Latest / Coaches Corner / MHOC Coach Mike Cavanaugh Zoom Oct 16

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MHOC Coach Mike Cavanaugh Zoom Oct 16 · Coaches Corner

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: All right, coach heading into Hockeys to Action coming off
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: a series split against Holy Cross, Just want to get
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: your thoughts heading into the one game matchup against Boston
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: University Friday.
• 0:12
  Speaker 2: Yeah, well, it's certainly going to be exciting, the number
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  Speaker 2: three team in the country. You know, it's on Nessen
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  Speaker 2: on a primetime game. And you know, I think Boston
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  Speaker 2: University is as well balanced a team as we have
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  Speaker 2: in our league. There's really no holes there. They've got
• 0:29
  Speaker 2: excellent goaltending in Kuran, the defensive corps is very, very talented.
• 0:36
  Speaker 3: Uh.
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  Speaker 2: You know, they've replaced Lane Hudson with his brother, Cole Hudson,
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  Speaker 2: who looks very similar. They have and I think one
• 0:44
  Speaker 2: of the best lines in college hockey with Green Hudson
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  Speaker 2: and Quinn Hudson and Chain the Chance. I mean, they
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  Speaker 2: have everything you want in a line, and they have
• 0:54
  Speaker 2: you know, Green's a center who can playmake and score goals.
• 1:00
  Speaker 2: Chance is your prototypical power forward, and Quinn Hudson is
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  Speaker 2: a sniper. So they that line has everything. And then
• 1:08
  Speaker 2: on top of it, they've got a lot of depth
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  Speaker 2: up there with you know, they brought in Matt Caponi
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  Speaker 2: from Merrimack they've got Jack Hughes' They've got a lot
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  Speaker 2: of pieces up front as well, so there's not many
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  Speaker 2: holes in the terriers. So we're gonna have to be
• 1:23
  Speaker 2: really good to be successful Friday night.
• 1:30
  Speaker 4: Awesome.
• 1:30
  Speaker 1: I will open it up for questions as always, you
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  Speaker 1: guys just wanted to do the The emotion will get
• 1:37
  Speaker 1: us started.
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  Speaker 5: Go ahead, Dan, how with all the new guys that
• 1:42
  Speaker 5: you have, with the transfers and the freshmen, how do
• 1:44
  Speaker 5: you prepare them for what Hockey East play is going
• 1:46
  Speaker 5: to be like on Friday night compared to going up
• 1:49
  Speaker 5: against Colgate and holy Cross. I, you know.
• 1:55
  Speaker 2: I think that's a good question, Dan. I just think
• 2:01
  Speaker 2: you got to put your feet into the fire. And
• 2:04
  Speaker 2: they've played a lot of hockey, these kids. It's not
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  Speaker 2: like they've you know, played in small town hockey and
• 2:12
  Speaker 2: they've only played in front of fifty people in their life.
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  Speaker 2: That a lot of them have come from junior leagues
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  Speaker 2: or where there's big, big crowds and you know, exciting games,
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  Speaker 2: and I think this is just going to be another
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  Speaker 2: one of those games that they play in. It'll be
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  Speaker 2: I think it's their homecoming weekend, so there'll be a
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  Speaker 2: lot of energy in the building, and I think it's
• 2:33
  Speaker 2: going to be exciting. I think it's a great way
• 2:35
  Speaker 2: to start the hockey season.
• 2:40
  Speaker 5: Is when you're trying to work on special teams. Is
• 2:42
  Speaker 5: it a lot easier to tweak something on the penalty
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  Speaker 5: kill by just watching video as opposed to maybe needing
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  Speaker 5: some more time on the ice to work on things
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  Speaker 5: with the power play.
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  Speaker 2: I think it's a combination of both. I think that
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  Speaker 2: you can learn a lot through video. Certainly, you know
• 3:03
  Speaker 2: there's a lot of kids who are visual learners, and
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  Speaker 2: I think that's that works with a lot of our players. However,
• 3:12
  Speaker 2: you also have to get on the ice and you
• 3:14
  Speaker 2: have to see it and try to replicate what be
• 3:17
  Speaker 2: Who's going to do. It's not easy, but we have
• 3:20
  Speaker 2: to replicate how they're going to kill penalties and how
• 3:23
  Speaker 2: they're going to attack us on their power play.
