The #3 ranked Gopher Hockey team held their weekly press conference at Mariucci Arena. Head Coach Don Lucia met with the media, as did Tom Serratore and Sam Warning. The team takes on Bemidji State this weekend in Bemidji following two wins last weekend versus Mercyhurst and New Hampshire, in winning the Ice Breaker Tournament at Mariucci.
Head Coach Don Lucia:
Regarding last weekend… "When you look at last weekend, all four lines scored goals, both power plays scored a goal, Adam (Wilcox) played really well in the nets. So, it was a lot of positives to our game last weekend. But they don't crown any champions after the first week. We have a long way to go, and a lot more to prove as a team. Number one being consistency. We need to show that we don''t have to hide anybody in our lineup. We can just play who we want to play. I do think we have the ability to make some more plays a little bit deeper into our lineup. If we play fast, if we protect the puck, I think we have the makings of being a pretty good team. But, like anybody, if you start to get careless with it, it slows your game down, and you're defending in your own end. We've got work to do on our specialty teams. We gave up two power play goals against UNH on Saturday. Our power play was good on our entries, but we didn't do anything inside the zone. UNH is a good penalty kill team. We have a lot to work on, and a lot to improve on"
Regarding Bemidji State… "They're a well coached team. You look back at the end of last year, after this weekend, we'll have played them in six of our last ten games. We certainly know each other. They play very well defensively, and they're very structured. Their goaltender, who finished the year last year, and who was outstanding last year in the playoffs, is back. They only gave up five goals last weekend in St. Cloud, and it's their home opener. I know they'll be excited to play. They've got an influx of new players, and I think they feel they're a little more talented than what they were a year ago. Our first challenge is, it's our first road trip for our young guys. It's easier to play at home in front of the home crowd. How are you going to react on the road. That's what I'm looking forward to seeing this weekend"
Regarding his relationship with Tom Serratore (the BSU Coach)… "Tommy rejected me. He was my first in home recruiting visit when I was up in Alaska. Gotta put perspective on it though, I said I was looking for a short, not a real quick centerman with good hands, and he fit the bill (laughing). And I figured, he's a 'Ranger', he can deal with the cold winters, but… I think he ended up going to Mankato before transferring back to Bemidji. I don't think he wanted to be too far from home. But that's Tommy. I have tremendous respect for him. He did a great job building the program at St. Cloud as their chief recruiter. He brought in some great players. He went back to Bemidji to take over for a legend in Bob Peters, and was really a driving force in getting Bemidji admitted to the WCHA a few years back. I think it was the right thing to do. They have that beautiful arena to play in now, and it's just another Division I team that we get to play in college hockey. I think that's important. But again, it's those relationships that Tom forged with so many people. It was hard to look at him and say no. I think that's a credit to him, their institution, and the commitment they have to their hockey program"
Regarding continuing to play Bemidji State… "I think it's just part of the fabric of our state. You go back 25-30 years ago, we only had two Division I teams, now we have five. I think all are important to their region of the state. I think we pride ourselves within this state in trying to produce and give opportunities to as many players as we possibly can. And that's the benefit of having five Division I programs within our state. I thought it was a natural for us to continue to play. I think it's important not only for our program, but it's important for Bemidji to have Minnesota come up and fill their building, and have our fans come up and fill up their hotels this weekend. It's nice, because of the proximity. You don't have to get in a plane to go watch us play, you can jump in a car and travel around the state, which is good for everybody"
