With the Frozen Four upon us this weekend, the teams are certainly focused on the opportunity to win a national championship. The four teams bring different experiences to the table in their pursuit for the ultimate season prize and the bench bosses have a perspective that, in many ways, mirrors their team’s persona on the ice. Here are some coach-speak sound bites for all four teams in advance of the semifinal games slated for later today on the campus of Endicott College.
Adam Krug – Adrian College
“It is great to be back to have a chance to defend our title. I think experience does matter in that there are virtually no other players on the other teams in this Frozen Four that have won this thing. It is always exciting to play for something you targeted from the beginning of the season. It was a great atmosphere playing in Lake Placid last year and while the environment will be different at Endicott, I am sure it will be exciting for the players regardless. At this point of the season, it really is about “Heart vs. Hands” and “Will vs. Skill” if you want to win and advance and win it all.”
Krug on UNE – “They obviously have played very well to get past Utica in their building last week and they have been in the Frozen Four just last season. They have really good goaltending and do a great job clogging up the middle and dangerous areas on the ice. Their first line is very dangerous, but they have contributions from a lot of different players. They are going to be a good test for us on Friday.”
RJ Tolan – Endicott College
“This is unbelievably cool to be hosting the Frozen Four. This is such a great group of players to be around, and they have so much fun when we are on the ice together that this all seems like it just fits with our season. You focus so long in all the practices and games to perfect the little things, so it isn’t like suddenly, we have to put in the work for the game on Friday. We have been preparing for this throughout the season and I expect our guys will continue to be loose and rise to the occasion – especially in front of our fans, friends, and family. We want to play well but I really want us to enjoy this experience.”
Tolan on Hobart – “It is hard enough to win two games never mind just losing two all season. We know they are very good and very well coached. They play an aggressive style, so we are going to have to match that speed and intensity from the opening puck drop. Their goalie has been money since he stepped on campus so we know we have a tough opponent on our hands and hope the environment will give us a little edge in the game.”
Mark Taylor – Hobart College
“We have set a lot of goals as a team starting with wins, winning our conference and the conference tournament, and getting to the Frozen Four. Now we must complete the mission starting with a tough opponent on Friday night. It is special to still be playing at this point in the season, but we want to finish it off by winning a national championship. Everyone knows what is at stake here and will be ready to go come game time on Friday. We probably have a bigger challenge playing in Endicott’s home rink, but we will play anyone, anywhere with the big goal for the season right in front of us. We have been successful playing our game this season and we will need to focus on executing that game plan against quality opponents who won their way here too.”
Taylor on Endicott – “I recruited RJ when I was at UMass-Lowell. I think his team plays a lot like he did. They just keep coming at you with great energy, speed, and skill. They have seen great goaltending from both their guys, and I think we will see [Ryan] Wilson based on their rotation. We are going to have to be disciplined and play our brand of hockey in front of what should be a very loud and raucous crowd for them on Friday.”
Kevin Swallow – University of New England
“It is definitely a positive to be in a familiar rink and just an hour and a half from our school for the Frozen Four. It kind of feels like a home game since this will be the third time, we will have played here this season. It is a familiar environment for our players and our fans so that is really exciting for us. It is also nice to play the early game this year which is a change for us that I think is a good thing. Last year we may have been caught in the moment a little bit but this time we know what it is about, and we are here to win a national championship.”
Swallow on Adrian – “I think they are absolutely the team to beat. They are the defending national champions and probably the best team in the country with what they have done to get back here. They have a lot of returning players and their power play has been deadly, so we really need to stay out of the box and not give them those opportunities. We can’t give them 62 shots like Utica got last week – we are going to have to generate more offensive zone time and limit their second chances.”
Adrian faces the University of New England in the first semifinal at 3 PM EDT while Endicott and Hobart will play the second semifinal at 7 PM EDT at Raymond J. Bourque Arena on the campus of Endicott College in Beverly, Massachusetts.
