The #1 Gopher Hockey team held their weekly press conference at Mariucci Arena this afternoon. Head Coach Don Lucia met with the media, as did Travis Boyd and Adam Wilcox. The team travels to Columbus this weekend to take on Ohio State this Friday and Saturday. Game time is 6:30 PM on Friday (Fox Sports North-PLUS), and 5:30 PM on Saturday (ESPN News).
Head Coach Don Lucia:
Regarding the MN State HS Hockey Tournament… “We’re leaving tomorrow, so I won’t be there at all. It just depends on our weekend. When we’re in town, we’ll get over there. Grant (Potulny) will be around, and I think Mike’s (Guentzel) going to stay tomorrow and fly in on Friday. So they’ll be at it. But, we leave early tomorrow morning, and we’ll have practice in Columbus. When we’re in town, we’re there, but we can’t control how the scheduling works”
Regarding Hudson Fasching’s rights being traded… “I haven’t talked to him (Fasching) yet, but I’m not surprised. I walked in the locker room and asked Brady (Skjei) ‘You been traded yet?’. You know, they’re all aware. Keith Ballard was here and was traded twice before he even left here. That’s just all part of the process. It reinforces that when you move beyond this level, you are an asset. And they can trade their assets as they see fit. And that’s all part of the process of being a professional. He’s had a great year. Like anything, sometimes you have to give up something to get something immediate. They understand that he’s a ways away. Buffalo is rebuilding, but who knows. Before he leaves here he could be traded again. That’s all part of the process. It’s not a negative or a positive. It worked out for Nick Leddy when he was traded. Obviously he’s had a great career, and won a Stanley Cup with Chicago. That’s the way professional sports are. I mean, you have to trade, whether it’s draft picks, or players, to try and get some immediate help. L.A.’s the type of team that’s probably trying to win a cup this year”
Regarding the first line… “They’ve been big. Obviously, they play well. But when you look at our team, I can’t emphasize enough, that this weekend kind of summed up our team. Kyle’s (Rau) line had a big night on Friday, and then (Travis) Boyd’s line scores two goals on Saturday, and their the only line that scored. That’s kind of how we’ve been. We don’t have a dominant one or two offensive players. You can look at the score sheet before you play a game with these guys are going to score. We don’t know on a given night who’s going to do the scoring for us. And that can be good and bad. But for our team to be successful, we have to have a couple of lines that score every night, to give us some offense. I think all four are capable of doing that. When we get a couple of lines that step forward, that’s when we’re a good team, and a hard team to beat”
Regarding the team… “Just continue to be a good defensive team. When you look at this point, it’s not about what you do offensively, it’s how well you play defensively. If we can continue to give up one or two goals a game, then we’re in a great position to win every night. We understand that their’s going to be games, or a weekend like we saw in Madison, where we only gave up two goals each night, but yet we lost. But, for the most part, I think you go in and say two goals, we’ll take it, and hope we get to three”
Regarding their season… “Notre Dame, BC and New Hampshire…Mercihurst is leading the Atlantic…Mankato has a chance to win the WCHA this weekend…St. Cloud has a chance to win the NCHC this weekend. These are good teams. We’ve played a very good schedule outside of our league. That, as much as anything else, has put us in the position that we’re in. Obviously, we’ve done a good job in the Big Ten. It’s nice to know from the standpoint, you’re in the NCAA tournament. No matter what happens from here on out now, it’s about trying to stay healthy. It’s all about trying to play well, and close out the Big Ten in a positive fashion”
Travis Boyd:
Regarding the team… “We’re rollin’ right now. Trying to close out a Big Ten championship. So, the next two weekends are huge, and they’re going to be tough. You know, going on the road is never easy, especially in the Big Ten. So, we just need to keep playing well, and bring a road mentality the next two weekends. This year, more than ever, we’re really just focused on being here in the moment. We’ve put ourselves in a great spot here, going into the final stretch of the season”
Regarding winning the Big Ten Championship… “It’s definitely something we’ve talked about. Everyone wants to be the first team to win it. There’s a lot of focus in the locker room right now, making sure we finish what we started here”
Regarding his line… “I think I had a good weekend with my line. (Seth) Ambroz and Tom (Serratore) both played well this weekend too, you know. Made some nice plays together. We were lucky enough to capitalize on some of those this weekend”
