Neftekhimik goaltenders held a master class at the Neftekhimik Hockey School
24.04.2026
Neftekhimik goaltender Yaroslav Ozolin and Semyon Lyubalin held a master class for goaltenders of all ages from the Neftekhimik Hockey School.
After warming up, the young goaltenders devided into groups and practiced goalie drills. The training focused on making proper movement patterns – no shooting, just skating and moving around the net. This kind of practice allowed the professional hockey players to devote sufficient time to each participant.Yaroslav Ozolin admitted that for him, every visit to his hockey school is an event he looks forward to every year. He arrived early and showed young goalies where his locker room used to be and where it had moved to after the renovation.
– I always have a great feeling of nostalgia when I step onto the ice here. I enjoy doing this and I enjoy the process and to help the kids correct mistakes they probably don't even notice. All the boys are very prepared, the coaches have done a great job, but there are always small issues – for instance, someone approaches the goalposts with their skates, even though it's safer to do it with a "lace", so they don't concede a goal. I showed the boys how to do it.
Semyon Lyubalin, whose hockey school is Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, talked about the importance of communication between goalies of different schools and ages:
– All the guys are very friendly and not shy about asking questions. Overall, everything was great, I enjoyed it. It was a good experience for both us and those we visited. We shared experiences and little tips. Every school teaches in a little different ways, and it's important to share information, gather as much knowledge as possible, and develop as much as possible to become better.
Of course, an important part of this event was the opportunity to interact with professional players. It felt like real hockey was on the ice.
"Today we were charged with positive emotions. The guys gave us some good tips. We have been through all of this before, but we have gained motivation that will give us good push to grow." – said Neftekhimik–2011 goaltender Dmitry Yegorov.
