The top ranked Gopher Hockey team held their weekly press conference at Mariucci Arena this afternoon. Head Coach Don Lucia met with the media, as did Freshmen Hudson Fasching. The team takes on Wisconsin this weekend at Mariucci Arena, in the B1G conference opener.
Head Coach Don Lucia:
Regarding the five new recruits… “We think we have a good mix of guys coming in. We addressed some size issues with our team. The back end with (Ryan) Collins and (Jack) Glover both playing in Ann Arbor (U.S. National Development Team Program). They’ll have great experience with two years playing against junior hockey, some college division I teams over the course of the year, and obviously their international play. Both are good with the puck. Both skate very well for guys that size. Jack’s probably a little bit more offensive than Ryan, but Ryan we think can really develop into a great shut down type of defenseman as he continues to grow and fill out. Steve Johnson is playing in Omaha, doing what really junior hockey was supposed to be about years ago. You’d leave after high school, play a year in the North American League. This year with Omaha (Lancers) he’s been one of their top defenseman, played with the U.S. Select team, and has really improved in the last couple of years, which is great to see for him. Leon Bristedt was somebody that was on our radar a year ago. We had good reports on him at the world under 18 championships from a number of NHL scouts that I know. We followed up with recruiting. Grant (Potulny) went over to Sweden to see him play. Just a guy that should fit in the way we want to play with get up and down the rink. He’s a left shot, and can probably play any of the forward positions. Jack Ramsey gives us some size up front. He’s 6’2”, and he just has to continue to get stronger physically. He’ll have the opportunity to do that in the next year or two. He gives us a little bit of size, and we think he can develop into a real good power forward. We only have seven D right now, and we’ll lose two, so we’ll be down to five. We want to have eight on our team. We expect them all to come in right now. I’m not sure, with Jack, there’s probably a good chance he’ll play another year of Junior hockey before he comes in. We only have a couple of Senior forwards. We have good depth in our forwards right now, so we may just bring in one forward next year and maybe have a walk on. We haven’t decided that yet. We still have to recruit a goalie for next year, and we haven’t been in any hurry with that. We’re being patient with that”
Regarding the B1G opening weekend… “To be honest, it feels like we’re still playing a league game from last year with what we’ve seen the last few weeks with Mankato and UMD and Wisconsin. Maybe it’ll feel a little bit more next week, we actually go to Michigan State for league games for the first time in many many years. But when you’ve played Wisconsin four times each year, it just feels like another game against bucky”
Regarding Wisconsin… “They handle the puck really well. They’re a good counterattack team. They’re going to make sure they have three guys back all game. They’re a very veteran team. I think that’s the big contrast, our youth to how many veterans they have. I think seventeen juniors and seniors on their team. There’s not a position they’re not experienced in. So, how are our guys going to react in their first conference game, and their first rivalry game against Wisconsin. I know that nobody will speak more passionately than Coach (Mike) Guentzel. I think you go back to when he was here in the early eighties, that they had a pretty good rivalry with Wisconsin at that point and time. For him, I think this is A number one rivalry. He gets pretty fired up when bucky comes to town, or we go there. I think the guys understand it. It’s the start of conference play. So whether it’s Wisconsin, or Penn State, or Ohio State, it really doesn’t matter. Conference play is beginning, and points are involved now“
Regarding the UMD game Sunday… “I always say that, in athletics, you’re always eligible for a butt kicking every night. We got ours on Sunday, and that’s all part of it. Doing it as long as I have, I’ve been on both sides of those. There’s been games over the years you look up at the clock in the third period and say can we just go to running time and get out of here? I’ve been on both sides of those, more than once. Like Friday night. I mean, it’s 6-1 in the third period. The game is over. In the third period, what I tried to do is, get some guys who didn’t have a lot of ice time in that game, playing them every third shift of the third period. It’s just part of evaluating at that point and time. I don’t