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BIG TEN CONFERENCE MEN'S TOURNAMENTMarch 20, 2015Red BerensonAlex KileCristoval NievesDETROIT, MICHIGAN MICHIGAN – 4 COACH BERENSON: Well, we knew it would be a good game. We had a good series against Michigan State last weekend, and even though we split the series, we liked the way we played, and we felt good about coming into this game. I can't say it was revenge. It was more confidence and momentum and maybe something to prove, and then let's face it, this tournament is a one and done situation for most of the teams, and you can't afford to lose a game. So that adds an extra dimension of the Michigan‑Michigan State rivalry, and one of us was going to be finished tonight. So I like the way our team played right from start to finish. Q. Can you explain how you were able to have so much success against Michigan State in your career? CRISTOVAL NIEVES: Yeah, I think there's really no explanation for it. It's just a team that I can find success against. I find the back of the net against them a lot, and I think it's once I start getting a few points they start to respect my game, and I just kind of flourish from there. Q. Alex, how important was that second goal after giving up a goal and then to turn around and get a response to get the lead right back? ALEX KILE: Yeah, that lead was huge. We always talk about if we get scored on the next shift has to be a great shift. The puck squared it out and we were opportunistic, I guess, but that was a huge goal and we needed that. Q. Alex, you had a play today that didn't end up in the score sheet, you poked the puck away and got a 3 on 2 and the puck hit the post. Talk about the energy you guys brought to this game. ALEX KILE: Yeah, coming into tonight we knew we had to do the little things right, whether it was in the defensive zone or offensive zone. It's playoff hockey, got to do everything we can to win, and I think you guys saw that tonight. Q. Guys, defensively what went well tonight? CRISTOVAL NIEVES: Our "D" played awesome. They were getting pucks out. They were physical, which was huge. They were stepping up at the blue line which almost scared them off of the puck and forced them to get it deep, and before you knew it we were back in their zone playing offense. Our defensive game was awesome tonight, and then Racine obviously stood on his head for us like he always does, so it was a good overall defensive effort like always. ALEX KILE: Just like Boo said, Steve played great tonight. He played great last night, as well. We need him to play well tomorrow, and we will full confidence in him. Q. Looking ahead to Minnesota, the last time you guys played them you guys were swept in Minneapolis. Do you still have a little bitter taste in your mouth from that series? CRISTOVAL NIEVES: Yeah, for sure because they came to us and we got two wins on them and we went there and they got two wins on us. It's a bitter feeling playing a team that you lost to them the last time you saw them. We got momentum in our favor right now, and I think we'll be ready to go tomorrow. ALEX KILE: Yeah, just like Boo said we're going to be ready to go tomorrow. Any time we play Minnesota we get pretty pumped up, it's arguably the two best teams in the big ten, and I think tomorrow you're going to see who's the best. Q. Alex, I know yesterday Dylan and Zach's line had a lot of the offense, and tonight it seemed like your line was just all over from the get go. Did you guys feel like you could have had a better night than last night? ALEX KILE: Yeah, definitely. It's always nice to contribute when you haven't been doing it a lot, and Larkin and Hyman have been carrying us all year, so it's definitely nice to get some secondary scoring because playoff hockey, I think it's the depth that matters and you need some scoring from all four lines. I mean, we're really happy about tonight, and hopefully it continues tomorrow. Q. Both of you guys, Hildebrand is a guy that's given you guys trouble and a lot of teams trouble this year. What was the game plan heading into the game to kind of crack Hildebrand, and was one of those components of the game plan to get a lot of shots on net with traffic in front? CRISTOVAL NIEVES: Yeah, you always want to get a lot of shots on the goaltender, especially on Hildebrand. He's a really good goalie and definitely shut us out before, but we had to get that out of our mind and have kind of a short‑term memory when we're playing against him. We wasted a lot on net 50 shots pepper the goalie and eventually they're going to start going in. ALEX KILE: You know, just like Boo said, he's probably the best goalie we've played against all year long, and when you play against a goalie like that you've just got to get shots. You can't try to get too cute, you've just got to keep shooting, get bodies in front and try to bang home rebounds? Q. Boo, with MSU being so strong defensively and scoring three goals in transition tonight, was that a point of emphasis to try and