Latest / Coaches Corner / MHOC Coach Mike Cavanaugh Zoom Feb 26

Transcript

MHOC Coach Mike Cavanaugh Zoom Feb 26 · Coaches Corner

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: All right, coach turned our attention. Last regular season game
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: at Tuscano coming up this Friday. I just want to
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: get your thoughts heading into the weekend series versus Northeastern
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: after the BU game last night and just the four
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: grad states that will be recognizing Friday.
• 0:18
  Speaker 2: Yeah. Well, first, I thought last night's game was a
• 0:21
  Speaker 2: fantastic college hockey game. I think anybody who had a
• 0:24
  Speaker 2: chance to watch it, it was a pretty fast paced,
• 0:28
  Speaker 2: there was some high end plays and just overall a
• 0:31
  Speaker 2: really great college hockey game. Now we have to shift
• 0:35
  Speaker 2: gears and go to Northeastern, who played BU last week
• 0:39
  Speaker 2: and split with BU. You know, their Whiteheads is a
• 0:44
  Speaker 2: really good goaltender. I think they're playing pretty well right now.
• 0:49
  Speaker 2: I watched I watched your game Saturday night at at Northeastern,
• 0:56
  Speaker 2: and I thought it was a really good game. Certainly
• 0:59
  Speaker 2: very game. Just that top line of Raskovian and Lundon
• 1:02
  Speaker 2: Williams is as good as anybody in the league. So
• 1:06
  Speaker 2: it's gonna be uh. I would imagine another hard fought
• 1:09
  Speaker 2: Hockey East battle this weekend with the Northeastern.
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: Awesome. Awesome, Joe you on start us off.
• 1:19
  Speaker 2: Sure morning, cav How you doing great? Joe, how are you.
• 1:23
  Speaker 2: I'm good, Thank you.
• 1:25
  Speaker 3: It seemed like last night, in the last few games
• 1:27
  Speaker 3: that the defense has really stepped up as far as
• 1:31
  Speaker 3: to try to get pucks to the net Carabban and
• 1:34
  Speaker 3: Viking and obviously you've had that from Kai and Trey,
• 1:38
  Speaker 3: but it seems like Spetsy was even more active offensively
• 1:42
  Speaker 3: last night. He's got that heavy shot. Is that something
• 1:45
  Speaker 3: you want to see him continue to do? I mean,
• 1:48
  Speaker 3: try to get try to get pucks on the net
• 1:50
  Speaker 3: for rebounds and stuff.
• 1:52
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I think you know, that's something we work on
• 1:54
  Speaker 2: all the time our defenseman. If you can get it
• 1:57
  Speaker 2: on net grade if you can't, look for a shoot
• 1:59
  Speaker 2: for a stick, you know. But I think it's really
• 2:02
  Speaker 2: important for our defensemen to be able to get it
• 2:04
  Speaker 2: past that first wave and down towards the net. When
• 2:08
  Speaker 2: that you're getting their shots blocked, it's really demoralizing for
• 2:12
  Speaker 2: your forwards as well, because you work hard to get
• 2:14
  Speaker 2: it and you kick it out and if it gets
• 2:16
  Speaker 2: blocked by that first layer, you know, now you're backchecking.
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  Speaker 2: So well, when it gets down to the net, at
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  Speaker 2: least you have a chance then or retrieve it if
• 2:24
  Speaker 2: it doesn't go in, So that is something that we
• 2:26
  Speaker 2: work on all the time.
• 2:30
  Speaker 3: It seems like this is a group that just is
• 2:34
  Speaker 3: buying into every concept and obviously you've gotten great leadership.
• 2:38
  Speaker 3: We've talked a lot about Uddie and and Spets, but
• 2:41
  Speaker 3: what about Nick and Hugh? What the experience that they've
• 2:45
  Speaker 3: brought in their one year?
