Latest / Coaches Corner / MHOC Coach Mike Cavanaugh Presser Oct 29

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MHOC Coach Mike Cavanaugh Presser Oct 29 · Coaches Corner

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: All right, coach heading home two game two game series
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: one versus non con Harvard and then Hockey East matchup
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: versus Merrimack. Want to get your thoughts heading into the
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: weekend Halloween Friday night and then Saturday's Hockey East battle.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's a little bit of an unorthodox weekend for
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  Speaker 2: us because normally you're playing the same team twice. I
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  Speaker 2: think the only time all year we'll have a weekend
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  Speaker 2: like this will be the Connecticut Tournament. So I was
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  Speaker 2: telling the players, I think it's good because when you
• 0:35
  Speaker 2: get to you've got to be comfortable playing two different
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  Speaker 2: opponents on consecutive nights. I think you know, when you
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  Speaker 2: get to, like I said, the Connecticut Tournament, and when
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  Speaker 2: you get to the Hockey East Tournament, the semifinals, when
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  Speaker 2: you get to the NCAA's, you have two different opponents
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  Speaker 2: on two different nights, and you've got to be able
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  Speaker 2: to be prepared for both of them. So right now,
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  Speaker 2: though we're just focusing on Harvard, I think, you know,
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  Speaker 2: the best way to prepare for Merrimack is for us
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  Speaker 2: to just play very well against Harvard. So that's where
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  Speaker 2: our focus is right now. They've got a lot of
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  Speaker 2: returning players. You know, Thompson was a freshman for them
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  Speaker 2: last year. He had a great year. Several rows of
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  Speaker 2: experienced guy up front. I think Joey Miller, their captain's
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  Speaker 2: a very good player. He's dangerous on defense. You got
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  Speaker 2: Heally and Saint Louis or extremely mobile and Sharetza returner
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  Speaker 2: in net. So they have a lot of their team back,
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  Speaker 2: and it was it was a tough game at their
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  Speaker 2: place last year, so we know we're going to be
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  Speaker 2: in for a fight on Friday night.
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  Speaker 1: All right, we'll open up for questions, Joe, you want
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  Speaker 1: to start us off.
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  Speaker 2: Thanks Kyle, Morning cav Morning Joe.
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  Speaker 3: Through three weekends, what have you liked best or a
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  Speaker 3: couple of things that you've liked best about what your
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  Speaker 3: team has done, and what's a couple of things that
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  Speaker 3: you've worked on this week.
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  Speaker 2: I think we've I think we've defended pretty well, you know,
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  Speaker 2: especially five on five play. I think we've defended pretty well.
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  Speaker 2: I think we've done a decent job of breaking the
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  Speaker 2: puck out of our zone. I'd like to see us
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  Speaker 2: generate a little more offensively on a consistent basis. I
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  Speaker 2: think it's been very sporadic throughout the year where even
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  Speaker 2: Friday night against BU, I didn't think we generated much
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  Speaker 2: in the first period, but obviously second and third period
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  Speaker 2: we did. And you know, the third period of BEU,
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  Speaker 2: I thought at home we generated quite a bit. No,
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  Speaker 2: but we're not consistently generating enough multiple shots shifts. Like
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  Speaker 2: I said, we're defending well. B You only had eight
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  Speaker 2: shots on us in the last two periods, so we
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  Speaker 2: got a lot of We got some great a's, certainly
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  Speaker 2: against them on Saturday night, and I think we had
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  Speaker 2: more great a's than they did. However, you know, Igorov
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  Speaker 2: had a great he responded really well, and we didn't
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  Speaker 2: get enough second and third chance opportunities against a good
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  Speaker 2: goaltender like that.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you, go ahead, Randy.
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  Speaker 4: Thanks col Good morning, cav. How you doing today.
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  Speaker 2: I'm good, Randy. How about you?
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  Speaker 5: I'm great.
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  Speaker 1: I'm great.
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  Speaker 4: So you mentioned how you're defending well. What are some
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  Speaker 4: of the things, What are some of the details that
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  Speaker 4: you really like about why you've been able to defend well.
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  Speaker 2: Well? It's this. I think defending well starts through the
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  Speaker 2: neutral zone, you know, and I think if you're structured
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  Speaker 2: through the neutral zone, you set yourself up to break
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  Speaker 2: the puck out really well. You know, it's not just
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  Speaker 2: you don't want to spend a lot of time in
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  Speaker 2: your own zone. I think that's when you can get
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  Speaker 2: in trouble. We want to eliminate teams opportunity to have
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  Speaker 2: multiple shot shifts.