think mentally we gave ourselves a chance to win. We took some stupid penalties, some retaliation penalties, we weren’t in the right spot son the penalty kill, which we normal have been, and again, you’re going to have some physical issues at times, but if you’re not mentally engaged and ready to play, you’re not going to give yourself a chance to win. Our specialties are minus four on the year right now. We’ve scored five on five. We’ve done a good job scoring five on five goal, and we haven’t given up many five on five goals either. But we did score three on the power play last weekend and we had a number of chances, but we generated more shots, and that’s where it has to begin. We have to get more pucks to the net. It’s a learning process. We’re going to go through some ups and downs, we understand that. The good thing is, we’re 9-2-1 up to this point. That certainly exceeded where I thought we’d be at this point of the campaign. So we have to turn that page over and get into B!G play. There’s only twenty games within the B1G. Normally we’ve had twenty eight conference games. So getting off to a good start the first two weeks will be important before our break for Christmas”
Regarding Hudson Fasching… “Hudson’s had a tremendous year. He’s exceeded our expectations up to this point. I think he’s established himself on how he’s going to play night in and night out. I just like the way he plays so relentlessly. He’s hard on pucks, he’s moving his feet, and he’s been very good complimentary player to our top line. He’s eighteen years old. When you’re eighteen, you have to work on everything. But he knows how to play without the puck, he’s making good decisions with the puck, and he’s going to the net like big guys need to do”
Regarding the B1G… “You know what, they’ve done a great job. You can see the power behind the B1G brand. And that’s what they’re trying to do is brand the hockey element of the conference on TV. You’ve got brand name schools that are going to sell nationally, so that’s the point that can be really good for college hockey. When you have the brand name schools, like Friday we’re on ESPN U, that’s going to be a national broadcast. The B1G conference can help attract more fans to college hockey when you can turn on and see Minnesota and Wisconsin, or Michigan - Minnesota. People are going to want to tune into that, which are casual hockey fans”
Regarding the teams health… “We’re healthy. We’re good. Probably in a little better shape than maybe we were a week ago when we had a couple of guys that were a little bit nicked up. But we’re healthy”
Regarding Freshman defenseman playing this weekend… “That’s an ongoing evaluation. We’re not going to guarantee anybody that we’re going to change lineups necessarily from night to night. I think we’re at that point where if enough guys play well, some guys might have to wait their turn to get back in. If guys are going to continue to play well, and are going to push them, I think we need to continue to rotate guys in and out. I think it’s good for our team. I think it’s good for guys, in case there is an injury, they’re ready to play”
Hudson Fasching:
Regarding the season so far … “It’s been a really fun season so far. We’re starting the B1G conference play this weekend, and I’m really excited about that. It should be a fun weekend here. I’ve learned a lot about the college game in general. I’ve learned a lot about how to play low in the corners. Obviously playing with (Kyle) Rau and (Sam) Warning has been a lot of fun, and I’ve learned a lot from them. I mean, I think I work hard, and deserve where I’ve come too. But obviously you work hard to get better in some areas. I think I need to work on my release, shooting the puck a little bit more, and getting pucks to the net”
Regarding the team… “We’ve been working on the power play the last couple of weekends. It’s getting a little bit better, but I think we still need to work on that for sure”
Regarding Wisconsin… “Obviously a big rivalry game. Another B1G school. This could be a huge weekend. Should be a lot of fun here, Thanksgiving weekend. It’s going to be an intense kind of game. They’re a veteran team and they know how to play the game. They’re going to be very strong systematically. We’re going to have to be sound, and keep our turnovers to a minimum”
Regarding the UMD game Sunday… “I think it’s a big motivating factor for us, honestly. We had gone a pretty long while without a loss, minus Notre Dame, obviously. It gives us a chance to look over some stuff again and figure out our game. The week has been pretty intense already“
