March 18, 2016 Minnesota 4 Ohio State 2 An interview with: Ohio State Coach Steve Rohlik Nick Schilkey THE MODERATOR: First, we have Ohio State's Nick Schilkey and head coach Steve Rohlik. Coach, if you'd like to start with an opening statement, then we'll move to questions for Nick. COACH ROHLIK: Sure. You know, certainly disappointing when your season ends. I think our guys emptied the tank and maybe we ran out of gas a little too early tonight. But I'm proud of the group, proud of the guys in the locker room. They never quit to the end. So, I'll just leave it up to you for questions. THE MODERATOR: We'll take questions for Nick. If you can raise your hand, we'll bring a microphone around. Q. How -- what were your expectations for the team coming into the season and how do you think they did compared to those expectations? SCHILKEY: I mean, I think for us the goal was to make the tournament. And, you know, we showed -- we showed this second half that, you know, we could be a tournament team. And, you know, if we start off a little better, we can, you know, we're right better, and we showed that we can play with anybody. But, you know, it's tough to go out that way, you know, tonight. You know, we laid it on the line, but that's just kind of how it went. Q. Schilks, as the leader of this offense, you've got pretty much the whole squad coming back next year. With the way you ended this season, does it kind of excite you in a way? I know you're on a down note right now, but with the team you have coming back next year, does that get you excited a little bit? SCHILKEY: Yeah, definitely. We've got a good nucleus coming back. We've got ability to score -- score in bunches and score with depth. And, you know, I think that's -- that was a key coming down the stretch here, and, you know, to have that group coming back is definitely exciting. THE MODERATOR: Any more questions for Nick? Q. Nick, would you agree with coach's assessment that you ran out of gas or the team ran out of gas in the third period? And if not, what did Minnesota do to change the tide? Ohio State 03.22.16 1
SCHILKEY: Yeah, I mean, especially, you know, we take a five-minute and, you know, we're out there. We killed it off. But, you know, maybe that was a little exhausting. And, you know, it's, you know, we played two games and maybe they just had a little extra at the end there. But, you know, we kept fighting. We fought all year in those late, you know, late in games and it's just, you know, tough we couldn't get one there. THE MODERATOR: Go ahead. Q. Nick, you had close games with Minnesota all season. What do you think was missing from your game to put you over the top? SCHILKEY: I think for them, they just -- their transition game killed us, obviously, tonight and killed us a couple of times in their line rushes all year. I think that was a focus of ours coming in -- coming into tonight, but there's a couple of times there, there was a little couple of pickpockets. They were right down our throats just like that. And, you know, we played them -- played them close -- close all year. Tough to lose to them five times in one-goal games, overtime games. But that's just -- I guess that's how it happens sometimes. THE MODERATOR: Go ahead. Q. What is your lasting memory from the season? SCHILKEY: For me, going forward, it's just knowing what we can do - you know what we've done in these last eight games going unbeaten in seven. I think to take that going forward and knowing what we're capable of is exciting and I think as long as we take that into next year - get it going right from the start we can be - we can be a - if we're determined and - we can be a dangerous team going forward. THE MODERATOR: Take one more question for Nick. Thanks Nick, you can head back to the locker room. We will take questions for Coach Rohlik now. Q: Coach, Frey and the defense had played two pretty good games leading into that third period what did you think kind of changed there in that third? What did you see? COACH ROHLIK: In the third, well they took advantage of a couple opportunities. I mean they had a couple point blank shots and they're a dangerous hockey team and for the most part we back pressed pretty hard there the first couple periods to try to take that away but eventually if you turn the puck over a couple of times like we did and give them - a walkin, two-on-ones they're good enough to score those goals and you know what they did there in the third period. Q: Coach with the way that this season ended and especially in the second half you guys just didn't quit all the way throughout, how proud are you of this group? COACH ROHLIK: I just got done telling the guys in there, I mean you start off the season 0-7 you could go a couple of different directions and this group chose to go one direction and that was put the work in and showed a lot of character in that room and you know we were determined here down the stretch and I'm just proud to be a part of this university and have the opportunity to coach these guys. And you know I'm obviously disappointed with the Ohio State 03.22.16 2
