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Wisconsin Player Postgame Quotes
Wisconsin vs. Michigan Tech
Jan. 2, 2015
Kohl Center- Madison, Wis.

Head Coach Mike Eaves

On the tough start and what went wrong in the first period:
"We got caught not being able to play at their pace. They took advantage of their scoring opportunities and they got the great start you always talk about as a team, especially when you're on the road. The pace was the big difference right away, and I thought that the guys that hadn't played in awhile like Adam Rockwood and Eddie Wittchow struggled with that. It took them awhile to get going, so we got in the hole early and were playing catch up the whole game. I think we started playing with a little more pace as the game went on, but it was a little late."

On whether the team was significantly set back by such an early goal:
"No, if you would have been on the bench you would have seen that the guys were like, 'Hey, let's have a pushback and let's respond.' It wasn't like we dropped, it was just frustrating for that thing to go in right away. But the energy on the bench was decent. I thought that guys like Chase Drake did a nice job of taking the reigns during one of the timeouts and getting them rallied. It's about winning the next shift. 'Win your next shift' was the focus. It was about those three inches right in front of us. So I thought from that standpoint it was a very positive thing."

On Michigan Tech and the improvements made to their program:
"Yeah, it was tough to see who was their first line. I don't know if that was us or them, but they all play the same. They play at pace, they get the puck in, they win battles, they back pressure like a banshee. And they've got really good goaltending - when he had to make saves he made saves for them. They are a good club, and there's a reason why they are number five in the country."

On whether the team was physically, tactically or mentally unprepared for the game:
"This would fall in being off for three weeks. I will tell you that as a coaching staff, when you're in a hole like this, you want to see how your team handles it. I'm going to tell you a little story, because you go back to history. In 1986 we didn't win in 12 games [with the Calgary Flames]. We ended up that year going to the Stanley Cup Finals. So it was pretty miserable around that time, and we played in Hartford and got beat 8-1.  We came in after the game and were frustrated, nothing went right no matter how hard we tried. Coach Johnson came into the locker room and he said, 'Boys that was tough, but I'll tell you what, that was the prettiest power-play goal I've seen in a month and we'll build on that.' Well, it was 8-1 tonight, and that goal by Morgan Zulinick was the prettiest goal I've seen in a long time. It was up the ice and it was a really nice to move to beat a good goaltender. So we leave here tonight with kind of that same feeling. Yeah, we got beat 8-1, but we're trying to get this thing going. One of our goals is to play our best hockey at the end of the year. This was game one, and we got a ways to go."

On whether this team is still "digging" a hole:
"No, don't look into this game too much. We got caught in not being able to play at pace. That's the simple reality of it. We'll be better tomorrow night, and we'll catch up. The fact is that they are a fast team, they played last weekend, we haven't played in awhile and I don't think that the gap between us is 8-1. They are certainly not that much better than us. By playing tonight, we'll get up to speed and be better tomorrow night."

Morgan Zulinick

On whether the pace of the game was the problem, or if there is more to it:
"I think that's a big part of it. I also think they're a good team. I think that us not playing for three weeks and them coming out of a weekend already, they did have a little bit of an advantage to that, but we can't use that as an excuse. I think tomorrow we'll have our legs under us and we'll do a much better showing."

On what stood out about Michigan Tech:
"I thought they were fast, skilled, big, shot the puck well and moved the puck well. A lot of aspects of their game were on point tonight. I thought they really did well tonight. They're a good team. Fast definitely stood out to me."

Chase Drake
On if their team is so fragile that they get knocked back by one goal early in the game:
"I think early on in the season, yeah, just because we were so young. Like Morgan said, we don't have an excuse now, we're all veterans out there. It's really a new start in the season for us, coming off of this break, so I think it's always tough when that happens, but I think we responded quite well."

On if they felt like they got into the gear that they wanted to tonight and when it occurred:
"I think it took at least the first five minutes to get into it. Like you said earlier, I think we were a little sluggish out there compared to them. Coming off of a three week layover is always tough regardless who you play, but playing a really solid team tonight. I think right after the first five minutes, that's when we regrouped and figured it out a little bit."

On if he knew that Michigan Tech has not lost on the road yet this year:
"I did not notice that, no."

On if he can see why that's the case:
"Yeah, definitely. I think they have a good power play too, and I think they took advantage of that. When you can get goals like that on power play, I think that's a big thing on the road too."

On where the team is at in his mind:
"I think it's just a minor set back. We have to stay positive regardless of the outcome tonight. We're just really looking forward to tomorrow, and bringing that 1-0 mentality for tomorrow."