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UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN HOCKEY MEDIA CONFERENCEOctober 13, 2014Mark JohnsonTHE MODERATOR: With a perfect 6 and 0 record the women's hockey team has climbed to No. 1 in the USCHO.com poll and will host No. 2 Minnesota this week at LaBahn[] Arena. Friday's game will start at 7 p.m. and Saturday's a 3 p.m. start. Coach Mark Johnson is here; we'll have some opening comments and take questions. COACH JOHNSON: Certainly pleased with the two games this past weekend, Friday night being our home opener, six‑week exams, a lot of parents in town, distractions that certainly coaches don't like, but I thought our team came out and played really well and did a lot of good things from the previous weekend and then responded well yesterday afternoon. And then to sweep this past weekend, as Brian mentioned, we have Minnesota coming in this weekend for a 7:00 game Friday night and then turn around and play them 3:00 Saturday afternoon. History tells us when we get together with the Gophs, it's usually a very entertaining series. The last couple of years not many people have been able to figure out Minnesota. They've won a lot of hockey games. They've beaten us, and so the challenge will be to prepare ourselves for Friday night and get ready for a more improved team than this past week, and that's how we as coaches look at our schedule, try and get better every weekend. We've made progress in a lot of different areas and certainly will get tested this weekend. Q. Mark, how did Minnesota get your number? COACH JOHNSON: They got our number, they got everybody else's number, too. Put it in their back pocket. Two years ago they didn't lose a game. Last year they only lost in the National Championship game, and North Dakota beat them earlier in the year. So they haven't lost many games. They've had good chemistry the last couple of years, and they've found ways to beat us. It was evident last year in the semifinal game. You know, we play the strong game. It looked like we were going to have a real good chance to beat them and they came out in the third period and found a way to score a couple of goals. They've had good power plays the last three or four years which has really helped them, and looks like again at 53 percent they've got another good power play. They have the right personnel, along with the right chemistry, and you go back to Natalie Darwitz and Krissy Wendell, they were probably 30 or 40 percent most days on the power plays. So they've had the personnel, and certainly the last couple of years it's all come together. So we'll be challenged, but it's early in the season and it's a good time to go up against them and see where we're at. Q. You can't help but look at the No. 1 next to your name and the No. 2 next to their name, but you have to beat them to kind of validate that ranking, given the recent history with them? COACH JOHNSON: To be honest, I didn't know we were one until Brian just mentioned it. And it's early in the process. I'm not sure why we've put up the rankings at this particular time. The Ivy schools haven't even played a game yet. And so we're just getting going within our schedule. As we can finish up this weekend, then we'll go to the Bemidji and finish up in North Dakota and really get a flavor of where we're at and where we need to go. But obviously if we're going to be successful, we have to go through Minnesota. They've been on top of the mountain here the last few years, and if you're going to get to where you want to go, that's a team that you're going to have to beat. Q. Coach obviously it's not an average series. How important is it for, especially the younger players, just to treat this like it is another series? Or is it good to focus on the fact it is more than that? COACH JOHNSON: It's another game, obviously. The jersey makes it very interesting. But know, some of our players who were in the semifinal game last year will certainly be excited to play again against Minnesota, and I think equally well on their side. They're going to be excited to come down here and try to beat us in our own building. So it makes up for a good week of practice, because as a coach, you know, your players are going to be focused, they're going to be excited. They're going to be waiting to drop that puck Friday night, and it should be very entertaining. And again, for both teams it gives you a gauge of where you are the middle part of October. Q. If my math is correct, you have five players on your team that have never beaten Minnesota. What's their mood this week and what type of message do you think they're cultivating to tell the other players on the team? COACH JOHNSON: I think the upper classmen will help the younger players in regards to, you know, information you know, as far as some of their key players and what they might do in situations. We'll obviously show some video as they go through the week and get a picture of what they look like with this year's club. And so upper classmen, especially our seniors, pick your numbers out. If I were in their shoes, I would certainly get myself excited to play Friday night and make sure those numbers get tweaked a little bit. Q. How do you think an Ann Renée Desbiens looked this past weekend getting halfback shutout against Ohio State? COACH JOHNSON: I thought Friday, especially in the third period when we took five straight penalties, she got tested and made some real nice saves, and certainly her penalty kill on Friday was good, and if it's going to be good, your goaltender has to be the one leading that charge. So I thought she played well and she came back yesterday afternoon, and you know, was solid. You know, and if your goaltender gives you an opportunity to win, that's all you're going to ask out of your goaltender. So she seems to be comfortable. You know, having played the 10 games last year, getting a chance for the Canadian National Program this past summer, I think their confidence is in a good place, as with our entire team, we'll get tested this weekend and she certainly will get tested also. Q. Coach, 20 for 20 penalty kills. A lot of penalties being committed by your team, but they're having a lot of success, a couple of shorthanded goals they've scored. Is it difficult to coach that you can't take that many penalties when your team is having so much success killing them up and even scoring shorthanded goals? COACH JOHNSON: It's a double‑edged sword. Obviously we're placed with the penalty kill, and it starts with our goaltender, but as far as being disciplined, you have to stay out of the penalty box, and it's going to be one of the big keys to this weekend's series. As we talked about in the past, they've generally had good power plays over the course of time. They win hockey games on special teams, and so we have to, you know, stay out of the penalty box. And we talked about that Friday night after the game. It was a good learning opportunity. I thought we did a better job Sunday, but we continued, you know, have to improve in those areas and be disciplined. Q. LaBahn Arena you've played there a few seasons now. Looking back, what sort of advantage can that provide in a series like that, maybe on a weekend where there's no football game? COACH JOHNSON: It's just‑‑ it creates energy, and then certainly when the building is full, you know, there's games. We have the band. It's an advantage for us, just because our players get excited. It can be a little intimidating for the visitors because in our sport we don't run into that a lot, especially on the road. So I know in the couple of playoffs series that we've held at LaBahn, the teams that we've played, it's been a huge factor for us to have the big crowds and the excitement. The players get excited when it's full. And I think the entertainment value of those games has been real high. So people enjoy what they're seeing. They're coming back. I'm sure this weekend we'll have nice crowds. Q. Have you had a chance to gauge how different Minnesota is without Amanda Kessel, and if so, what have you noticed? COACH JOHNSON: Well, just, like with any team, the deeper you go, the more success you're going to have, and certainly by her not being able to play this year, you know, that thins them out in the scoring department. I mean three years ago she had over 100 points, was a Patty Kazmaier winner. Unfortunately for her, you know, she ran into some injuries and is not able to play this year, but if she were in the lineup, that would just deepen their pool, and the chemistry between her and Hannah Brandt two years ago was awesome. I mean their power play was good, and those two, along with Rachel Ramsey on the point. And you know, if you took a penalty, they were going to get a real good chance to score. And so with her not being in the lineup and not playing this season certainly hurts them. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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