Dinamo Minsk - SKA. Press-conference

HC SKA head coach Valeri Bragin:

- Both teams played well, creating a lot of chances. Our penalties let us down. Minsk equalised and won in overtime.

- Taking into account the performance, it seems that SKA have lost a point today instead of gaining one.

- Yes, I think so.

- What happened in the third frame? SKA dominated during the first two periods.

- We took too many penalties. Tiredness played a role in the closing stages.

- Dinamo Minsk had played on January 3. Did this help them in some way?

- They were in better shape, we hadn't played for six days. They controlled the puck well and created opportunities. We had analysed them before the game started. We were good during the first two periods, but then we ran into penalty trouble.

- Are you missing your players who are at the World Junior Championship now?

- All of our players are of a high level.

- Are you satisfied Magnus Hellberg's performance?

- He had a good match.

HC Dinamo Minsk head coach Craig Woodcroft:

- SKA came out with aggression, they had plenty of motivation. We allowed them too much space in which to create openings. Maybe we showed them too much respect. To be honest, we were lucky not to be behind after the first period, SKA had lots of opportunities. Alexei Kolosov kept us in the game. The same thing happened in the second stanza, but our guys did fight. In the closing stages, SKA seemed to slow down, and this gave us a chance to get back into the match. We stuck to our system in the third period and managed to win.

- Why did you give Alexei Kolosov a chance today in net?

- Despite his age, he is a confident, calm goaltender. He controls himself well and chooses the right positions. We felt that Dominik Furch needed a rest, so Alexei received a chance. All of our goalkeepers are working well. Will Alexei play more? We need to analyse this game and speak. We hope that this match will give him even more confidence.

- How did Adam Almqvist play?

- He played with confidence, it was a good performance. Adam really helped our younger guys.

- Dinamo Minsk have beaten SKA, CSKA and Avangard this season.

- In such matches against really strong opponents, we have proven that we can win if we stick to our system. We are very hungry to win, we compete in a fast manner. Hopefully, we are considered the dark horses this season.

- Since becoming the team captain, has Shane Prince improved?

- I think that Shane has been excellent all season long. He is effective in the attacking zone, while he also helps the defence with his play. Shane plays on both the powerplay and penalty kill.