Interviews with Russia W ahead of the tournament in Belarus

Representatives of the senior Russian women's national team shared their expectations for the upcoming President's Sporting Club Cup, which will take place in Minsk, Belarus between the 8th and 11th of November.

The male under 16 Russian national team, under 18 Belarusian national team and under 18 Kazakh national teams will also participate in the competition. We must note that games involving Russia W will not count towards the overall tournament standings.

Russia W head coach Alexander Zybin:

- In comparison to last season, we have changed our preparation. The Women's Hockey League schedule is different this season, the teams play three games a week so there's less time for them to recover. Nevertheless, the girls have arrived here feeling good and in a positive mood. We're looking forward to playing in Minsk, where we'll compete in the President's Sporting Club Cup and the 3-on-3 competition. Of course, it's challenging for our girls to compete against men, but it's a good test for them and we do have experience from playing with them last year. We have to be prepared both mentally and physically. Against these teams, it'll be vital to not give them space.



Russia W forward Valeria Pavlova:

- It's always wonderful to be here, I think that every player wants to be involved with the national team set-up. Yes, naturally we're not able to compete on the same level as the boys, but it will be a useful experience for us. We'll all try to avoid committing mistakes.



Russia W forward Oksana Bratishcheva:

- I love playing for our national team! As we know, the boys are stronger physically than us, but we're determined to try our best and not lose out. We understand that we'll have to spend a lot of time playing inside our own zone. To be honest, it's a shame that we can't compete against male teams more often, the level is completely different and you have to make decisions a lot quicker. Our ice hockey is a lot slower in comparison.