Interviews after beating Canada at the 2019 World Junior Championship

Russian under 20 head coach Valery Bragin and forwards Vasily Podkolzin, Pavel Shen, Vitaly Kravtsov and Grigory Denisenko shared their opinions on the 2:1 victory over Canada at the 2019 World Junior Championship.

Russia U20 head coach Valery Bragin:

- I wish the entire country a Happy New Year. Was this almost a perfect performance? I wouldn't say that. Nevertheless, there is a feeling that the players really are becoming a close knit unit, and victories always help. We analysed the Canadians and knew how to play against them. During the final minutes, we were calm.

Russia U20 forward Vasily Podkolzin:

- Apart from a couple of episodes when our goalkeeper made important saves, we were solid in defence. We adapated well to the stadium and refereeing. The Canadians' tactics? This isn't the first time when I've played against them. Tomorrow, we will have a rest, and then we'll prepare for playing Slovakia.

Russia U20 forward Pavel Shen:

- We played well both on the powerplay and the penalty kill. After analysing how Canada play, we knew what to expect. We competed with patience and managed to pick up the win.

Russia U20 forward Vitaly Kravtsov:

- Everyone played to gain an important victory for Russia and I'm happy that we managed to make the fans happy!

Russia U20 forward Grigory Denisenko:

- It was a fast, physical game. The guys did a great job and we managed to cope with the pressure which Canada applied.