Latest / Buckeyes TomOrrow Morning / Ohio State Women's Hockey Set To Defend National Championship

Transcript

Ohio State Women's Hockey Set To Defend National Championship · Buckeyes TomOrrow Morning

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: This is a little bit of a bonus episode for
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: you guys. We are obviously in the middle of football season,
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: so it is hard to talk about anything other than
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: football right now at Buckehedle dot com and all the
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: other places around the internet. But I did want to
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: give you a little bit of a taste of another
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: one of the programs on campus with championship pedigree of
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: its own, that is the women's hockey program. Got a
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: chance to talk this week to Ohio State women's hockey
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: head coach Nadine Museol. She has done an incredible job
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: with that program. If you look at the most established,
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: the most impressive coaches on the Ohio State campus, I'm
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: sure everyone's going to say Ryan Day's name immediately, and
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: that's absolutely fair, Ty Tucker. On the men's tennis program,
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: you don't have to go very far down the list
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: to get to Nadine Muzarol, and frankly, she might be
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: higher on the list than at least one or two
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: of those guys as well. She has won two of
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: the last three national championships at Ohio State, and she
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: did it in a program that was really kind of
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: at the bottom. When she took it over just a
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: few years back, so get a chance to hear from her.
• 0:59
  Speaker 1: She had a lot, a lot of interesting things to
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: say this week when we got a chance to talk
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: to her. So let's start with this one. Buck Guy's
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: the defending national champions They beat Wisconsin won nothing in
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: the national championship game last year, and she called last
• 1:11
  Speaker 1: year's team the most talented team she has had since
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: getting to Ohio State. So as this year's team that's
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: about to start at season stack up.
• 1:19
  Speaker 2: That was a phenomenal team that we had.
• 1:21
  Speaker 3: But I look at as we've just reloaded, you know,
• 1:26
  Speaker 3: we don't have as much quantity on the team. Our
• 1:28
  Speaker 3: bench is smaller, but the quality is still very good.
• 1:31
  Speaker 3: You know, we're just putting together our power play and
• 1:34
  Speaker 3: we had hard times deciding who should be ware because
• 1:36
  Speaker 3: there is a lot of offensive talent. It's going to
• 1:39
  Speaker 3: require some coaching because we've got a couple of transfers
• 1:41
  Speaker 3: and their style of how they played is very different
• 1:44
  Speaker 3: from our style, being very aggressive and relentless. And then
• 1:48
  Speaker 3: we've been after them and their fitness because I think
• 1:50
  Speaker 3: other programs train very differently differently than we do here
• 1:53
  Speaker 3: at Ohio State.
• 1:54
  Speaker 1: When she talks about reloading the roster and bringing in
• 1:57
  Speaker 1: talent to replace all the talented players who've left. What
• 2:00
  Speaker 1: are they looking for when they're reloading that talent on
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: the roster?
• 2:03
  Speaker 3: So three things we look for, I'd say when we're
• 2:05
  Speaker 3: out recruiting, your skating ability, your IQ, and your relentless personality.
• 2:12
  Speaker 3: I will make that prettier and better for the media
• 2:17
  Speaker 3: of than I normally say.
• 2:19
  Speaker 2: But you have to have two of those three.
• 2:21
  Speaker 3: But one of those two has to be that relentless
• 2:23
  Speaker 3: pursuit because we're not going to coach you up from
• 2:25
  Speaker 3: a five to a ten every day. I'll coach you
• 2:27
  Speaker 3: down from a ten to a seven, but we're not
• 2:29
  Speaker 3: going to You've got to be ready to go. You know,
• 2:33
  Speaker 3: it's very sexy to want to come here to Ohio State.
• 2:35
  Speaker 3: You know, it's been dazzling. The brand speaks for itself
• 2:39
  Speaker 3: and winning national championships and having jewelry is something that
• 2:43
  Speaker 3: kids want to be a part of. But when you
• 2:45
  Speaker 3: get on the inside, it's hard as hell. So they're
• 2:48
  Speaker 3: starting to understand that, not nervous or backing off from it,
• 2:52
  Speaker 3: but they're starting to feel what it takes to win
• 2:56
  Speaker 3: the buck.
