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WHOC Coach Chris MacKenzie - Media Day Sept 24 · Coaches Corner

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: I think pretty good. Uh, just obviously some some new faces,
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: but I think it's just on our leadership group to
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: really set the standard in practice and what we want
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: to accomplish every day.
• 0:13
  Speaker 2: Got some got a pretty good pressure class coming in too, right.
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I think so far, so good. I think they're
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: they're learning kind of the tendencies of playing within our structure.
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: But yeah, I know they look pretty good right now
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: for sure. Last year in the past obviously, how nice
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: to go out on the ice and see those banners
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: out there.
• 0:31
  Speaker 3: It's nice, It's nice.
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: Such what I think one of our goals as a
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: coaching staff was to get some banners in the building.
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: I think that's we want to compete for championships. I
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: think every sport at Yukon does, and it's nice to
• 0:43
  Speaker 1: capture some. And uh, I think it gives you energy
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: for attempting to get more.
• 0:49
  Speaker 3: Got a lot of youth on the blue line coming
• 0:51
  Speaker 3: in right this year? How poor is it to tea
• 0:53
  Speaker 3: with you know, her experience, you know, the last line
• 0:57
  Speaker 3: of defense for a young group of Blue Lions.
• 0:59
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I think well it's going to be there. Is
• 1:02
  Speaker 1: definitely definitely lost a lot of experience from last year
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: on the blue line. But I think with Tia and
• 1:06
  Speaker 1: Meg Warner that gives us a lot of confidence we
• 1:09
  Speaker 1: can We'll have to depend on them at times. But
• 1:11
  Speaker 1: I like what I see with with our returning d
• 1:14
  Speaker 1: that maybe haven't had as much experience, and our and
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: our new defenseman too.
• 1:18
  Speaker 2: Already have an exhibition exhibition under your belt. So what
• 1:20
  Speaker 2: did you learn about your team in that game?
• 1:22
  Speaker 1: We liked our compete level. We played to how we
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: want to play within our structure, and uh, it was.
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: It was a good competitive game. Every time we played
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: Quinnipiac it's that way, and uh we were I think
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: we had the first shot on net and overtime and
• 1:37
  Speaker 1: it went in. So I think that's a good sign.
• 1:40
  Speaker 3: What happened last year.
• 1:50
  Speaker 1: Respect the program on the map. Now we saw that
• 1:54
  Speaker 1: recruits were aware of, you know, where we landed in
• 1:57
  Speaker 1: the rankings, the type of success we had. We definitely
• 2:00
  Speaker 1: would mention it, parents would mention it. So it was
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: obviously a good thing for us. We're still looking for
• 2:06
  Speaker 1: the type of player that I think that fits our program,
• 2:09
  Speaker 1: but it was it was nice and we have seen
• 2:12
  Speaker 1: some uh maybe maybe a player that maybe wouldn't have
• 2:16
  Speaker 1: given us a look is starting to look at us too.
• 2:18
  Speaker 1: We're seeing that change too, so that that's a good thing.
• 2:21
  Speaker 1: But then again, we just were really looking for that
• 2:23
  Speaker 1: person that fits at Yukon Coach five with Livy team,
• 2:28
  Speaker 1: where you got to last year and where you want
• 2:30
  Speaker 1: to go to this year. I think it's we're building
• 2:33
  Speaker 1: every year. If you look at our trajectory the last
• 2:35
  Speaker 1: eleven years, maybe even the last five, we've been close
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: to winning that championship game. We finally got over the
• 2:40
  Speaker 1: hump last year. I think we we have a lot
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: of experience in the room. The preseason poll, apparently you know,
• 2:46
  Speaker 1: tells us we're in a good spot. But ultimately it's
• 2:50
  Speaker 1: ultimately it's not looking too far ahead. It's just getting
• 2:52
  Speaker 1: better today. Like tomorrow, we'll have to get better. You know, Friday, Saturday,
• 2:55
  Speaker 1: we've got Minnesota. Those are big games. It's just basically
• 2:59
  Speaker 1: you're trying to make cliches days. You're trying to make
• 3:01
  Speaker 1: incremental improvements every day, so you're playing your best. In March, no.
• 3:05
  Speaker 3: Hockey East setting here as the site of this year's championship,
• 3:11
  Speaker 3: they referenced the energy and the attendance from your run
• 3:16
  Speaker 3: last year and the fans that came out. What if
• 3:18
  Speaker 3: you could speak to that and what that experience was
• 3:21
  Speaker 3: like for you making it.
