Press Conference «Neftekhimik – Sibir» 10/12/2025
12.10.2025
Neftekhimik Head Coach Igor Grishin speaks with the media after a following 2–3 shootout loss against Sibir.
Before today's game, we had lost four in a row. The guys knew they had to fight for the win today. We were basically in a fighting, winning mood. Unfortunately, we conceded a goal in the first period. Overall, the guys played well throughout the game, creating a lot of goal–scoring chances. But we lacked something. Perhaps it was the anger needed to dig out that puck. In the locker room, we used the example of the NHL. There, goals are only achieved through fighting in front of the net, being tough, and being unyielding. We talked about this during the second intermission, and by the third period, we had a goal like that. And then Belozyorov demonstrated his skill and scored an important goal.
As Vladimir Vasilyevich Krikunov said, "You have to score at least one goal out of every 10 shots." We had over 30 shots today, but only two goals. That is not enough for a win.
I am glad the guys came back and found their strength. But in the shootout, the opponent proved more skilled.
– Could one point be considered a small step toward future success?
– I hope so. The guys are trying hard, fighting hard. And the atmosphere within the team is good. No one is panicking; everyone is supporting each other. I would like to believe that today's game will give the team a boost of confidence. Because it seems that they are lacking a bit of that. It would seem that compared to the beginning of the season, we have become more attacking. But the players lack confidence.
– Did you field your most skilled players for the shootout?
– There was another option. We take shootouts in practice and then draw conclusions from there. But shootouts in practice and in a game are completely different things. In practice, everything happens in a more fun atmosphere, but in a game, every successful attempt matters.
– What was the reason for changing the goaltender for the shootout?
– Actually, we had that plan even before the shootout. And Filipp had a lot of work to do during the game. Yaroslav started warming up before overtime, so he could be ready to play in the shootout. We think Yaroslav has better luck in the shootout. He handled the first two attempts well, but then Soshnikov showed his skill. Objectively, the goaltender was powerless in that situation.
Sibir Head Coach Vyacheslav Butsayev:
– We had a great start to the game. We were able to analyze our mistakes from the previous game and draw conclusions. It was clear the guys listened to us. Unfortunately, we could not hold on to our lead in the third period and conceded, let's say, easy goals. But the players reacted well to the conceded goals and started creating chances near the opponent's net.
As Vladimir Vasilyevich Krikunov said, "You have to score at least one goal out of every 10 shots." We had over 30 shots today, but only two goals. That is not enough for a win.
I am glad the guys came back and found their strength. But in the shootout, the opponent proved more skilled.
– Could one point be considered a small step toward future success?
– I hope so. The guys are trying hard, fighting hard. And the atmosphere within the team is good. No one is panicking; everyone is supporting each other. I would like to believe that today's game will give the team a boost of confidence. Because it seems that they are lacking a bit of that. It would seem that compared to the beginning of the season, we have become more attacking. But the players lack confidence.
– Did you field your most skilled players for the shootout?
– There was another option. We take shootouts in practice and then draw conclusions from there. But shootouts in practice and in a game are completely different things. In practice, everything happens in a more fun atmosphere, but in a game, every successful attempt matters.
– What was the reason for changing the goaltender for the shootout?
– Actually, we had that plan even before the shootout. And Filipp had a lot of work to do during the game. Yaroslav started warming up before overtime, so he could be ready to play in the shootout. We think Yaroslav has better luck in the shootout. He handled the first two attempts well, but then Soshnikov showed his skill. Objectively, the goaltender was powerless in that situation.
Sibir Head Coach Vyacheslav Butsayev:
– We had a great start to the game. We were able to analyze our mistakes from the previous game and draw conclusions. It was clear the guys listened to us. Unfortunately, we could not hold on to our lead in the third period and conceded, let's say, easy goals. But the players reacted well to the conceded goals and started creating chances near the opponent's net.