Regarding In-State rivalries… "I think it will change over time to a degree. I just think, it will still be important, don't get me wrong. But, I look at our schedule this year, and we've got a twenty game conference schedule, and a sixteen game non-conference schedule. And in many ways, they're equally important, because you've got to have a good non-conference record for the end of the year. So they're important games. But, at the same time, like last weekend, we're playing teams we're not that familiar with. We're just playing, and there's not a lot after the whistles, because theirs not that animosity built up. If you're only going to play somebody once a year, and it's not for points, I'm not sure that same animosity is there. But I do know that if we're going to go into Bemidji, or St. Cloud, or Duluth, or Mankato, it will be a big weekend. They'll charge a little more for tickets, and that will bring the full houses in, and put the energy in the building. But I'm sure for anyone we play in the state, their conference games are added value"
Regarding the In-State games helping with recruiting… "No question, that helps. We want to find and recruit the best players we can throughout the state, and North America for that matter. It's important to have a presence. It was funny, when we were on the caravan across the state this summer, people talked about their being only one Division I school in the state of Minnesota. Well, that might be the case for Football and Basketball, but that's certainly not the case for Hockey. You know, the Duluth region is going to be rooting for Duluth, and Bemidji for Bemidji, etc. so we are a little bit more regionalized in our state. But, we still have to have the ability to go out and find the best player no matter whether they're from Duluth, or Baudette, or Mankato, or Rochester, or Fargo, or Moorhead. It doesn't matter"
Regarding Sam Warning… "Well, it just kind of proves that you have to be there in September, and play in the exhibition game (Smiling). Kind of like the NFL guys, just get to the regular season. But, he was very good. I thought that line was very dominant, most shifts that they had. Kyle (Rau) mentioned to us that he really wanted to play with Sam this year. They're pretty good friends off the ice, and they play the same type of game. We wanted to put a big body on the wing with them, and Hudson (Fasching) has done a nice job filling that role. So I think that has the makings of being a real good line. For Sam, the challenge is consistency. Sam at times has had the ESPN highlight reel goal, but then he might not show up on the score sheet for a week or two. Or maybe he's only going to get one shot on goal during a game. That's one thing we've talked about, is being a little more selfish. He's got a good shot, and I think if he finds that consistency to his game, he can become a dominant player game in and game out, and not one game in four or five. He's somebody that we expect to step up. He's a Junior, he's got the skill set, he's the prototypical college player you know, 5' 10" 180 pounds, he can make plays, and he can skate. That's what caught our eye, playing in a summer festival. He had a great career at Cedar Rapids in the USHL for a couple of years, and he's had a smooth transition to our program"
Regarding Vinni Lettieri… "I think he grew a lot over the course of the weekend. He plays with energy, he plays with pace and he's not afraid to shoot the puck. I think as this year moves along, I think his role will expand. It's not going to expand a whole lot from the first to the second week, although he played a regular shift. I think we could play him some four on four, and we do have a third power play if we got in a major penalty situation, so we wouldn't be afraid to throw him out there. I think as I get more used to what his game is, and get more comfortable with not just him, but all the Freshmen, then you start to gain more trust in the things they can or cannot do"
Regarding Adam Wilcox… "Justin (Johnson) does a great job with our goalies, and comes two days a week to work on the technical aspect of his game. He's obviously very athletic. We've said many times, he makes the timely saves. Last week he didn't have a lot of saves to make, but in that last minute, when you need him to make a big save, he seems to make it"
Regarding the team… "We try to recruit those types of players to play the style we want. I thought all seven of our Defensemen did a nice job and broke the puck out of our zone pretty cleanly and easily last weekend. It's going to change a little bit, back on a small rink, things are going to happen a little more quickly. We're going to have to get used to that. We have some guys who are handy with it. They can make some plays, and make some plays in tight areas. I thought we played fast last weekend. We got the puck up the rink in a hurry. We didn't hold onto it. We didn't go East-West all day long. We did a pretty good job of not turning pucks over in the neutral zone, or the top of the circles. We're getting pucks down to the goal line, and when you do that, you can look faster than what you are"
