Philippe Bozon, coach of the France team, after the 4-2 victory against Poland: “(Our) victory is the reward for the investment of the players over the last three matches. They deserved better in the first two (defeats against Kazakhstan and Latvia, having, during the latter match, produced very good hockey). We knew that Poland was a very opportunistic team, that we had to constantly monitor them.
They score two goals, and it’s logical that in the guys’ heads, we think more about defending, about being careful. (…) But it’s human, we know the importance of this victory. This kind of result is part of learning. And this kind of situation happens so often in hockey! Just this evening (Tuesday), Canada led 6-1 and Austria scored five in the third period (but Canadian victory, 7-6 after). I remember that we were able to bounce back defensively. »
“If we play like we did in the first matches, we can look for something against Slovakia or Germany”
Kévin Bozon, striker for the French team
Stéphane Da Costa, striker for the France team: “We had a good match, a good first period, until the middle of the second third. We conceded a bad goal, then a second, which put them back in the match. We started to panic, but we have the victory, that’s the main thing. It was especially the last five minutes of the second period that hurt us, when we had to go back to 4-0. (…) Justin Addamo (arrived as reinforcement at the start of the week) has a big body, like Sacha Treille who did a good job in the first matches, but we didn’t make the right plays. Addamo brings two goals from the start, it feels good. »
Kévin Bozon, striker for the French team: “The staff calmed us down at the break (between the second and third periods), to get back on a better footing. Logically (the Poles) push us and it’s not easy, it wasn’t our best third (period). Our “penalty kill” (shorthanded game) was monstrous (no goals conceded). It feels good, that’s the biggest positive point. Now we will have to improve at five against five. Mathematically, we are not saved, we still have to earn points. I’m disappointed that we’re not already at seven (points), but if we play like we did in the first matches, we can look for something against Slovakia or Germany. Sweden and the United States would be an achievement, but if we maintain our gaming identity, we can annoy them. »
2024-05-14 22:24:40
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