SKA – Torpedo. Press-conference

HC SKA head coach Roman Rotenberg:

- The fans helped us today with the fantastic atmosphere which they created! They provided us with great energy. It was a tough start for us, we conceded two goals from Torpedo’s first two attempts on target. We made adjustments to our tactical approach and line formations throughout the match. This is an important team win, the guys showed their character and determination. In our next game, we need to immediately start playing like this from the first second.

- Torpedo’s maiden two goals were scored as a consequence of major mistakes from SKA.

- Ice hockey is a game of mistakes. It was vital to react to the situation in the correct manner. Thankfully, we also managed to punish Torpedo for their errors. This victory will strengthen our team spirit even further.

- SKA moved down to three lines for the third period. What was wrong with Andrei Chivilyov’s line?

- If you look carefully, then you’ll notice that we actually made changes to all of our lines. We needed to save the match. We’ll continue doing everything we can in order to win. This is the beauty of sport; you never know what is going to happen. This why we love sport so much! The best result of our efforts is the smiles on the supporters’ faces. By the way, I would like to wish all mothers Happy Mother’s Day for tomorrow. Our players didn’t know that their mums had flown to Saint Petersburg for this game, we had managed to keep it a secret!

- In the dressing room, Valentin Zykov said that this win is a big steal for SKA. Would you agree with this statement?

- This is a vital victory against an excellent team. It was important for all of us to win today. Last season, when we played against Torpedo in the playoffs away in Nizhny Novgorod, we also managed to emerge victorious after trailing for the entire match. It’s always interesting to compete against Torpedo, we knew that the game was going to contain excitement and plenty of goals. We’ll now prepare to host Dynamo Moscow on Tuesday.

- Is this victory a worthy revenge for the 3:4 loss in Nizhny Novgorod at the start of September?

- We’re trying to improve in every training session, every game. The job of the coaches is to introduce new aspects to our working process. Ice hockey consists of details, and you have to continue improving them all of the time. We have lots of things to improve.

- How did you inspire your players in the second break when trailing 0:3?

- As I have said before, I’m not going to reveal our secrets! I tried my best to help the team win this game. Everyone involved provided the team with the required energy for the third period. Anything can happen in ice hockey - one period lasts for a long time.

- Is the SKA – Torpedo rivalry currently the most exciting match-up in the KHL?

- Nizhny Novgorod are a very strong team, they like to play entertaining ice hockey. Our task is to make ice hockey the number one sport in Russia. Of course, thrilling games like ours against Torpedo make the sport more attractive and encourage people to get involved.

HC Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod head coach Igor Larionov:

- I would like to congratulate SKA with their win. I think that the fans enjoyed the game, it certainly was an exciting one. Our guys produced a good performance and tried hard, but, unfortunately, we are leaving Saint Petersburg with only one point. Life goes on, though, and we now have to prepare for our next match.

- Your second goal was scored straight after winning the faceoff draw inside SKA’s zone. Had you trained this move?

- Ice hockey is a spontaneous sport. An explanation can be found for any goal, including SKA’s first which gave them a breath of fresh air. Ice hockey dictates which decisions need to be made.

- Torpedo missed all four of their penalty shots. Was this because of fatigue or bad fortune?

- It depended on our psychology. The game was in our hands for 40 of the 60 minutes, but then everything changed after we provided SKA with a lifeline. Our lack of mental toughness prevented us from scoring in the shootout. The outcome of this match has left us with a very bitter aftertaste.

- What happened to Torpedo in the third period? Can we say that the main factor was the psychological aspect of the game?

- We started the period with a poor mistake which provided SKA with a breath of fresh air. We have to bear in mind that SKA were full of confidence after winning seven in a row. As a consequence of the repercussions of SKA’s first marker, we started making more mistakes and taking penalties. I tried to calm our team, but when you see you’re missing five or six of your leading players, it’s difficult to turn the situation around.

- In the second break, did you have a feeling that there was a danger SKA were going to mount a comeback?

- We tried to reinforce to our players that matches consist of three periods, not two. Sadly, we’ve lost a lot of games from winning positions this season, it’s a reoccurring problem which we’re encountering. We told the players to maintain focus and concentration, but SKA’s quick goal ruined everything.

- Why didn’t you signal for a time-out after one of SKA’s first two goals?

- You generally save your time-out for the final moments of regulation time. At the time, we didn’t see any reason for using our time-out. We knew that if we started playing the right way again, we would be able to control the puck inside the attacking zone and create scoring opportunities. A time-out wouldn’t have helped us today.

- We saw that in contrast to the first two periods, Torpedo began losing the puck and taking penalties in the attacking zone during the third frame. What was the reason behind this issue?

- It’s a matter of discipline. During games, players decide for themselves what aspects are playing decisive roles. A lack of concentration, focus and mental toughness resulted in us giving this match away.

HC SKA forward Alex Galchenyuk:

- We believed and fought until the end. Before the third period, there was a feeling that we’d be able to save the match. Zykov immediately set the tone with his quick goal which provided us with confidence. How did we manage to fire ourselves up for the third stanza? We’re a strong, talented team. I did think that we’d be able to score a few goals, we just needed to get that first one. Our goalkeeper also made crucial saves. We crashed the net, showed our character and earned a big win.

HC SKA forward Valentin Zykov:

- In the dressing room after the second frame, we agreed to subsequently to lay it all out there in the third. My goals? I’m playing stably at the moment, but not all of your shots go in. I’m happy that I managed to score both in normal time and in the penalty shootout today.