• 3:26
  Speaker 5: Then would you like from Mike Murtag in his debut?
• 3:30
  Speaker 2: I thought he gave us a really good effort, I
• 3:33
  Speaker 2: really did. I thought he competed hard, he was good
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  Speaker 2: on the ford check, he did some good things defensively
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  Speaker 2: and brought some jump to that line.
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  Speaker 5: Then anyway, we'll see Callum or Hugh Larkin this weekend.
• 3:51
  Speaker 2: Callum, No, but we're hoping we'll know a little bit
• 3:56
  Speaker 2: more with Hugh Larkin. He did skate yesterday and we'll
• 3:59
  Speaker 2: know a little bit more of the today's practice.
• 4:02
  Speaker 5: Is calum week to week? Is it a longer term thing?
• 4:07
  Speaker 2: I say right now, it's week to week.
• 4:09
  Speaker 4: Thanks all right, Jim will pop over to you. I
• 4:14
  Speaker 4: have uh yeah, I'm muted out. Good to see you.
• 4:18
  Speaker 4: It's been a while.
• 4:22
  Speaker 3: Doing well. I just wanted to ask about Jake and
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  Speaker 3: just you know, kid with seven goals a year ago,
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  Speaker 3: gets four already this year. Just kind of what is
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  Speaker 3: developed in his game.
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  Speaker 2: I just think, like anything else, Jim, it's a maturity.
• 4:44
  Speaker 2: It's feeling a lot more comfortable in the system, a
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  Speaker 2: lot more comfortable in his surroundings. You see that a
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  Speaker 2: lot with you know, a lot of sophomores they have
• 4:57
  Speaker 2: I remember, you know they than Herbie and cam Atkinson
• 5:02
  Speaker 2: had single digit goals as freshmen, and you know, jump
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  Speaker 2: to twenty five or thirty. There there's sophomore years and
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  Speaker 2: that'd be great if Jake Richard could do that as well.
• 5:13
  Speaker 2: But it happens a lot. I think the freshman year,
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  Speaker 2: there's a lot obviously new things that you're not used to,
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  Speaker 2: new systems and academic curriculum, and now when you kind
• 5:25
  Speaker 2: of become very comfortable, you know, it's much easier to play.
• 5:30
  Speaker 3: Is there a maturity to Mike that goes along with it?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, no question about it. I think there's a maturity
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  Speaker 2: of understanding, Hey, this works for me and this doesn't
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  Speaker 2: work for me, and play into your strengths. I think
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  Speaker 2: that's that's the biggest thing. You know, when guys really mature,
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  Speaker 2: they play to their strengths and understand their weaknesses and
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  Speaker 2: what to stay away from as a player.
• 5:57
  Speaker 4: Thanks Mike.
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  Speaker 2: Yep.
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  Speaker 4: Eric will jump over to you, Heykav, how are you?
• 6:03
  Speaker 2: I'm greatlf.
• 6:05
  Speaker 6: Sorry, I'm a video list here. I'm just driving in
• 6:07
  Speaker 6: the car to it. Doctor. I couldn't move just a
• 6:10
  Speaker 6: couple for me. First of all, are there any guys
• 6:13
  Speaker 6: who have stood out to you that haven't necessarily cracked
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  Speaker 6: the score sheet yet, but you've been really impressed with
• 6:19
  Speaker 6: how they've played so far.
• 6:23
  Speaker 2: I would say the one is Ethan Whitcombe. I mean,
• 6:27
  Speaker 2: you know, the first weekend, seventeen of our twenty guys
• 6:30
  Speaker 2: got on the score sheet, so we had a lot
• 6:34
  Speaker 2: of balance that first weekend. I don't know if Ethan
• 6:36
  Speaker 2: Witcomb's got on the score sheet yet, but he's doing
• 6:39
  Speaker 2: a great job center in Muldowney and Raschard. He's doing
• 6:43
  Speaker 2: a pretty good job on draws, an area with that.
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  Speaker 2: He didn't play a lot of center in juniors, so
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  Speaker 2: we think that he has the ability to be a
• 6:54
  Speaker 2: great center up the middle. He's doing a nice job
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  Speaker 2: on the power play. As I said, he has ability
• 7:02
  Speaker 2: to make plays and also score. So he's a guy
• 7:06
  Speaker 2: that you know, was back to back fifty point score
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  Speaker 2: in the USHL, which usually translates at the collegiate level
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  Speaker 2: for sure. So he's a guy that we've been very,
• 7:16
  Speaker 2: very happy with who I don't think I don't think
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  Speaker 2: he's got a point yet.
