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NCAA MEN'S FROZEN FOURApril 8, 2015Noel AcciariJon GilliesNate LeamanRoss MauermannBOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS THE MODERATOR: Pleased to have the Providence contingent with us. We know Providence will face off against Omaha tomorrow. We'll begin just with some opening thoughts from Coach Leaman and the players on obviously not too far to come, but welcome to Providence. Nate, how are things going? COACH LEAMAN: Welcome to Boston. Obviously it was a tough weekend two weekends ago. It was hard‑fought. We beat two very good teams to get here, so we're very proud to get here, and we gave the guys off two or three days, had a nice Easter break, and we're itching to play again. We know we're going to be facing a very good Omaha team, and we're looking forward to playing the game tomorrow afternoon. NOEL ACCIARI: I mean, getting here, anyone could beat anyone, so it's anyone's game. But we've worked hard to get here, and I think we're ready. JON GILLIES: Yeah, happy to be here. Obviously we're very fortunate to beat two very good teams a couple weeks ago, like Coach said. And, yeah, excited to have a 1‑in‑4 chance to win. ROSS MAUERMANN: You know, right now it's just kind of focus on tomorrow, getting off to a good start. It's been a pretty unbelievable year so far, and we're just trying to end on the right note. We've got a whole room of guys that believe in each other. That's all that really matters, is we go on the ice, everyone is playing for each other, and we're competing for the same thing. Q. This question is for Ross and Noel. How do you go about telling the younger guys in the room to appreciate this trip to the Frozen Four but also realize to take it seriously and that it is a business trip? ROSS MAUERMANN: I mean, for all of us it's new, but I think for the older guys, especially for us, just to enjoy this moment. It's been a long year to get to this point, and four years of hard work really to get to this point. We've got a good veteran group. I think we can lean on those guys and myself and Noel to kind of lead the way and just make sure we leave it all out there tomorrow night, no regrets. NOEL ACCIARI: Basically just kind of piggyback off that. We also want to let them know, focus any other weekend. I mean, two games wins you a championship, but we're focused on Thursday, the drop of the puck, and that's all we're really focused on right now. Q. Jon, if you could flash back three years to when you kind of had pick of a few really good programs you could have picked from, Coach Leaman had been at Providence for one year at that point. What was it that sold you on him and on the Providence program? JON GILLIES: I think confidence is a big part of it, and Coach Leaman's confidence in where this program was headed was really evident when my family and I sat down with him, and obviously the campus at Providence is beautiful and the support staff that helps us beyond the ice is second to none, as well. There were a lot of factors that went into it from that standpoint, but Coach Leaman, definitely his intensity and his attention to detail and all those things that everyone already knows just came to the forefront, and I couldn't be happier with my decision. Q. Jon, as one of the three Calgary Flames prospects in the system, does that lend itself to any joking around in the locker room? Are you guys always watching the team at the NHL level or anything else like that? JON GILLIES: Yeah, Mark, John and I, we've come obviously pretty close going through development camp and things like that, and it's obviously awesome to see the Flames make a push for the Playoffs here and really pulling for them. But as for that stuff, it's nice being on a team when you get to go through some of the stuff together, different meetings, stuff like that together. So it's been a fun ride with those two, and hopefully we can keep it going. Q. Noel, this question is for you. Your offensive production both personally and as a team has seemed to have exploded in the second half of the season. Anything you can attribute that to? NOEL ACCIARI: I think we just stuck to the process. We went through a little rough patch with scoring as a team, but I think we just stuck with the process and we knew that the goals would come. It was just a matter of time, and they're coming at the right time of the season right now. Q. Coach Leaman, the Frozen Four kind of takes on an East‑west feel with both semifinals where you have a Hockey East team against a team from the National Conference. What are your observations in terms of the way that college hockey's realignment has kind of grown the game, and in terms of the East‑West feel of the Frozen Four, what are your thoughts on that? COACH LEAMAN: I love the East‑West feel of the Frozen Four. That's one thing that's special about the tournament is when you get to play teams that you don't see all year, teams that you kind of follow in the progress or are reading or maybe catch on an off night when you're not playing, you catch them on TV a little bit. It helps you respect those teams and those coaches a lot more because you see the jobs that they're doing. I love the feel. I think that's what makes it a national tournament. I'm sorry, I'm trying to remember the first part of your question. Q. In terms of realignment, in terms of all that's going on‑‑ COACH LEAMAN: Well, I think it's made it a lot tougher to make the tournament. Being at a school like Providence, I think it's made it tougher to make the tournament. Usually it used to be kind of the magic number, 20 wins you could pretty much punch your ticket to the tournament, and we were sitting on 22 and on the bubble, Bowling Green was sitting at 22 and on the bubble. So I think the realignment has changed hockey quite a bit. I think it's changed‑‑ I think it's tougher to get in