Magnus Hellberg: "We showed character to save the match in the third period"

HC SKA goalkeeper Magnus Hellberg:

- It was a tough game, we knew that they have some good offensive skills. We understood that it wasn't going to be an easy match, they were fighting to prolong their season. Nevertheless, after they scored twice in the third period, we showed real character to come back and score a huge goal. It's a really nice win, I'm happy.

- What can you say about the two quickfire Dinamo Minsk goals at the start of the third period?

- Their player tricked me for their equaliser, it wasn't the best goal for me to concede. The third goal was then scored on a good chance. They had some momentum at that point, but we managed to come back.

- This was your first appearance in the Gagarin Cup playoffs this season. How difficult was it for you?

- You always have to be ready. Alexander Samonov and I both want to play games, and if you want to go forward in the playoffs, you must have two goalkeepers who can step up for the team. I was just happy to play today. I'll analyse my performance.

- What needs to be done before playing against Dynamo Moscow in the next phase of the competition?

- All of our games with Dynamo Moscow this year have been really tight. They have a good team, they are solid in defence and have an excellent line with Dmitrij Jaskin, Vadim Shipachyov and Dmitry Kagarlitsky. Those three players are their main threat. However, if we play smartly and well in the defensive zone, we will have a good series. We have a lot of guys who can score.

- Which Dinamo Minsk players can you single out?

- Some of their imports like Shane Prince, Francis Pare and their number 23, Brandon Kozun, are good players. They have some strong guys who can score. Maybe they don't have a lot of shots in all of their matches, but they can take advantage of their opportunities to score goals. Their powerplay was good, but we won the series, so we were better!