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  Speaker 1: You know.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, well we'll give up a shot here and there,
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  Speaker 2: and our goaltenders can handle that, but we don't want
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  Speaker 2: to give up rebound chances. And then when the puck
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  Speaker 2: goes to the corner, we want to be able to
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  Speaker 2: retrieve that and recover it and start a breakout before
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  Speaker 2: they get it and kick it back out up high,
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  Speaker 2: and you know, we're playing defense again. So I think
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  Speaker 2: we're doing a decent job through the neutral zone making
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  Speaker 2: teams dump the puck in or you know, instead of
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  Speaker 2: carrying the puck into the zone. So I think that's
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  Speaker 2: probably where we're right now, playing pretty well, which allows
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  Speaker 2: us to break the puck out of the zone better.
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  Speaker 2: When we're structured through the neutral zone, it gives us
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  Speaker 2: a much better chance to break the puck out clean
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  Speaker 2: all right.
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  Speaker 4: And offensively a little bit of the juggling of three
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  Speaker 4: lines this weekend versus the Ohio State weekend, What did
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  Speaker 4: you like from the line combinations and kind of what
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  Speaker 4: is like, like, how do you assess week to week
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  Speaker 4: who you you know combined together.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, we're still trying to figure that out. And I
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  Speaker 2: think part of the reason where we haven't had consistently
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  Speaker 2: multiple shut shifts is because we're still trying to figure
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  Speaker 2: out a rhythm with our lines. We've liked a couple,
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  Speaker 2: but you know, it's always a process. We're probably going
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  Speaker 2: to continue to tinker until you know, we find a
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  Speaker 2: combination that we feel where we're rolling four lines. And
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  Speaker 2: that's how I want to play. I want to be
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  Speaker 2: able to roll four lines out, you know when at
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  Speaker 2: the end of the night, when I'm looking at time
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  Speaker 2: on ice five on five, ideally for me, everybody's playing
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  Speaker 2: the same amount five on five or it's within a
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  Speaker 2: couple minutes.
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  Speaker 5: Thank you, go ahead, Adam, Thanks all right. So this
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  Speaker 5: is a game against Harvard that typically we've seen. You know,
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  Speaker 5: the over winter break is a geographical convenience to kind
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  Speaker 5: of get both teams back into the swing of things.
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  Speaker 5: So how did it wind up on October thirty first
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  Speaker 5: this year?
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  Speaker 2: Well, that was the only time we could find for
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  Speaker 2: both of us to play. Yeah, Ideally, I would have
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  Speaker 2: loved to have played them over the break at some
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  Speaker 2: point when we have a much longer break, or whether
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  Speaker 2: it be over Thanksgiving weekend, but it just didn't work
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  Speaker 2: out this year. They had other obligations and this is
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  Speaker 2: the only place we could squeeze it in.
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  Speaker 5: In terms of of what you're saying with finding those
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  Speaker 5: line combinations, how do you Is it analytics? Is it
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  Speaker 5: watching video? Is it asking the players? How do you
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  Speaker 5: sort through that at the stage of the year.
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  Speaker 2: I think sometimes it's just a feel, and sometimes it
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  Speaker 2: might just be, you know, we like these two guys together,
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  Speaker 2: and we're going to put someone else with them, rotate
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  Speaker 2: one person through. It's just it's kind of a feel,
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  Speaker 2: kind of watching in practice, seeing how they perform in games.
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  Speaker 2: I wouldn't say, you know, analytics to an extent, but
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  Speaker 2: you know, not necessarily. It's what you're looking at is
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  Speaker 2: when that line's together, are they creating more chances than
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  Speaker 2: they're giving up? And when you find those combinations and
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  Speaker 2: usually stay with them. But there's no exact science to it.
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  Speaker 2: It's just having a feel. And I said, watching through practice.
• 8:01
  Speaker 5: I know we talked about him a little bit on
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  Speaker 5: the coach and show. But here we are six games
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  Speaker 5: into the season and Mike Murtagg just continues to you know,
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  Speaker 5: not just produce in general way. He's producing points. So
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  Speaker 5: what's the biggest jump for him this year?
