Konstantin Koltsov. Photo by hockey.by
MINSK, 12 December (BelTA) – Belarusian specialist Konstantin Koltsov, who will head the national hockey team at the Channel One Cup, shared his expectations of the upcoming tournament, BelTA has learned.
The Channel One Cup will be held in St. Petersburg on 14-17 December. Dmitry Kvartalnov is the acting head coach of the Belarusian national team, but due to his busy schedule with HC Dinamo Minsk, the specialist will have to stay in Minsk. Interim coach of the national team Konstantin Koltsov has already worked with the national team before: under his tutelage the Belarusian national team won the Four Nations Tournament in Slovenia in 2021.
“I could not refuse the opportunity to lead the national team. It is an honor for me. Two years ago I got great pleasure from working in Slovenia, and now the emotions are just as positive. The Channel One Cup is very important for our national team. The major task for the tournament is to show great play and, of course, we would like to win again. We will try hard to play actively and put pressure. It would be great to see some creativity in the offensive zone, and we will work on that during training sessions,” Konstantin Koltsov said. “The strongest opponent is the Russian national team, but the match against Kazakhstan will not be easy either. This team performed well at the latest edition of the IIHF World Championship. However, with our young players, we should not be afraid of anything. It would have been nice to see a few more players on the roster, but some could not come because of injuries. Nevertheless, the team boasts the strongest players. We decided not to call some players from Dinamo Minsk, because the season is already action-packed.”
The Belarusian national team will open the Channel One Cup against Kazakhstan on 14 December. Konstantin Koltsov’s men will face Russia-25 on Saturday and take on VHL Stars on Sunday.
