The #2 Gopher Hockey team held their weekly press conference at Mariucci Arena this afternoon. Head Coach Don Lucia met with the media, as did Nate Condon, Jake Parenteau and Justin Holl. The team takes on Penn State this Friday and Saturday at Mariucci Arena. Game time is 8:00 PM on Friday (B1G Network), and 6:00 PM on Saturday (NBC Sports Network).
Head Coach Don Lucia:
Regarding the break… “The weekend was good to have off for the players, both mentally and physically. You can take a breath, concentrate on school a little bit, and get rid of all those nicks and bruises that you get through the course of the season. We’ll probably be a little bit rusty when the puck drops on Friday, but in the long run, it will be really good for us. Especially a week or two down the line. We practiced Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Saturday they just had to come in for a bike ride in the morning, and that was it. So they didn’t really go on the ice Saturday or Sunday. They had four of the eight days completely away from the rink. Most important thing is we wanted to keep their conditioning and their timing up. As far as getting back up to game speed, we can use this week to do that. I think I feel best that we’re healthy. Especially having to have seven defenseman at practice. Ideally you’d like to have eight. But when you’re down to six, you have to practice with a couple of forwards back on defense, just so you don’t wear out the six guys that you have. For some of the guys like Jake Bischoff, who’s coming right out of High School hockey, I think the break was probably at a good time. He was maybe a little bit physically or mentally worn down. So I think he gets a chance to get refreshed. And I think the whole team. Some of the guys who have played a lot of minutes get a chance to heal up and freshen up, basically”
Regarding the health of the team… “Nobody is wearing a cross jersey, everybody’s healthy and everyone is in a position to play this weekend. I think he’s (Michael Brodzinski) gotta get back up to speed and everything like that. But we’re going to do everything we can to get him back in here, and back into a game this weekend for sure”
Regarding Penn State… “They were good against us when we played them there. They could have easily won a game. They’re a big strong team and they keep coming at you. They split with Michigan both at home and on the road. Even though they only tied Michigan State, they probably should have swept them in their building, based on how they played. They’re probably playing their best hockey of the season. I think they’re gaining a lot of confidence during the course of the year, and that’s what we expected from their program”
Regarding the last weekend at Mariucci… “It really is different that this will be our last games, and really our last practices of the year at Mariucci. From here on out we’ll move to Ridder, which in the long run will be good for us. There’s no first round of the playoffs at home like we’re so used to. In many ways, the difficult finish as we move onto the road at Ohio State and Michigan, it will help us because we know that from here on out we’ll be on small rinks. So we’ll have week after week of practicing and playing games on a small sheet, which will help in our adjustment in the end”
Regarding the fourth line staying the same… “I think that’s only fair. They’ve earned the right to play in the game on Friday. We put the onus on those guys to see who’s going to step forward. I think the group of three that played the last game certainly stepped forward, and were the big reason we were able to win a couple of games. And we need that kind of production and zone time from them again here on Friday night”
Regarding discussions on the standings… “That’ll take care of itself. We’ve got a couple games in hand, and they come into play here this weekend. It’s all about trying to regain our form here this weekend. To me this weekend is about our Seniors more than anything else”
Regarding the Senior class… “Last year was a very quick Senior day. We could have had a lot longer one this year if a lot of the guys hadn’t left after last year. These guys have been a big part of the transition from struggling to putting ourselves back where we want to be. They’ve won a couple of season titles in a row, and been to a Frozen Four, and have had very good careers both on and off the ice. When you look at it, some guys are going to have the opportunity to leave during the course of their careers. And you can’t begrudge them for doing that, especially when you see three of the guys who have, for the most part, been playing in the National Hockey League this year. We’re awfully proud of them, and excited for what they’ve been able to do. At the same time, the guys that are here are terrific program guys, and are going to leave after Senior year with their degrees. They’ve helped our program have a lot of success in their time. And some of them will have the opportunity to play professionally”
