Alexei Zhamnov: "We had a team on the ice for the full game"

Alexei Zhamnov, the head coach of the ROC men's ice hockey team, spoke about his emotions following the nervy penalty shootout triumph over Sweden in the semi-finals of the 2022 Olympic Games.

Head coach Alexei Zhamnov:

- This is a big victory for all of us, it means a lot to qualify for two consecutive Olympic finals. Our task is now to prepare to compete against Finland and for our guys to recover.

- Did you understand the risk attached to allowing Arseniy Gritsyuk to take the crucial penalty shot?

- Yes, as senior coach I took the responsibility. At our training sessions, we saw who our best penalty takers are. Against this goaltender, it was important to allow technical players to take the shots.

- Nikita Gusev took three penalty shots.

- He scored one. We did think that he would convert with his third attempt. Penalty shots are a lottery, you have to make wise decisions concerning which players take the decisive attempts. Gritsyuk did a great job with his penalty shot, the main thing is that we managed to qualify for the final of the competition.

- How did you pick the penalty takers?

- All of us in the coaching staff made that decision.

- Gusev didn't play once during the overtime period. Was your main task not to concede a goal, rather than trying to score one?

- Our task was to control the puck and create scoring opportunities. We needed good skating, movement and the freshest players. The Swedes are mobile skaters, so we needed players who can skate in a mobile manner on the ice.

- Members of your management have previously worked with Lars Johansson. How much did this help you?

- We told the guys before the match started how Johansson plays. He competes in the KHL, there aren't any secrets. We asked the players to make more passing plays in front of the net and to shoot high.

- Did your team stick to the game plan?

- I can say that we had a team on the ice today, everyone tried their best for the full game. We tried to follow the plan. Both teams made mistakes, but we have achieved the desired result in this match.