• 2:48
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I Colin alluded to it earlier. You know, we
• 2:52
  Speaker 2: have four grad students here Friday night, no true seniors,
• 2:57
  Speaker 2: but four grad students. But they have you know, Hugh
• 3:02
  Speaker 2: has brought NCAA experience from Western Michigan, so he knows
• 3:07
  Speaker 2: what it's like to play in the national tournament, which
• 3:09
  Speaker 2: none of our kids have. And you know he's vocalized
• 3:12
  Speaker 2: that in the locker room. So I think that's been great.
• 3:16
  Speaker 2: Nick was a solid player at Princeton for four years,
• 3:20
  Speaker 2: and he's really brought a calming presence, you know, I
• 3:27
  Speaker 2: think in our defensive course. So and he had a
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  Speaker 2: relationship a little bit with Spetsy. They both grew up
• 3:32
  Speaker 2: in Jersey, so they knew each other before they got here.
• 3:34
  Speaker 2: So I think that transition for him was pretty seamless.
• 3:39
  Speaker 2: And again I think it's seven straight games. Now you've
• 3:42
  Speaker 2: gotten a power play goal and you talked about it
• 3:45
  Speaker 2: last night and you said that the two units kind
• 3:47
  Speaker 2: of bring a different mindset, a different skill set to
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  Speaker 2: your power play. Well a little bit. You know, it's
• 3:57
  Speaker 2: the same structure pretty much. But they I said, they
• 4:04
  Speaker 2: both are contributing. It's not like we're just relying on
• 4:07
  Speaker 2: one power play to score goals. I think both units
• 4:10
  Speaker 2: have chipped in on that case. So it's nice to
• 4:13
  Speaker 2: know that if Chandor's lines out there for thirty seconds
• 4:16
  Speaker 2: and they draw the penalty, that we can start the
• 4:19
  Speaker 2: power play with Witcomb's group and we don't really skip
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  Speaker 2: a beat. Thank you.
• 4:24
  Speaker 4: Yep, Dan, we'll jump over to you just on the
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  Speaker 4: topic of the power play. Witcombs unit is for freshmen
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  Speaker 4: and spets, so both ends of the spectrum in terms
• 4:38
  Speaker 4: of guys out there. Just why are you comfortable having
• 4:41
  Speaker 4: that many young guys on a power play unit? And
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  Speaker 4: how much does John being there help that?
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  Speaker 2: Well, just because they're good, you know, they've earned it.
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  Speaker 2: I really don't look at what year you are when
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  Speaker 2: it comes to the power play. It's like, who are
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  Speaker 2: our best guys and who fits the role the best
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  Speaker 2: on the power play and that unit just so happens
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  Speaker 2: to have four freshmen and Johnny and Johnny certainly they
• 5:09
  Speaker 2: can get a little rampunctious at times, and Johnny can
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  Speaker 2: bring a comic presence for sure to that group.
• 5:15
  Speaker 4: I feel like we've talked a lot about Hudson this
• 5:18
  Speaker 4: season given the points record and all that, but john
• 5:23
  Speaker 4: is also the defensive point leader for you guys. What's
• 5:27
  Speaker 4: made him so good in that area throughout his career
• 5:30
  Speaker 4: because it was pretty much day one he stepped in
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  Speaker 4: and was producing. If I remember right right, who Hudson
• 5:35
  Speaker 4: or John John?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, he's well, you know, he played a lot of
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  Speaker 2: junior hockey. He came here pretty seasoned, and he's a
• 5:44
  Speaker 2: hockey nerd. He really is. Like he'll go home and
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  Speaker 2: watch practice every single day. I'll ask him about a
• 5:51
  Speaker 2: play in practice and he'll say, yeah, I watched that
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  Speaker 2: last night. The key he really is. And when he's
• 5:56
  Speaker 2: done playing someday, you know, I bet my mortgage that
• 6:01
  Speaker 2: he's going to get into coaching because he is like
• 6:04
  Speaker 2: having an extra coach on the ice.
• 6:07
  Speaker 4: When you were recruiting him, Were there any interesting stories
• 6:10
  Speaker 4: or circumstances when you were trying to get him here.
