Press Conference «Neftekhimik – Admiral» 10/29/2026
29.10.2026
Neftekhimik Head Coach Igor Grishin speaks with the media after a following 3–4 loss against Admiral.
– We started poorly and finished the same way. Please, go ahead with your questions.– The defeat in the final seconds came as an unpleasant shock. What were your emotions in those moments? The whole arena went silent, and so did the bench…
– The guys probably want to be heroes through their actions, but instead, they end up being the villains. You have to play not just with emotion, but also by using your head.
– How would you assess the performance of Amir Gizyatov, who played a full game?
– The young player gave it his best. He actually had two scoring chances. You have to be able to take one-timers. This is not the junior league, they will not give you time to settle the puck. On the second occasion, instead of shooting, he looked for a pass. As for his penalty leading to a goal for the opposition – well, we are not going to scold him for that. It is a good thing he got a full game under his belt today.
– Nikita Khoruzhev is back in full training. When will we see him in the lineup?
– We will see him in the game against Sibir.
Admiral Head Coach Oleg Bratash:
– The most important thing for us today is the win. There was certainly no boredom for the fans – it was a very exciting game for them. We are returning home from this road trip in high spirits. Our opponent was very tough, and beating them is no easy task. It is even more satisfying when you consider that, or so I am told, Admiral last won here in regulation 10 years ago. You could say today marks a kind of anniversary.
– The second period was quite difficult for you – you lost that period. Was that a lingering effect of the team spending so much energy in the first period, having to play short-handed several times?
– I think it was actually the opposite: the guys became a bit too caught up in the advantage they had in the offensive zone. According to the stats, we outshot them 13–6 in the second period. Yet, they scored three goals from those six shots. We lacked focus defensively; the emotions from our offensive push just took over. Everything seemed to be going our way, however…
– You mentioned that Neftekhimik is difficult to beat. Why?
– I will share a secret with you. During the pre-game meeting, I told the guys that, in my view, Neftekhimik might be the best team in the league in transition – both from defense to offense and from offense to defense. I believe that is their greatest strength, and they proved precisely that during the second period.
