Head coach “Avant-garde” Sergei Zvyagin after the match with “Lokomotiv” said his hockey players must fight not for the coach, but for their families and their contracts.
Lokomotiv beat Avangard on Thursday (5:3), losing after two periods with a score of 1:3.
— Cool first two periods from Avangard, they did a lot of good things. Of course, there were mistakes, but we stuck to the plan, got off to a good start before the third period, where we canceled everything. I don’t want to offend my opponent, they did their job. But we took our chance.
— What do you think are the reasons why very experienced guys make mistakes?
“I still can’t find an explanation for this.” You’re right, and in terms of decision-making, the quarter wasn’t very good in the first two periods. But in the third, everything went the other way. And these two quick goals affected the guys psychologically. After that, they made a lot of mistakes and the opponent took the initiative. Nobody gave up and we were able to take the game to overtime. But I won’t draw any hasty conclusions.
— Damir Sharipzyanov is not comfortable. He doesn’t do much. For what?
— I wouldn’t generalize that his game isn’t going well. Yes, there was a serious mistake that was difficult to explain, and he apologized for it. We talk to all the guys, and Damir is one of the most experienced.
— What was the coach’s task?
— I’m not going to tell you the whole story, but with Lokomotiv you can’t make such mistakes, don’t give second chances in the defensive zone. It’s a good structured team that doesn’t give up possession of the puck. This means you need to move it quickly. In the first two periods we didn’t have anything critical, but in the third the situation changed. There was no sign. But who needs my assumptions and explanations now? We owe it to our fans and to ourselves. And if in the next match we do not play and show our best hockey, then I don’t know where to look for anything. Our team has good character, all the guys are united. I think everyone will see how Avangard comes out. I will be shocked if we don’t play our best hockey in the next game. Nobody will understand this.
— What can you say about the transfer of coach Alexander Zavyalov to you?
— While he comes in, introduce yourself. I just arrived this morning. But I already spoke with Andrei Podkonitski, we were preparing for the match together. He will work with the defenders. Now we need to work together and analyze. Most likely, he will also take the minority.
— Do you feel like the players are fighting for you?
“You don’t have to fight for me.” It’s not about me at all. We have to fight for ourselves, for the fans, for our families and our contracts. There is no need to fight for me. As Vladimir Krikunov said, “even if they hate me, they will unite and let themselves be guided by this hatred.”
You won’t be nice to everyone. Some like to play for Zvyagin, others don’t. But the conversation is about the team and the players, who must respect each other and fight to the death. From day one we say we are family. And not distant relatives. Maybe we don’t always agree with each other. But if someone raises his hand against his brother, then you will give your life,” Zvyagin was quoted as saying by the correspondent.
Avangard occupies eighth place in the Eastern Conference standings with 9 points.
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I’m Emma Smith, a dedicated journalist and avid storyteller. I have been writing for news websites for the past 5 years, reporting on hockey news and delivering in-depth analysis of the sport. In my current role as Author at Athletistic, I write about hockey events from around the world to keep followers up-to-date with what’s happening in the sport.
