Friendly match. Russia W - Amur-2002 - 2:6

In Khabarovsk, the senior Russian women's national team fell to Amur-2002 in a friendly match ahead of the 2018 Olympic Games.

Valeria Pavlova scored twice for Russia, but it wasn't enough to prevent the team from losing to their male opponents 2:6. Deputy Russian sports minister Sergei Kosilov attended the game, later wishing the players luck at the Olympic Games in South Korea.

Russia W head coach Alexei Chistyakov:

- We had two friendly matches planned against teams of different levels. The players born in 2003 were weaker, but those born in 2002 have a higher skill level than the girls. These games have given us food for thought. When playing a strong opponent, you always find out what needs to improve. There a number of things which have to get better before the 2018 Olympic Games. According to the agreement in place, we also competed in overtime and penalty shootouts against these teams, losing today. However, we did have chances to score. 

Russia W forward Alevtina Shtaryova:

- The opponents were stronger than in the first match, they moved faster. At the Olympic Games, there will be no weak teams playing. Overall, we played well, but we failed to use our goalscoring opportunities. Our powerplay needs to improve. Tomorrow, we will have a short rest.

Russian Ice Hockey Federation