Gophers Weekly Press Conference Notes (12/4/12)

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The Gopher Hockey team held their weekly press conference today. Coach Lucia met with the media, as did Freshman Defenseman Brady Skjei and Mike Reilly, fresh off the announcement that the two have been invited to try out for the U.S. National Junior Team.


Don Lucia:

Regarding Colorado College…."Their seniors are having a great year. Guys that didn't score a lot last year are having the best years of their careers. (Archie) Skalbeck had one goal and a couple of assists on the year last year, and now I think he has six or seven goals on the year, and twelve or fourteen points. They're scoring on a real high clip right now, and that's just the way they play. They're going to play up tempo, with a lot of skill, and let their guys make plays. They're always a good transition team, they're always speedy, skilled team up front. They've got some Defensemen that can score a lot of goals, and their Goaltenders have had a great career so far for them. We're going to have to make sure we play well defensively. Our foundation has been goaltending and defense, which we need to continue, especially when we're on the road"

Regarding the importance of these two games before the break…. "They're important. Obviously CC is somebody that we're going to be fighting with in the standings. Unfortunately, the only two times we're going to play them will be in their rink. We've played good strong first period and set the tone for the whole night. When our team has played well for the first ten minutes, it usually bodes well for us having a successful evening. That's something we're trying to concentrate on right now"

Regarding Skjei and Reilly playing for USNJ Team…. "Well, there's no guarantee right now that anybody's going to make it. This is still a tryout situation. There's going to be nine defenseman, and they're only going to keep seven. They're both battling for a spot. But we don't want them to worry about that now. We want them to focus on our team, this weekend, and their final exams next week. Then we'll wish them all the best when they head out to New York a week from Sunday"

Regarding Skjei and Reilly's play so far…. "I think that evaluation process is game by game, week by week. I think they've done pretty well. I think there's more there, I think they're starting to grow. We've seen a lot of progress in the last month from Mike Reilly on certainly the back end of his game. I think Brady has played some good games, and I think Brady's played some tentative games. That's not surprising. It's not like these two are 21 year old Freshman. These kids are right out of their senior year in High School, and they continue to get experience. We've got an experienced crew back there, and I think at times we've had the luxury of having a lot of guys that can play back there. Some of them would like to see more ice time, and that's something that we're evaluating now as we move forward. Who are the six that are going to make us a better team when it's all said and done. That's an ongoing process right now"

Regarding who will play this weekend…. "We'll evaluate this week and make a decision on Friday. We've shown this weekend that everyone is vulnerable. I think, other than the Friday game, (Ben) Marshall has been pretty consistent all season long. I think Nate (Schmidt) has been consistent. Other guys have been in and out, and they've had good games, and then average games. But at the same time, you look at our goals against average, and our shots against, and those are where we want them to be. I think as a whole, it's been real good, but I still think there's a backend to grow and room for us to grow from an offensive standpoint. I have great faith and trust in Mike (Coach Guentzel) back there. Mike pretty much makes the decisions during the game on who's playing. He tells them, If you're going good, you're going to get more ice time, and if you're not, it's going to get limited. You might get sat at the end of a one goal game and we're playing more experienced guys. It's no different than what we did on Saturday as far as our forwards were concerned. They got mixed and matched, and the guys that were going were getting more ice time"

Regarding going back to Colorado Springs for the last time as a WCHA member…. "I think when you go to all of the rinks this year, there's a little nostalgia involved. The good thing for me is, I'll probably be one of the few coaches that can say they'll have a winning record there, no matter what (Laughing)**. I have nothing but great memories of my time there. It's one of the best periods of my life. And that's why it's so special. We had some pretty good teams, and some pretty good players during that time. I'm happy for Scott (CC Head Coach Scott Owens). Scott was the guy. He was the architect of the team I had the luxury of taking over, and he's done a terrific job during his time. It's his alma matter, and I think it's great how he's been for their program. CC is a team I'd like to get back on the schedule. It's a good trip to Colorado Springs, and a nice place to go. They play a similar style of play to what we play. I think our fans have always appreciated the way Colorado College plays"

**Lucia coached at Colorado College from 1993-99, and compiled a 166-68-18 record during his tenure there.

Brady Skjei:

Regarding being invited to try out for the U.S. National Junior Team…. "It's a big honor. It's one of my goals for sure. Really excited that I've made the preliminary roster, but it's still not for sure yet. I just need to play my best and see what happens. From what I understand, they're going to be cutting two more Defenseman. I probably played with nine or ten of em (the guys on the USNJ Team) on the team last year. I just heard that Nugent-Hopkins is playing for Canada, so it would be pretty interesting to play against him. I'm really looking forward to it, and hope I can make it"

Regarding his transition to college hockey…. "I think there's definitely room for improvement. It's a tough switch from USHL to college hockey, but I'll get it down and I'll be fine"

Regarding his playing time being cut back…. "I just need to play better, smarter, Defense and limit my mistakes. Then i'll get my ice time back up. I deserved to get my ice time cut. I didn't play well"

Regarding who he looks up to on the team…. "All of the upper classmen. Seth Helgeson has been showing us the ropes and teaching us a lot of stuff. All the way down the line, Alt, Holl, all of those guys are teaching Mikey and me a lot. They've taught me that if I make a bad play, put it behind me"

Mike Reilly:

Regarding being invited to try out for the U.S. National Junior Team…. "Honestly, I'm worried about playing for the Gophers right now, and doing my best to help the team. I can't think about that too much right now, because we're still playing here. Just gotta worry about the weekend, and next week for finals for school as well, and then I can worry about that come two weeks from now. It's good to know a guy (Brady Skjei), and Mario Lucia is going too. I'm pretty good buddies with him. It's good to go with a few guys I know, and I'm looking forward to the opportunity. Obviously I have a lot of pride in playing for my country"

Regarding Colorado College…."Yeah, they've got a really good offensive attack. We've just gotta concentrate on playing good D. They like to cycle the puck a lot, and I think their D are real active too. It's going to be a good two games out there"

Regarding the play of the team so far…. "I think we haven't played nearly to where we could. I don't think we're clicking on all cylinders yet"

Regarding his play so far…. "I feel more comfortable game by game. I think Defense is coming easier and the game's slowing down for me a little bit. I think I'm starting to adjust more, and starting to feel better. Obviously the speed of the game is higher, and the players are a lot bigger and stronger, and can skate well too. I think I'm getting better every day. Coach (Mike) Guentzel has taught me a lot about the little things, like having a good stick, and good corner work. I'm trying to improve every day"

Regarding skating the puck up…. "When there's a time to jump in the play, I'm going to do it. That's what I like to pattern my game for"

Regarding who he patterns his game after…. "I like Alex Goligoski. He's not too big. He's a really good skater and puck handler. I skated with him a few times this summer. He's a really good guy. (Paul) Martin and (Keith) Ballard have been around here a lot too, and those guys are good guys too"
 




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