Regarding the kind of player he wants… “We want a mix. I think that we certainly want guys that are going to be here for three or four years. We get them in a position to almost get their degree after the third year, and they have a chance to go sign. We understand that part of it. I just don’t want guys to be in a hurry to leave, just to go spend two to three years in the minors if they don’t have to. Each case is different. We understand that. That’s a part of our program, and what we have to deal with year in and year out. So we’re happy for the guys that have the chance to move on, especially the ones that go straight to the NHL. That’s the ideal situation, is to be here long enough where you can, for the most part, go right in. Or maybe play a half a year in the American League, and half the year in the NHL. And if not, stay for your four years. Mature. Most of our kids that come into the program are almost directly out of High School. So it’s not like they come in as a twenty year old Freshman. I would say that’s a unique thing. We’re playing Penn State this weekend, and they’re team is older than we are. We’ve got a lot of eighteen or nineteen year olds in our lineup, and they’re twenty one, twenty two, twenty three. We’re one of the few sports where you can actually play post high school for a number of years, and then go become a college Freshman. And that’s the whole trick. We have to have those guys come in and contribute if guys are going to be departing on a regular basis. But that will hopefully allow guys to stay through their Junior or Senior year“
Nate Condon:
Regarding the break… “You know, off weeks are nice, because you get a little break, and get to recover. But it’s a lot more fun playing games than practicing all day. It’s a little strange. It feels like we’ve had a lot of off time this year. It’s a little bit different with the scheduling. It’s nice for us, because I think we got a lot of guys healthy, and a lot of our Defenseman especially, they’re ready to go again”
Regarding Penn State… “We’re always pretty intent about focusing in on who we’re playing each week. Penn State had a good weekend against Michigan last weekend. They played them really tough, and got a win there. They’re playing well. We’ve gotta focus on them right now, and make sure we come out with our A game. It was great for us going out there (Penn State) because we had never played their before. It was a new environment, and I think our team did well. They had a great student section, and it was good playing there. The thing I remember most about their team, is how they shot the puck from pretty much everywhere. I think they outshot us both nights, and that’s something that rarely happens. I think it’s just something where we have to fall back to the front of the net and make sure we clear pucks out when they’re in there. Like the Mighty Ducks logo, ‘We’ve gotta clean out the garbage’”
Regarding Senior weekend… “Obviously it’s been a long time, the four years we’ve played here. I’m a little bit reminiscent from all the Seniors talking about our Freshman year, and all the things we’ve done here. It’s going to be a lot of fun going out there on Senior night with our families and getting to enjoy that. But we need to get some wins here at the end of the season, so I think we’re more focused on that than anything. It’s hard, because you know it’s your last game here. You look back at all the memories you’ve had here, and my three years here have been great. Especially the last two seasons, we’ve had a lot of success here. A lot of good memories, and you think about it. At the same time, you wanna go out on a good note. There’s no better way than getting a couple of wins on the weekend, to remember all of the success you’ve had here. I’ll always remember playing against North Dakota, and those big games. And the Wisconsin game when (Nate) Schmidt scored the goal when we clinched the WCHA. That was a big memory here. There’s just bits and pieces of things. A lot of it is players that I’ve played with. Playing with Taylor Mattson and those guys, and how much fun I had with them. It’s been a lot of good memories here”
Regarding the Senior class… “We’re different. We started out, I think it was ten guys my Freshman year. Brought in some more, lost some, and ended up with five our Senior year. So, it’s been ever-changing since I got here. I don’t think we’ve had the same group two years in a row. It’s always changing, and I think we’ve done a good job of keeping some good guys around. You know, we’ve got some great team players in our class. I think that’s the best way to describe us, probably. We’ve got (Mike) Shibrowski who has worked day in and day out. He’s always been a good player for us. And you’ve got Tom (Serratore), (Jake) Parenteau and (Justin) Holl. They’ve all been good roll players for us, and I really think that’s what our class brought, was a lot of roll players when you need to get over a hump in certain games”
Justin Holl:
Regarding Penn State… “They’re getting a lot better, as you’ve seen. They’ve beaten Michigan twice already this year. They’re definitely improved from the last time we played them. It’s going to be big for us to box out and keep second chances away from them”
Regarding Senior weekend… “There’s a lot of emotions. When you’re a Freshman, all of the Seniors say ‘Cherish it, because it goes by fast’. You don’t really believe em, but it really does. So, here we are. It’s our last home series, and I’m just hoping to make it a good one. I think it’s the best Arena in college hockey, and we’ve got the best fans in college hockey. It’s been more than I could have asked for playing here for four years”