• 2:56
  Speaker 1: Guys, have won two of the last three national championships
• 3:00
  Speaker 1: Minnesota Duluth three years ago. Two years ago it lost
• 3:03
  Speaker 1: one nothing to Wisconsin in the national championship game, and
• 3:06
  Speaker 1: then this past year they beat Wisconsin, won nothing in
• 3:08
  Speaker 1: the national championship game. So how different is it to
• 3:12
  Speaker 1: start the season coming off of a national championship as
• 3:15
  Speaker 1: opposed to last year when they were coming off a
• 3:17
  Speaker 1: season when they came up just sure.
• 3:20
  Speaker 2: It's funny.
• 3:20
  Speaker 3: I had Tom Ryan, the wrestling coach. They like, oh,
• 3:23
  Speaker 3: you're so close to a three peet, So thanks Tom,
• 3:27
  Speaker 3: But and then you had to bring it up again.
• 3:29
  Speaker 3: But it actually, you know, of course, it motivates you.
• 3:33
  Speaker 3: Actually funny story. So in twenty two we won the gold.
• 3:37
  Speaker 3: Twenty three we won the silver. First practice, I had
• 3:41
  Speaker 3: the silver trophy at the center ice to remind them,
• 3:45
  Speaker 3: do you like this color? So, and we skated some
• 3:47
  Speaker 3: laps around it, and I put it up in the
• 3:50
  Speaker 3: locker room all year so they'd have to continuously stare
• 3:53
  Speaker 3: at what silver looked like. And then last year, of
• 3:57
  Speaker 3: course we won the gold. But I always think of
• 3:59
  Speaker 3: when you're number one, yes, you have the target on
• 4:01
  Speaker 3: your back. I always thought of it as like a
• 4:03
  Speaker 3: in NASCAR, the lead rider everyone is drafting off of you,
• 4:09
  Speaker 3: so it's a lot harder to stay in the front, right,
• 4:12
  Speaker 3: And that's how I feel sometimes is that we're in
• 4:14
  Speaker 3: this NASCAR race and where the lead driver, people continue
• 4:17
  Speaker 3: to pursue us, and we got to keep up.
• 4:20
  Speaker 1: Mentioned a minute ago. Two national titles and then of
• 4:23
  Speaker 1: course a runner up finish and a one nothing lost
• 4:25
  Speaker 1: two years ago. So two national titles and a runner
• 4:28
  Speaker 1: up in the last three years. What has been the
• 4:30
  Speaker 1: key to not only getting the Ohios State women's hockey
• 4:33
  Speaker 1: program to the mountaintop, but staying there.
• 4:37
  Speaker 3: Yeah, I think it's how we train the athletes, Like
• 4:40
  Speaker 3: we're not afraid to train them hard. You know, with
• 4:42
  Speaker 3: the resources we have things our football program, we know
• 4:47
  Speaker 3: how hard we can push them without breaking them. And
• 4:49
  Speaker 3: they don't even realize how hard they can go. And
• 4:51
  Speaker 3: we always say, you know a Navy seal saying, is
• 4:54
  Speaker 3: your body can endure more pain and can go farther,
• 4:57
  Speaker 3: then you know that it can.
• 4:58
  Speaker 2: It's your mind that quits.
• 4:59
  Speaker 3: And so we're really big on pushing them and raising
• 5:02
  Speaker 3: the bar every day because they also say the only
• 5:06
  Speaker 3: easy day was yesterday, And so that's how we have
• 5:09
  Speaker 3: that philosophy and mindset in our locker room is that
• 5:13
  Speaker 3: we will push you more than anybody else can. Because
• 5:15
  Speaker 3: when I started this program, we were five hundred for
• 5:18
  Speaker 3: eighteen years, and the one thing that helped me bring
• 5:22
  Speaker 3: this team to where we are today was that relentless,
• 5:26
  Speaker 3: few mentality of we're going to keep going after you.
