Krzysztof Maciaś had an excellent debut in the WHL league. The Polish hockey player scored a goal for the Prince Albert Raiders in the first match of the new season against the Moose Jaw Warriors, which ended with a high 4-0 victory. – Every day I feel better and better here and I hope that it continues to move in the right direction – assures the 19-year-old striker.

The inauguration of the new season by the Prince Albert Raiders hockey players was very impressive. More than three thousand fans attended the first showdown with the Moose Jaw Warriors at the Art Hauser Center, which has a capacity of 3,366,000 spectators. Our hockey player scored a goal to make the score 3-0 in the second minute and ninth second of the third period. Brayden Dube’s first shot was saved by Jackson Unger, but Maciaś’s follow-up shot was powerless.

– We agreed on the ball game, which we had trained earlier. We managed to play, but we didn’t score a goal on the first play and I was in front of the goal, so I finished the puck first. The goalkeeper did not close the fence and the puck fell into the net between his legs – Maciaś commented on his first goal.

The Pole was very active in this match. In addition to the goal, he also fired four shots towards the opponent’s goal. In the match report’s plus/minus rankings, his achievements in this statistic stand at +1. Krzysztof Maciaś was chosen as the third star of this game. The Polish representative does not hide the fact that he very quickly found his place in the new team. – My teammates and generally the people around our club allow me to acclimatize very easily, they are ready to help me. Every day I feel better and better here and I hope that it will continue to move in the right direction – he emphasizes.

Another new thing that our attacker must adapt to are the smaller (narrower) rinks than those on which hockey matches are played in Europe. – It’s true. At the moment I have to say that the differences are noticeable, but I’m getting more and more used to them. Thanks to the smaller rink, everything happens faster and decisions have to be made much quicker, and there is more body play. Until now, I have always played on European ice rinks, so it takes me some time to get used to it, but I feel more and more confident here on these small surfaces abroad – says the Polish representative.

The Podhale Nowy Targ graduate has spent the last five years playing in youth leagues in the Czech Republic. Last season he played five matches and scored one goal in the senior top league team HC Vitkovice. According to the Pole, the fundamental difference between hockey in the Czech Republic and Canada lies above all in the approach of hockey players. – There isn’t a single player here who doesn’t want to do something or doesn’t train when the coach isn’t looking. The professionalism of everyone around the team is very visible and this requires an equally professional approach from each player. In addition, the preparation for each rival is at the highest level. We know every detail of our opponent’s game, but we also have to take into account that our opponents also know almost everything about us – emphasizes the 19-year-old.

Krzysztof Maciaś lives in Prince Albert, a city of over thirty thousand inhabitants, which is the third largest city in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. Our player gradually finds himself in his new environment. – I was definitely surprised by the kindness of the people here, everyone is willing to help. Additionally, there is a lot of nature here, but that is due to the region I am in and the population density. I can’t comment on winter yet, but I’ve heard several times that it’s going to surprise me with how cold it can be, so I can’t wait, our competitor added with a smile.

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