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Postgame Quotes
Wisconsin vs. Minnesota
Jan. 31, 2015
Kohl Center- Madison, Wis.
Head Coach Mike Eaves
On if he is leaving unfulfilled tonight:
"I don't know if unfulfilled is the right word. I'm not elated at this point. Really glad the kids got the win in overtime. Hoping to get the win in regulation, it would have been sweeter. It seems right now our path to success, we have been hitting some bumpy roads right now to get there. We are learning some hard lessons. Against BU, that came to my mind, they scored about two seconds left too. We had the puck in the corner and we blocked some shots, we were doing some good things but next thing you know, it's in. I was really interested to see how our kids reacted in overtime after getting scored on. Against BU we were flat coming out for that overtime. Tonight we had more life. I'll tell you what, the people that came to the ice rink this weekend, they got their entertainment value in two games. To go back to the original question, I'm happy that the kids got the win in overtime. We need to use this as a lily pad to keep growing."
On how Joel has been playing this month:
"I think on that first goal, he would like to have that back as he was deep in his crease. I think he would like to have that one back. At other times he was spectacular. I think he showed his competitive level tonight. He didn't give up on anything. If you remember, as a freshman that was one of the things we needed to see from him in practice. I think having [
Landon Peterson] around helped him because he learned to compete on everything. Without Rumpel playing the way he did, we don't have the tie and we don't win in a shootout. He was a big [part] of it tonight and I think he is fine. We have to be intelligent about the workload we give here during the week. You take a look at the games that we have played in this month, he has been busy."
On how the freshmen performed tonight:
"I thought that young
Adam Rockwood has his best game. He was dancing. You could see that he has things you don't teach. He was good on his feet, his hands were working and he found people. I thought it was a breakthrough game for young Adam. I think that
Cameron Hughes, I don't think it was one of his better games but he battled through it. He ended up getting his first goal so for him, I think that is a good thing. Some of the other freshmen,
Jake Linhart, got an assist. They keep growing and I think again, that is what we need to see from our kids week in and weekend out because if that's happening then we are going in the right direction."
On Minnesota's Seth Ambroz and his success against Wisconsin:
"You talk to [Gary Shuckuk] and I, we had teams that we love to play against. I can't tell you why. There are certain teams that you just can't wait to get to. For some reason, you seem to have more luck against them than not."
On the tying goal:
"I would have to go look at it. I know we had a couple of blocked shots and it was in the corner. Apparently we had the puck in the corner and didn't handle it well. It found its way out to the point, shot, didn't get blocked and rebound goal."
On the five minute major penalty kill:
"We are getting too much practice killing penalties during games but we did a good job. Again, Joel was good. We worked together well as a unit. We blocked some key shots that we needed to and we survived."
On responding after the kill:
"That's a critical part. They score a couple of goals in that and the game is done. We kill it and we respond. Same in the third period with getting the five on three and having to deal with that late in the game. Once again these young kids showed their resilience and got the job done. They found a way to get productive and score some big goals for us."
Player Quotes On if he feels unfulfilled after the game tonight:
"I mean, a little bit. Quite honestly, I'm going to take whatever we can get. We battled hard and played a good game. It's obviously a little heartbreaking with two seconds left to give one up like that. Honestly, I'll take it."
On his inconsistent play this month:
"Yeah, it's kind of up and down, up and down. I don't know what it is, but some games everything's hitting me and the next game, everything's hitting me and going in. Obviously it's a bit of a learning experience this year, but you just have to take it game by game and hopefully you get better each one."
On what it is about Seth Ambroz that allows him to score:
"I don't know. I told him in the second period to stop scoring on me, but it turns out that didn't work out very well. He's a great player, he battles hard, he has a big body, he gets in front of me. All I see is his number most of the time. He's a good player."
On if Ambroz screened him on the first goal:
"Yeah. I probably should've been out a step higher (on the crease) but I couldn't see and was kind of surprised he shot it from there."
On if the talk between Rumpel and Ambroz is fun:
"I hope it is. Anytime he skates by me he gives me a little something. I usually just laugh, so I hope it's for fun. I give it back once in a while, but I try to keep my mouth shut."
On what steps the team took forward this weekend:
"One thing that we always try to do in the beginning of the game is have a good start, and on Saturdays in the last couple of weeks after having a good game on Friday, we haven't done that. Obviously tonight we did that scoring in the first nine seconds. I thought we played a good first period which is huge for us."
On what the team needs to do better:
"It's happened a couple of times against BU (Boston University) and tonight, we just have to bear down in that last minute, and get pucks out, block shots and eliminate sticks, and we didn't do that tonight which is unfortunate."
"I think for him, the biggest aspect of his game is when he battles hard for pucks and goes in corners, and he was doing that today and moving his feet. He made a ton of plays- great plays. He set up my goal and at least one more. He had a great game and battled hard."
On how the freshmen class has performed:
"I think obviously we've had some ups and downs. In the beginning of the year, a lot of us were feeling our way out a little bit. I think after Christmas, guys were starting to play better-a little inconsistent at times. I think a lot of the guys were happy with their game lately. We'll keep working on it and play our best hockey at the end of the year."
On if he leaves tonight with a little bit of an empty feeling:
"I think after yesterday's loss we did, but after tonight I think we're going to enjoy this one. That's a much needed point in the shootout, especially against a good team like Minnesota. Coming up in this stretch in the Big Ten in the last few games before the tournament, those are points that we're going to need to have."
On the leg contact with Connor Reilly:
"Obviously that's a tough play. I'm not the kind of player that would be looking to do stuff like that. I want to start off by saying that my prayers are with Reilly there- I hope he's okay and gets back to playing soon if he is injured. He game across the blue line in the neutral zone and made little juke to the outside. I was just coming across. I didn't move in time and our shins kind of hit, and he got the worst of it. Like I said, I hope he's okay, and I'll be thinking about him."
