Ilya Nikolaev, forward for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, shared his thoughts after his team defeated Ak Bars Kazan 3-1 in the opening game of the Gagarin Cup Final series (series lead 1-0). The 23-year-old forward highlighted the team’s disciplined approach and physical readiness.
“In the first period, we were sizing each other up. The second period we played very well, and in the third we stuck to the game plan,” Nikolaev said. “We had time to recover, and we feel great. We focused on our own game rather than worrying about the opponent. We need to dictate the conditions on the ice ourselves.”
Nikolaev acknowledged the strength of the opposition: “Ak Bars is a strong team with big players. There will be a lot of battles. In the series against Avangard, there were many loose pucks and rebounds. We worked on that, wanted to help Isaev (Lokomotiv goaltender), and we managed to do it successfully.”
The victory gives Lokomotiv an early edge in the best-of-seven series, which continues with Game 2 in Yaroslavl.