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  Speaker 2: I'm trying to think not, not really you know, it
• 6:16
  Speaker 2: was pretty straightforward. I think he was originally committed to
• 6:20
  Speaker 2: Merrimack and then they might have had a coaching change
• 6:23
  Speaker 2: at the time when he committed. I can't remember the
• 6:26
  Speaker 2: whole gist of it. It was a long time ago, Dan,
• 6:29
  Speaker 2: he's a fifth year so but you know, I know
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  Speaker 2: Joe Pereira had a relationship with the Fetz family and
• 6:36
  Speaker 2: that was kind of the initial, you know, introduction to him.
• 6:43
  Speaker 2: Like Joe knew their family pretty well and that was
• 6:46
  Speaker 2: our connection. And when we went out and Washington play.
• 6:48
  Speaker 2: He was a great player for Chicago and the USHL is.
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  Speaker 4: He from a hockey family.
• 6:55
  Speaker 2: His brother plays, his brother plays. It's a bit he's
• 6:58
  Speaker 2: got five or six, five or sixkids. I don't know
• 7:00
  Speaker 2: how many siblings he has, but yeah, he's got a few.
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  Speaker 4: And then, Hugh, you kind of mentioned that he's talked
• 7:09
  Speaker 4: about being in the tournament in the locker room, but
• 7:11
  Speaker 4: just what, how does that tournament experience really manifest and
• 7:15
  Speaker 4: help you guys as you're getting there, because that's as
• 7:18
  Speaker 4: much of a challenge as once you're there.
• 7:20
  Speaker 2: I think it's more just him saying I've been to
• 7:23
  Speaker 2: the tournament. This team's as good as the teams that
• 7:25
  Speaker 2: I've played on that can get to the tournament, giving
• 7:27
  Speaker 2: the kids the confidence that, like, we're good enough to
• 7:33
  Speaker 2: get there. So I don't care that we've never got there,
• 7:36
  Speaker 2: that that that's meaningless. I'm telling you right now that
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  Speaker 2: this team's good enough to get there. So I think
• 7:41
  Speaker 2: when someone who's been there says that it, you know,
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  Speaker 2: it carries a lot of weight.
• 7:48
  Speaker 4: Is he pretty much what you expected to get when
• 7:50
  Speaker 4: you landed him out of the portal?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah. I think he's a big, heavy power forward that
• 7:55
  Speaker 2: brings a lot of energy to our games, and he's
• 7:58
  Speaker 2: a physical presence. You know. It's again, you know, we
• 8:03
  Speaker 2: played four lines pretty consistently last night. I can't really
• 8:08
  Speaker 2: there's there's not a lot of difference. Obviously, Hudson's line
• 8:11
  Speaker 2: is doing a lot of scoring for us. But I
• 8:13
  Speaker 2: feel very comfortable regardless of who's on the ice with
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  Speaker 2: any of those lines out there.
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  Speaker 1: Andrews ahead, Thank keV.
• 8:28
  Speaker 2: Cole.
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  Speaker 5: Hudson's goal was number one on ESPN's Top ten this morning,
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  Speaker 5: and I was just, do you ever did that remind
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  Speaker 5: you of a player or a play that you've seen,
• 8:39
  Speaker 5: either someone you've coached or coached against that play that
• 8:42
  Speaker 5: he made last night.
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  Speaker 2: The only person I could see making that play that
• 8:46
  Speaker 2: I coached against probably Cale mccarr, you know, or his
• 8:50
  Speaker 2: brother Lane. But it was a fabulous one on one,
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  Speaker 2: you know, high end play, and my hass off to him.
• 9:00
  Speaker 2: He's a great player. And you know, not only that,
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  Speaker 2: but the finish was to go far side off the
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  Speaker 2: post and end. That was a good finish as well.
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  Speaker 5: And is there something that Is this something that you
• 9:14
  Speaker 5: would have liked to have seen your defense to or
• 9:17
  Speaker 5: is that just a great player making a great play
• 9:19
  Speaker 5: on that play? Uh?
