“When I scored against SKA, the joy was stronger than usual.” Michkov feels increasingly confident in Sochi

– What did this match against SKA mean to you?

– They are a good opponent, a good disciplined team. They play well in attack. We were doubly attentive to such a strong team. We tried to show the maximum at every moment. We all played for the team and I think it was a good game today. We also showed discipline. But, unfortunately, they lost. We were missing something. We will fix our mistakes and move on.

– Is it possible to say that for Sochi it was one of the best games of recent times in terms of content?

— We had very good matches with CSKA and SKA. That’s if you remember the last one. We played well in defense and the goalkeepers were very good at keeping the team in the game.

– Describe your goal. How was it ?

– Sergey Popov picked up speed from the corner, I rolled under him in the middle. He saw me well and gave the transfer. I just had to knock on the door. Thank goodness I happened to score. But above all, this goal allowed the team to equalize the score.

– Were you happy after that puck as usual? Or were the emotions high?

— I think the joy was a little stronger than usual. Because the game was very stubborn, knife. And when you are full of adrenaline, you rejoice even more than when you have just scored, and the score is already 10:0.

But what was still missing to win?

We will find what is missing. The coaching staff will help us with that. Let’s get together as a team, study our mistakes, we will correct them, move on. We will try to eliminate them for the next game.

– You have already played the seventh game for Sochi. Do you feel like you’re getting stronger with every game?

— Yes, I think that with each game, I feel more confident. And the interaction with partners is getting better and better. I hope we will continue to work even harder.

– Did you talk to the SKA players and coaches before or after the match? Or is it impossible for you to communicate with your opponents on match day?

– When they shook hands, so yes, we talked with friends who we used to play together. With the technical staff. We wished each other good luck, so that everything goes well, for them as for us.

– We brought you a ring from St. Petersburg for winning the MHL. How important is this story to you?

— Yes, of course, it’s always nice to win. I think the Kharlamov Cup is a very prestigious trophy. I’m very happy about it – and happy that they brought me a ring. Thanks to the SKA management for arranging this. Very good idea, and I am very grateful to them.

– Do your parents have a small Matvey Michkov museum at home?

‘Yes, we have it in Perm, where I come from. But this museum is no longer small, the awards have been collected there since I was 10 years old. We won tournaments, I was recognized as the top scorer. And these awards lie, parents save everything. There are a lot of them, and one day I’ll show you a picture. But that’s when I come to Perm after the season.