Viktor Tikhonov: "We believed that we could beat Dynamo"

- Say a few words about the match.

- It was a very hard game, and not the best from us. We had chances to score more goals. We showed our character, believed until the end, and managed to win.

- Have you got more energy left to celebrate?

- We should really calm down and get ready for the next series. This is only one step towards our main goal. We've won, celebrated and will now prepare for future games.

- What was the hardest thing about today's game?

- For me personally it was when I could have scored at the end of regular time. I was very upset about it, but the guys picked me up. Everyone believed in our victory, and thanks to everyone for supporting me.

- How did you manage to beat your main opponents Dynamo this year?

- When we went one up, we played a lot more defensively and were more disciplined taking less penalties. I have never seen such character in our team like today for my whole four years in SKA.

- Did you try to shoot as often as you could to test goaltender Alexander Sharychenkov?

- Yes. He did great, however we could have scored a lot more. Mikko Koskinen should also be pointed out, as he made some good saves. The goaltenders are the best players of today's game.

- Which match was the key one in this series?

- The first game where we won in overtime. That victory gave us the belief that we can beat Dynamo. It's so hard against them, every game against them is like a true war. It was very important to gain that belief that we can emerge victorious.