GOTHENBURG. The break of the Young Lions after the catastrophic loss against Germany has been characterized by personal meetings, among other things.
The team did not hold joint ice practices. Finland retreated to the hotel and will next visit the ice on Friday morning before the match against Latvia.
– This is a normal thing when we have played two days in a row. Tomorrow we will take the morning off before the game and build the day a little differently than the previous two game days, head coach Lauri Mikkola tells Urheilu.
The coaching team has analyzed the match against Germany, but the match will not be played for the players until Thursday evening.
– There have been few personal meetings here and the boys spend time with each other. In the evening, we gather the troops and head towards the Latvia game.
According to Mikkola, the Young Lions must be able to improve small and big things in order for the continuum to be better. He believes that by fixing them, the game will also improve.
– They are quite simple things. For example, goal-scoring support measures, how to get into the mask and how to be there. How to approach situations, react and speed of reaction. Such things can be found there.
“There are many types of puck control”
The way the young Lions play has spoken during the games. Criticism has focused, among other things, on the fact that the field has not seen the puck control familiar from Suomikiko, where the players attack gently and together as a five.
– There are many different types of puck control. Is that the only way to calm down behind the goal and, for example, start with a delay, says Mikkola.
– If you look at the Germany game, we played an attacking game in the attacking zone for a good 12 minutes. Especially the second and third sets were such that the flow of the game was quite strong for us anyway.
There is something to file
Mikkola believes and knows that the players have internalized the team’s way of playing through the camps throughout the season. He reminds that the team’s training camp was a successful event with matches.
The head coach describes Finland’s way of playing as active, but it also includes rhythms.
– We don’t turn quickly all the time, but we take control of the puck every now and then, when the defenders have a rhythm and we search for three lanes. Quite familiar things.
He admits that there are some mistakes in the timing of the rhythms.
– Surely is. Such a perfect game is rarely played. There are so many ways to play the game. However, what constitutes puck control is always up to the viewer.
Good atmosphere
However, according to Mikkola, Finland can improve the tightness of the five, so that it does not give the opponent unnecessary counterattack opportunities.
– In the continuum of pressing, we can be better. We are able to be tighter as a five, so that the pressure does not break out. Piece by piece we move forward. The tournament is halfway through the preliminary series.
The head coach describes the team’s atmosphere as good and according to him, the team already talked “about things” on Wednesday night.
However, Mikkola did not want to reveal what the team was talking about.
– Whenever things don’t go as expected, it’s good to get a group together and discuss things. Anyway, we have a team full of great young men. Yes, mouths open there and we are better on the same page about all things.
There has been talk of pressure
Finland and Latvia have both started their matches with two losses, so there are big stakes in Friday’s match.
If Sweden beats Germany on Thursday night, Finland practically has to beat Latvia on Friday in order to secure the playoff spot.
According to Mikkola, the importance and pressure of the match have already been discussed together with the team.
– We have spoken them out loud with the team. The matter is known and controlled by everyone. Yes, we are fire and nails in the Latvia game.
The goal of the Young Lions has saved in the first two matches Niklas Kokko.
Goalkeeper coach Markus Korhonen didn’t reveal yet if Noa Valin turn to save in the Latvia match. According to Mikkola, there are plans to make small changes to the composition.
Urheilu closely follows the under-20 hockey world championships in the application and on its website. Moods are also conveyed on Urheilurutu and Urheiluradio. The match program can be found here.