Press Conference «Neftekhimik – Sochi» 9/8/2026
08.09.2026
Neftekhimik Head Coach Igor Grishin speaks with the media after a following 5–1 win over Sochi.
Neftekhimik Head Coach Igor Grishin:
– It was not an easy game. The opponent played aggressively from the very first minute. There were a lot of shots. We had a tough time and made some mistakes here and there. Scoring the first goal was a stroke of luck; it gave us a bit of an emotional boost, and after that, we started to seize the initiative and create scoring chances. I think the turning point was definitely the power play, where we punished the opponent for the penalty. That was very satisfying, especially since we didn't capitalize very well on those five–minute power plays last season. We asked the guys to play very aggressively right from the start of the power play and put a lot of shots on net. They really listened and scored two goals during that stretch. That gave us a clear advantage, of course. After that, we just played smartly to close out the game.
– We lost to the Shanghai Dragons despite playing well, whereas today our performance wasn't great, but we won. Why do you think that happens?
– Well, that is hockey. It is unpredictable. It depends on where the puck rebounds or where you shoot it. Sometimes it goes in; other times there’s a deflection and it does not. I would not say we played terribly today, though; there were some decent stretches. It was the opponent's first game and our second. On one hand, things might have been a bit easier for us, but on the other, the opponent was riding a wave of emotion. It was their opener, and they were eager to prove themselves. You could see they came out with a huge desire to play. The fact that we managed to score shows that the team is maturing.
Sochi Head Coach Andrei Mironov:
–The key moment of today's game is taking a five minutes penalty. We played well, combined well, unfortunately, the puck did not go into the goal.
