The coach of the Belarusian national team explained the clash between the hockey player and the referee

ST. PETERSBURG, December 17, Andrey Senchenko. Chief coach of the Belarusian national team Konstantin Koltsov expressed the opinion that the defender of the Belarusian team and Nizhny Novgorod Torpedo Daniil Bokun hit the referee of the match against the Zvezda and VHL team at the Channel One Cup due to emotions.
Channel One Cup takes place in St. Petersburg. On the final day of play, the Belarusians lost to the “Stars and VHL” team in overtime (4:5). In the first period, Bokun hit the referee and was sent off for the rest of the game.
«»Not an easy match for us. We tried to play more on the attack, because of this we received a lot of counterattacks. Martynov could not finish the game because he dropped out due to injury. Probably for quite a long time: about three weeks, maybe more. Falkovsky also got injured, Lisovets also got injured after yesterday's match against the Russia 25 team. Bokun sent off? I didn't talk to him. It's probably emotions. The referee got in his way, and Bokun probably wanted to push him away a little and join the fight against an opponent,” Koltsov told reporters.
Nikolai Voevodin, coach of the Zvezda and VHL team, which includes leading young players from clubs in the Continental Hockey League (KHL) and the All-Russian Hockey League (VHL), supported the idea of ​​​​creating a team exclusively from players from VHL clubs to participate in future tournaments.
«»Our players entered the match with a different attitude, with a different desire. They improved their play with the puck, created chances, scored beautiful goals. We finished the tournament on a good note. We are returning to the clubs with a positive mood. The summer tournament in Sochi gave me a lot experience, there was an opportunity to try the team against KHL clubs. In St. Petersburg, the level of the team is a little different, but we tried to show ourselves in these matches. For me, this is a great experience, I got a lot of material and thoughts. Is it realistic to make a team only from VHL players? It’s a good idea , but it needs to be worked through to the end. The players need more time to get ready. Let the managers look and analyze the calendar. The KHL has a break, but the VHL does not. If a team is created from VHL players, then a pause in the league will be needed. And for she also needs a break,” said Voevodin.