Regarding team bonding on the road… "I'm looking forward to it. Hopefully the Freshmen can pick out a decent movie or two. Something that fits my generation and not there's (smiling). But, no, it's a good trip. It's a nice rink, it's not that far, good hotel, good food at the hotel up there, so I like this trip. The leaves will still be turning a little bit, and we don't have to worry about snow. I think we came back last year, and it was a pretty good snowstorm coming back. We'll get out of there, and get back home in three or four hours, which will be good. I think early in the year, getting on the bus with a lot of guys… it's good for everybody"
Regarding injuries… "Everyone is available to play this weekend"
Tom Serratore:
Regarding last weekend… "I thought it was a really good weekend. When you get two wins on the weekend, it's a good weekend. It's still early. We gotta make sure we're doing all the little things"
Regarding Bemidji State… "They seem to play the same style, chip and chase, run and gun. They're hard to play against. We need to be ready to play, stick to Gopher hockey, and get after it. Similar to us, they get some guys that play a lot of years of Junior, and a lot of guys with experience. It'll be a good learning experience for the young guys. But as long as we stick to our game plan, come out flying the first ten minutes, and keep it going throughout the game, I think we'll be alright"
Regarding keeping tabs on his Uncle and Dad's teams… "It's really easy to check out how teams are doing nowadays, obviously. But having my Uncle (Tom Serratore) and my Dad (Frank Serratore) at Air Force, I try to keep close tabs. I try to keep up with the scores, and what not, but it doesn't really matter as much, now that we're in different conferences"
Regarding playing against his Uncle in Bemidji… "It's really exciting. It's good to be able to see my family. My family flies up there. Obviously my Dad doesn't, but other members of my family, and my Grandpa comes down. It's a good family atmosphere up there. It's hard to get everyone down here. So it will be good to see everyone, and have them see me play my last weekend, or so, against the Beavers"
Regarding team bonding on the road… "I think it'll be good. We're all anxious to get off campus for a little bit, and experience new scenery. It's always fun to get away, and get into a little bit of a hostile environment. It's always fun wherever we're playing. So it'll be good, and good for the new guys"
Regarding In-State rivalries… "The In-State rivalries are still huge. You wanna be the top team in the state by the end of the year, obviously. We take these games seriously. We're excited, and it should be fun"
Regarding Sam Warning… "He's doing great. He's pretty fast when he gets going. I still think (Nate) Condin might be a little bit quicker than him, but he's got some speed, that's for sure. He's one of the guys that we look to to have a lot of production, and he's been doing that. Hopefully he can keep it up. We lost a lot of up front talent, but I think we have a lot more guys who can produce. It's going to be a year where we need four lines of production, and everyone is going to have to play well every night. We don't have any superstars this year, but we have a good core group of guys"
Sam Warning:
Regarding last weekend… "It's only two games, but we need to carry that into this weekend. Playing with Kyle Rau and Hudson Fasching also helps me a lot. Hudson is a big guy who can play down low, but he's also a skilled forward. He's fast, and he's big. He's a lot like Zach Budish. And Rau does all the dirty work, and has the skills. It's definitely fun playing with them. Kyle and I are actually roommates, so we've got a good relationship on and off ice, which also helps"
Regarding missing the exhibition game… "I wasn't too worried about missing the first exhibition game. I practiced the week before, and the week before the Ice Breaker Tournament"
Regarding being named one of the B1G Players Of The Week… "It's nice to be named that, but it definitely wasn't an individual effort. It belongs to all of those guys in the locker room"
Regarding what he see's as expectations of him this season… "Well, now that I'm on the top line with Rau and Fasching, I need to be more of a goal scorer. I need to score a lot more, and be on the scorers sheet every week. I need to help out any way I can, whether that's in the offensive or the defensive zone. I've gotta do what I can to help out"
Regarding Adam Wilcox… "The last twenty seconds? That's just what Wilcox does. He's always making those big time saves. He bailed us out there. As a team, getting those two wins on the weekend was pretty big. He played great last year as a Freshman, we expect the same this year, and I'm sure we'll get that"
Regarding the play of the Freshmen… "I think so far, the first three games they're not really playing like Freshmen. We've got guys stepping up. (Jake) Bischoff came in Saturday and played great. I thought he moved the puck pretty good. I can't say enough about him. And all the other Freshmen, (Justin) Kloos, (Taylor) Cammarata, all those guys, their doing good so far"
