France ready for quarterfinals, says Manavian

05 May 2013 | Lukáš Peroutka

Six years in France, last season in Austria. French clash against Austrians at the World Championship was no ordinary deal for Antonin Manavian, the 26-year old French defenseman. In the end, he could celebrate as Team France held on to a precious 3-1 victory.

The demonic-looking player with QMJHL experience boasts a big beard and looks as scary on the ice as he possibly can. With his hard play and courage to get into physical challenges, Manavian is one of the players no one fancies to play against.

What was the game against Team Austria like? Both teams looked pretty nervous, but eventually you came out victorious.

It was a great game for us and a big one, too. Everybody on the team played really well. We are happy for the win and points.

After narrowly missing out on playoffs last year, is quarterfinal spot your goal on this tournament?

Yes, everybody is ready for that. I hope we can achieve this.

You played for Austrian side Innsbruck in the international Erste Bank Eishockey liga this season. Do you think this experience helped you in this game?

Yeah, maybe it helped. I am really happy for the win, especially against Austrian guys I know from the league.

EBEL is a league with a lot of North American players. Does it suit you well?

I would say the EBEL is a little bit better league with higher quality. It is more physical with typical North American style of hockey which suits me well. In France, games and players are more technical.