Roman Rotenberg speaks after beating Sibir in Novosibirsk

HC SKA head coach Roman Rotenberg:

“First of all, I want to note the wonderful support of the Novosibirsk fans here. It’s a dream for any player to compete inside such a fantastic arena with passionate supporters. When we construct such brilliant venues, our ice hockey develops quicker. We can see just how much Novosibirsk loves ice hockey.

“In terms of the game itself, the outcome depended on the first goal. We made a lot of changes following our previous game, altering a lot of the details of our approach. Yegor Zavragin, who is from Novosibirsk and had his parents in the stands today, was excellent in our net. I would like to thank Yegor and our entire team for the character and commitment shown. Our team spirit is there, we fought hard to achieve the desired result and we managed to do it.

“What did we change? Our forwards tracked back more effectively; just like many other KHL teams, Sibir like to try and catch us on the counter. When the playoffs begin next year, all of our opponents will play like this against us. Our players need to be ready and we have to play with a balanced line-up. Unfortunately, Zakhar Bardakov picked up an injury today and Nikita Zaitsev was already out with a problem of his own.

“We took Ivan Demidov out for the third period? Ivan is developing really well at the moment, he’s progressing with every passing game. However, in order to find the right balance today, we made that particular call. If there won’t be any more injury issues, we will continue to play with these line formations. We’re always open to communication, in the summer we held a two-hour Zoom call with the management of the Montreal Canadiens. We are always developing.

“Information has appeared suggesting that the Hartwall Arena in Helsinki has been sold? I can confirm this information. At the same time, I can honestly say that it was our own desire to do this and consequently assist our colleagues. Taking into account the current situation, we will never see the money from this sale. Hopefully, if the sanctions are eventually lifted, there will be chance that we’ll see the money. We will believe that changes will occur.

“Am I in contact with people from Finland as well as Canada? I’ve lived in different countries and have contact with a lot of people. Communication is the key to success in life. I won’t mention any names, because I don’t want sanctions to be imposed on them. You would be surprised if I told you who I am in contact with.

“Did the losing streak apply pressure on our team? We’ve had many challenging situations, but the key to overcoming them is to improve the details of our approach, psychological state, spirit and character. We had serious conversations as a team following certain games, however no fights ever took place; I don’t know who decided to create this rumour. We have a positive atmosphere within our group.”