Regarding the Senior class… “Going to the Frozen Four when I was a Sophomore was a ton of fun. Hopefully that’s something that we can work towards again this year. I’ve made a lot of good memories here, and hopefully there’s still a lot more to come. Obviously, right now, it’s about making my Senior year go for as long as possible. And that means going as far as we can. We want to get some good momentum coming into this weekend to finish off our regular season strong. We’ve lost some friends along the way, and we’ve gained a couple too. We started out without Shibby (Mike Shibrowski), now we’ve got Shibby. We lost Bjuger (Nick Bjugstad), (Erik) Haula, Schmidty and a couple of others. So, it’s been a lot of change, but I feel that we’ve maintained these friendships. I’ve loved our class as we’ve come up, and I love our remaining Seniors”
Regarding the guys who have left… “We’ve stayed in pretty good contact with them. They’re obviously living a different lifestyle, playing straight hockey and making a little money. They call and see what’s up with us, and we want to know what’s going on with them, so we stay in pretty good contact. It’s an interesting thing that Nick Bjugstad could be here with us, but he’s doing pretty well in the NHL. They’ve already played their last game in college hockey, and ours is coming up. This is our last game at Mariucci, so it’s pretty important”
Jake Parenteau:
Regarding Senior weekend… “Oh man, it’s crazy. I can’t believe it’s already been four years. Especially with the guys that I’ve been with since Freshman year. It’s crazy to think that it’s already coming down to this. I’ve seen a lot of guys come and go. Especially the big names like (Nick) Bjugstad, (Nate) Schmidt, and even (Zach) Budish was technically in our class for a year. It’s crazy to see how many guys we actually started with, and we’re down to five now. When you spend as much time together as we do for four years, you’re going to have some sort of connection, and I think it’s really shown this year. I mean, we’ve really stuck together and pulled through a lot of tough times, and fun times too”
Regarding how the Senior class have turned things around… “Yeah. We were all encouraged to start getting the Gopher name up to what it’s been. It really helped with the Freshman we came in with, and the guys from previous years really stepped it up, and moved us in the right direction”
Regarding his Senior season so far… “I’m excited. This is what you really work for from the beginning of the year. You can’t ask for a better situation than we’re in right now. To pick our own destiny, I guess. It’s been fun, and hopefully we can keep our good playing up into this week and the following weeks”
Regarding the break… “I think we had a couple of fun practices last week, and we really got to work this week. We had a long practice yesterday, get our legs going and ready for this week. I think we’re ready. For injured guys to recoup, and for us to mentally get back in it, it means a lot”
Regarding Penn State… “They’re going to come out running and gunning”
Head Coach Don Lucia:
Regarding the break… “The weekend was good to have off for the players, both mentally and physically. You can take a breath, concentrate on school a little bit, and get rid of all those nicks and bruises that you get through the course of the season. We’ll probably be a little bit rusty when the puck drops on Friday, but in the long run, it will be really good for us. Especially a week or two down the line. We practiced Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Saturday they just had to come in for a bike ride in the morning, and that was it. So they didn’t really go on the ice Saturday or Sunday. They had four of the eight days completely away from the rink. Most important thing is we wanted to keep their conditioning and their timing up. As far as getting back up to game speed, we can use this week to do that. I think I feel best that we’re healthy. Especially having to have seven defenseman at practice. Ideally you’d like to have eight. But when you’re down to six, you have to practice with a couple of forwards back on defense, just so you don’t wear out the six guys that you have. For some of the guys like Jake Bischoff, who’s coming right out of High School hockey, I think the break was probably at a good time. He was maybe a little bit physically or mentally worn down. So I think he gets a chance to get refreshed. And I think the whole team. Some of the guys who have played a lot of minutes get a chance to heal up and freshen up, basically”
Regarding the health of the team… “Nobody is wearing a cross jersey, everybody’s healthy and everyone is in a position to play this weekend. I think he’s (Michael Brodzinski) gotta get back up to speed and everything like that. But we’re going to do everything we can to get him back in here, and back into a game this weekend for sure”
Regarding Penn State… “They were good against us when we played them there. They could have easily won a game. They’re a big strong team and they keep coming at you. They split with Michigan both at home and on the road. Even though they only tied Michigan State, they probably should have swept them in their building, based on how they played. They’re probably playing their best hockey of the season. I think they’re gaining a lot of confidence during the course of the year, and that’s what we expected from their program”