catch them off guard? CRISTOVAL NIEVES: Yeah, for sure, we're definitely a very strong team transitional‑wise, and I think we capitalized on all our opportunities, whether it be from our own zone or from the neutral zone. I definitely think we got the best of them in our transition game. Q. At the end of the game things were getting really physical really fast. Was that just part of the classic Michigan‑Michigan State rivalry, or was that just the heat of the game, or like you said playoff hockey gets hard fast? ALEX KILE: Yeah, I think it's heat 4‑1 they were done trying to get their shots in, I guess. But definitely Michigan‑Michigan State rivalry, it's always pretty physical, so it's nothing we didn't expect. Q. What does this team do specifically when they do pour it on like this? They don't do that every single night but there are games in which you get a sense where the dam is just going to break open, so what do they do on nights like this? COACH BERENSON: Well, I mean, they're doing what they like to do, obviously, is play with the puck. But you can just sense the Dylan Larkin line, when they get going, there's something special, and whether it's Hyman or Dylan or Selman or whatever it is, but there's an enthusiasm and a confidence that just builds when things are going well. You've seen Copp and JT Compher and Alex Kile maybe not score as much but be key players, and that's a key line on our team, as well, and JT, since he's come out of his scoring, I won't call it a slump, but he was in a bit of a funk, and since he's come out like he's a different player. I mean, that adds to our team, too. So like the boys said, it's not just a one‑line team. We've got other guys that can chip in, and it was good to see Boo score one tonight because he's been snake bit in recent games. I think we've got some offense from our forwards, and ironically we're one of the higher scoring defensive teams when you look at our defense corps. I don't know how many goals Minnesota has from their defensemen, but somehow we've got 23 and we're not promoting our defensemen leading rushes, but we've got 23 goals from our D. Q. Talk about Steve's game tonight in net and the importance of him putting together two back‑to‑back games solid in net? COACH BERENSON: Well, I think, again, Steve didn't get as much work early in the game last night, and even tonight didn't get as much work, and then sure enough, was it early in the second he got a breakaway, and that was huge. I think that's a challenge for any goalie when you're not getting a lot of work is to stay focused and be ready because you never know what kind of a shot it's going to be. And then he made the saves he had to make, and it was a tough game to play, but then when they poured it on, he was good, and he froze the parts when he had to. He had a strong game. Every one of these games, we played six games against Michigan State this year, and I think the winning team in every game has only given up one goal. So look it up. I mean, that's amazing, whether it's Hildebrand or Racine or Nagelvoort, they only gave up one goal. Q. I guess a team especially like Michigan State who really slows the game down with the lead, how important was it to jump on them quickly and maintain the lead throughout the game? COACH BERENSON: Well, we told our team, as much as the first goal is going to be important, it's not the whole game, and we have to understand that, whether we score the first goal or not, it's not the whole game. We've got a whole game to play. And so we tried to belittle that. But we know that if they get a good lead, they're a tough team to score on. But tonight fortunately we got the lead, and then we got it back again, and then we built on it. So good for us. Q. Can you just talk about the difference between the two weekends against Minnesota and what will be the key to beating them tomorrow? COACH BERENSON: Well, Minnesota will be‑‑ they play a real good brand of Division I college hockey. Their defense jump up, they move the puck really well. Their forwards are as skilled as ours, and so are their D. Their D might be the best D corps in the Big Ten, and their goalie Wilcox was Player of the Year last year, so he's as good as anybody. He didn't start off good this year, but he finished up really good. So you saw him against Ohio State today, and he can win a game by himself. They've got the advantage. They've only played one game, and we played two and so on, but we've got some emotion, some momentum, and we like Joe Louis. Q. Will the home ice be an advantage do you think tomorrow, the small ice? COACH BERENSON: Well, you know, personally I think they're just as good on small ice as they are on big ice. Regardless, we're a little more familiar with this building. We probably have more fans here, and if we play well enough, then we can take advantage of home ice. If you don't play well enough, then it doesn't matter. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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