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  Speaker 2: I think he's getting consistent playing time and he's earned it.
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  Speaker 2: He plays really hard. You know, it's probably him being
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  Speaker 2: very comfortable in the surroundings this year. Nothing. You know,
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  Speaker 2: it's not new to him and he's not necessarily well,
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  Speaker 2: everybody's always competing and fighting for a job on the team.
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  Speaker 2: But I think he's earned ice time and consistent ice him.
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  Speaker 2: So the fact that he's going over the boards on
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  Speaker 2: a regular basis is probably helped to raise his confidence.
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  Speaker 5: Yeah, thanks, coach.
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  Speaker 1: Sure, go ahead, Daniel.
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  Speaker 6: In a similar vein to what Joe asked earlier, are
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  Speaker 6: there any players that have surprised you in any way
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  Speaker 6: throughout these first three weeks.
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  Speaker 2: I don't know if surprised is the right word, because
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  Speaker 2: I had high expectations for a lot of our players
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  Speaker 2: that were coming back. You know, we've continued to get
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  Speaker 2: very consistent play out of Tabor. He slipped, he's he's
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  Speaker 2: wearing a letter for a reason. And when I talk
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  Speaker 2: about at times we've been inconsistent. I can't talk to
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  Speaker 2: say that about him. He's he's been one of those guys.
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  Speaker 2: And I think you know, you've heard many coaches say it.
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  Speaker 2: I know Belichick used to say it all the time.
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  Speaker 2: Your favorite players are the ones that you know what
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  Speaker 2: you're going to get from them night in and night out.
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  Speaker 2: And he's one of those guys. So been very, very
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  Speaker 2: pleased with him. And overall, I think our defensive corps
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  Speaker 2: has given us a a lot of quality minutes. I
• 10:01
  Speaker 2: think the combination of Viking and Kai has been very
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  Speaker 2: good for us. They seem to have been playing very
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  Speaker 2: well together. I think Thomas Sineo is playing very well.
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  Speaker 2: All of them, honestly have given us a lot of
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  Speaker 2: quality minutes.
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  Speaker 6: Speaking of Taber, he's always played with his hair on fire.
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  Speaker 6: But even in juniors, he didn't have the the highest
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  Speaker 6: point totals. But last year he was up there on
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  Speaker 6: your rankings for points. This series got four and six games.
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  Speaker 6: Just how has he improved in that regard?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, he's around the pucket, he's getting scoring chances, you know,
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  Speaker 2: And he's a guy that I've played with a lot
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  Speaker 2: of different line mates only because I know, if I
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  Speaker 2: feel like someone needs to get going, I'll play him
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  Speaker 2: with Taber because Taber drags you into the fight, and
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  Speaker 2: if you're not ready to compete with him, then you're
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  Speaker 2: gonna have a hard time playing on our team.
• 11:02
  Speaker 6: Then, just on aside from looking at the stats, but
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  Speaker 6: no five goals for Joey, no assists. Is that something
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  Speaker 6: that will balance itself out? Or do you want to
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  Speaker 6: see him maybe trying to create more opportunities.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, he's a candidate for the young right now right
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  Speaker 2: he's Uh. I just think that's as as the season
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  Speaker 2: goes on, he's going to have assists just because whether
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  Speaker 2: it's shooting the puck and rebound goals. You know, he's
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  Speaker 2: made some really good plays that guys haven't finished, so
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  Speaker 2: they will come. I'm not worried about it.
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  Speaker 5: Go ahead, Joe.
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  Speaker 3: You're pulling a Jerry on me, Joe, at least I
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  Speaker 3: didn't go Jerry maguire. Jesus to piggyback off Danny's question
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  Speaker 3: on Joey when you when you were recruiting him, did
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  Speaker 3: you see him as being this big of a goal
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  Speaker 3: scorer or is this kind of a little bit by surprise.
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  Speaker 2: Well, at Nichols. Yeah, Nichols when we recruited him, and
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  Speaker 2: when he got drafted, he got drafted out of Nichols,
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  Speaker 2: I think he had forty five or fifty goals. So yes,
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  Speaker 2: when we recruited him, I was expecting a point producer
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  Speaker 2: and goal scorer. Then he went out to the USHL,
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  Speaker 2: which is a very very hard league, you know, and
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  Speaker 2: he was asked to kind of play a different role,
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  Speaker 2: and in some ways, I think it helped his overall
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  Speaker 2: game because when he came here, he started out more
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  Speaker 2: on a fourth line and as a penalty killer, and
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  Speaker 2: I think that's what's developed his two hundred foot game.
