Reaction after the second match against Belarus in the Euro Hockey Challenge

Following the second 2020/2021 Euro Hockey Challenge match against Belarus at the VTB Arena in Moscow (2:0), head coach Valeri Bragin and goalkeeper Ivan Bocharov shared their feelings.

Head coach Valeri Bragin:

- We looked at different candidates today. We saw what we wanted to see, we're satisfied with the result. Our goalkeeper played well, and we were solid in defence. However, we should have scored more goals, there were plenty of opportunities to score. This was only the first stage of preparation for the upcoming World Championship, now the second phase will begin. It includes two matches in Switzerland.

- Why didn't Yegor Korshkov play today? His linemates were on the ice.

- There was a reason why that was the case, but I won't speak about it. Our line-up today? We wanted to see all of our players in action.

- Your SKA Saint Petersburg players were put in one line today, unlike Friday's game.

- Sometimes they play well together in one line, they had lots of chances today, especially on the powerplay. They are young, talented players, their future depends on how they will develop.

- Alexander Samonov is the more experienced goalkeeper, but Ivan Bocharov produced a more confident performance today.

- We have three goaltenders in the team at the moment. It's good that Ivan played well today, we liked his performance. We are always speaking with the goalkeeping coach.

Goalkeeper Ivan Bocharov:

- In the past, when I also played for the Russian Olympic national team, I gained a shutout against France. I don't know if this will count for the senior national team or not. I didn't feel nervous today, I treated it like a regular match. It was tough because I hadn't played for a long time. I would like to say thank you to my teammates for playing well on the crease, they got rid of the puck when there were rebounds. My goal is to earn my place in the national team and be included in the squad for the World Championship. Am I ready for competition within the team? Yes, I am. My job is to play, and then the coaches will make their decision.