Head Coach Don Lucia:
Regarding last weekend… "When you look at last weekend, all four lines scored goals, both power plays scored a goal, Adam (Wilcox) played really well in the nets. So, it was a lot of positives to our game last weekend. But they don't crown any champions after the first week. We have a long way to go, and a lot more to prove as a team. Number one being consistency. We need to show that we don''t have to hide anybody in our lineup. We can just play who we want to play. I do think we have the ability to make some more plays a little bit deeper into our lineup. If we play fast, if we protect the puck, I think we have the makings of being a pretty good team. But, like anybody, if you start to get careless with it, it slows your game down, and you're defending in your own end. We've got work to do on our specialty teams. We gave up two power play goals against UNH on Saturday. Our power play was good on our entries, but we didn't do anything inside the zone. UNH is a good penalty kill team. We have a lot to work on, and a lot to improve on"
Regarding Bemidji State… "They're a well coached team. You look back at the end of last year, after this weekend, we'll have played them in six of our last ten games. We certainly know each other. They play very well defensively, and they're very structured. Their goaltender, who finished the year last year, and who was outstanding last year in the playoffs, is back. They only gave up five goals last weekend in St. Cloud, and it's their home opener. I know they'll be excited to play. They've got an influx of new players, and I think they feel they're a little more talented than what they were a year ago. Our first challenge is, it's our first road trip for our young guys. It's easier to play at home in front of the home crowd. How are you going to react on the road. That's what I'm looking forward to seeing this weekend"
Regarding his relationship with Tom Serratore (the BSU Coach)… "Tommy rejected me. He was my first in home recruiting visit when I was up in Alaska. Gotta put perspective on it though, I said I was looking for a short, not a real quick centerman with good hands, and he fit the bill (laughing). And I figured, he's a 'Ranger', he can deal with the cold winters, but… I think he ended up going to Mankato before transferring back to Bemidji. I don't think he wanted to be too far from home. But that's Tommy. I have tremendous respect for him. He did a great job building the program at St. Cloud as their chief recruiter. He brought in some great players. He went back to Bemidji to take over for a legend in Bob Peters, and was really a driving force in getting Bemidji admitted to the WCHA a few years back. I think it was the right thing to do. They have that beautiful arena to play in now, and it's just another Division I team that we get to play in college hockey. I think that's important. But again, it's those relationships that Tom forged with so many people. It was hard to look at him and say no. I think that's a credit to him, their institution, and the commitment they have to their hockey program"
Regarding continuing to play Bemidji State… "I think it's just part of the fabric of our state. You go back 25-30 years ago, we only had two Division I teams, now we have five. I think all are important to their region of the state. I think we pride ourselves within this state in trying to produce and give opportunities to as many players as we possibly can. And that's the benefit of having five Division I programs within our state. I thought it was a natural for us to continue to play. I think it's important not only for our program, but it's important for Bemidji to have Minnesota come up and fill their building, and have our fans come up and fill up their hotels this weekend. It's nice, because of the proximity. You don't have to get in a plane to go watch us play, you can jump in a car and travel around the state, which is good for everybody"
Regarding In-State rivalries… "I think it will change over time to a degree. I just think, it will still be important, don't get me wrong. But, I look at our schedule this year, and we've got a twenty game conference schedule, and a sixteen game non-conference schedule. And in many ways, they're equally important, because you've got to have a good non-conference record for the end of the year. So they're important games. But, at the same time, like last weekend, we're playing teams we're not that familiar with. We're just playing, and there's not a lot after the whistles, because theirs not that animosity built up. If you're only going to play somebody once a year, and it's not for points, I'm not sure that same animosity is there. But I do know that if we're going to go into Bemidji, or St. Cloud, or Duluth, or Mankato, it will be a big weekend. They'll charge a little more for tickets, and that will bring the full houses in, and put the energy in the building. But I'm sure for anyone we play in the state, their conference games are added value"