• 5:29
  Speaker 3: But just because we start to bring in talent, I
• 5:31
  Speaker 3: don't want to lose who we were, that blue collar
• 5:34
  Speaker 3: team because we have talent. If we have both, you know,
• 5:39
  Speaker 3: now we become very dangerous. So I think that sets
• 5:42
  Speaker 3: us aside for most people.
• 5:44
  Speaker 1: When Needing Musserrol took over the Ohio State women's hockey
• 5:47
  Speaker 1: program back in twenty sixteen, let's be honest, the program
• 5:50
  Speaker 1: was a little bit of a mess. They were coming
• 5:52
  Speaker 1: off of the season where they had a head coach
• 5:53
  Speaker 1: would lasted just one season gone ten twenty five and
• 5:56
  Speaker 1: one and just six twenty one and one in WCA
• 6:00
  Speaker 1: League play. So not exactly born on third base. Not
• 6:03
  Speaker 1: exactly a born on third base situation for Nadine Mazarol.
• 6:05
  Speaker 1: So when she took the approach that she did to
• 6:08
  Speaker 1: building the program, what was the impetus behind that what
• 6:11
  Speaker 1: was the why behind her approach to building the program
• 6:14
  Speaker 1: the way.
• 6:14
  Speaker 3: That she had. Yeah, you know, I took the first
• 6:17
  Speaker 3: year to watch and observe because I came from another
• 6:20
  Speaker 3: Big ten school that was very successful both as a player,
• 6:23
  Speaker 3: and I coached them for five years. And when I
• 6:26
  Speaker 3: was there, we had an undefeated season and we won
• 6:29
  Speaker 3: four and five years and so I just watched and
• 6:33
  Speaker 3: it was very, very quickly. Early I found some of
• 6:38
  Speaker 3: the weaknesses within the program of accountability. And I was
• 6:42
  Speaker 3: raised by a single mom, didn't have a license, used
• 6:45
  Speaker 3: to go to a hockey in the back of her bicycle,
• 6:48
  Speaker 3: on the back seat of her bicycle.
• 6:49
  Speaker 2: We didn't have a car.
• 6:50
  Speaker 3: So I was blue collar at the rocky mentality. And
• 6:54
  Speaker 3: I knew every kid could possess that, but did they
• 6:57
  Speaker 3: want to possess it? And I was after them hard early,
• 7:00
  Speaker 3: to be honest with you, and I set a tone
• 7:03
  Speaker 3: early and we had to read out some week and
• 7:06
  Speaker 3: the strong survived.
• 7:07
  Speaker 1: I guess you never really know how things are going
• 7:11
  Speaker 1: until you really know. Kind of a weird way to
• 7:13
  Speaker 1: say it, but you never know until you know. And
• 7:16
  Speaker 1: when did Nadie Musrol kind of really get the sense
• 7:18
  Speaker 1: that her approach to building the program and her mentality
• 7:22
  Speaker 1: around the program really was sort of sticking and really
• 7:24
  Speaker 1: was working.
• 7:25
  Speaker 3: To be honest, After that year, I worked throughout the
• 7:28
  Speaker 3: first year with an active Navy seal and the Focus
• 7:30
  Speaker 3: three group that we had, and we created our culture blueprint,
• 7:34
  Speaker 3: and then at the end of the year, I showed
• 7:37
  Speaker 3: it to our captains and I remodeled our coach's landscape
• 7:42
  Speaker 3: of what that looked like. Because I don't know if
• 7:44
  Speaker 3: you guys are aware, but I got hired, excuse me,
• 7:46
  Speaker 3: hired end of August, and I met the team for
• 7:49
  Speaker 3: the first time on the road at the first game,
• 7:51
  Speaker 3: and so I was drinking out of a high hydrant.
