Ice Hockey World Championship - Craig Ramsay: We want to show that they have to reckon with us

today 09:30
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Dominant great performance, which showed how Slovak hockey players want to present themselves. In the match for advancement to the quarterfinals, Denmark clearly defeated 7: 1. Satisfaction prevailed with coach Craig Ramsay.

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It is not customary for his charges to comfortably win matches and do not have to worry about the result until the last minutes, respectively, they do not complicate the duel in any way. “It has been our best match in a long time. We finally managed to bounce off the opponent. We didn’t stop playing. We were really fast, we shot well, we were strong to the puck, ” evaluated the Canadian coach on the Slovak bench.

The Danes played a match with Canada 17 hours before the start of the duel. They took care of a huge sensation and won, but it took away the forces they obviously lacked against Slovakia. But Craig Ramsay knew nothing easy awaited them.

“Denmark has a good team. Our video analyst processed their videos and told us how strong they were and how well they played, especially in defense. We knew it would be a tough match. But if we skate and attack well, they will have to chase us, which will make a difference in the match, ” explained Craig Ramsay, which brought success to his charges.

An important man of the match was captain Tomáš Tatar. In the first period, he scored two goals, which brought his team peace of mind. “He is very handy. He is fast, he has great vision and he is a good person. I’m glad he scored two goals that were important to us. At the second, he showed that he was an NHL player.

Martin Fehérváry, too, was excellent again. Everyone played today as they should – disciplinedly and we didn’t lose pucks. The defenders won the fights, they did very well, ” praised Craig Ramsay players in an interview after the match.

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Tomáš Tatar is just as good and valuable off the ice. “Is great. He always talks in the cabin, he finds time to talk to anyone. He has a great attitude towards the whole team. He does a great job as a captain. ”

In addition to him, 18-year-old talents Juraj Slafkovský and Šimon Nemec also starred again. The first person scored a goal and assistance and already has 9 points in the tournament. “He shows that he is a complete hockey player. It’s not just the player who scores.

He plays well in attack and defense, in weaknesses or power play. He does a lot of things that help his teammates. Whether he scores goals or invents actions. Whatever he does, his presence on the ice is felt every time he steps on it, ” Craig Ramsay said of Juraj Slafkovsky.

Simon Nemec scored his first goal in the national team and added up to three assists. He has a total of 6 points. “People look mainly at Juraj Slafkovsky, but I always mention Simon. He is very solid. He is good at attacking, but he is also excellent at defense. He doesn’t try to gain points by force, he reads the game in the defensive zone well, he works well with a hockey stick, he blocks shots and manages to make good decisions under pressure. “

After the meeting, it was not yet known that Slovakia would face Finland in the quarterfinals. The Swedes were also in the game. But the head coach didn’t care which of these opponents it would be. “We will try to play our game. It doesn’t matter to us who it will be. I always say that because I believe in what we do.

If we play as we should, we will keep things set and we will be fast, so we can play against anyone. Because we can skate, we can do it. I don’t like it when we skate backwards. When we go forward, it’s hard against us. “

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But he realizes that a strong opponent is waiting for us, but … “We said we would play against a good team, but we are also a good team. We just have to play our simple game. Then everyone has problems with us because we are really fast.

For us, the key is to get the puck, throw it into the attack and get it there, hold it and then shoot it. I want the players to shoot, but they don’t have to shoot right away. I want them to hold the puck, and if they can do it in attack and force them to play in defense, we can play against anyone, ” declared Craig Ramsay ahead of the quarterfinals, which the Slovaks will play on Thursday from 19:20 against the home Finns in Tampere.

Is there no danger of satisfaction in the team? Will they want even more? “We always want more. Even today we played the whole 60 minutes. We didn’t stop, even though we had a higher lead. Players want to show that they have it and must count on them. We can skate and play with anyone.

It doesn’t matter who is in the lineup, who goes to the ice… We have a 17-year-old player and two 18-year-olds. They go on the ice and leave everything there. They play well, fast and do what they have to do, ” Craig Ramsay said at the end of the interview after the victory over Denmark.