Regarding the B1G… “It’s a big deal for us. Obviously the B1G is a big conference. We’re really excited to start the weekend here, in the B1G. Obviously the WCHA has a lot of history, but I’m really excited to be a part of the B1G”
Head Coach Don Lucia:
Regarding the five new recruits… “We think we have a good mix of guys coming in. We addressed some size issues with our team. The back end with (Ryan) Collins and (Jack) Glover both playing in Ann Arbor (U.S. National Development Team Program). They’ll have great experience with two years playing against junior hockey, some college division I teams over the course of the year, and obviously their international play. Both are good with the puck. Both skate very well for guys that size. Jack’s probably a little bit more offensive than Ryan, but Ryan we think can really develop into a great shut down type of defenseman as he continues to grow and fill out. Steve Johnson is playing in Omaha, doing what really junior hockey was supposed to be about years ago. You’d leave after high school, play a year in the North American League. This year with Omaha (Lancers) he’s been one of their top defenseman, played with the U.S. Select team, and has really improved in the last couple of years, which is great to see for him. Leon Bristedt was somebody that was on our radar a year ago. We had good reports on him at the world under 18 championships from a number of NHL scouts that I know. We followed up with recruiting. Grant (Potulny) went over to Sweden to see him play. Just a guy that should fit in the way we want to play with get up and down the rink. He’s a left shot, and can probably play any of the forward positions. Jack Ramsey gives us some size up front. He’s 6’2”, and he just has to continue to get stronger physically. He’ll have the opportunity to do that in the next year or two. He gives us a little bit of size, and we think he can develop into a real good power forward. We only have seven D right now, and we’ll lose two, so we’ll be down to five. We want to have eight on our team. We expect them all to come in right now. I’m not sure, with Jack, there’s probably a good chance he’ll play another year of Junior hockey before he comes in. We only have a couple of Senior forwards. We have good depth in our forwards right now, so we may just bring in one forward next year and maybe have a walk on. We haven’t decided that yet. We still have to recruit a goalie for next year, and we haven’t been in any hurry with that. We’re being patient with that”
Regarding the B1G opening weekend… “To be honest, it feels like we’re still playing a league game from last year with what we’ve seen the last few weeks with Mankato and UMD and Wisconsin. Maybe it’ll feel a little bit more next week, we actually go to Michigan State for league games for the first time in many many years. But when you’ve played Wisconsin four times each year, it just feels like another game against bucky”
Regarding Wisconsin… “They handle the puck really well. They’re a good counterattack team. They’re going to make sure they have three guys back all game. They’re a very veteran team. I think that’s the big contrast, our youth to how many veterans they have. I think seventeen juniors and seniors on their team. There’s not a position they’re not experienced in. So, how are our guys going to react in their first conference game, and their first rivalry game against Wisconsin. I know that nobody will speak more passionately than Coach (Mike) Guentzel. I think you go back to when he was here in the early eighties, that they had a pretty good rivalry with Wisconsin at that point and time. For him, I think this is A number one rivalry. He gets pretty fired up when bucky comes to town, or we go there. I think the guys understand it. It’s the start of conference play. So whether it’s Wisconsin, or Penn State, or Ohio State, it really doesn’t matter. Conference play is beginning, and points are involved now“
Regarding the UMD game Sunday… “I always say that, in athletics, you’re always eligible for a butt kicking every night. We got ours on Sunday, and that’s all part of it. Doing it as long as I have, I’ve been on both sides of those. There’s been games over the years you look up at the clock in the third period and say can we just go to running time and get out of here? I’ve been on both sides of those, more than once. Like Friday night. I mean, it’s 6-1 in the third period. The game is over. In the third period, what I tried to do is, get some guys who didn’t have a lot of ice time in that game, playing them every third shift of the third period. It’s just part of evaluating at that point and time. I don’t think mentally we gave ourselves a chance to win. We took some stupid penalties, some retaliation penalties, we weren’t in the right