result tonight, but it wasn't for lack of work ethic. Q: Your five close games with Minnesota this season, and you took your time in the locker room telling your team what you thought about them. Can you kind of give us some insights about that discussion? COACH ROHLIK: You know I mean - just like I told them I was just proud of the group, as you could see I mean our guys weren't going to quit until the horn went off no matter what the score. And I think that's the true character and hopefully that's the culture that we've got to continue to bring forward and hopefully we can bring that in October as well as - not just the second half. And you know Minnesota is a very good hockey team. I mean they got - they're one game away they got a chance, they won the Big Ten league for a reason because they've won a lot of these close games and we just fell a little short against them this year. Q: Coach one more, it's the last scheduled Big Ten Tournament at Xcel, what is your insights to the experience here and moving forward with the tournament? THE MODERATOR: Take one more question. Q: Coach obviously with the big turnaround in the second half and a lot of key cogs coming back next year, what are your goals or your expectations for your team next season? COACH ROHLIK: Well I mean, you know it hasn't even been a half hour since the games been over I don't think, but certainly I'm really excited. I think we've got a great young group, we've got a great nucleus, to me, I mean it's just an attitude thing and I like what I hear in the locker room already. Guys are so disappointed for the three seniors, that they're not going to be back and be able to put that jersey on again, so I think, for me, I know me and my staff are going to work extremely hard and try to correct some things that we can continue to do but it's exciting to look in there right now and see what could happen, and it all starts here pretty soon on the offseason. coach. THE MODERATOR: Thank you, COACH ROHLIK: Thank you guys. COACH ROHLIK: Well I'm a little biased but you know, I think it's an unbelievable venue. I think things take time and you know I mean, I think the Big Ten Tournament can be a pretty big deal. And obviously being here in Saint Paul in this hockey community and growing up here, you know I know what this thing could be. So it was exciting to come back, our guys loved it. We were treated right, and you know that's what the Big Ten is. But it's - good things take time and I think this thing is just going to take a little bit of time. 3 Ohio State 03.22.16
March 18, 2016 Minnesota 4 Ohio State - 2 An interview with: Minnesota Coach Don Lucia Tyler Sheehy Taylor Cammarata THE MODERATOR: Up next, we have Minnesota's Tyler Sheehy, Taylor Cammarata, and head coach Don Lucia. Coach, we'll take an opening statement and then move to questions for the players. COACH LUCIA: Well, it's one of those games where I thought that we really wanted to win bad, sometimes maybe too bad, to begin the game, and it took us a while to find the rhythm. Some guys were fighting the puck a little bit, but we needed the one goal to kind of get us going. Obviously, only giving up the one, I really felt that it was one of those nights where we relied on three main guys to do most of the scoring and if we're going to win tonight, somebody else was going to have to step forward, and in the third period, Tyler's goal was the critical one to tie it one to one and when you score, you get some energy from that, and be able to come back and Vinny scored and Cam getting a couple goals, so four guys that maybe haven't scored on a nightly basis, really came through in the clutch and it was obviously an important win for us, come back and win here at the Xcel Center and give us an opportunity to play for a championship tomorrow. THE MODERATOR: We'll open it up to questions for the players. Q. Tyler, was it a tough first period for you guys? Certainly you played better in the second period. What was the team's mood going into the third period and how were you guys managing to stay positive despite not getting a lot of good scoring chances? SHEEHY: Well I think we just, we knew what we needed to do in order to play tomorrow, so I think it was important for us to get a goal early and then feed off that, so I think an early goal gave us a little bit of energy and then after that we were kind of rolling from there. Q. What do you think clicked for you guys in the third period? THE MODERATOR: Taylor, we'll start with you. CAMMARATA: I think starting like, halfway through the second period, you could kind of tell that Ohio State was getting a little fatigued, and then at the end of that period, we kind of had some momentum going and we kind of carried over right from the start of the third period and I thought we dominated the third period. add? THE MODERATOR: Tyler, anything to SHEEHY: No, I think, like Taylor said, we had a lot of momentum going into the third period and we were able to execute. Q. Taylor, did you feel pretty good after you get that goal so quickly there in the third that you guys would be able to kind of mount that comeback? CAMMARATA: Yes, I think so. I think we had a little bit of, I think we were kind of controlling the play for most of the game and we weren't able to solve their goalie, so I think that we all knew that once we got the first one that the rest would come. THE MODERATOR: Any more questions for the players? Q. With how this series has gone, with the three overtime games and the one goal, how important, how much were you Minnesota 03.22.16 1
guys stressing to get ahead to get those three goals? THE MODERATOR: Taylor, again, we'll start with you. CAMMARATA: Yes, I think they're a fun team to play against because they're really up and down the rank. All five of their guys are up in the play so they get a lot of chances but they also give a lot of chances and we kind of stole some goals in the third period, I think. add? THE MODERATOR: Tyler, anything to SHEEHY: Yes, I think they're a four-line team. They're very deep, so we knew that coming into the game that we were going to have to play four lines and be good throughout our lineup so, throughout the year, they've played us pretty tough and tonight we were able to come out on top. Q. For Tyler, maybe just seeing Michigan again, what do you think about seeing that matchup again, knowing everything that's at stake tomorrow? SHEEHY: Yes, it's going to be a lot of fun. I think they're a great team and it's going to be another good