In the Championship game of the 2013 Ice Breakers Hockey Tournament tonight at Mariucci Arena, the #5 Gophers (0-0-0 B1G, 2-0-0 Overall) took on #12 ranked New Hampshire. In the end, Minnesota overcame a one goal deficit twice, and claimed the tournament trophy with a 3-2 win in front of 9277.
Here's what I saw.
Here are the post game comments:
New Hampshire Head Coach Dick Umile:
Regarding the game…. "We played a real good Minnesota team. Our team competed tonight, but the second period was obviously the difference in the game. They outshot us in the second, and got a couple of goals at the end of the period to jump ahead of us. I thought we battled back in the third, and had our chances. Had a great chance there with seven seconds left in the game. It was a good hockey game. We come out here to play in tournaments like this to play against the best, so we become better"
Minnesota Head Coach Don Lucia:
Regarding the game…. "I like the way we played again tonight, especially five on five. We did a good job, and managed the game very well. We gave up a couple of penalty kill goals, but the guys showed a lot of resiliency to come back from one goal deficits and then play it pretty smart in the third period to get the win. Good to see a couple of freshmen get their first goals. Adam didn't have to make a lot of saves, but like he always does, he makes that crucial one late in the game. Kyle had a big face-off win with seven seconds to go, and it's the little things, like the shot blocking. I was very happy with Justin Holl. His first weekend back on Defense. He sacrificed for our team last year, playing forward. I thought he did a good job. I thought all seven of our D did a really good job this weekend for the most part. The guys worked hard without the puck"
Regarding New Hampshire…. "They're a good measuring stick. You're playing a veteran team that goes through the wars of Hockey East. Good opponent, and very well coached. We had to play a good smart game tonight, and I thought we did"
Regarding Ben Marshall's injured hand…. "We didn't know this morning whether he'd play tonight or not. But he loosened it up, and felt better this afternoon, so there was no doubt he would play"
Regarding playing in a tournament to start the season…. "I think it helps when you're playing for something, playing for a championship. You don't get to play for a trophy every night. I think it amps it up a little bit"
Justin Holl:
Regarding the game…. "They (UNH) are definitely a team that capitalizes on turnovers, so puck possession was a big thing for us tonight. We wanted to make sure we took care of the puck as part of our game plan. Starting with a young, inexperienced team this year, it's good to show that we can come from behind, and that we're not down and out if we're get behind by a couple of goals"
Regarding moving back to Defense…. "It's great. Going Defense to Forward last year was a little bit tougher, considering I hadn't played forward in a while. Going back now, it seems pretty natural. I'm excited to be back there"
Regarding the team…. "It's a younger team. But we've got a lot of talent. A lot of those guys can put the puck in the net, and they can play big roles with us going forward. They're obviously inexperienced, but we'll get better and better every week"
Regarding Adam Wilcox save with seven seconds left…. "Waaay too close! That was an unbelievable save. He was just laughing when he came to the bench during the timeout. He's got a flair for the dramatic, and he's an awesome goaltender, so we're happy to have him"
Seth Ambrosz:
Regarding the makeup of the team…. "Despite how small we are, we are a really fast team with a lot of passion and grit"
Regarding New Hampshire…. "The thing that was good is we got to play some good competition this weekend. New Hampshire is an NCAA Tournament team last year. They've got a good squad, and really pushed us as a team. They have a very good Goaltender. He proved it last season, and proved it again tonight. Give him credit, he's a great goaltender, and he's going to have a great season"
Regarding the Bemidji State series next weekend…. "We've just gotta stick to our game plan. We've gotta get pucks to the net, get bodies to the net, and keep using our speed. Bemidji always gives us a good fight"
The Gophers will head to Bemidji next weekend to take on the Beavers in a two game series. Game time is 7:37 PM (Central) Friday, and 7:07 PM Saturday. Both games will be broadcast on Fox Sports North.
Here's what I saw.
- Jake Bischoff looked good on Defense in his Gophers debut. Real aggressive kid, and not afraid to jump into the play offensively.
- The young guys looked confident, smart and hard working this weekend. The team is going hard to the net, supporting each other, and playing unselfishly. They're getting my hopes up that they might just be pretty damn good this year.