• 7:53
  Speaker 2: I had eight month old and a two year old.
• 7:55
  Speaker 3: So but to your point, I removed alcohol from the season,
• 8:00
  Speaker 3: and because what I noticed was everybody liked a tailgate
• 8:03
  Speaker 3: and party, and I just simply said, you're not good
• 8:05
  Speaker 3: enough to do both.
• 8:07
  Speaker 2: You're not being rewarded on the ice. And so the
• 8:11
  Speaker 2: I would say defining moment.
• 8:12
  Speaker 3: Was actually my fortieth birthday, October nineteenth, when five kids
• 8:17
  Speaker 3: broke that rule and the rest of the team held
• 8:19
  Speaker 3: them accountable and was making them run stairs in the
• 8:23
  Speaker 3: morning and I got a call from the athletic trainer,
• 8:26
  Speaker 3: why is your team running stairs? I said, they're not
• 8:28
  Speaker 3: running stairs. It was my captain's holding them accountable. And
• 8:31
  Speaker 3: the entire team woke up at five thirty in the
• 8:33
  Speaker 3: morning to make sure those five did that because they
• 8:38
  Speaker 3: wanted to buy into what I was trying to teach them.
• 8:41
  Speaker 3: And that's when I knew the culture was starting to shape.
• 8:47
  Speaker 3: Was because I didn't have to do it anymore. I
• 8:49
  Speaker 3: didn't have to enforce the rules.
• 8:51
  Speaker 2: The team did. And then that year, in my second year,
• 8:53
  Speaker 2: we went to the Frozen Four.
• 8:55
  Speaker 1: There's been a lot of talk about the possibility of
• 8:57
  Speaker 1: giving the Ohio State women hockey team a new home rink.
• 9:01
  Speaker 1: Right now, they play in the old Ohio State Ice
• 9:02
  Speaker 1: rink right next door to Saint John Arena. If you
• 9:04
  Speaker 1: ever played intramural hockey, you're intramurial broomball at Ohio State. Congratulations,
• 9:09
  Speaker 1: you shared the ice with a two time national championship
• 9:12
  Speaker 1: women's ice hockey team. Not exactly the kind of home
• 9:15
  Speaker 1: fitting for a national championship multiple national championship winning program.
• 9:19
  Speaker 1: So what would it mean if the women do finally
• 9:23
  Speaker 1: get a new rink At some point?
• 9:26
  Speaker 3: I think it also, well, it would it'd make recruiting
• 9:29
  Speaker 3: a little easier. I think our recruiting's fine, but I
• 9:33
  Speaker 3: just think it shows our support and our game in
• 9:36
  Speaker 3: the city of Columbus and at Ohio State. I think
• 9:39
  Speaker 3: it could really grow hockey immensely in the state of Ohio.
• 9:44
  Speaker 3: I don't know how many here are actually hockey fans,
• 9:47
  Speaker 3: but I have two small children and there's a lot
• 9:50
  Speaker 3: of kids that are playing hockey. So the demand is high,
• 9:54
  Speaker 3: but the supply is very low. And you can make
• 9:57
  Speaker 3: money three hundred and fifty dollars an hour on renting
• 10:00
  Speaker 3: out ice, so I think it could be profitable for
• 10:03
  Speaker 3: our program as well or for the institution. So I
• 10:06
  Speaker 3: think it's just something that's earned and deserved to show
• 10:09
  Speaker 3: that the institution is supporting our athletic our hockey program,
• 10:14
  Speaker 3: but also to grow hockey here in Columbus that we
• 10:19
  Speaker 3: know we have with our Blue Jackets and our men's
• 10:21
  Speaker 3: program here.
