Traktor vs. Sibir 2:3 (SO). Press-conference after the match

Dmitry Kvartalnov, Sibir’s head coach:
First off, let me wish everybody merry Christmas and happy New Year. As far as the match goes, it’s great that we picked up the win tonight. We were largely in control with the two-goal lead, but two minor mistakes outweighed all the positives. I told my players that you can’t relax for a second when you are up against a skilled team like Traktor. Nonetheless, we showed the desire to win, which is a very good thing. I would like to thank my boys for their will to win.

Valery Belousov, Traktor’s head coach:
Hockey aside, I would also like to wish every hockey fan happy holidays and best of luck in 2013. Now to the game itself; we showed great resiliency in overcoming a two-goal deficit. However, shootouts is our Achilles’ heel; we don’t have pure ‘shootouters’, if you will. We lost a lot of shootout series, which is a somewhat disturbing trend.

Question to both coaches: Why did tonight’s match begin earlier than usual?
Belousov: Both teams agreed on it.
Kvartalnov: We made an offer, and Traktor accepted it. I think it was fair; both teams knew it and were in the same conditions.

Question to Belousov: How serious is Yakutsenya’s injury?
Belousov: We can’t tell for now.

Question to Belousov: Rumor has it that Traktor is about to sign Nikolay Lemtyugov. Is that true?
Belousov: Let’s wait until the New Year, shall we?

Question to Belousov: Is Radik Zakiev staying in Traktor?
Belousov: He’s still recovering from an injury; we can’t just show the guy the door, you know.

Question to Belousov: For how long is Petri Kontiola going to be on the injured list?
Belousov: All I can say is he will miss our next four-match away series.