How was it out there?
It was good. We had a skate this morning to try to get used to the ice. It’s really warm out there, but it’s the same conditions for both teams.

Were you nervous at all?
Maybe a bit in the past week because it was a really long training camp, and we all just wanted that day to come. So it was in a good way, like being a kid playing in a tournament, where you can’t wait till the puck drops. But once the game starts, it’s a hockey game. It’s the same sport, whether there are 800 or 8000 people watching.

How about the fans?
Oh, they were great! I’d heard about the Sparta fans before and the audience was great. It was really nice to get the win for our fans.

And it must have been nice to get a goal too...
Well, it’s always fun to score. It was a nice pass from Pisky (Jan Piskáček) and I just shot it in front. Everyone on the ice did their job. The goalie couldn’t see anything, so it was a team effort.

Do you often shoot one-timers?
It depends on the situation, but you have to shoot it as quick as you can because you’ve got guys trying to block it. Having the guys screening in front always helps.

How about the goaltending of Matěj Machovský tonight?
He was unreal, especially in the first period. He saved a lot of goals, so it was good to get momentum from that.

Was there anything about the league or style of play that surprised you?
We played nine preseason games, so we knew what to expect. It’s a pretty fast-paced league here and as a defenceman, you have to be ready for that.

How is the communication with the team?
It’s good. Uwe speaks English, the guys who don’t speak English are trying to learn, and I’m trying to learn some Czech. It’s not that easy, but hockey terms are understood by everyone, and if I want to find a way to tell somebody something, I’ll find a way to do it.

So is it nice to get that first game out of the way?
Yeah, that’s always nice. We won, and we can enjoy that, but there are still 51 games left. Tomorrow we have practice and then Sunday is another game.

Is there anything you think you can do better on Sunday?
We’ll take a look at the video. There are obviously some things we can do better, but there are also things we did well tonight. We can always be better and we will try to get better every game.