Marenis managed to debut at the Continental Hockey League (KHL) club in Riga “Dinamo” last season, later helped Optibet’s Latvian Hockey League (OHL) team “Mogo” to win the championship title, but on Saturday the striker will probably debut in the Latvian hockey national team shirt.
“I didn’t expect such a turn and opportunity at the end of the season, but it is a great pleasure to be given the opportunity and I will try to get caught up in the lineup,” the striker did not hide his joy.
Speaking about the training process, Marenis pointed out that there are some similarities with the experience of playing on the other side of the ocean, but the national team coach Bob Hartley has not tried to adapt to the European style and mostly works according to the methods he knows. “The coach demands professionalism from us both on and off the ice. Hockey is a gentleman’s sport, so it is important for the coach that we present ourselves in the best way, and we always try to dress solid and create a good image of ourselves, as well as the team.”
Zemgus Girgensons, a long-time member of Marne’s childhood team, with whom he trained at Ēvalds Vasiljevs hockey school, will not play in the World Championship this year. The attacker said with a grin, “I have already called him and pulled him to the tooth, saying that when I am in the national team, she is not. But I understand his situation very well and hopefully will be able to play in the national team together.”
Maren, on the other hand, has no questions about his role in the national team, because after the last national team training at the shopping and entertainment center “Akropole”, Hartley has talked to him. “The coach asked me what role I see for myself in the team. I replied that I definitely need to focus more on defense and help the team in this element of the game, which the coach affirmed house and determined that I understood everything correctly, but now it remains to prove myself. “
Continuing on the national team game, Marenis admits that the goal is always to repeat what was achieved in the previous year and a little more. “Last year showed that everything can be decided by one goal, so now we are fighting for the quarterfinals and we will see how the tournament will turn out.”
“Of course, it’s always cool to tick the statistics boxes, but I try not to think about it, because it just confuses my head and makes it harder to focus on the team’s goals,” Marenis shared her vision of her potential performance in the championship.
The attacker also admitted that the knowledge gained in the United States in psychology definitely helps him, but in the process of training and games he does not practice specific exercises. “Playing in the US, I’ve learned to have a short memory. You don’t have to think much about what happened in the previous shift, because if you think about it for a long time, you won’t be ready for the next shift. I try to think positively and focus on the rest of the game.”
26-year-old Marenis made his debut at KHL this season, standing out in 33 games with four goals, one assists and a negative efficiency of -5. He also helped the “Mogo” team to become the champion of Latvia, scoring four goals in seven matches in the regular tournament, but marking five “play-offs” with five accurate throws and seven assists.
For the past four seasons, Marenis has spent at the National College Sports Association (NCAA), representing the Aurora University team.
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Prior to his career in college hockey, he played in the North American Hockey League and the Canadian Youth League.
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