NEWS: Staying at Clan is right move says Russell

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Braehead Clan netminder Gary Russell admits he was tempted by a move away from the club – but knew staying was the best move.

‘Rusty’ is back for a second season with the Clan after impressing in his eight appearances when he stepped up last year.

And he believes he has improved since stepping up from NIHL side Solway Sharks to join the Clan.

Russell said: “I’m from Glasgow, I work in Glasgow and my family is here, plus so it’s easier to commute to the rink so it made sense.

“Plus when I think about how well I was treated by the club and the fans, that was a big reason to return.

“Also, I work full time so naturally there would have been an impact there. But I was definitely tempted to move on and try and get more ice time somewhere, but everything’s here for me.

“Looking back, I would say I am a better goalie from when I first arrived. I learned a lot from Chris Holt last year and picked up a few things from him.

“I’m hoping to get more ice time of course, but that said, I’m ready to step in when asked to and when it happens, I’ll be ready to take my chance. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t. It’s just how things go.”

Russell took a moment to reflect on last season – his first as an Elite League goalie and talked about the difficulties in going from playing every game to sitting on the bench most weeks.

And he gave some insight into his relationship with former team-mate Holt, who retired at the end of last season.

Russell said: “Life at the Clan was very enjoyable for me. The fans and crowd aspect of it certainly was really good, but it was hard to be on the bench more instead of playing.

“It’s a different mindset you need to be a backup goalie rather than one that plays all the time. It’s about training and making yourself better and making sure you’re ready to step up.

“I got on well with my team-mates so there were certainly plenty of positives from my time at Braehead last year.

“Working with Chris was great for me too. I was impressed with his stature and the fact he’d played in the NHL and KHL.

“I’d never worked with anyone with that kind of experience so it was an honour for me to learn from him and he helped me understand that I can play at this level.

“It was probably more a mental thing, but he mentored me quite a lot and now, looking ahead, I’m just interested in pushing myself forward and try to impress again.”

https://audioboom.com/boos/4743031-interview-staying-with-clan-was-the-right-move-says-rusty