Press Conference «Neftekhimik – Sochi» 2/12/2026
12.02.2026
Neftekhimik Head Coach Igor Grishin speaks with the media after a following 3–5 loss against Sochi.
– During the pregame warm-up, did you sense any underestimation of the opponent on the players' side, or a feeling that they were about to go out and had a big win agaisnt this opponent who had lost the previous game with 1–10 score?– Did we really have any reason to go out and have a big win? We lost the last game 1–5.
– Watching the first period, did it seem like we weren't warming up well?
– You know, I thought we weren't warming up well either. Then, during the first intermission, I looked at the shots on goal 22 – 6. I said, "What kind of stats are those?" My colleagues tell me, "We played pretty well." I didn't like the way we played at all; I can't figure anything out about it.
– But, if you look at it – 58 shots. But every shot is different. In your professional opinion, what was lacking in the final period?
– Well, as usual, we needed to have our heads cool, and probably something else. I talk about this often, but I can't say it all the time because it's somehow offensive—we need to score. Well, actually, we scored three today. We fought until the very end. The guys kept trying to change the game. But, unfortunately, we made some incredibly stupid mistakes today, for which we were simply punished. Both the second goal that we conceded on the power play and the fourth goal–it was just nonsense.
– Sochi head coach Dmitry Mikhailov:
– It was a very tense game, with a lot of penalty kills. The guys showed character and dedication, especially after their last unsuccessful game in Novosibirsk – they gave it their all, endured, and achieved the victory.
– What did you say? What did you do that made the team go out on the ice and their best?
– You know, it happens to everyone; there are plenty of examples of bad games and everything just falls apart, completely out of control. But every player has a name on their back and a logo on their chest, so… there are bad days, right? But if you go out there and prove it was just a fluke – that's the work of true professionals.
– And if you look at the second and third periods, the second period was so disciplined, very telling – zero penalties. But what happened in the third period?
– Well, emotions got us: a stick raised high somewhere, yes, a little haste in the tackle somewhere. But we held on.