Regarding the last weekend at Mariucci… “It really is different that this will be our last games, and really our last practices of the year at Mariucci. From here on out we’ll move to Ridder, which in the long run will be good for us. There’s no first round of the playoffs at home like we’re so used to. In many ways, the difficult finish as we move onto the road at Ohio State and Michigan, it will help us because we know that from here on out we’ll be on small rinks. So we’ll have week after week of practicing and playing games on a small sheet, which will help in our adjustment in the end”
Regarding the fourth line staying the same… “I think that’s only fair. They’ve earned the right to play in the game on Friday. We put the onus on those guys to see who’s going to step forward. I think the group of three that played the last game certainly stepped forward, and were the big reason we were able to win a couple of games. And we need that kind of production and zone time from them again here on Friday night”
Regarding discussions on the standings… “That’ll take care of itself. We’ve got a couple games in hand, and they come into play here this weekend. It’s all about trying to regain our form here this weekend. To me this weekend is about our Seniors more than anything else”
Regarding the Senior class… “Last year was a very quick Senior day. We could have had a lot longer one this year if a lot of the guys hadn’t left after last year. These guys have been a big part of the transition from struggling to putting ourselves back where we want to be. They’ve won a couple of season titles in a row, and been to a Frozen Four, and have had very good careers both on and off the ice. When you look at it, some guys are going to have the opportunity to leave during the course of their careers. And you can’t begrudge them for doing that, especially when you see three of the guys who have, for the most part, been playing in the National Hockey League this year. We’re awfully proud of them, and excited for what they’ve been able to do. At the same time, the guys that are here are terrific program guys, and are going to leave after Senior year with their degrees. They’ve helped our program have a lot of success in their time. And some of them will have the opportunity to play professionally”
Regarding the kind of player he wants… “We want a mix. I think that we certainly want guys that are going to be here for three or four years. We get them in a position to almost get their degree after the third year, and they have a chance to go sign. We understand that part of it. I just don’t want guys to be in a hurry to leave, just to go spend two to three years in the minors if they don’t have to. Each case is different. We understand that. That’s a part of our program, and what we have to deal with year in and year out. So we’re happy for the guys that have the chance to move on, especially the ones that go straight to the NHL. That’s the ideal situation, is to be here long enough where you can, for the most part, go right in. Or maybe play a half a year in the American League, and half the year in the NHL. And if not, stay for your four years. Mature. Most of our kids that come into the program are almost directly out of High School. So it’s not like they come in as a twenty year old Freshman. I would say that’s a unique thing. We’re playing Penn State this weekend, and they’re team is older than we are. We’ve got a lot of eighteen or nineteen year olds in our lineup, and they’re twenty one, twenty two, twenty three. We’re one of the few sports where you can actually play post high school for a number of years, and then go become a college Freshman. And that’s the whole trick. We have to have those guys come in and contribute if guys are going to be departing on a regular basis. But that will hopefully allow guys to stay through their Junior or Senior year“
Nate Condon:
Regarding the break… “You know, off weeks are nice, because you get a little break, and get to recover. But it’s a lot more fun playing games than practicing all day. It’s a little strange. It feels like we’ve had a lot of off time this year. It’s a little bit different with the scheduling. It’s nice for us, because I think we got a lot of guys healthy, and a lot of our Defenseman especially, they’re ready to go again”
Regarding Penn State… “We’re always pretty intent about focusing in on who we’re playing each week. Penn State had a good weekend against Michigan last weekend. They played them really tough, and got a win there. They’re playing well. We’ve gotta focus on them right now, and make sure we come out with our A game. It was great for us going out there (Penn State) because we had never played their before. It was a new environment, and I think our team did well. They had a great student section, and it was good playing there. The thing I remember most about their team, is how they shot the puck from pretty much everywhere. I think they outshot us both nights, and that’s something that rarely happens. I think it’s just something where we have to fall back to the front of the net and make sure we clear pucks out when they’re in there. Like the Mighty Ducks logo, ‘We’ve gotta clean out the garbage’”