• 10:23
  Speaker 1: The success that Nadie Musrol has had with the Ohio
• 10:25
  Speaker 1: State women's hockey program since arriving has opened up some
• 10:28
  Speaker 1: new doors for them. This year, they get the opportunity
• 10:31
  Speaker 1: to play at Wrigley Field as part of the Big
• 10:33
  Speaker 1: Tens Frozen Confine Series. The men's hockey program plays their Friday,
• 10:37
  Speaker 1: January third against Michigan, and then the women they get
• 10:41
  Speaker 1: to play Wisconsin, the two teams that have won the
• 10:43
  Speaker 1: last three national championships, alternating those last couple of years.
• 10:48
  Speaker 1: Ohio State versus Wisconsin on January fourth at Wrigley Field.
• 10:52
  Speaker 1: What does it mean for Nadie Museol, who played women's
• 10:56
  Speaker 1: hockey at Minnesota and who has seen the Ohio State
• 11:00
  Speaker 1: program rise from where it was at the very bottom
• 11:02
  Speaker 1: of the program, at bottom of the heat, at the
• 11:04
  Speaker 1: top of the heat. What does it mean to now
• 11:06
  Speaker 1: have the opportunity to play on that kind of a state.
• 11:10
  Speaker 3: I mean, Chicago is another hotspot for hockey with the Blackhawks.
• 11:14
  Speaker 3: My associate head coach, James was was Newsky played fourteen
• 11:17
  Speaker 3: years and he was drafted by the Blackhawks. So he
• 11:20
  Speaker 3: actually played in two thousand and four in that outdoor game.
• 11:23
  Speaker 3: So he's excited to go back now as a coach
• 11:25
  Speaker 3: in play. But again, I think it's just the experience
• 11:30
  Speaker 3: for the athletes to be able to perform on such
• 11:33
  Speaker 3: a prestigious landmark in athletics as Wrigley Field. It's gonna
• 11:38
  Speaker 3: be cold as well, so I'm looking to find something
• 11:42
  Speaker 3: good to wear. But you know, again, I think it
• 11:46
  Speaker 3: says a lot when they had the opportunity to host
• 11:49
  Speaker 3: a women's hockey team hockey game and they only invited
• 11:52
  Speaker 3: two teams, and the fact that we were one of
• 11:54
  Speaker 3: those two. When I look back like eight years ago
• 11:57
  Speaker 3: of where we were, I don't think we ever would
• 11:59
  Speaker 3: have been considered. So it's just all surreal to see
• 12:03
  Speaker 3: the transformation. I mean, some of it's my hard work,
• 12:06
  Speaker 3: but it's a lot of the athletes that bought in
• 12:09
  Speaker 3: and stuck around and embrace the suck, embrace the productive
• 12:13
  Speaker 3: discomfort to get to where they are today. And now
• 12:15
  Speaker 3: they're a unified front, and very proud of them to
• 12:18
  Speaker 3: have that ability and to take, you know, women's hockey
• 12:21
  Speaker 3: to Chicago, which is a very fun city in showcase
• 12:25
  Speaker 3: what women are able to do in the game of hockey.
• 12:29
  Speaker 1: And then the answer you did hear her mention James Wiznowski,
• 12:31
  Speaker 1: the former Blue Jacket and longtime NHLer who is now
• 12:34
  Speaker 1: an assistant coach for the women's team. What did he
• 12:37
  Speaker 1: bring to the to the program that made Dating buzz
• 12:41
  Speaker 1: World decide to change his role from a volunteer assistant
• 12:44
  Speaker 1: for the last couple of years to now being the
• 12:46
  Speaker 1: Buckeyes associate head coach.
• 12:48
  Speaker 3: So I don't know if a lot of people actually
• 12:50
  Speaker 3: know James Wisnouski and how he played the game. He
• 12:52
  Speaker 3: was very tough and physical, kind of like how we play.
• 12:55
  Speaker 3: His IQ, though, was off the charts compared to a
• 12:58
  Speaker 3: lot of defense, and I just think that he brings that.
