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UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN HOCKEY MEDIA CONFERENCEDecember 8, 2014Mike EavesQ. How challenging of a game will this be, Mike? COACH EAVES: It's always usually a challenge when you play the under‑18 team for several reasons. One, they're not regularly on your schedule. Two, it's close to or near exam time, which always is a challenge. So those two things come to mind. I think this year is different, though, because in terms of getting prepared, this is a‑‑ we are trying to find our way and any game that we have a chance of winning we need to play and get better. And, B, this is a really good team. This team is legitimate to try and win the under‑18 world championship and when you take a look at whom they've beat and whom they've played, they have a losing record, but they've played some top end college teams and they beat a couple of them. I know I'm excited as a head coach to get on the ice, see how good these kids are because, they've got a lot of first‑ and second‑rounders on their team. Q. Having coached there, knowing the emotions that will be on both side, whose incentive level is the highest, the two guys Jack Dougherty and Ryan Wagner on your team or Luke Opilka and Luke Kunin on that team knowing that they're going to be playing here a year from now? COACH EAVES: I know in talking to Blake Jeffrey playing on the under‑18 before he got here. It's a big game. They're excited to play here. It's their first taste of the Kohl Center. And on the other hand, they've been there and they certainly don't want to get beat by those guys. So I think there's great motivation in either way you look at it. Q. What frustrates you the most about your team right now? COACH EAVES: I don't find myself that word very often, "frustrated." I think that‑‑ and the reason I would say that is because of whom we're dealing with in terms of the amount of freshmen you have, the returning guys we have coming back, what we're asking them to do. This is part and parcel of part of the world in which we live. So to get frustrated wouldn't benefit anybody anyway. So knowing that we've got to coach these young people up and keep going in that direction I don't find that word‑‑ I don't feel that. I don't use it in my vocabulary. Q. Would you say this is the most challenging moment of your time here? COACH EAVES: One of them. Top three. Q. And of course that brings us to what are the other two? COACH EAVES: I say top three because people always say that, but I would say the first years that we were here that was a challenge in trying to get that. I think the second thing that pops to mind is with the older team, starting 1, 7, 2 that was a challenge. Now we're a younger team, and we have this challenge of dealing with so many young people and trying to get them to stay with the process, keep their upper lip stiff and keep moving forward. Q. Could you take us back to your days with the National Team Development Program, what it was like then and what you believe it is like now and the progress that U.S.A. Hockey has made in that regard? COACH EAVES: I just found out recently here that they're actually going to move their home. They're going to move from Ann Arbor to Plymouth, Michigan. I think that will be a huge step. Kind of an evolution step in their process. I don't know‑‑ it would be interesting to see what they do with that building in Plymouth and how they make it their own. They certainly will have a bigger venue for crowds, seat four, 5,000. At H2 in Ann Arbor, they couldn't do that. They'll be able to build a more modern up‑to‑date training facility at their new rink, put some money into that. So it's a real morphing for that organization right now. And it's still a dynamic‑‑ I don't care what you say. People say that you're still spending too much money on too few kids. But if you take a look at the success they've had internationally, part of that is the National Team Development Program. Q. I think you mentioned it a little bit in the previous question, but what is the key then to getting this turned around, if this is one of the top three challenges you faced? COACH EAVES: I think that the challenges are in making sure that these kids don't lose faith in themselves and each other, because we can continue to show them pieces and parts of what we're doing well in games. But the ultimate feedback is wins and losses. And just holding on to that fact that we've got to take stock in the little victories that we have on a day‑to‑day basis, on a shift‑to‑shift basis so these are the building blocks we have to work with these young people. And you know what, I'll be honest, we've got one more game. But I'm glad we have a break because, as we all know in sports in college, after Christmas, there's no such thing as true freshmen. They'll come back and have a better handle and make some leaps and bounds at that time. Q. What development gives you your greatest sense of optimism at this point in time? What have you seen from‑‑ is there one that stands out that says we'll be all right? COACH EAVES: Our play without the puck has increased substantially. Our ability to have guys go to where we want them to go so that we can squeeze them off and get the puck back. I mean, the better we are without the puck the more we're going to have the puck. And I think, guys, we see that repeatedly in video now. And it's getting better and I would say that's the biggest thing that gives us hope. Q. Relatively speaking, how difficult do you think it has been to this point or might be in the future to make sure they don't lose faith in themselves until they start to see some reward? COACH EAVES: I think it's really important we as a coaching staff we lead by example. Our energy in the locker room. Our energy on the ice. Our energy behind the bench, making sure that we have our biweekly meetings with our captains, make sure they carry the same message when we're not in a room. As a matter of fact, that was the last thing that was said on Saturday night. We asked the captains if they truly understood what our message was to the team. And our quote on Saturday night after the game was, you know, the problem with life is that you live it forward but you only understand it by looking backwards. 20/20 vision. And we don't know why we're going through these tough times. These tough times, if we hold them in the right light, are going to make us better as we go down the road. Q. Couple of future Badgers for this national team program that's coming in here. Can you tell the fans what they'll see in Luke Opilka and Luke Kunin? COACH EAVES: Luke Kunin is one of these players, as he gets the puck, people will come to the edge of their seats. He has good skill and sees the ice and he's one of their captains. I think he's the captain of their team. And he brings that leadership quality and is very proud of that in our discussions. So he'll be a nice piece to have. And Luke Opilka is a very athletic goal tender. Gives himself a chance to compete right away for the number one job because this year he'll probably play 20 college games. That's a good thing for us. Q. Do you have an update on Adam Rockwood? COACH EAVES: He's actually going to get on the ice this week. I don't know if today, but I know on the ice he'll be with us at some point this week. THE MODERATOR: Thank you. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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