Regarding the In-State games helping with recruiting… "No question, that helps. We want to find and recruit the best players we can throughout the state, and North America for that matter. It's important to have a presence. It was funny, when we were on the caravan across the state this summer, people talked about their being only one Division I school in the state of Minnesota. Well, that might be the case for Football and Basketball, but that's certainly not the case for Hockey. You know, the Duluth region is going to be rooting for Duluth, and Bemidji for Bemidji, etc. so we are a little bit more regionalized in our state. But, we still have to have the ability to go out and find the best player no matter whether they're from Duluth, or Baudette, or Mankato, or Rochester, or Fargo, or Moorhead. It doesn't matter"
Regarding Sam Warning… "Well, it just kind of proves that you have to be there in September, and play in the exhibition game (Smiling). Kind of like the NFL guys, just get to the regular season. But, he was very good. I thought that line was very dominant, most shifts that they had. Kyle (Rau) mentioned to us that he really wanted to play with Sam this year. They're pretty good friends off the ice, and they play the same type of game. We wanted to put a big body on the wing with them, and Hudson (Fasching) has done a nice job filling that role. So I think that has the makings of being a real good line. For Sam, the challenge is consistency. Sam at times has had the ESPN highlight reel goal, but then he might not show up on the score sheet for a week or two. Or maybe he's only going to get one shot on goal during a game. That's one thing we've talked about, is being a little more selfish. He's got a good shot, and I think if he finds that consistency to his game, he can become a dominant player game in and game out, and not one game in four or five. He's somebody that we expect to step up. He's a Junior, he's got the skill set, he's the prototypical college player you know, 5' 10" 180 pounds, he can make plays, and he can skate. That's what caught our eye, playing in a summer festival. He had a great career at Cedar Rapids in the USHL for a couple of years, and he's had a smooth transition to our program"
Regarding Vinni Lettieri… "I think he grew a lot over the course of the weekend. He plays with energy, he plays with pace and he's not afraid to shoot the puck. I think as this year moves along, I think his role will expand. It's not going to expand a whole lot from the first to the second week, although he played a regular shift. I think we could play him some four on four, and we do have a third power play if we got in a major penalty situation, so we wouldn't be afraid to throw him out there. I think as I get more used to what his game is, and get more comfortable with not just him, but all the Freshmen, then you start to gain more trust in the things they can or cannot do"
Regarding Adam Wilcox… "Justin (Johnson) does a great job with our goalies, and comes two days a week to work on the technical aspect of his game. He's obviously very athletic. We've said many times, he makes the timely saves. Last week he didn't have a lot of saves to make, but in that last minute, when you need him to make a big save, he seems to make it"
Regarding the team… "We try to recruit those types of players to play the style we want. I thought all seven of our Defensemen did a nice job and broke the puck out of our zone pretty cleanly and easily last weekend. It's going to change a little bit, back on a small rink, things are going to happen a little more quickly. We're going to have to get used to that. We have some guys who are handy with it. They can make some plays, and make some plays in tight areas. I thought we played fast last weekend. We got the puck up the rink in a hurry. We didn't hold onto it. We didn't go East-West all day long. We did a pretty good job of not turning pucks over in the neutral zone, or the top of the circles. We're getting pucks down to the goal line, and when you do that, you can look faster than what you are"
Regarding team bonding on the road… "I'm looking forward to it. Hopefully the Freshmen can pick out a decent movie or two. Something that fits my generation and not there's (smiling). But, no, it's a good trip. It's a nice rink, it's not that far, good hotel, good food at the hotel up there, so I like this trip. The leaves will still be turning a little bit, and we don't have to worry about snow. I think we came back last year, and it was a pretty good snowstorm coming back. We'll get out of there, and get back home in three or four hours, which will be good. I think early in the year, getting on the bus with a lot of guys… it's good for everybody"