• 3:24
  Speaker 1: You know, this last year, the excitement in that game
• 3:29
  Speaker 1: was was was great, The crowd was great. There's some
• 3:32
  Speaker 1: iconic moments, we have some great pitchers and scoring in overtime,
• 3:35
  Speaker 1: it was it was like a storybook moment. I think
• 3:38
  Speaker 1: for our program and our league, I guess yeah, they
• 3:43
  Speaker 1: definitely recognize that and we we were determined to pick
• 3:47
  Speaker 1: a host site this year as a league, and it
• 3:49
  Speaker 1: just so happens we were one of three I think
• 3:51
  Speaker 1: they looked at and they decided on Yukon. So we're
• 3:53
  Speaker 1: happy to host. We just better be in that game.
• 3:58
  Speaker 2: You've been good obviously for three years, but now with
• 4:02
  Speaker 2: the championship, do you have to talk to the players
• 4:04
  Speaker 2: until every night you're going to get the opposition's best shot.
• 4:08
  Speaker 1: That is something of I think of an adjustment that
• 4:11
  Speaker 1: we've got to make sure that ultimately we're at our best.
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: And it's not too worried about the opposition, but it is.
• 4:19
  Speaker 1: It is going to be something new for us, and
• 4:21
  Speaker 1: we've were trying to prepare for it. It's something new
• 4:23
  Speaker 1: for me too, so we're all in that together.
• 4:27
  Speaker 3: Do you like starting with Minnesota a real top team
• 4:30
  Speaker 3: to open the season.
• 4:31
  Speaker 1: I'll let you know five minutes into the game whether
• 4:33
  Speaker 1: whether I'll let you know whether that was a good
• 4:35
  Speaker 1: idea or not. No, we got better from playing them
• 4:38
  Speaker 1: last year. I felt like we were a little starstruck
• 4:41
  Speaker 1: there for a bit, but then we you know, for
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: the probably for the next five periods we played them.
• 4:46
  Speaker 1: Of the six we played, we got better as it
• 4:48
  Speaker 1: went on, and I think after that, if you look
• 4:51
  Speaker 1: at our record, we got way better from that. So
• 4:53
  Speaker 1: I think this is a great test, a great program
• 4:55
  Speaker 1: coming in here, and you know, this is what this
• 4:58
  Speaker 1: is what having the Tuscano family ice about having great
• 5:01
  Speaker 1: opponents and great opportunities to play at a place like this.
• 5:04
  Speaker 1: So we're happy to welcome them, and I know we're
• 5:06
  Speaker 1: going to get better from those games.
• 5:08
  Speaker 2: Last year, there was so much returning talent that there
• 5:11
  Speaker 2: may be weren't obvious opportunities for freshmen to craft the rotation.
• 5:15
  Speaker 2: So for the sophomore class, who were some names that
• 5:17
  Speaker 2: we're going to get familiar with, even though they didn't
• 5:19
  Speaker 2: really have a chance last year.
• 5:21
  Speaker 1: Are sophomores losing track here? Yeah, Martha Moulbarrick will be centering.
• 5:30
  Speaker 1: She'll be playing center. She did not play very much.
• 5:32
  Speaker 1: Elizabeth Doer, Libby Doer. She came back in tremendous shape
• 5:39
  Speaker 1: and looks really good on the ice right now. And
• 5:41
  Speaker 1: Julia Stevens played seven games last year as a freshman.
• 5:45
  Speaker 1: She's come back. I think she's in the top three
• 5:47
  Speaker 1: and testing physically, so she's clearly put in the work
• 5:50
  Speaker 1: and we're really happy for her and hopeful that she's
• 5:52
  Speaker 1: going to have a good season. How important does it
• 5:55
  Speaker 1: have Jada back because you're pretty.
• 5:58
  Speaker 2: Balanced scoring after her, so she put up the big
• 6:01
  Speaker 2: numbers and everyone else kind of chipped in.
• 6:03
  Speaker 1: Yeah, Jada is unique where she's done that from day
• 6:06
  Speaker 1: one as a freshman. She's come in and just found
• 6:08
  Speaker 1: a way to create offense for us. What I really
• 6:12
  Speaker 1: like seeing is some maturity in her game, making better decisions,
• 6:17
  Speaker 1: I think understanding she's in the leadership position that she
• 6:20
  Speaker 1: hasn't been in before. But I can see the changes
• 6:22
  Speaker 1: just on the ice and what she's doing that I'm
• 6:25
  Speaker 1: really happy with. Please say that I told her that.
• 6:29
  Speaker 1: Tell when she's up here.
• 6:33
  Speaker 2: Any other questions for coach?
• 6:35
  Speaker 1: Thanks a lot, guys,