Alaska 3, Michigan State 1
1/3/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
Jan. 3, 2009
Michigan State Head Coach Rick Comley
Opening Statement...
Well, what haunts us continues to haunt us. For a lot of the game we played OK. In the first period, I thought we played very, very well. The second period was kind of neutral, we didn't give up much. The inability to score just continues to haunt us and it makes it really tough.
On Ben Warda's performance tonight...
I thought a lot of guys worked hard. He (Warda) played hard but hasn't quite been able to get in the offensive side of things yet. We're going to continue to need a couple of guys to step up and get the puck in the net. You can't continue to score one goal per game and expect much of a chance.
On the MSU power play...
I thought they moved it well. We had one power play goal and the other power play group that we created with four freshman, I thought had good possession of the puck.
On MSU's first period performance and what he said to the team before the game...
I didn't say much. They've been pretty good. They get down and they are not the most vocal group in the world but, again I thought they came to play, worked hard and some good things happened
Thoughts on the weekend...
Going into the weekend, I figured the two teams would match up well. The only team that has really overpowered us this year has been Michigan with their power and speed. There isn't much you can do to accelerate the process of scoring goals. You work on it every day and you work hard. I wish there was an easy formula for all of a sudden turning a team that scores one goal per game into a team that scores four goals per game.
On having the bye week coming up...
We don't need it, injury-wise. It is what it is. We will practice four days next week. There is nothing we can focus on all of a sudden. You just have to hope that time and game experience pay off.
Alaska Head Coach Dallas Ferguson
On adjustments from Friday's game...
One thing that we talked about was how we got kind of sloppy through the neutral zone. I think that the times we were able to get pucks deep we were able to forecheck and sometimes create a turnover. I thought our guys did a good job responding though. We made a few adjustments after video and in practice this morning.
On getting an important victory...
I was proud of how our guys really stuck with it. The last five or six games we've been in a situation where it was really tight at the end and I was really happy with how they responded.
On starting Scott Greenham in goal...
One of the things we knew going into the second half of the season was that we needed to get Scott Greenham in some games. Chad (Johnson) had played in every CCHA game up until tonight. We feel very comfortable with Scott Greenham, but when you have a goaltender playing like Chad Johnson has been you don't want to disrupt his routine. It is our plan to get Scott (Greenham) in a few more games the second half.
Michigan State Freshman Forward Andrew Conboy
On the team's play...
I thought we played a great first, second and first 10 minutes of the third period, then we kind of shut down. We took some dumb penalties. I took a dumb penalty at the end of the game. Penalties hurt us in the end, and we got an unlucky bounce on that last goal.
On the team's power play performance...
We moved the puck a lot better. We still need to generate more shots and more scoring opportunities, but they will come. It's improving.
On positives from the weekend series with Alaska...
We're going to take two points out of this weekend. That's all we can take. We got a `W,' we know how to win, we can find a way every game, but tonight we just didn't do it.
Michigan State Senior Goalie Jeff Lerg
On the team's play...
I think we played really well and we came out with some good energy. I think that was good carry-over from last night. The second period was pretty even I thought, and then in the third the game was kind of on the line and they played really well. They came out flying right off the bat, you could tell in the first five minutes. I think they were a little hungrier and they were rewarded with a couple goals.
On Alaska's performance...
I think it's the most disciplined and most system-oriented team that they've had. They know the way of game that they want to play. They do a really good job of executing, and obviously it's been showing - they're winning a lot of games and they're in the top-four in the league. It's definitely the toughest Alaska team to beat. I think there have been Alaska teams that maybe have had some bigger and stronger players and maybe a little more skill, but this is the toughest team to beat because they really execute their game plan to perfection.
On the benefits of having a weekend off before facing Miami...
I don't think the break is either helpful or is going to hurt us. I think we're ready to play every weekend. One positive is that when we had the break over Christmas, we came out with a lot of energy and played really well that first game back, so hopefully that'll be a positive. Miami is obviously one of the best teams in the league and a tough place to win, so we have our hands full again. The rest of our schedule doesn't get any easier, so hopefully we can try to find a way and get into that home ice range for playoffs and be a dangerous team.
