Aleksey Marchenko: "For any player who reaches the final, the motivation is the same — to win the Cup."

      The captain of Ak Bars shared his thoughts on the opponent in the Gagarin Cup final - Yaroslavl Lokomotiv

      Photo: Dinar Fatykhov

      The captain of Ak Bars, Alexey Marchenko, shared his expectations for the Gagarin Cup final and answered questions about the opponent - Yaroslavl Lokomotiv, for which he played earlier. His words are quoted by a correspondent from Realnoe Vremya. — What emotions is the team filled with before the Gagarin Cup Final? — For any athlete, the final is the peak of the season. You need to give your all for victory. — You were once the captain of Lokomotiv. Do you feel any special sensations before the series? — Of course. First of all, they are a strong opponent who has played in the final for the third year in a row. The guys are trained, they know what to do, so we need to be ready for them. — The opponent had a fantastic finish in the series against Avangard. Did you follow the sixth and seventh matches? — I think, first of all, for hockey, it’s great. For Omsk, of course, not very good. Overall, it was a great series for hockey, but now it doesn’t matter, the score in the series is 0–0. — The team will be traveling to Yaroslavl by train; could this cause any difficulties? — No. We will eat, sleep, arrive, and there will be another day for preparation. Dinar Fatykhov / realnoevremya.ru — You left Lokomotiv quite emotionally - is that already in the past? — Right now, the most important thing is to focus. This is the final; there’s no time for any hockey-related matters. Just pure hockey. — Can these moments become additional motivation? — For any player going into the final, the motivation is the same - to win the Cup. — Avangard tried to rely on active segments in the last two games against Lokomotiv, just as Ak Bars did with Metallurg. Do you have anything to surprise the opponent in this regard, or will you continue to stick to your line? — We will base our game on how we played before. The team is a bit more similar to Minsk Dynamo - they have a bit more experience, and the guys are physically stronger. But the game pattern is about the same. — Is Ak Bars' leadership in shot conversion and blocked shots a reflection of the team's current game? — I don’t know; it’s hard to say. I’ll repeat, the score in the series is 0:0; everything will start anew there. — There is a trend that Ak Bars is getting stronger from round to round. Do you feel that you are getting stronger within the team? — I think we have grown very well as a team, but we still have room to grow. — What gaps are there in the opponent? — We will see in the games.

      Evgeny Romanov

      More news about the event:

      Captain of Ak Bars Marchenko: "We have grown as a team"

      Captain of Ak Bars Alexey Marchenko believes that his team has progressed and grown as a collective this season. 19:49 09.05.2026 IA Tatar-inform - Kazan

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      Ak Bars prepares for the Gagarin Cup final

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      Grigory Denisov: "Details will be very important. Whoever is better in them will win the series"

      Forward of Ak Bars - about the game with Yaroslavl Lokomotiv

      Photo: Dinar Fatykhov

      Forward of Ak Bars Grigory Denisov shared his expectations before the first game of the Gagarin Cup final against Yaroslavl Lokomotiv. 14:25 09.05.2026 Realnoe Vremya - Kazan

      Alexey Marchenko: "For any player going into the final, the motivation is the same - to win the Cup"

      The captain of Ak Bars shared his thoughts on the opponent in the Gagarin Cup final - Yaroslavl Lokomotiv

      Photo: 14:24 09.05.2026 Realnoe Vremya - Kazan

      News from neighboring regions on the topic:

      "There are circumstances": how Ak Bars will get to Yaroslavl for the playoff final

      The Kazan team will clash with Lokomotiv in the fight for the Gagarin Cup

      The Ak Bars team will travel to the games (6+) of the playoff final against Lokomotiv in Yaroslavl by train. 18:55 09.05.2026 76.Ru - Yaroslavl

      "Ak Bars" is going to the Gagarin Cup final in Yaroslavl by train

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      Which team has a better chance of winning? Expert's forecast for the Gagarin Cup final

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      Kirill Safronov: "Lokomotiv is the favorite of the Gagarin Cup final"

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      "Lokomotiv" - "Ak Bars": the final series of the Gagarin Cup will be repeated after 17 years

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      The KHL announced the start times for the final matches between Lokomotiv and Ak Bars

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