Interviews after playing the USA at the World Junior Championship

Russia U20 head coach Valery Bragin:

- Just like Canada, the Americans are a very fast opponent. After playing Latvia, we needed time to get into this match. It was a totally different game.

It was an even game after the first period, both teams had the advantage at different times. However, unlike us, the USA used their goalscoring chances. We did well on the penalty kill, Ilya Samsonov performed brilliantly. Two goals are not enough to win these kinds of games. Moving forward, the fixture with Slovakia will be key psychologically. Soon, the knockout rounds will begin, we can’t make any more mistakes. It doesn’t matter who we will face in the quarter-finals.

Russia U20 defenseman Mikhail Sergachyov:

- Today, we had a lot more shots on goal than against Canada, we crashed their net. Unfortunately, we were a bit unlucky. We didn’t play well in our own zone, we had to be more physical.

We were shorthanded for practically the entire first period. In the second and third frames, we should have made our pressing count. We still have confidence though, we can beat any opponent.

Russia U20 goaltender Ilya Samsonov:

- I tried to help the team win, I wasn’t nervous at all. The ricochet in the second period? I didn’t know what happened. Only on the replay did I see that the puck deflected off my pad into the net.

We travelled here to win every match, but there’s no need to make a tragedy of this defeat. We all want to win, our team is talented. I think that everything will be fine. We’re disappointed right now, however it’s time to move on.

Russia U20 forward Kirill Urakov:

- Everyone gave their all. Maybe, we were unlucky in some incidents. The USA took full advantage of our mistakes. Nevertheless, more games our coming up, The knockout rounds? At this moment in time, we’re only thinking about the next group match. It’s never nice to lose, it’s a shame that we couldn’t make a comeback.

Russian Ice Hockey Federation