Regarding Tom Serratore’s Game Winner… “It’s definitely something you wanted to see. It’s Senior night, and you want to make sure your Seniors go out on a good note. First of all, (Mike) Shibrowksi played phenomenally. Everybody was happy for him. And for Tom (Serratore) to get that big goal, he’s had a couple of injuries this season that have been unfortunate, so it was good for him”
Regarding his season… “I put a lot of work in this summer to get better. I really focused on some areas where I needed to improve. And then just being another year older, you get another year of confidence under your belt. Another year of playing at this level. You just feel a lot more comfortable out there. I wasn’t very happy with how my first two years went here. So I made it a point to come in, and I ended up losing like ten pounds over the summer. I was working out every day, gaining muscle, and losing ten pounds of fat. I worked a lot on my shot, and worked a lot on my skating too. Worked on my speed and quickness”
Regarding playing on smaller rinks… “Going from big to small, we haven’t played on a small rink in three to four weeks now. For us, usually a period, a couple shifts into it, you get used to it. It’s hockey out there. Things happen a little bit quicker, but after the first couple of shifts, it’s just normal”
Adam Wilcox:
Regarding sitting on Saturday night… “It was a little different. Something you’re not used to. But at the same time, it’s kind of relaxing to get a night off. I had one at the beginning of the year, and it was a little different perspective. It’s always nice to see (Mike) Shibrowski get a game. He plays hard, and the guys always play really hard when he’s in the net. So, that’s always cool to have that. But you have a whole new take on the game. Bad plays seem worse, and good plays seem better, because you’re paying more attention to that stuff. You’re not worried about stopping the puck in the end. It’s always nice to have a relaxing game, but at the same time, you want to play every minute”
Regarding his play… “You gotta realize that, in the end it comes down to you. Whether it’s a breakaway, or a back door. And, unfortunately, goalies can’t get goals. So you need a team effort. At the same time, if the Goalie is playing bad, you’re not going to get the win most likely. But if the Goalie is playing good, up to his potential, you give your team a chance to wind every night. And that’s what I want to do”
Regarding the season… “It’s been exciting, especially that month of January. We had our first weekend on the road at Penn State, we had our outdoor game, and we had the first North Star Cup at the Xcel Energy Center. So, it was pretty cool. It’s been a cool year. The Freshman are lucky to get into this. They came into their first year, the first Big Ten season here. It’s an exciting year. The last two years have been awesome. I know the guys really want to get back into the NCAA’s and do something good. After that year we had last year, especially the Seniors, their last chance to really get a crack at it here. I think we have a chance to do something special. The guys have worked really hard the whole year, you can’t waste that”
Regarding his award nominations… “It’s always nice to get recognized for stuff. You know, whether it’s nominations, or awards like the Hobey and stuff. You know you’re doing something right. But at the same time, if you’re not winning championships, that’s kind of what you came here for, to win the championship at the end of the year. The big one. Regular season, and stuff like that. So if you’re not winning those, I mean, it’s nice to get those awards, but it really comes down to winning those big ones. It’s nice to be up for the award. (Johnny) Geaudreau will probably win it. He’s such a good player. He’s at like, over two points a game. The guys unbelievable. He’s the favorite. I mean, it’s out of your control. The only thing you can really control is how you play. It’s exciting to be up for it, but at the same time, I just want to go in every night and give the team a chance to win, and get the wins. Rally around the group of guys and have fun with it. We have a really good team. Just really live up to our potential, and do good stuff this year. That’s really what I care about the most”
Regarding playing on smaller rinks… “The angle is s a little bit different, and you’re not moving as much. Passes, and when people walk out of the corners, you’re not moving too much more. On Olympic sized rinks, you might be shuffling across your crease a little bit more. Playing the puck, everything happens a little bit quicker. At Mariucci, you can have time to look around. NHL rinks, especially with quick paced teams like UMD at the Xcel, and St. Cloud, everything moves a lot faster, so you have to keep your head on a swivel. It’s nice to have practice at Ridder. I think after a couple days of practice, you get adjusted to it”