- The 5'9" 178 pound Justin Kloos was sparring with 6'6" 225 pound Eric Knodel of UNH, and Nate Condon stepped in between and started pushing back at Knodel. Nice to see Condon leading, and looking out for his guys, especially the younger guys.
- They say that speed kills. And Minnesota is using their speed on the outside, and using a lot of cross ice passes to beat the defense to the outside. Next time you're at a Gopher game, watch how many times Cammarata goes
- Nice to see Hudson Fasching get the first goal of his Gopher career, when he jammed home the rebound of a Justin Holl shot.
Here are the post game comments:
New Hampshire Head Coach Dick Umile:
Regarding the game…. "We played a real good Minnesota team. Our team competed tonight, but the second period was obviously the difference in the game. They outshot us in the second, and got a couple of goals at the end of the period to jump ahead of us. I thought we battled back in the third, and had our chances. Had a great chance there with seven seconds left in the game. It was a good hockey game. We come out here to play in tournaments like this to play against the best, so we become better"
Minnesota Head Coach Don Lucia:
Regarding the game…. "I like the way we played again tonight, especially five on five. We did a good job, and managed the game very well. We gave up a couple of penalty kill goals, but the guys showed a lot of resiliency to come back from one goal deficits and then play it pretty smart in the third period to get the win. Good to see a couple of freshmen get their first goals. Adam didn't have to make a lot of saves, but like he always does, he makes that crucial one late in the game. Kyle had a big face-off win with seven seconds to go, and it's the little things, like the shot blocking. I was very happy with Justin Holl. His first weekend back on Defense. He sacrificed for our team last year, playing forward. I thought he did a good job. I thought all seven of our D did a really good job this weekend for the most part. The guys worked hard without the puck"
Regarding New Hampshire…. "They're a good measuring stick. You're playing a veteran team that goes through the wars of Hockey East. Good opponent, and very well coached. We had to play a good smart game tonight, and I thought we did"
Regarding Ben Marshall's injured hand…. "We didn't know this morning whether he'd play tonight or not. But he loosened it up, and felt better this afternoon, so there was no doubt he would play"
Regarding playing in a tournament to start the season…. "I think it helps when you're playing for something, playing for a championship. You don't get to play for a trophy every night. I think it amps it up a little bit"
Justin Holl:
Regarding the game…. "They (UNH) are definitely a team that capitalizes on turnovers, so puck possession was a big thing for us tonight. We wanted to make sure we took care of the puck as part of our game plan. Starting with a young, inexperienced team this year, it's good to show that we can come from behind, and that we're not down and out if we're get behind by a couple of goals"
Regarding moving back to Defense…. "It's great. Going Defense to Forward last year was a little bit tougher, considering I hadn't played forward in a while. Going back now, it seems pretty natural. I'm excited to be back there"
Regarding the team…. "It's a younger team. But we've got a lot of talent. A lot of those guys can put the puck in the net, and they can play big roles with us going forward. They're obviously inexperienced, but we'll get better and better every week"
Regarding Adam Wilcox save with seven seconds left…. "Waaay too close! That was an unbelievable save. He was just laughing when he came to the bench during the timeout. He's got a flair for the dramatic, and he's an awesome goaltender, so we're happy to have him"
Seth Ambrosz:
Regarding the makeup of the team…. "Despite how small we are, we are a really fast team with a lot of passion and grit"
Regarding New Hampshire…. "The thing that was good is we got to play some good competition this weekend. New Hampshire is an NCAA Tournament team last year. They've got a good squad, and really pushed us as a team. They have a very good Goaltender. He proved it last season, and proved it again tonight. Give him credit, he's a great goaltender, and he's going to have a great season"
Regarding the Bemidji State series next weekend…. "We've just gotta stick to our game plan. We've gotta get pucks to the net, get bodies to the net, and keep using our speed. Bemidji always gives us a good fight"
The Gophers will head to Bemidji next weekend to take on the Beavers in a two game series. Game time is 7:37 PM (Central) Friday, and 7:07 PM Saturday. Both games will be broadcast on Fox Sports North.
