Press conference with the headcoaches Ilya Vorobyov and Nikolai Zavarukhin, and the players Vitaly Menshikov and Nikolai Timashov

PRESS CONFERENCE

Ilya Vorobyov, Metallurg head coach:

– Two mistakes cost two goals for us. And also Sibir was good in the defense as well as Sateri in the net. These two mistakes cost the game for us.

– Does the coach have the opportunity to influence the course of the game through technique when the team's physical condition is not at the top? Or do you rely only on the character?

– There is a possibility. We need to score. When you don't score, no matter how hard you and the guys were trying, it's hard to win anyway.

– Your team made 32 shots. Don't you think that tonight the quantity didn't turn into quantity?

– No, I don't think so. There were chances, but Sateri played well.

– We understand that you try not to voice information about the players' team, but sometimes Sergey Plotnikov is seeming to be slightly unwell. In recent games he doesn't look like himself.

– Sergey has been playing for 25 minutes for a month now, both as a center-forward and as whoever you want, in shorthanded play and in power play. The guys are very loaded.. It is also should be noted. Today Yurov got fever Actually he has already gone through COVID, so we hope that it's just a cold.

– Even though Artem Zagidulin tonight went to the bench, he managed to do a very important thing – he initiated the request, which worked. Did you have a wish to return him in the net in the third period after the break?

– No, I didn't. The team needed impulse and this change was this impulse.

– Alexander Golts missed the game tonight. Why?

– Well, can you guess at once? All the same.

Nikolai Zavarukhin, Sibir head coach:

– I would like to thank the guys for a good game, they fulfilled the game aim, and did exactly what we asked them to do – play only in defense. We wanted to play more actively in the second period, but sometimes it might not work out. We scored good goals and played great defensively. The goalkeeper helped us today as well as defensmen. We understood that Magnitogorsk has certain problems, knew about it, and discussed. Of course, today we saw good short-handed play.

– Did the canceled goal upset Mikhail Romaev? His play seemed a little fuzzy after that.

No. Maybe one or two shifts after that the team started to play bad hockey but then I said that they should play until the very end, no matter if goals are canceled. The judges know better to wash out a goal or not.

– After a good game against Barys Nikita Shashkov wasn't in the line up tonight/ Why?

– He's got a microtrauma. We hope that he will be okay for the next game. We'll see if there are any problems.

– Harry Sateri on the jump turned into himself in the last season after Jari Kaarela's leaving. Should we look for a hidden meaning or it is just a coincidence that peak of his shape is right now?

– I don't want to discuss who left or when. We have a lot of games, I knew and I know that Harry is a good goalkeeper.

– Timur Akhiyarov has returned, when should we expect to see him on the ice?

– Yes, he's with the team. He was in the Supreme League, now we plan to give him a chance in the next games. We'll watch him training and decide how to do it.

***

Vitaly Menshikov, Metallurg defender:

– Of course, it's a shame that I lost my first game with Magnitogorsk. But Sibir obviously outplayed us in the first period, kept us in our zone. We had to turn the game into an attack, to wide and stretch the attacking zone. In the second and in the third period, you saw that the situation changed. But we couldn't score anyway. I think it would have been different if we'd scored.

– Did the you share Sibir's hints with your teammates before the game? Did it help?

– Well, we lost, so it didn't help. Of course, we discuses and I told some nuances to the guys. From my point of view, I share the losses of Sibir But everyone saw the score. And it is interesting that I made my debut against Sibir. Funny story: I gathered my family and loaded them into a car to carry them to Chelyabinsk. And then an agent called and sent me to Magnitogorsk. I came here right away through Chelyabinsk and then was told that I was to play the next game. So it happened.

– Did you experience any difficulty because you had lack of practice on the ice?

– Indeed, I wasn't skating for 9 days and also I played right after travelling. But it doesn't matter. I'm a professional. I skated yesterday. Today, of course, in the first period it was difficult to join the game. My last game was against Avangard on the 10th. So I had a break more than 2 weeks. In the first period, I tried to play as simple as possible, make short shifts. From the second period I felt more or less confident.

– Sibir had an outbreak of COVID-19 when you returned from Magnitogorsk from Romazan Memorial Tournament. If it is not a secret, have you already gone through it?

– No, I haven't. I try to keep my immune system sound, do not go out in drafts and dress warmly, I always wear a hat, a scarf. This is a situation where you need to take care of your health.

– Do you have to change and adapt your style of game to Metallurg?

– Yes, indeed, the style of play is different. Here the defensmen work more, do not throw the puck from themselves, do not throw into the boards, keep the puck more and give direct passes. For this game, I realized this, I will act like this. This is not new to me. I played in both Avangard and Dynamo, and they have almost the same scheme. When I moved from Sibir to Avangard five years ago, it was hard for me to change. It took me three or four games to adapt. And now, I think, there will be no problems.

***

Nikolai Timashov, Sibir defender:

– Good game of the both teams. We played a more defensive game. We tried to fulfilled the game aim as much as possible, and almost everything worked out.

– Sibir can play the score. Is it the style of the team or a situation in one game?

– I believe that we focused on it. We knew that any team will run to win back with two or three players. We saw that, so we planned the game this way. On the other hand, our team really has such a trademark. If the score difference is not big, we win. If it is small, then we act more defensively.

– Does Sateri share his confidence with the defensmen?

– Of course, we depend on each other. He started to feel more confident because we started to play better. At the beginning of the season, not only he had problems, but also the defense line was not so good. Accordingly, he got confidence and charged us with it. Team work!