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  Speaker 2: You know there were some plays before that that I
• 9:24
  Speaker 2: thought we could have ended the play before it got
• 9:28
  Speaker 2: to that. But you know, that one play, I mean,
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  Speaker 2: it's just it is he Like I said, you Tippy
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  Speaker 2: had to him. It was a heck of a play,
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  Speaker 2: I mean, really really high end play.
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  Speaker 5: And then with the Northeastern series coming up, is there
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  Speaker 5: any concern with you know, the short turnarounds, you know,
• 9:48
  Speaker 5: and having two more games this weekend after the last
• 9:50
  Speaker 5: night's game.
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  Speaker 2: No, I don't think so. These kids are you know,
• 9:55
  Speaker 2: they they want to play hockey this time of year.
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  Speaker 2: And I'm more concerned Andrew when we have a two
• 10:03
  Speaker 2: week layoff. I was more concerned about the main game
• 10:06
  Speaker 2: not playing for nine days than I would be in
• 10:09
  Speaker 2: this scenario because I feel like you can get into
• 10:14
  Speaker 2: a groove and it's happened. You know, the national tournament
• 10:18
  Speaker 2: way back, it used to be twelve teams and you
• 10:23
  Speaker 2: would have to there would be six teams that went
• 10:25
  Speaker 2: to a site, so you would And I was involved
• 10:27
  Speaker 2: with this a couple of times. We played on a
• 10:31
  Speaker 2: Friday night and then have to play Saturday against the
• 10:34
  Speaker 2: number one seed, and we won both times, but winning
• 10:38
  Speaker 2: on Friday night and then we knocked off the team
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  Speaker 2: that wasn't playing. Sometimes when you're playing, you get into
• 10:43
  Speaker 2: a groove and a rhythm and it actually it's beneficial.
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  Speaker 2: So I with these kids, I don't think that's an
• 10:51
  Speaker 2: issue at all. Thank you, Choe, go ahead, hey keV.
• 10:58
  Speaker 3: What makes their tap line so good? Williams in London, Rakovian.
• 11:03
  Speaker 2: Well, they they compliment each other pretty well, and they're
• 11:06
  Speaker 2: all three good players, you know, uh, you know. Williams
• 11:11
  Speaker 2: is a great centerment and it shoots the puck extremely well.
• 11:14
  Speaker 2: Rascovian is a clever player, and Lund is a game breaker.
• 11:19
  Speaker 2: He can just go he can go end to end
• 11:21
  Speaker 2: and he's got a great shot. I mean, he scored
• 11:24
  Speaker 2: a couple high end goals against Igorov last week. I saw,
• 11:29
  Speaker 2: you know, one timer's bar down. So they're very, very
• 11:33
  Speaker 2: dangerous when they're on the ice. And are they a
• 11:36
  Speaker 2: different style?
• 11:37
  Speaker 3: I mean, you've played two high energy teams the last
• 11:41
  Speaker 3: two games in Maine and bu Is. Is Jerry's team
• 11:44
  Speaker 3: more of a grinded out type of team.
• 11:47
  Speaker 2: No. I think that they've always been a pretty high
• 11:49
  Speaker 2: skilled offensive team. So I don't expect Northeastern to be
• 11:54
  Speaker 2: trapping on Friday. Hey, thanks go ahead.
• 11:59
  Speaker 4: Dan, So first round buying Hockey East isn't beneficial. You're
• 12:04
  Speaker 4: going to get in that first round.
• 12:07
  Speaker 2: Well, I didn't say that, Dan. I would like them.
• 12:10
  Speaker 2: I mean, but if we have to play in it,
• 12:12
  Speaker 2: we have to play in it. You know, it didn't
• 12:14
  Speaker 2: hurt us last year we went toe to toe with
• 12:15
  Speaker 2: BC after playing on Wednesday night. So I'm just saying
• 12:20
  Speaker 2: that it's not I don't think it's that big of
• 12:24
  Speaker 2: an issue. Yeah.
• 12:26
  Speaker 4: No, I'm just giving you a hard time. Up to
• 12:28
  Speaker 4: Matthews on Saturday.