• 13:01
  Speaker 3: You know, you're replacing Peter E. Lander, who had a
• 13:04
  Speaker 3: very impressive background, and I think with James and his
• 13:09
  Speaker 3: love for the state of Ohio playing for the Blue
• 13:11
  Speaker 3: Jackets for a few years, his family loves Ohio. So
• 13:16
  Speaker 3: I think that James brings in a lot of physicality
• 13:20
  Speaker 3: and IQ and a defensive shaping our defensive in a
• 13:25
  Speaker 3: different way that we're going to try actually this year
• 13:29
  Speaker 3: that I'm excited for. If it doesn't work, it's James's fault.
• 13:32
  Speaker 2: It was his idea.
• 13:34
  Speaker 3: But I think that he brings in, you know, a
• 13:37
  Speaker 3: wealth of hockey knowledge that I'm excited to learn from,
• 13:40
  Speaker 3: as well as Klein, my assistant, and our players.
• 13:44
  Speaker 1: The women's hockey team will open its twenty twenty four
• 13:46
  Speaker 1: twenty five season this Saturday, at the OSU Ice Rink
• 13:50
  Speaker 1: Saturday at three o'clock PM. I can see you in
• 13:52
  Speaker 1: your head doing math right now. Yes, that is probably
• 13:54
  Speaker 1: during the fourth quarter or so of the Ohio State
• 13:57
  Speaker 1: Marshall football game. So not sure exactly what the ticket
• 14:00
  Speaker 1: situation is going to be over there, But if you
• 14:02
  Speaker 1: do walk out of that Marshall game a little bit early,
• 14:04
  Speaker 1: maybe you want to head across Woody Hayes f Woody
• 14:06
  Speaker 1: Hayes drive over to the OSU Ice Drink to watch
• 14:09
  Speaker 1: the OSU women take on Minnesota Duluth three o'clock on Saturday,
• 14:12
  Speaker 1: then again one o'clock on Sunday. That is, again an
• 14:16
  Speaker 1: incredible program, one that more Buckeye fans should probably be
• 14:19
  Speaker 1: paying closer attention to, one that we will probably be
• 14:21
  Speaker 1: paying closer attention to once it gets to be a
• 14:24
  Speaker 1: little less football season around Columbus, Ohio. But definitely do
• 14:27
  Speaker 1: go check them out. And of course you can find
• 14:29
  Speaker 1: their schedule and all that good stuff at OHI Buckeyes
• 14:31
  Speaker 1: dot com. You can find all of our great stuff
• 14:33
  Speaker 1: at bucke Huddle dot com. That's where Tony Kevin and
• 14:35
  Speaker 1: I cover the football team, Mark covers recruiting. Got our
• 14:38
  Speaker 1: whole team of ex's and nose Guruz there to make
• 14:40
  Speaker 1: you a smarter football fan all season long. And of
• 14:43
  Speaker 1: course little men's basketball, a little women's basketball, a little
• 14:46
  Speaker 1: men's hockey, little women's hockey, baseball, softball, you name it,
• 14:50
  Speaker 1: we'll probably be there at some point this year. We
• 14:52
  Speaker 1: hope to see you there. See you there at bucke
• 14:54
  Speaker 1: huddle dot com. Right now, we're run running a flash
• 14:56
  Speaker 1: sale just four ninety nine for your first month. You
• 15:00
  Speaker 1: heard us talk about bucke huddle dot com, talk about
• 15:02
  Speaker 1: that fun community that we have on the huddle board
• 15:04
  Speaker 1: presented by Jeff Ruby's Columbus. You want to be a
• 15:06
  Speaker 1: part of it. This is a great time check it
• 15:07
  Speaker 1: out for yourself again. Just five dollars for that first month.
• 15:11
  Speaker 1: Sign up, get access to our whole team of insiders,
• 15:13
  Speaker 1: all the great insider information, fun community, and much much more,
• 15:16
  Speaker 1: all at bucke huddle dot com. We hope to see
• 15:19
  Speaker 1: you there. That'll do it for today. Thank you guys
• 15:20
  Speaker 1: all for joining us. Have a great day. We'll talk
• 15:22
  Speaker 1: to you tomorrow.