Release from 17.04.2023

Marco De Filippo: "We have grown so much over the season"

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Cortina prepares for the trip to Game 5 on the difficult Jesenice rink. With an excellent performance of sacrifice and defense, the lineup tied the score in the fourth game of the final. We asked goalkeeper Marco De Filippo for his assessment of the current final and what are the expectations on the fifth game that will be crucial for the series.

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Cortina managed to tie the series again against Jesenice, although by a narrow margin. What was the decisive factor?

On Saturday night we played an almost perfect game from a defensive point of view, closing every space to the opponents with a lot of organization. If a team plays well defensively, then the opportunities to score on offense come.

You tied the series again. Do you think you have the momentum on your side to make a breakthrough?

Yes. Certainly after an important win like the last one, it creates a special "momentum" on our side that we have to exploit. But we also try to improve on what has been done so far.

So far in these finals, the field factor has prevailed. What needs to happen for you to win away from home on Tuesday?

It is no mystery that Jesenice at home is a very, very strong lineup. We need to repeat what we did well at the Olympic Stadium at full strength. It will take the best concentration on defense and a competition without mistakes.

You are only two games away from winning the Alps title. Has some sort of passion for ice hockey returned to Cortina?

In Cortina there has always been a lot of passion for the sport and a lot of tradition. It is true that this season, where things have gone quite well, we have reawakened this love for hockey that had faded a bit in recent years. We are also very happy with the attention there is around our team.

As a goalie you are making some great performances . Are you in the best shape right now?

I am very happy with my personal performance. But I must also thank the team: my teammates are playing very well in front of me. There is no denying that we have grown so much over the course of the season, so my work has also improved as a result.

Do you think that with Karjalainen in Jesenice's goal and you, the best goalies in the league are facing each other in the finals ?

Yes. I would say Karjalainen is a very good goalie. In general in the Alps there have been in this season other very strong goalies as c Adam Vay (Fassa), Hayden Hawkey (Renon) and Erik Hanses (Lustenau).

This season you also won your first Scudetto with Cortina. How do you categorize this triumph??

This is the seventh season I've been with Cortina and we had never, in previous years, come close to winning it. It was a great satisfaction to be able to achieve this goal.

Foto: (C) Serena Fantini