did not want to give up. The goalkeeper is a young man, he pulled out a lot. After my goal I didn’t think about emotions. It is clear that there was a stir before this match, but this is only a group stage, all the most important is ahead. Of course, four wins out of four give confidence. We added with each game. For us, the game with Canada was very important, in Russia at that time the New Year came, I wanted to give a holiday to our fans. I did not pay attention to the messages before the game. The Russians are celebrating, and we are preparing for the game, ”said Shen.
Forward Grigory Denisenko, who scored the first goal in the composition of the Russians, noted the atmosphere in the stands of Roger Arena and told how the team celebrates the New Year.
“Canada - Russia is a confrontation since 1972, all were tuned in combat. The guys - thugs. When you score Canadians in Canada and everyone is silent, it will be remembered for a long time, very pleasant emotions. But this is only a group stage, the most important thing is to come. Not all the forces have spilled, there are still good matches ahead, where it will be necessary to beat to the end. We do not care with whom to continue to play. How will we celebrate the New Year? Yes, just drink a glass of juice and everything, we will not have champagne. I would like from the team to congratulate all Russians on the New Year, ”said Denisenko.
Forward Vasiliy Podkolzin noted that the match was emotional, but this did not prevent the Russian team from coping with the Canadians in the group stage meeting.
“We played very strictly in defense - maybe, except for a couple of moments when the goalkeeper dragged us. Acclimatization quickly passed to the stands, to refereeing, and we began to play, as always we play. And Canadians - I'm not the first time playing against them. Of course, higher speed, but I did not notice much difference. Tomorrow we need to rest, recover a little, emotionally and physically, and we will prepare for the match with Slovakia. A very emotional day, especially the New Year - in Russia has already come, now it will come. It’s good that we left the match with positive emotions, ”said the forward.
Denisenko, who gave the scoring pass, Vitaly Kravtsov said that the team was trying to win not because of the holiday, but for the sake of the country.
“We didn’t play in honor of the holiday, but it’s good for our country that it was an opportunity to give people a little joy,” said the forward.