• 12:29
  Speaker 2: You're being a stereotypical reporter.
• 12:32
  Speaker 4: Right now, Exactly, I got to pull it out sometimes
• 12:37
  Speaker 4: up to Matthews on Saturday. I we're on what y're
• 12:41
  Speaker 4: three of not knowing if this is the last year
• 12:43
  Speaker 4: of it, but if it is your last trip there.
• 12:45
  Speaker 4: I know you said you played there in high school, right, Yeah?
• 12:49
  Speaker 4: What do you remember about that game and being there
• 12:53
  Speaker 4: when I was.
• 12:53
  Speaker 2: At high school?
• 12:54
  Speaker 4: Yeah?
• 12:55
  Speaker 2: Oh god, I remember we played Christopher Columbus and uh
• 13:00
  Speaker 2: we won the North Sectional. We had lost the year
• 13:03
  Speaker 2: before to them in that game and then we had
• 13:06
  Speaker 2: beat him there. I remember that it was. It was great.
• 13:09
  Speaker 2: It's an awesome building to play in them, but that
• 13:11
  Speaker 2: was the old Matthews when there was it was very,
• 13:16
  Speaker 2: very tight. It was before they enlarged it a little
• 13:19
  Speaker 2: bit that that cheat was really really tight. You know,
• 13:25
  Speaker 2: you beat a guy out of the corner, you got
• 13:26
  Speaker 2: a great eight scoring chance at that old building. But uh,
• 13:30
  Speaker 2: it's just it has so much history. It's kind of
• 13:33
  Speaker 2: sad in a way that it's going to go away,
• 13:36
  Speaker 2: because I mean, the Bruins used to play there, the
• 13:39
  Speaker 2: bean pots started there. It's just it's got to be
• 13:42
  Speaker 2: one of the oldest buildings in the country, I would
• 13:44
  Speaker 2: think hockey arenas. So I wish they could refurbish it.
• 13:49
  Speaker 2: Because it's one of those buildings you don't want to lose,
• 13:51
  Speaker 2: but sounds like they're gonna have to knock it down.
• 13:56
  Speaker 4: Yeah, Celtics and Whalers started there too, I believe. Yeah,
• 14:04
  Speaker 4: I lost the second question, so I'm all good.
• 14:06
  Speaker 2: Okay, birthday day for Dan today, Happy birthday again.
• 14:13
  Speaker 4: You're killing me, Joe. We're so close, almost almost got that.
• 14:17
  Speaker 2: I wasn't going to let you go. Thank you. Everyone
• 14:21
  Speaker 2: told you today. Thirty thanks thanks.
• 14:25
  Speaker 4: Wow, just keeps getting better and better. No, twenty seven,
• 14:28
  Speaker 4: I got a few years.
• 14:29
  Speaker 2: Okay, all right, I think.
• 14:32
  Speaker 4: I got Huart Spetzer something, one of one of your
• 14:34
  Speaker 4: older guys beat by a year.
• 14:36
  Speaker 2: So yeahs yes, Betsy will be jesus, Yeah you do,
• 14:43
  Speaker 2: just barely.
• 14:44
  Speaker 4: I think. Yeah, someone's in ninety nine and I'm a
• 14:46
  Speaker 4: ninety eight.
• 14:47
  Speaker 2: I think Spetsy is. Yeah, ninety eight, jesus. We were
• 14:51
  Speaker 2: playing Michigan. We were playing Michigan in the National Championship
• 14:55
  Speaker 2: that year at the Garden. Yeah, that's right, that's right.
• 14:58
  Speaker 4: I would say it was a great year all around,
• 15:00
  Speaker 4: but that probably wasn't a great year for you guys.
• 15:03
  Speaker 2: That nine in the gate.
• 15:07
  Speaker 1: Awesome. Well, thanks, thanks guys for jumping on coach.
• 15:10
  Speaker 2: Good luck this weekend. All right, great seeing you guys,
• 15:13
  Speaker 2: talk to you. Thanks,