Sergei Golubovich: "We finished the tournament on a high note"

Russia U18 head coach Sergei Golubovich:

- Apart from the Swiss, all teams at this tournament were a year or two older than us. I think that the USA will win in the final, they have a strong team and their league is better than the Canadian ones represented at this competition.

It's disappointing to lose just one game and only come away with bronze. Nevertheless, it was a good experience. We have been able to see how some new players can perform for the national team. Andrei Svechnikov's line was great. Yaroslav Alexeev, even if he didn't take too many points, did a lot of work.  We finished the tournament on a positive note, you win bronze while you lose silver. We wanted to play in the final, but we couldn't do it. The team showed its character today. These players are improving.

- The team had a new captain today.

- It's the coach's choice. After Klim Kostin sustained an upper body injury, Alexei Lipanov was made captain. He was a true leader at this competition. Young defenseman Nikita Okhotyuk, having not played very well in one game, made the right conclusions.

- Did his big hit at the start of this match pump the team up?

- Not many players can hit like that. However, you have to be careful as to not get a penalty. There's a risk that you will check to the head.

Russia U18 forward Alexei Lipanov:

- I was told that I was going to be captain before this game. It's a big honour for me to lead the team, especially as were playing for a medal. 

- How would you sum up the tournament?

- My line had a fantastic campaign. Of course, we could have played better - we should have played for gold. It's a shame that we couldn't do it. I still think that it was a good tournament though.

- In which mood do you return to your club?

- You always feel nice after playing for the national team, especially after a big tournament. The arena was sold out for all of the games, it was a good experience.

Russia U18 forward Andrei Svechnikov:

- It's great that I managed to break the record for goals scored at the Challenge Cup. We improved as a team from game to game. Today, we tried to follow the game plan and scored at the right moments. My teammates helped me out.

- It was similar to the Ivan Hlinka memorial tournament bronze medal match.

- It's our Russian character, we fight until the end. We have things to work on, we should have been in first place. I will now return to my club and try to help them win. What did my brother say? I haven't spoken to him because of the time difference, I'll call him tomorrow. I think that he will congratulate me and say to keep on working.

- More attention is being put on you?

- In my league, at first no one took any notice of me, but that has changed. I like to play with pressure.

- You can wear a normal visor in your league, unlike here.

- It's hard to describe, but they are two totally different feelings. Before coming to the national team, I trained for a couple of days in a junior mask.

Russian Ice Hockey Federation