• 7:22
  Speaker 6: I should have rephrased that to guys who maybe don't
• 7:24
  Speaker 6: jump off the score sheet, because you're right, you guys
• 7:26
  Speaker 6: have scored a lot on that front. Statistically, It's obviously
• 7:31
  Speaker 6: early in the season so it's a small sample size,
• 7:34
  Speaker 6: but been one of the best teams five on five
• 7:38
  Speaker 6: in the country so far, especially among those who have
• 7:40
  Speaker 6: played more than a game. What if you like you
• 7:51
  Speaker 6: guys have played five on five so far?
• 7:55
  Speaker 2: I missed a bit of or you kind of cut
• 7:57
  Speaker 2: out there, but I correct me if I'm wrong. The
• 8:00
  Speaker 2: g just to your question is why have we been
• 8:02
  Speaker 2: sech a good five on five team?
• 8:05
  Speaker 6: Yep, yep, sorry, Yeah.
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  Speaker 2: I think that's a byproduct of a lot of things.
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  Speaker 2: I think one, I have a group that is pretty
• 8:16
  Speaker 2: diligent and they've been able to grasp the concepts of
• 8:21
  Speaker 2: how we want to play pretty quickly. Two, you know,
• 8:25
  Speaker 2: in order to be a good five on five team,
• 8:27
  Speaker 2: I think you have to be connected in the offensive zone,
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  Speaker 2: the neutral zone, and the defensive zone, because if you're not,
• 8:35
  Speaker 2: if you have guys on different pages, then you're going
• 8:40
  Speaker 2: to have weaknesses and you're going to have holes that
• 8:44
  Speaker 2: teams will exploit. And I think we've been playing fairly
• 8:47
  Speaker 2: connected in all three zones, which has helped. It's allowed
• 8:54
  Speaker 2: us to create offense in the offensive zone, it's allowed
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  Speaker 2: us to eliminate you know, teams addoman rushes or transitioned
• 9:03
  Speaker 2: through the neutral zone, and defensively, we've been When you're
• 9:07
  Speaker 2: playing connected, you're able to get out of your zone
• 9:10
  Speaker 2: pretty quick.
• 9:13
  Speaker 6: And then conversely, what have you seen out of your
• 9:15
  Speaker 6: power play so far?
• 9:19
  Speaker 1: Uh?
• 9:21
  Speaker 2: I thought it's interesting because the power play numbers aren't great,
• 9:27
  Speaker 2: but you know, the last game, I think we had
• 9:30
  Speaker 2: thirteen shots on net in the power play, we just
• 9:32
  Speaker 2: didn't score. So I've been I still I think it's
• 9:38
  Speaker 2: still early for our power play. I still think that
• 9:41
  Speaker 2: they're learning each other's tendencies. But I have been encouraged
• 9:50
  Speaker 2: that we were, you know, creating a lot of chances.
• 9:54
  Speaker 2: I thought Friday night at holy Cross we lost too
• 9:57
  Speaker 2: many faceoffs and had to go back and break the
• 9:59
  Speaker 2: puck out too often. However, I thought we were better
• 10:03
  Speaker 2: on that on Saturday and our chances. We created some
• 10:06
  Speaker 2: good chances. We just didn't score it.
• 10:09
  Speaker 6: And then my last question was just what you've seen
• 10:12
  Speaker 6: and liked that a tie? So barn and goal.
• 10:16
  Speaker 2: Well, he's pretty consistent. He's been very consistent. He's controlled rebounds,
• 10:21
  Speaker 2: he's calm back there, and you know, he didn't have
• 10:25
  Speaker 2: a lot of work on Saturday. But you know, towards
• 10:29
  Speaker 2: the end when they pulled the goalie, he made a
• 10:31
  Speaker 2: fabulous save six on five to keep it a one
• 10:33
  Speaker 2: goal game.
• 10:37
  Speaker 6: Thanks, Mike, appreciate it.
• 10:38
  Speaker 4: Sure got anything else for coach, guys.
• 10:51
  Speaker 2: This is an easy week for me.