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  Speaker 2: But the goal scoring ability has always been there.
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  Speaker 3: And then Jake Percival's personal has been kind of snake
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  Speaker 3: bit as far as scoring is concerned, But it seems
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  Speaker 3: like his two hundred foot game keeps getting better and better.
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  Speaker 3: What is it about his ability that just allows him
• 13:01
  Speaker 3: to play so well at both ends of the ice.
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  Speaker 2: Well, he skates very well, and he's got an elite stick.
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  Speaker 2: He's one of the few guys that can really bait
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  Speaker 2: you with his stick and make you believe that a
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  Speaker 2: pass passing lane is there and he takes it away
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  Speaker 2: very quickly. So that's what makes him an elite penalty
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  Speaker 2: killer too.
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  Speaker 3: He just.
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  Speaker 2: He gets his stick, breaks up a lot of plays
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  Speaker 2: and creates a lot of turnovers.
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  Speaker 7: Anything else for coach, guys, I'll jump in with a
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  Speaker 7: couple if that's.
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  Speaker 5: Okay, Go ahead, go ahead, Taylor, Thank you, coach.
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  Speaker 7: I wonder just about the chemistry off the ice, what
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  Speaker 7: you've seen kind of from your vantage point that you
• 13:49
  Speaker 7: wouldn't necessarily see if you were just watching a game,
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  Speaker 7: And if you could describe that for us.
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  Speaker 2: Well, I think it's pretty good. You know, a lot
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  Speaker 2: of these guys have been together for a while. This
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  Speaker 2: senior class is a pretty large senior class as far
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  Speaker 2: as in today's world, you don't give many guys that
• 14:08
  Speaker 2: will stay. I think, what will we have? I mean, essentially,
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  Speaker 2: last year we had four grad students. We really didn't
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  Speaker 2: have a true senior, and this year we have probably
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  Speaker 2: six or seven I think true seniors. And that certainly
• 14:30
  Speaker 2: helps with your team chemistry because they're, you know, very
• 14:35
  Speaker 2: familiar of what my expectations are and how the team
• 14:39
  Speaker 2: should be conducting themselves away from the rink, and I
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  Speaker 2: think they do a great job of setting that tone
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  Speaker 2: in an example.
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  Speaker 7: Awesome, thank you, And then just one follow up on
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  Speaker 7: Joey obviously made a huge jump from freshman to sophomore year.
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  Speaker 7: Is there an expectation of what you can see from
• 15:00
  Speaker 7: his growth already or what you maybe expect to see
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  Speaker 7: from him this season, anything that you can share there?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, you know a lot. I've been asked that question
• 15:09
  Speaker 2: quite a bit. I just want him to keep improving
• 15:12
  Speaker 2: as a hockey player. I'm not focused on the number
• 15:15
  Speaker 2: of goals he scores. I'm more focused on, again, the
• 15:19
  Speaker 2: one stat that we really put a lot of credence
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  Speaker 2: into is when you're on the ice a you're creating
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  Speaker 2: more chances for us than giving up, And Joey seems
• 15:29
  Speaker 2: to continue to improve in that area. Not to mention,
• 15:32
  Speaker 2: you know, he plays a lot of minutes for us
• 15:34
  Speaker 2: because he's a penalty killer, he's a power play guy,
• 15:37
  Speaker 2: he's a four on four guy. If we go to overtime,
• 15:40
  Speaker 2: he's going to be put on the ice in an overtime,
• 15:42
  Speaker 2: So he plays in every single situation. And you know,
• 15:47
  Speaker 2: if he keeps, as I said, creating more chances than
• 15:51
  Speaker 2: he's given up and that stat improves year by year,
• 15:57
  Speaker 2: then he continues to develop on the path that we'd
• 15:59
  Speaker 2: like to see him. I'd like to see him on.
• 16:04
  Speaker 7: Awesome.
• 16:04
  Speaker 1: Thank you, awesome, well, thanks coach, Thanks everyone for jumping
• 16:11
  Speaker 1: on good luck this weekend.
• 16:12
  Speaker 2: Coach, all right, thanks guys, all right,