Regarding injuries… "Everyone is available to play this weekend"
Tom Serratore:
Regarding last weekend… "I thought it was a really good weekend. When you get two wins on the weekend, it's a good weekend. It's still early. We gotta make sure we're doing all the little things"
Regarding Bemidji State… "They seem to play the same style, chip and chase, run and gun. They're hard to play against. We need to be ready to play, stick to Gopher hockey, and get after it. Similar to us, they get some guys that play a lot of years of Junior, and a lot of guys with experience. It'll be a good learning experience for the young guys. But as long as we stick to our game plan, come out flying the first ten minutes, and keep it going throughout the game, I think we'll be alright"
Regarding keeping tabs on his Uncle and Dad's teams… "It's really easy to check out how teams are doing nowadays, obviously. But having my Uncle (Tom Serratore) and my Dad (Frank Serratore) at Air Force, I try to keep close tabs. I try to keep up with the scores, and what not, but it doesn't really matter as much, now that we're in different conferences"
Regarding playing against his Uncle in Bemidji… "It's really exciting. It's good to be able to see my family. My family flies up there. Obviously my Dad doesn't, but other members of my family, and my Grandpa comes down. It's a good family atmosphere up there. It's hard to get everyone down here. So it will be good to see everyone, and have them see me play my last weekend, or so, against the Beavers"
Regarding team bonding on the road… "I think it'll be good. We're all anxious to get off campus for a little bit, and experience new scenery. It's always fun to get away, and get into a little bit of a hostile environment. It's always fun wherever we're playing. So it'll be good, and good for the new guys"
Regarding In-State rivalries… "The In-State rivalries are still huge. You wanna be the top team in the state by the end of the year, obviously. We take these games seriously. We're excited, and it should be fun"
Regarding Sam Warning… "He's doing great. He's pretty fast when he gets going. I still think (Nate) Condin might be a little bit quicker than him, but he's got some speed, that's for sure. He's one of the guys that we look to to have a lot of production, and he's been doing that. Hopefully he can keep it up. We lost a lot of up front talent, but I think we have a lot more guys who can produce. It's going to be a year where we need four lines of production, and everyone is going to have to play well every night. We don't have any superstars this year, but we have a good core group of guys"
Sam Warning:
Regarding last weekend… "It's only two games, but we need to carry that into this weekend. Playing with Kyle Rau and Hudson Fasching also helps me a lot. Hudson is a big guy who can play down low, but he's also a skilled forward. He's fast, and he's big. He's a lot like Zach Budish. And Rau does all the dirty work, and has the skills. It's definitely fun playing with them. Kyle and I are actually roommates, so we've got a good relationship on and off ice, which also helps"
Regarding missing the exhibition game… "I wasn't too worried about missing the first exhibition game. I practiced the week before, and the week before the Ice Breaker Tournament"
Regarding being named one of the B1G Players Of The Week… "It's nice to be named that, but it definitely wasn't an individual effort. It belongs to all of those guys in the locker room"
Regarding what he see's as expectations of him this season… "Well, now that I'm on the top line with Rau and Fasching, I need to be more of a goal scorer. I need to score a lot more, and be on the scorers sheet every week. I need to help out any way I can, whether that's in the offensive or the defensive zone. I've gotta do what I can to help out"
Regarding Adam Wilcox… "The last twenty seconds? That's just what Wilcox does. He's always making those big time saves. He bailed us out there. As a team, getting those two wins on the weekend was pretty big. He played great last year as a Freshman, we expect the same this year, and I'm sure we'll get that"
Regarding the play of the Freshmen… "I think so far, the first three games they're not really playing like Freshmen. We've got guys stepping up. (Jake) Bischoff came in Saturday and played great. I thought he moved the puck pretty good. I can't say enough about him. And all the other Freshmen, (Justin) Kloos, (Taylor) Cammarata, all those guys, their doing good so far"