Alexander Polyakov: The entire Yurzinov Cup in Sirius brought us one big benefit

The debutant of the SHL championship, the team of Surgut State Pedagogical University, held its first tournament on the ice of the Iceberg Olympic Ice Arena. As the winner of the zonal tournament of the SHL Regions Cup, the team took part in the IV SHL Cup named after Vladimir Yurzinov, and despite the solid composition of the participants, Sirius did not leave the Federal Territory without a victory.

The results of the tournament for the team were summed up by the coach of the Surgut State Pedagogical University team Alexander Polyakov.

– Aleksandr Alexandrovich, how important was it for the team to finish the Vladimir Yurzinov SHL Cup on a positive note?

The match with Lokomotiv-SGUPS was fundamental, first of all, in terms of the formation of the team. To raise morale, including for the next league games, this victory was simply necessary. It is through such games, in which everyone squeezes all the strength out of themselves to achieve the result, that the team becomes a team.

– You took charge of the Surgut State Pedagogical University team in September, and the team itself made its debut in the championship only a few weeks before the start of the Yurzinov Cup. Under such circumstances, how appropriate would it be to say that you get to know this league and your rivals in the championship mainly through games? On the final game day of the tournament, you held a meeting with the fourth team of the Eastern Conference following the results of the last season. who is potentially your competitor for a place at the top of the East standings?

– I liked the opponents’ team. In any case, we understood that the level of the teams in the league was serious even before the tournament in Sirius. But I assume that the match for the 7th place, which in fact does not have serious tournament significance, can hardly judge the true level of motivation in the championship. I admit that the meetings with Lokomotiv in the regular season will develop according to a different scenario.

I would like to note my team. Those shortcomings in the game that we made in the first matches of the Yurzinov Cup, we were able to correct in the final meeting. I’m glad that we showed that we can play well and win games against more experienced teams by the standards of the SHL.

– Three matches in three days in an incomplete application. How would you assess the functional state of your players at the tournament with such inputs?

“We can improve our physical condition, but this tournament has helped us to acquire other qualities. The character and spirit of the team are not acquired in training. When the guys have an understanding of what they are fighting for, this is half the success, and maybe even more.

– The third period of the final meeting between Surgut State Pedagogical University and Lokomotiv-SGUPS, in which the teams scored four goals each, probably pleased the fans, but hardly pleased the coaches of the teams. Is this true?

– I think such things are explained by the fact that this is student hockey. In the third period, the guys, as they say, “smelled blood”, realized that they had the technical and physical resources to go forward, score goals. The team scores goals, but at the same time opens up and increases the risk of getting a response. In such situations, it is very difficult for a coach to restrain his players.

– What is more important from the point of view of the team’s prospects for the whole season: a majordefeat from the reigning champion or victory over a competitor in the Eastern Conference?

“The whole tournament brought one great benefit to Surgut State Pedagogical University. You need to be able to lose and benefit from defeats, but hard victories in overtime are expensive for hardening. Through any match, you need to instill our team idea in each player.

– What can you say about the level of organization of the Vladimir Yurzinov SHL Cup?

– The organization of the tournament is just excellent. I spent my main playing career in the VHL, and I don’t remember that we had such conditions. Maybe I played in that league. (laughs) Everything was organized and held at a professional level, with the right approach. I confess that I am pleasantly surprised.