Reaction after losing to USA U20 in a friendly match

Russian under 20 national team head coach Valery Bragin and defenseman Dmitry Samorukov shared their views after losing to the USA 2:3 in a friendly match ahead of the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship.

Russia U20 head coach Valery Bragin:

- We struggled to get into the match, but in the second and third periods, we improved tactically. How could we have improved if we conceded three times in the third frame? Those goals were scored as a result of individual mistakes. Stepan Starkov and Alexander Romanov are both carrying injuries, so with this match being a friendly, we decided not to risk their health. Klim Kostin was ill, but he's fine now. Around three/four positions are still up for grabs in the World Junior Championship roster. We will register seven defensemen and 13 forwards for the competition.

Russia U20 defenseman Dmitry Samorukov:

- What happened in the third period? We needed to keep the puck in the opposing zone, test the opposing goalkeeper with shots and play with more confidence. We had to keep our organisation on the ice. On the powerplay, we aren't managing to turn our ideas into a reality, and we need to score a couple of goals to gain some rhythm. All of us need to understand our tactical responsibilities. At the moment, it's not quite happening, but friendly matches are designed to assist that process. Is it tough with only 23 places in the final World Junior Championship roster available with 30 of us here? No, competition within the team is good, and we're all friends.