Head Coach Don Lucia:
Regarding the MN State HS Hockey Tournament… “We’re leaving tomorrow, so I won’t be there at all. It just depends on our weekend. When we’re in town, we’ll get over there. Grant (Potulny) will be around, and I think Mike’s (Guentzel) going to stay tomorrow and fly in on Friday. So they’ll be at it. But, we leave early tomorrow morning, and we’ll have practice in Columbus. When we’re in town, we’re there, but we can’t control how the scheduling works”
Regarding Hudson Fasching’s rights being traded… “I haven’t talked to him (Fasching) yet, but I’m not surprised. I walked in the locker room and asked Brady (Skjei) ‘You been traded yet?’. You know, they’re all aware. Keith Ballard was here and was traded twice before he even left here. That’s just all part of the process. It reinforces that when you move beyond this level, you are an asset. And they can trade their assets as they see fit. And that’s all part of the process of being a professional. He’s had a great year. Like anything, sometimes you have to give up something to get something immediate. They understand that he’s a ways away. Buffalo is rebuilding, but who knows. Before he leaves here he could be traded again. That’s all part of the process. It’s not a negative or a positive. It worked out for Nick Leddy when he was traded. Obviously he’s had a great career, and won a Stanley Cup with Chicago. That’s the way professional sports are. I mean, you have to trade, whether it’s draft picks, or players, to try and get some immediate help. L.A.’s the type of team that’s probably trying to win a cup this year”
Regarding the first line… “They’ve been big. Obviously, they play well. But when you look at our team, I can’t emphasize enough, that this weekend kind of summed up our team. Kyle’s (Rau) line had a big night on Friday, and then (Travis) Boyd’s line scores two goals on Saturday, and their the only line that scored. That’s kind of how we’ve been. We don’t have a dominant one or two offensive players. You can look at the score sheet before you play a game with these guys are going to score. We don’t know on a given night who’s going to do the scoring for us. And that can be good and bad. But for our team to be successful, we have to have a couple of lines that score every night, to give us some offense. I think all four are capable of doing that. When we get a couple of lines that step forward, that’s when we’re a good team, and a hard team to beat”
Regarding the team… “Just continue to be a good defensive team. When you look at this point, it’s not about what you do offensively, it’s how well you play defensively. If we can continue to give up one or two goals a game, then we’re in a great position to win every night. We understand that their’s going to be games, or a weekend like we saw in Madison, where we only gave up two goals each night, but yet we lost. But, for the most part, I think you go in and say two goals, we’ll take it, and hope we get to three”
Regarding their season… “Notre Dame, BC and New Hampshire…Mercihurst is leading the Atlantic…Mankato has a chance to win the WCHA this weekend…St. Cloud has a chance to win the NCHC this weekend. These are good teams. We’ve played a very good schedule outside of our league. That, as much as anything else, has put us in the position that we’re in. Obviously, we’ve done a good job in the Big Ten. It’s nice to know from the standpoint, you’re in the NCAA tournament. No matter what happens from here on out now, it’s about trying to stay healthy. It’s all about trying to play well, and close out the Big Ten in a positive fashion”
Travis Boyd:
Regarding the team… “We’re rollin’ right now. Trying to close out a Big Ten championship. So, the next two weekends are huge, and they’re going to be tough. You know, going on the road is never easy, especially in the Big Ten. So, we just need to keep playing well, and bring a road mentality the next two weekends. This year, more than ever, we’re really just focused on being here in the moment. We’ve put ourselves in a great spot here, going into the final stretch of the season”
Regarding winning the Big Ten Championship… “It’s definitely something we’ve talked about. Everyone wants to be the first team to win it. There’s a lot of focus in the locker room right now, making sure we finish what we started here”
Regarding his line… “I think I had a good weekend with my line. (Seth) Ambroz and Tom (Serratore) both played well this weekend too, you know. Made some nice plays together. We were lucky enough to capitalize on some of those this weekend”
