Russia to the semi-finals of the JVM

Russia to the semi-finals of the JVM

Of: Andreas Käck

Published: January 2, 2021 at 8:29 p.m.

Russia is ready for the semi-finals of the JVM.

During the win against Germany, it was also noted that the players inhaled ammonia before the second period.

– It’s popular in Russia, says Nils Ekman at SVT.

Russia were the big favorites heading into Saturday’s quarter-finals against Germany. But the victory was tough inside. Vasili Ponomaryov and Danil Bashkirov made it 1-0 and 2-0, respectively, but early in the third period Florian Elias dropped to 2-1 and with minutes to go, the Germans had a chance in the power play.

But instead of a draw, the Germans themselves were sent off when the team’s assistant captain, John-Jason Peterka, managed a seemingly unnecessary second.

“I should be proud”

Russia stayed that way and won 2-1 and is therefore ready for the semi-finals.

– We had a chance today. Now we are disappointed, but overall I think we should be proud of our efforts at this JVM, Germany team captain Tim Stützte tells SVT.

Smell ammonia

During the match, it was also noted that the Russian players inhaled ammonia before the start of the second period. Something that is relatively common in some sports, but is seen more rarely at the junior level.

– Weightlifters use it before performing an achievement, and it is popular in both North America and Russia. It’s probably a bit of a tradition, a superstitious thing that they’re doing. They definitely wake one up in any case, says SVT expert Nisse Ekman.

Published: January 02, 2021 at 8:29 p.m.

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