Not simply disappointment but anger shone from the eyes of the national selector of the Slovenian hockey team, who spoke openly after the defeat against Belarus (2:4), also acknowledging his own mistakes.

"You can be simply a part of this"
"It’s true. I was really angry, furious after the first period. All the work we had done at practice, the entire month of preparations, it all crumbled to dust," said sharply Kopitar senior, the father of NHL player Anže Kopitar, and continued: "At this level the matches cannot be won with two attacks. Waiting for someone else to save the match, while simply being a part of this – that is not possible."

Four players on the ice only for a few minutes at the end
The shortening of the bench in the third period is very telling: defensemen Miha Štebih in Andrej Tavželj did not play anymore, Miha Verlič only played one shift, the veteran Marcel Rodman two shifts, while the shooter of the second goal, Žiga Pance, played for two minutes.

Changes for the match against Russia?
"I’ll definitely make changes, quite a lot of them," announced the head coach. The first goalkeeper will probably be Luka Gračnar, Žiga Pavlin might join defence, while the majority of the forwards will most likely be those who played in the third period against Belarus, giving Slovenian fans some hope for better days in Ostrava.

Toni Gruden, MMC; translated by K. Z.