“I guess the experience from last year helped us. We’ve been one game since the finals, and in the end the series with Sparta lasted seven games. A lot of guys experienced it last year, “admitted Michal Birner, who managed to knock his teammates out of losing the lead and comparing the series with his opponent.
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“From a mental point of view, it was not pleasant when you were seven minutes away and basically giving them a match. In the cabin, we said it was over, there was no point in messing with it and looking at our mistakes, but rather looking for positive things and it was visible in the match, “said Birner, who contributed to the high win with two hits.
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Brno goalkeeper Marek Čiliak and Michal Birner from Liberec.Photo: Vít Černý, CTK
“We mainly wanted to avoid getting the first goal. This is always important for the psyche. As soon as we gave it to me, I saw determination on the team. We prevented two weaknesses. Before the power play at the beginning of the second period, we said that as we play it, it will set the tone for the rest of the match. We haven’t helped each other much yet, and then we went on the wave, “Birner said.
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Ladislav Šmíd, who collected a total of seven in the series and leads the Canadian playoff scoring, also contributed two more assists to the promotion. “Great! He’s a playmaker on blue, I’m waiting for him. This is not a coincidence. It’s good for him now. It is important that the rest of us improve a little more. But statistics are a nice thing, but the playoffs are about something else entirely. Now I may think of Crosby’s example in 2010. He was worried about the whole Olympics and was under incredible pressure, he couldn’t do it, he couldn’t score a goal. And then the whole tournament decided and he is the greatest hero. Statistics are a bomb, but hares are counted only after the hunt, “Birner said.
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But the North Bohemians already have one “hare”. “The season is like a swing from the beginning. We all know it wasn’t perfect. , which was our goal over the season, and now we’ll see. play off belongs, “remarked the Czech national team.
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How does he see the series with Sparta, which will want to return to Liberec last year’s elimination in the semifinals played in seven matches? “We have nothing to lose. Sparta is the favorite. I’m really looking forward to the series and I believe that they will be very ready, they will be sharp. They will have a full arena behind them. I believe that the series will be with everything and the audience will have fun, “he concluded.
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