Eyes To The Future - End of Season Interview with Slava Kovalenko

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With the Ottawa Lynx season over now, VHLM correspondent Steven Glynn took a chance to sit down with one of their free agency signings, Stanislav "Slava" Kovalenko to get his impressions on the team, the VHLM and what he sees for himself going forward.

 

SG: Slava, thank you so much for taking the time to sit down with me today, we appreciate it. Firstly, hard luck for the Lynx there at the end but you guys battled and kept pushing. What was the locker room like?

 

SK: A pleasure as always, Steve. I think we were trying to focus on what we could control, and doing our best to capitalize on what chances we could but sometimes, things just aren't meant to come to fruition. It's frustrating, sure, but there's not much more we could have done. I think it's easier to accept something when you know that you gave it everything you possibly could. As far as the locker room goes, we're a pretty tight knit bunch and I never had any doubts that the others would have my back, regardless of what came up. Our manager, Grape, has also been a gem and I really hope this isn't the last time that I get to be on a team with them but we'll see how things shake up.

 

SG: As a free agent signing, you didn't have as much time as others but you still managed to average almost a point each game. Did you feel pressure to perform in such a short window of opportunity?

 

SK: I always put pressure on myself because I want to constantly be evolving and growing my game as best as I can. So when I don't perform well or if I feel like there were chances that I missed, it does bother me. But I feel like, even with as little time as I had, I proved that I could put together a solid foundation for myself and I'm looking forward to next season, to being able to show a little more of what I can bring to the table. I don't regret signing when I did, though. Ottawa's been a good team to me and I'm always going to remember these games with them fondly. They were the ones who took a chance on me when I thought I might not make it to the VHLM or VHL at all so I won't forget that.

 

SG: What do you think the future holds for you?

 

SK: Hopefully, another stint with the Lynx. I feel like we've all got some unfinished business there and if it was possible to hold onto the core that we had and add to it, I think we could get pretty far and I think some of the others feel the same way as well. I'd love to be able to run it back with everyone, prove that we've got what it takes to be the best. But of course with the dispersal draft coming up, that just may not be possible. Still, a guy can dream, eh?

 

SG: From where I'm sitting, I think you'll be able to handle whatever comes your way. Thanks again for speaking with me Slava and best of luck!

 

SK: You're welcome, Steve. Hope to speak again soon.

 

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