Sokolov Explains Penalty in Ak Bars Debut vs Torpedo
Yegor Sokolov scored his first goal for Ak Bars but was called for a two-minute penalty in a 2:3 loss to his former club Torpedo, and defended his side of the incident.
Yegor Sokolov scored his first goal for Ak Bars, in a 2:3 defeat to his former club Torpedo, and afterwards had plenty to say about it.
Sokolov collected two minutes for a stick infraction against Torpedo forward Mikhail Vorobyov during the game at Kazan's new Volga Arena. He rejected any suggestion that he had caught Vorobyov deliberately.
"With Vorobyov. I didn't like how he played it in the penalty episode. He ran into my stick himself, I didn't see him. He fell, asked for a five-minute penalty. I told him straight away that I don't respect that. I was just standing there with my stick, he skated into me and fell. I didn't like that."
Asked whether he expected Torpedo to look for payback when the two sides meet again, Sokolov played the question down.
"I have no comeback in mind. Everyone plays hockey the way they want to. You will never see me in situations like that."
He was also asked about a late episode involving Grigori Kostin, and deferred to the officials' decision.
"The referees make the decision. They saw goaltender interference, so that's what they saw."
Sokolov moved to Ak Bars from Torpedo in a trade completed on 8 September, days after the clubs reached a preliminary agreement. It was his first against his old side, and by his own account not the friendliest of reunions.
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