spot son the penalty kill, which we normal have been, and again, you’re going to have some physical issues at times, but if you’re not mentally engaged and ready to play, you’re not going to give yourself a chance to win. Our specialties are minus four on the year right now. We’ve scored five on five. We’ve done a good job scoring five on five goal, and we haven’t given up many five on five goals either. But we did score three on the power play last weekend and we had a number of chances, but we generated more shots, and that’s where it has to begin. We have to get more pucks to the net. It’s a learning process. We’re going to go through some ups and downs, we understand that. The good thing is, we’re 9-2-1 up to this point. That certainly exceeded where I thought we’d be at this point of the campaign. So we have to turn that page over and get into B!G play. There’s only twenty games within the B1G. Normally we’ve had twenty eight conference games. So getting off to a good start the first two weeks will be important before our break for Christmas”
Regarding Hudson Fasching… “Hudson’s had a tremendous year. He’s exceeded our expectations up to this point. I think he’s established himself on how he’s going to play night in and night out. I just like the way he plays so relentlessly. He’s hard on pucks, he’s moving his feet, and he’s been very good complimentary player to our top line. He’s eighteen years old. When you’re eighteen, you have to work on everything. But he knows how to play without the puck, he’s making good decisions with the puck, and he’s going to the net like big guys need to do”
Regarding the B1G… “You know what, they’ve done a great job. You can see the power behind the B1G brand. And that’s what they’re trying to do is brand the hockey element of the conference on TV. You’ve got brand name schools that are going to sell nationally, so that’s the point that can be really good for college hockey. When you have the brand name schools, like Friday we’re on ESPN U, that’s going to be a national broadcast. The B1G conference can help attract more fans to college hockey when you can turn on and see Minnesota and Wisconsin, or Michigan - Minnesota. People are going to want to tune into that, which are casual hockey fans”
Regarding the teams health… “We’re healthy. We’re good. Probably in a little better shape than maybe we were a week ago when we had a couple of guys that were a little bit nicked up. But we’re healthy”
Regarding Freshman defenseman playing this weekend… “That’s an ongoing evaluation. We’re not going to guarantee anybody that we’re going to change lineups necessarily from night to night. I think we’re at that point where if enough guys play well, some guys might have to wait their turn to get back in. If guys are going to continue to play well, and are going to push them, I think we need to continue to rotate guys in and out. I think it’s good for our team. I think it’s good for guys, in case there is an injury, they’re ready to play”
Hudson Fasching:
Regarding the season so far … “It’s been a really fun season so far. We’re starting the B1G conference play this weekend, and I’m really excited about that. It should be a fun weekend here. I’ve learned a lot about the college game in general. I’ve learned a lot about how to play low in the corners. Obviously playing with (Kyle) Rau and (Sam) Warning has been a lot of fun, and I’ve learned a lot from them. I mean, I think I work hard, and deserve where I’ve come too. But obviously you work hard to get better in some areas. I think I need to work on my release, shooting the puck a little bit more, and getting pucks to the net”
Regarding the team… “We’ve been working on the power play the last couple of weekends. It’s getting a little bit better, but I think we still need to work on that for sure”
Regarding Wisconsin… “Obviously a big rivalry game. Another B1G school. This could be a huge weekend. Should be a lot of fun here, Thanksgiving weekend. It’s going to be an intense kind of game. They’re a veteran team and they know how to play the game. They’re going to be very strong systematically. We’re going to have to be sound, and keep our turnovers to a minimum”
Regarding the UMD game Sunday… “I think it’s a big motivating factor for us, honestly. We had gone a pretty long while without a loss, minus Notre Dame, obviously. It gives us a chance to look over some stuff again and figure out our game. The week has been pretty intense already“
Regarding the B1G… “It’s a big deal for us. Obviously the B1G is a big conference. We’re really excited to start the weekend here, in the B1G. Obviously the WCHA has a lot of history, but I’m really excited to be a part of the B1G”