Regarding Senior weekend… “Obviously it’s been a long time, the four years we’ve played here. I’m a little bit reminiscent from all the Seniors talking about our Freshman year, and all the things we’ve done here. It’s going to be a lot of fun going out there on Senior night with our families and getting to enjoy that. But we need to get some wins here at the end of the season, so I think we’re more focused on that than anything. It’s hard, because you know it’s your last game here. You look back at all the memories you’ve had here, and my three years here have been great. Especially the last two seasons, we’ve had a lot of success here. A lot of good memories, and you think about it. At the same time, you wanna go out on a good note. There’s no better way than getting a couple of wins on the weekend, to remember all of the success you’ve had here. I’ll always remember playing against North Dakota, and those big games. And the Wisconsin game when (Nate) Schmidt scored the goal when we clinched the WCHA. That was a big memory here. There’s just bits and pieces of things. A lot of it is players that I’ve played with. Playing with Taylor Mattson and those guys, and how much fun I had with them. It’s been a lot of good memories here”
Regarding the Senior class… “We’re different. We started out, I think it was ten guys my Freshman year. Brought in some more, lost some, and ended up with five our Senior year. So, it’s been ever-changing since I got here. I don’t think we’ve had the same group two years in a row. It’s always changing, and I think we’ve done a good job of keeping some good guys around. You know, we’ve got some great team players in our class. I think that’s the best way to describe us, probably. We’ve got (Mike) Shibrowski who has worked day in and day out. He’s always been a good player for us. And you’ve got Tom (Serratore), (Jake) Parenteau and (Justin) Holl. They’ve all been good roll players for us, and I really think that’s what our class brought, was a lot of roll players when you need to get over a hump in certain games”
Justin Holl:
Regarding Penn State… “They’re getting a lot better, as you’ve seen. They’ve beaten Michigan twice already this year. They’re definitely improved from the last time we played them. It’s going to be big for us to box out and keep second chances away from them”
Regarding Senior weekend… “There’s a lot of emotions. When you’re a Freshman, all of the Seniors say ‘Cherish it, because it goes by fast’. You don’t really believe em, but it really does. So, here we are. It’s our last home series, and I’m just hoping to make it a good one. I think it’s the best Arena in college hockey, and we’ve got the best fans in college hockey. It’s been more than I could have asked for playing here for four years”
Regarding the Senior class… “Going to the Frozen Four when I was a Sophomore was a ton of fun. Hopefully that’s something that we can work towards again this year. I’ve made a lot of good memories here, and hopefully there’s still a lot more to come. Obviously, right now, it’s about making my Senior year go for as long as possible. And that means going as far as we can. We want to get some good momentum coming into this weekend to finish off our regular season strong. We’ve lost some friends along the way, and we’ve gained a couple too. We started out without Shibby (Mike Shibrowski), now we’ve got Shibby. We lost Bjuger (Nick Bjugstad), (Erik) Haula, Schmidty and a couple of others. So, it’s been a lot of change, but I feel that we’ve maintained these friendships. I’ve loved our class as we’ve come up, and I love our remaining Seniors”
Regarding the guys who have left… “We’ve stayed in pretty good contact with them. They’re obviously living a different lifestyle, playing straight hockey and making a little money. They call and see what’s up with us, and we want to know what’s going on with them, so we stay in pretty good contact. It’s an interesting thing that Nick Bjugstad could be here with us, but he’s doing pretty well in the NHL. They’ve already played their last game in college hockey, and ours is coming up. This is our last game at Mariucci, so it’s pretty important”
Jake Parenteau:
Regarding Senior weekend… “Oh man, it’s crazy. I can’t believe it’s already been four years. Especially with the guys that I’ve been with since Freshman year. It’s crazy to think that it’s already coming down to this. I’ve seen a lot of guys come and go. Especially the big names like (Nick) Bjugstad, (Nate) Schmidt, and even (Zach) Budish was technically in our class for a year. It’s crazy to see how many guys we actually started with, and we’re down to five now. When you spend as much time together as we do for four years, you’re going to have some sort of connection, and I think it’s really shown this year. I mean, we’ve really stuck together and pulled through a lot of tough times, and fun times too”
Regarding how the Senior class have turned things around… “Yeah. We were all encouraged to start getting the Gopher name up to what it’s been. It really helped with the Freshman we came in with, and the guys from previous years really stepped it up, and moved us in the right direction”
Regarding his Senior season so far… “I’m excited. This is what you really work for from the beginning of the year. You can’t ask for a better situation than we’re in right now. To pick our own destiny, I guess. It’s been fun, and hopefully we can keep our good playing up into this week and the following weeks”
Regarding the break… “I think we had a couple of fun practices last week, and we really got to work this week. We had a long practice yesterday, get our legs going and ready for this week. I think we’re ready. For injured guys to recoup, and for us to mentally get back in it, it means a lot”
Regarding Penn State… “They’re going to come out running and gunning”