Regarding Tom Serratore’s Game Winner… “It’s definitely something you wanted to see. It’s Senior night, and you want to make sure your Seniors go out on a good note. First of all, (Mike) Shibrowksi played phenomenally. Everybody was happy for him. And for Tom (Serratore) to get that big goal, he’s had a couple of injuries this season that have been unfortunate, so it was good for him”
Regarding his season… “I put a lot of work in this summer to get better. I really focused on some areas where I needed to improve. And then just being another year older, you get another year of confidence under your belt. Another year of playing at this level. You just feel a lot more comfortable out there. I wasn’t very happy with how my first two years went here. So I made it a point to come in, and I ended up losing like ten pounds over the summer. I was working out every day, gaining muscle, and losing ten pounds of fat. I worked a lot on my shot, and worked a lot on my skating too. Worked on my speed and quickness”
Regarding playing on smaller rinks… “Going from big to small, we haven’t played on a small rink in three to four weeks now. For us, usually a period, a couple shifts into it, you get used to it. It’s hockey out there. Things happen a little bit quicker, but after the first couple of shifts, it’s just normal”
Adam Wilcox:
Regarding sitting on Saturday night… “It was a little different. Something you’re not used to. But at the same time, it’s kind of relaxing to get a night off. I had one at the beginning of the year, and it was a little different perspective. It’s always nice to see (Mike) Shibrowski get a game. He plays hard, and the guys always play really hard when he’s in the net. So, that’s always cool to have that. But you have a whole new take on the game. Bad plays seem worse, and good plays seem better, because you’re paying more attention to that stuff. You’re not worried about stopping the puck in the end. It’s always nice to have a relaxing game, but at the same time, you want to play every minute”
Regarding his play… “You gotta realize that, in the end it comes down to you. Whether it’s a breakaway, or a back door. And, unfortunately, goalies can’t get goals. So you need a team effort. At the same time, if the Goalie is playing bad, you’re not going to get the win most likely. But if the Goalie is playing good, up to his potential, you give your team a chance to wind every night. And that’s what I want to do”
Regarding the season… “It’s been exciting, especially that month of January. We had our first weekend on the road at Penn State, we had our outdoor game, and we had the first North Star Cup at the Xcel Energy Center. So, it was pretty cool. It’s been a cool year. The Freshman are lucky to get into this. They came into their first year, the first Big Ten season here. It’s an exciting year. The last two years have been awesome. I know the guys really want to get back into the NCAA’s and do something good. After that year we had last year, especially the Seniors, their last chance to really get a crack at it here. I think we have a chance to do something special. The guys have worked really hard the whole year, you can’t waste that”
Regarding his award nominations… “It’s always nice to get recognized for stuff. You know, whether it’s nominations, or awards like the Hobey and stuff. You know you’re doing something right. But at the same time, if you’re not winning championships, that’s kind of what you came here for, to win the championship at the end of the year. The big one. Regular season, and stuff like that. So if you’re not winning those, I mean, it’s nice to get those awards, but it really comes down to winning those big ones. It’s nice to be up for the award. (Johnny) Geaudreau will probably win it. He’s such a good player. He’s at like, over two points a game. The guys unbelievable. He’s the favorite. I mean, it’s out of your control. The only thing you can really control is how you play. It’s exciting to be up for it, but at the same time, I just want to go in every night and give the team a chance to win, and get the wins. Rally around the group of guys and have fun with it. We have a really good team. Just really live up to our potential, and do good stuff this year. That’s really what I care about the most”
Regarding playing on smaller rinks… “The angle is s a little bit different, and you’re not moving as much. Passes, and when people walk out of the corners, you’re not moving too much more. On Olympic sized rinks, you might be shuffling across your crease a little bit more. Playing the puck, everything happens a little bit quicker. At Mariucci, you can have time to look around. NHL rinks, especially with quick paced teams like UMD at the Xcel, and St. Cloud, everything moves a lot faster, so you have to keep your head on a swivel. It’s nice to have practice at Ridder. I think after a couple days of practice, you get adjusted to it”