MoDo - Björklöven5 - 2
Riley Woods: "I'm excited for the atmosphere"
MoDos Riley Woods svarar på frågor från Peter Kempe
How are your feelings after the game against Västervik?
It was pretty crazy. It was a good game by both teams. I think we battled but had a lapse in the third period, but still managed to come back and get 3-2 in overtime which was great for us.
Has it been hard to adapt to playing on bigger ice? It is your first year outside of North America.
It was a bit hard in the beginning, it’s definitely a bigger ice surface and I noticed that a lot in the first couple of games. Now that the games have passed it’s getting a lot easier to read the angles on the ice and know where I’m supposed to be. A big difference has been in the defensive zone, the opponents are always a bit further away than I’m used to so I have to do the few extra strides to get in position. Those are the biggest differences but things have been getting better so far.
How have you adjusted to the time difference?
It took me a good three or four days to get used to the time difference but I have gotten there the past couple of months so now it’s good.
Are you prepared for the dark winters in Northern Sweden? For example it can get dark around 3 pm in December.
They told me about that when I got here. I’m used to the cold winters back home where I’m coming from but not the darkness so that will be something different this coming winter.
What is the biggest difference between Swedish hockey versus North American?
Overall I think it’s pretty fast down here, everyone is skating really well. Everyone is at the right spot at the right time so the main difference is that you have to try to capitalize on your scoring chanses when you get them, because you don’t get so many of them.
How did you end up in MoDo Hockey?
Me, my agent and the GM started talking about this as a good place for me to start my european career, and so MoDo came up and I ended up here for this year.
What did you know about the club from earlier?
I didn’t know much before the summer before my agent told me that this is a place where I’d want to go. I did a little research and found out that it was a smaller city with great fans, so I jumped on the opportunity.
And for someone who comes from the Colorado Avalanche organization, I guess you have heard of a player who has played for MoDo as well?
Yep, Forsberg of course.
Was the connection to Colorado and Henrik Gradin a contributing factor to why you chose to play for MoDo?
I think he saw me play a little for Colorado Eagles last year, so it had a little influence on him before he called my agent. It had a little influence on it, and I’m glad to be here at MoDo.
How do you feel that you have performed in the beginning of the season?
Individually and as a team
I think that as a team we’ve had a pretty hot start of the season, and we are in third place at the moment. I think that as a team we have played well, and the chemistry in our lines is coming along really well.
Individually I think I’ve contributed a lot this part of the season, and I hope I can do that for the rest of the year.
Do you feel that you, as a team, have gotten the amount of points that you have earned from your performances?
I think we’ve earned them for sure. There’s a couple of points in there that we’ve really had to work hard for. Every game is a new game and hopefully we can get every point that we can from those games.
How is the confidence and general climate in the squad?
Our confidence is pretty good since we’re coming off from a few wins, but we have to not let the confindence get to our heads. We have to keep playing our game, keep playing with structure every game and stick with the process.
Has the teams confidence grown since Tex Williamsson and Henrik Tikkanen came in performing well?
Yeah, obviously you rely on your goalkeepers to play good day in and day out. I think they have excelled over the last few games and that is definitely bringing the teams confindence up a bit.
You were predicted from many as the player likely to get most points in MoDo, are you aware of the expectations?
Yeah, I think I saw a post about that on Instagram early this season. I know you have high expectations of me and I hope I can give it my all and reach those expectations.
Do you feel that you have scored enough points so far?
Definitely, I don’t think about that when I’m on the ice, I know the points will come so I don’t worry about it too much.
You have scored four goals so far, second best in the team.
Do you see yourself as a sniper or more of an allround player?
I see myself as an allround player and I like to play in the defensive zone as well, but I will definitely shoot the puck when I can and make plays when I can.
This weekend is a back to back against Modos current biggest rivals Björklöven, what do you know about the rivalry?
I heard it’s pretty crazy, their fans will come to Örnsköldsvik and vice versa. I’m definitely excited for the atmosphere we will have here in the upcoming days and it will be fun.
There will be a full house on the stands, what do you expect from the supporters?
I expect them to be loud all game, they have been huge for us the first games and I hope they will keep it up. There will definitely be big emotions involved.
Do you have that kind of supporters in Canada too?
There are good fans there that cheer us on, but they don’t have their own chanting section and it’s not as crazy as it is here.
Can you get extra energy from the crowd during a game?
Definitely. When you enter the tunnel and know that you have a full crowd around you it just gives you that much more confidence ahead of the game.
How are you preparing for the games ahead of you?
I try to get all the rest I can and drink all the fluids I can, I hope I can get a good nights sleep so I can be ready for tomorrow.
Do you have a game day routine you like to follow?
We have morning skate, then I get home and make myself a pregame meal of chicken and pasta, and then I take about an hour and a half nap, Then I hit the shower and get down to the rink to get ready for the game.
One last thing, do you have something you’d like to say to the fans?
Thank you guys for supporting us day in and day out. Hopefully we can continue to give you the entertainment and the wins that you want, and hopefully you will be there every step of the way. Thank you guys very much!
