The last time we saw the Lithuanian men’s ice hockey team in the country’s capital was back in 2014. Dainius Zubrus, a long-time NHL player who defended the country’s honor at that time, is now the president of the Hockey Lietuva association.
D. Zubrus was happy about the national team’s prospects
At the press conference held before the start of the championship, D. Zubrus was happy with the increased popularity of Lithuanian ice hockey over the decade and hoped that the national team, which has been rejuvenated since then, will only compete for gold in Vilnius.
Press conference of the Lithuanian national ice hockey team
(17 photos)
Dainius Zubrus (Lukas Balandis/ BNS photo)
Dainius Zubrus (Lukas Balandis/ BNS photo)
Moments of the event (Lukas Balandis/ BNS photo)
Dainius Zubrus (Lukas Balandis/ BNS photo)
Ron Pasco (Lukas Balandis/BNS photo)
Moments of the event (Lukas Balandis/ BNS photo)
Moments of the event (Lukas Balandis/ BNS photo)
Moments of the event (Lukas Balandis/ BNS photo)
Moments of the event (Lukas Balandis/ BNS photo)
Moments of the event (Lukas Balandis/ BNS photo)
Moments of the event (Lukas Balandis/ BNS photo)
Dainius Zubrus (Lukas Balandis/ BNS photo)
Moments of the event (Lukas Balandis/ BNS photo)
Moments of the event (Lukas Balandis/ BNS photo)
Mantas Armalis (Lukas Balandis/ BNS photo)
Mantas Armalis (Lukas Balandis/ BNS photo)
Moments of the event (Lukas Balandis/ BNS photo)
The IB World Men’s Ice Hockey Championship held in Kaunas in 2018 was also successful for Lithuania, where the Lithuanian national ice hockey team, nicknamed the “dream team”, won the gold and moved up to the IA division.
“Six years ago, when I played, Darius Kasparaitis also played in that championship, and other players played who had already finished their careers after the year when we won. This national team has changed a lot, of course there will be players who will return and who played in that championship.
There will be new, young players that I will be excited to see and will be excited to be a part of. As a hockey country, we are not very big, the choice of players is not very big either, but the generation is growing, the youth is growing and even our younger players in the U20 and U18 national teams, as far as I can see, are growing and improving, and it’s nice to see. It is difficult to compare national teams, but I think we are capable of winning all competitions”, said D. Zubrus.
Not everyone played in the preparatory cycle
Canadian Ron Pasco, who coaches the Lithuanian national team, said that the preparation for the championships held at the Twinsbet Arena was complicated.
At first, our team beat the Estonians 3:1 in Riga, and lost to the Ukrainians 2:5 in the second match.
The players joined the team at different times, and one of the team’s offensive leaders, 32-year-old Nerijus Ališauskas, still did not join it, because he played the last match of the final series in Slovakia on Wednesday and became the country’s vice-champion.
“He is on his way to Lithuania, we are trying to make everything go smoothly logistically and for him to join us as soon as possible. I think he’s a bit disappointed with how his club season ended but we’re very happy he’s joining us because he’s a very important part of the team and a very important player in the dressing room. I believe that he will arrive in time for the first match”, assured R. Pasco.
There is no shortage of sharp players in the Lithuanian national team, and one of the most experienced forwards is 28-year-old Vilnius native Paulius Gintautas, who plays in Norway. This national team player made his debut in the 2014 championship and says that it was this championship that had a great influence on his further career.
“I remember the shivers even went through my body then, I was the youngest player then and I was shaking before the competition when I saw so many people around here. But nothing, then there were veterans like Zubrus, who cheered me up a lot, explained that it’s just a game and all I can do best is just do my job.
After that championship, I went to play in Norway and I’ve been playing tennis for most of my career until now, it took my career up a notch,” P. Gintautas, who was eighteen at the time, remembered his debut in the national team and the feeling of playing in his country.
In order for the national team to be able to return to Group A of Division I, it is necessary to defeat Group IB. The national team’s goalkeeper Mantas Armalis, who tested his strength in a friendly match against Ukraine before the championship, has no doubt that this national team will be the main contender for medals.
“I imagine that Ukraine is one of the favorites and it’s good that we had the opportunity to play against them, to feel what their level is and I would say that our chances are very good. It felt like we played a good game, although we were obviously tired from all the training. But we will manage a little bit, we will play more precisely and anything can happen”, M. Armalis, who finished the season in the highest Swedish league, has no doubts about the national team’s possibilities.
Tags: Dainius Zubraus optimistic predictions World Championship Vilnius capable winning competitions
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