battle tomorrow night. THE MODERATOR: Thanks, guys you can head back to the locker room. We'll take questions for Coach Lucia. Q. Don, this is exactly how you called it when we were talking to you earlier this week, that the other team would have the advantage early because they had played. You were hoping your team would have the advantage late from the rest. How do you keep your guys positive when they were struggling early on in the game and make sure that they gave themselves the chance to get on track? COACH LUCIA: Well, I think you get to this time of year, it's not the time, as a coach, to get on your guys. And so I think as a staff, we did everything we could to stay positive, talk to the guys, we've got to find our game, you could see them trying but we're just missing passes or we weren't executing, and that's when you need that one goal. It's amazing how a goal can just kind of ignite you and settle you down. I've always felt that this was the most difficult game, the first one for us when we come down to the Xcel Center. I think we relaxed as the game went on and obviously, some guys scored some real key goals for us tonight. Just, I'm proud of our guys that they hung with it. Sometimes you're just, we got to find our game, find our game. You can still win games when you don't have your A game, and Ohio State's been playing really well. They're unbeaten in eight games and scoring a boatload of goals. And, you know, for us, even though we got to four, I mean, it's not easy for us to score on a nightly basis. So we have to make sure we're defending and digging in defensively, and you know, finding -- waiting for our opportunity and hopefully we can score when we get that opportunity. And that's obviously what will be critical tomorrow. Q. Don, how do you feel about seeing Michigan and with everything... COACH LUCIA: Well, you know what? I just -- I've always enjoyed playing Michigan. I mean, I'll go back to, you know, 20 years ago, 25 years ago playing them, and Michigan's teams, and Red. And they play like we like to play. They want to get up and on the rink. They want to make plays. They obviously have tremendous high-end skill. We don't have a line like they have or a deep offensively as they are. I figure if we're going to get to Saturday, we're going to be playing Michigan. I mean, they're just -- they're just too talented and as talented, I think, as anybody in the country. They're a real deep-forward group. It's going to -- we have to play exceptionally intelligent tomorrow. We can't shorten the rink. We can't take a lot of penalties. Everybody's going to have to play and involve because they're very deep. We're, you know, we're missing a couple of forwards right now, so other guys are going to have step in and play. And our goaltender is going to have to be good tomorrow. And -- but you know what? We get to play tomorrow. And we get an opportunity to hang a banner tomorrow. We have an opportunity to punch our own ticket and earn it. We know how well and how smart we're going to have to play, and how hard we're going Minnesota 03.22.16 2
to have to compete and do the little things, whether it's getting a puck out or making sure (inaudible) have to turn and get a puck, or blocking a shot. You know, there's nothing left to save it for. So, we've got to leave it all out there tomorrow. here. THE MODERATOR: Microphone down Q. This is the second straight year you're playing Michigan in the final. This time, the shoe is on the other foot where you need the victory for NCAA's. Is there anything that you learned from last year's championship that you can take for this? COACH LUCIA: No. You know, it's a different group. I mean, I think last year we had to win to guarantee we were going to get in as well. The difference is that, you know, this isn't game three for them. Now, you look at who has the advantage, and they have the advantage from the standpoint of the afternoon. COACH LUCIA: I just think the -- the getting the first goal. You know, both teams were a little bit short. We each lost a forward during the game. They lost their guy from making a hit, and we lost our guy from the hit. So, you know, a little more shortened bench tonight. You know, you worry about fatigue tomorrow, but there's no tomorrow if you don't win tonight. But I thought defenses for the most part we did a pretty good job the last two periods, and didn t give up much. But again, the goal -- all of a sudden we found a little more rhythm of our game offense, and puck movement. It wasn't bouncing over sticks or we were trying to force something that wasn't there. And that's the way we're going to have to play tomorrow. I mean, we're just -- that patience and intelligence with and without the puck will be critical. THE MODERATOR: Thank you, Coach. COACH LUCIA: Thanks. You play that afternoon game and you're sitting nice and rested, and it's 10:30 at night and we're getting out of here. And I'm sure our guys won't fall asleep until two o'clock in the morning. But that's -- that's the way it is. So, we're going to have to make sure we have great energy early. And you know what? We just -- we want to be hanging around in the third period to give ourselves a chance. So early -- our play early will be important because, you know, the one thing with Michigan, you know that they can put two or three in in a minute-and-a-half, two minutes. So, you know, shift after goals will be absolutely critical tomorrow, and little three-tofour minute stretches. And, you know, it's like the boxing match. You're going to have to take a punch and, you know, if you don't win a round, you better not lose two or three rounds in a row. THE MODERATOR: Take one more question. Q. Don, what did you see in that third there that kind of allowed you guys to turn the tide? 3 Minnesota 03.22.16