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UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN HOCKEY MEDIA CONFERENCEMarch 3, 2014Mark JohnsonTHE MODERATOR: The women's team plays North Dakota on Friday at 4:00 p.m. in the semifinals of WCHA Final Face‑Off in Bemidji. The winner will then advance to play in Saturday's final at 7:00 p.m. Head Coach Mark Johnson is here. We'll have opening comments and then take questions. COACH JOHNSON: Thanks, Brian. Certainly pleased with our effort yesterday afternoon in a decisive game that the winner gets an opportunity to play another game Friday afternoon. Obviously, we're not used to‑‑ both teams aren't used to playing three games in three days. And concern going into the game was who was going to have energy, who was going to be all excited and who was going to take the opportunity to make the most of it. I was very pleased with our effort yesterday. Saw a lot of kids stepped up and showed a lot of heart and determination and found a way to finally get some pucks in the net. It was a good victory, and, again, an opportunity to play one more game in our playoff system. Q. Mark, are you comfortable where you are with regards to moving on after the final five? COACH JOHNSON: In the big picture, I think, yeah, we're comfortable. But still a day to day, and this is a two‑week type tournament that you get to participate on. If you're successful or if you have a pretty good run in it, it really helps those teams that get a chance to move on in the NCAA Tournament just because of the competition, the level of play. Different scenarios that may be presented to you, like it was for us yesterday afternoon. So hopefully those learning opportunities will help you as you further yourself within the tournament. Q. North Dakota beat you guys last time out. What kind of matchup are you guys expecting this time around? COACH JOHNSON: We had a good series when they were in town. They came out the first night and probably played one of their strongest games of the season. Again, it was an opportunity for our team to see how we would respond after losing the first game in that series. Hadn't lost for quite a while. And similar to yesterday, in the series with North Dakota, we came back on that second game and played a very competitive, very inspiring game and got ourselves a big victory. So they're playing for their lives. Again, it's an opportunity, as I told our team yesterday, that it's fun and it's enjoyable and it's competitive and the energy that we had to put forth yesterday in our victory, you're going to have to do the same thing or maybe a little bit more Friday because it's going to be a very similar environment. So it will be a challenge for our team, and it certainly is going to be a very entertaining hockey, because for both teams there's things still at stake. Q. Kind of going off of that, in Game 3 yesterday with a must‑win attitude, can that carry over to this weekend going against North Dakota? COACH JOHNSON: Well, I think, when your backs are against the wall, you know, you find out from a coaching standpoint what your team's made of and how they're going to respond in that situation. And it's a learning opportunity because, again, you're back in that environment Friday night. I think, having gone through it, the players get a real understanding firsthand of what it takes to win a game that your backs are against the wall. And the bruises after a victory yesterday don't hurt as badly as if you lose those games. And the players get a better understanding of what it takes to win big games like yesterday's big game. Q. Mark, what makes Courtney Burke such a good defenseman for you? COACH JOHNSON: I think a couple things. One, she's got a great stick. She handles the puck well. She controls it. She's able to beat people in tight areas. And then the biggest thing that we as coaches for a long time have tried to figure out, how you teach hockey sense and awareness. It's like a point guard in basketball. Somebody that can see the court and distribute the ball accordingly, depending on what's given to you. Being a blue liner and a defenseman like she is, whether it's on the power play or on the breakout, that ability, as a quarterback will do, is to dissect who's open, where should I distribute the puck, where do I put it in a good area, those two things make her the special player that she is. Q. Earlier this year there was a lot of talk about Alex not being on your Olympic team. Courtney has that same skill set, does she not? She's someone that‑‑ obviously, didn't make it this year, but the next time that you‑‑ that there's an Olympics that she's going to be a strong candidate? COACH JOHNSON. I would think so. I mean, her development in the two years that she's been with us has been very good, very similar to some of our other athletes that have had a chance to play in the national Olympic programs. She continues to work. If she continues to make improvements, I think she'll be in very good position to make a run at making that group. Q. I think I've asked you this before, Mark, but would the University of Wisconsin LaBahn Arena ever host the final face‑off? Is that a possibility someday? COACH JOHNSON: I would like to think it would be. Obviously, the struggles we have here is with our game Friday and Saturday, you have the state high school wrestling going on, and so a lot of moving parts this weekend with the Big Ten wrestling coming in. Then you incorporate some of the other activities that take part at this time of the year, just logistically it makes it more of a challenge. I would think over the next period of time there might be a window in a particular season that we'd be able to host it. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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