Defender Ruben Rafkin is taking part in the under-20 World Cup tournament in Edmonton for the third time. The defender was preparing for the games in the army.
TPS defender Ruben Rafkin takes a slightly different stance on the Edmonton World Cup audience issue. It has been quiet in Lehteri.
– Of course, everyone would prefer to play to a full hall. This is my third time here, there are more people in the stands than previous times, the player reminds.
– The first tournament was played in a bubble, then no spectators were admitted to the games. Last winter, when the tournament was suspended, spectators did not have time to come to our first games, Rafkin explains.
Tuesday morning’s Canada game at Rogers Place will be full of people and noise.
From India to value competitions
Rafkin prepared for the World Cup tournament in army gray Santahamina.
– I was there all summer. We were closed for two weeks and at home for about a week. When we were caught, we got to the ice in Pajulahti.
– I’m a guard jaeger. Kamat has not yet been returned, so the service is not quite over yet. It was a good experience overall.
Rafkin wasn’t the only young lion in Santahamina this summer.
– Kasper Puutio and Kasper Simontaival were there at the same time too.
Ruben Rafkin prepared for the World Cup in army uniform. ZUMAWIRE / MVPHOTOS
against Slovakia
Rafkin will next focus on Sunday night’s match against Slovakia.
– The result is a bit deceiving, the Slovaks haven’t been that bad. There are a lot of skilled players and it’s an up and coming country.
– Slovakia is a fighting and tough team. It gave the Czech Republic a hard time in its opening game. A tough group will meet you there, a friend of yours Kalle Väisänen.
Slovakia lost their opening game to the Czech Republic 5–4. In the second game, Canada slaughtered the Slovaks no less than 11–1.
Finland has two wins on the plate. The beginnings of the matches have been strangely sticky for the team, the team makes the games difficult for themselves. In the last game, the Czech Republic quickly took a 2–0 lead.
– Maybe there was still excitement against Latvia, there was a place on the screen. Everyone had the desire to do everything. In the Czech game, the beginning was somehow overdone, there was nothing special about it.
– Bad starts have been the sum of many things. All teams want to invest in the beginning of the matches, maybe we have been the least successful in that so far, Väsiänen thinks.
– With the win, we will go to play on Sunday and this time we will definitely be awake at the beginning, Rafkin assures.