Press Conference «Neftekhimik– Amur» 10/9/2025
09.10.2025
Neftekhimik Head Coach Igor Grishin speaks with the media after a following 1–4 loss against Amur.
– Comparing these two games against Amur, today we had better movement, a better game plan, more attacking play, and a fair number of shots. We had scoring chances, but unfortunately, we did not taek advantage of it. That is it. At the same time, we made a couple of big mistakes, which resulted in conceded goals. I think the forward's skill played a role in the third goal. Considering we hadd only just managed to get one goal back and were actually going on the offensive, trying to score. That shot in the second period was a bit of a cold shower. In the third period, we tried everything we could to turn it around. We had chances again, but our opponent played great defense.– There were some games in September when Neftekhimik was known as the king of comebacks; the team was able to get back into the game. Why is it not working now?
– Of course, confidence fades, probably from losses. Yes, we really needed a win. Those games were just a little different against opponents. They were top teams, confident in themselves. Basically, you could say they played themselves and let their opponents play. That is how we managed to salvage games in some cases. Here, the opponent played smart. Having gained the advantage, they focused a lot of their energy on defense, blocking shots. What you need here is a garbage goal. Unfortunately, we did not manage to score one. Perhaps, we lacked aggression in some areas.
– Is there any information on Maxim Fedotov?
– I think that we will find out tomorrow.
Being skilled isn not enough, nor is being in good physical condition. Luck plays a significant role; without it, it is very difficult. We have had some truly fatal bad luck–a lot of injuries. We get injuries out of the blue: a few concussions, after a shot–the puck ricochets in the face– and one more concussion. Maxim had an unexpected collision, getting hit in the head by his teammates.
Amur Head Coach Alexander Galchenyuk:
– It was a good and hard–battled game. It was our fifth road game – I will not hide it, it was tough. Overall, the guys did a great job: they got their bearings and won. It was a great team victory–everyone did their job. Well done!