• 10:55
  Speaker 3: Hold on, I'll get my hand back up here.
• 10:57
  Speaker 4: Go ahead, Jim, go ahead.
• 11:00
  Speaker 3: Just want to you know, maybe get into a little
• 11:04
  Speaker 3: bit of what the beginning of the season's felt like
• 11:07
  Speaker 3: for you and did practices.
• 11:09
  Speaker 4: Have you liked the practices?
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  Speaker 3: Do you like the way this team is starting to gel?
• 11:14
  Speaker 4: I guess I just kind.
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  Speaker 3: Of want to hear more of what you think about
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  Speaker 3: what this beginning's been like.
• 11:20
  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's interesting, Jim. I've touched on this a little
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  Speaker 2: bit with some people. It's you know, back when I
• 11:27
  Speaker 2: first started, or it's probably twenty years ago. I think
• 11:32
  Speaker 2: when they changed I know exactly what it was. It
• 11:34
  Speaker 2: was like roughly twenty years ago when they changed the
• 11:36
  Speaker 2: rule that you could start September fifteenth. Yeah, and then
• 11:45
  Speaker 2: I'm trying to think, yeah, I think it was September fifteenth.
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  Speaker 4: First.
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  Speaker 2: It was the first time you kick it on the ice.
• 11:50
  Speaker 2: In the old days, you couldn't get on in October first, right,
• 11:54
  Speaker 2: That was That was kind of nice for coaches and players,
• 11:58
  Speaker 2: I thought, because it gave us as to go out
• 12:00
  Speaker 2: and recruit. September such a busy recruiting month. That allowed
• 12:04
  Speaker 2: you to go out and recruit and see some players
• 12:07
  Speaker 2: and also let your players get adjusted to the new
• 12:11
  Speaker 2: surroundings and academics and everything else. But the flip side
• 12:17
  Speaker 2: of that was sometimes you had a week before you
• 12:19
  Speaker 2: were playing your first game, you know, so or your
• 12:22
  Speaker 2: first exhibition game, and then I know it was like
• 12:26
  Speaker 2: around eight they changed it, I think to September first
• 12:32
  Speaker 2: or somewhere around there, because I remember my daughter being
• 12:35
  Speaker 2: born on September fourteenth, and I was like, oh man,
• 12:40
  Speaker 2: we have practice, but long and short of it, Jim is.
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  Speaker 2: I think it's been beneficial for us to have the
• 12:50
  Speaker 2: four hours a week. We start usually the Tuesday or
• 12:53
  Speaker 2: Wednesday after Labor Day, and it allows us to get
• 12:57
  Speaker 2: twenty practices in before we play our first game, so
• 13:01
  Speaker 2: I never feel like we're going into our first game unprepared.
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  Speaker 2: Whereas I remember in two thousand and two, the year
• 13:10
  Speaker 2: after we won national title at BC, we had lost
• 13:16
  Speaker 2: eight seniors and then Kalanos, Cobasu and Orpik three first rounders.
• 13:22
  Speaker 2: So we're bringing in eleven freshmen and we played literally
• 13:27
  Speaker 2: five days after the first practice up in Vermont, and
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  Speaker 2: it was just, you know, I was like, Okay, let's
• 13:33
  Speaker 2: see what we got here, you know, But you never
• 13:36
  Speaker 2: felt prepared, that's for sure. It took a few weeks
• 13:39
  Speaker 2: to get prepared, So I think the changes have been good.
• 13:43
  Speaker 2: In some ways, I miss not being able to have
• 13:46
  Speaker 2: that first month, you know, to recruit. Really it's hard
• 13:51
  Speaker 2: to recruit when you're trying to run practice and go
• 13:53
  Speaker 2: see games. But overall, I think it's been a nice
• 13:58
  Speaker 2: change for college hockey, and I believe that it allows
• 14:01
  Speaker 2: you to feel a lot more prepared when you're playing
• 14:03
  Speaker 2: your first game. That's for sure.
• 14:05
  Speaker 1: Awesome. Well, we got nothing else for coach, guys. Coach
• 14:09
  Speaker 1: good luck this weekend. Thanks everyone for joining all.
• 14:12
  Speaker 2: Right, guys, thanks appreciate every time.
• 14:13
  Speaker 6: Mike, Thanks Mike, Thank you, Colin, thank you.