the tournament because more non‑traditional teams might get in, so to speak, but yeah. Q. This is for Jon. Could you go back last year and what went through your mind when you were thinking of turning pro or had the opportunity and you decided to come back to Providence? JON GILLIES: A few things, but pretty much where we're sitting right now and the prospect. I knew that the team we had in our locker room and the type of character players on and off the ice that I would have the privilege of playing with once again. It was a couple‑day process, but at the end of the day, the reason you come back to college hockey is to be a part of something like this and have a chance to compete for a national championship. It's been fun. Q. Nate, when you look at what you've been able to do with the Providence program, what you did in taking the step forward, I know you weren't there when they won the title, but what goes into the blueprint to create these programs that can compete for national championships? COACH LEAMAN: Well, I think it's a misconception to think that you're going to hire a head coach and he's just going to change things and he's just going to do it by himself. I think that's the No.1 misconception is that one guy does it. It's not one guy. It's about getting your alumni on board. It's about your administration. You have to have great administrators above you that share the same vision that you do. And you have to have administrations that may want change. That's not always easy sometimes. And then first, and the big part is you've got to get great players. I mean, we've been fortunate at Union and at Providence to coach some phenomenal players, and I think that's what changes programs is the players. Q. This question is for Jon and for Coach. Jon, have you seen yourself progress throughout the season with this team, and Coach, what are some of the progressions you've seen in Jon, as well? JON GILLIES: Yeah, I mean, coming into the season it was more at this stage of any goalie's career. It's not any big changes and any big overhauls. It's focusing and being consistent with the little details in your game. That's what I was trying to do from the beginning and make sure details every day in practice with different little things and hopefully have that translate into games and translate to success. It's been good that way, and I've also had the team play phenomenal in front of me and stuff like that. We've all come together and hopefully can make a big run here. COACH LEAMAN: Well, I would say over the three years there's been a lot of growth in Jon's game. I think the way he just answered that question would probably be the most important growth in his game is that he understands the details within his game and he understands what it takes to be consistently great at this level. Jon has played in a lot of big games. First when he came to us, he played in some big games his freshman year competing for the league championship and getting to the league semifinals. And he was fortunate enough to be on the World Junior teams and play in some very big games there. And then last year I thought it was‑‑ he went through a little bit of a rough patch in the second half, and I thought it was a really healthy thing for him to go through a little adversity, and our team was going through some adversity. We battled through it. Jon battled through it, and I thought it was amazing growth in his game. And I think this year he hasn't hit any rough patches. He's been very consistent. He understands how hard you have to practice. He understands the details that matter in his game, and I think it's a big reason why there's only one time this year we've lost back‑to‑back games, and that was early, very early in the season. You know, I would say all that is a big part of his growth. I think he's gotten better every year. Q. What's been the secret to your longevity there, 154 straight games? ROSS MAUERMANN: From day one I was given a pretty good opportunity from Coach to play right away, and just tried to make the most of it and each day just trying to bring it to practice and make sure I'm doing the right things off the ice to stay healthy. I don't know, it's been an amazing journey, and we're just trying to end up on the right note. I had a guy, Derek Army, who I ended up passing in the streak or whatever, but he was another guy I looked up to early on, another guy that did it the right way and how to live by example. So that's a guy I looked up to for sure, but it's been a great four years and just trying to end on the right note. Q. For all of the players, what did it mean to you guys to see your friend Drew Brown out there on the ice at the end of practice? ROSS MAUERMANN: It was a special moment. He's been through a lot this year and just to have him back around the rink and the dorms, just hanging out with us, it's kind of back to normal for us. It was awesome to have him put the skates on and just kind of get out there, and it's just another thing to look towards to see how much he's battled through this and we can kind of lean on that as motivation. JON GILLIES: Yeah, I don't think you can really put into words something like that because you know it's behind the scenes, all the work that he's done, just to get back up on his feet, especially after the surgery. Drew Brown is the guy that you never heard him complain once throughout anything, and you never heard him pity himself, anything like that. It's very special to have him here, and for him to be able to be back on the ice in a place where he feels very at home after the journey that he's gone through and every different operation he's gone through and stuff like that. It's definitely special, and I don't think anyone could adequately describe it. NOEL ACCIARI: Yeah, just to piggyback off them, it's a great feeling having him back. It's like back to normal. He's around the locker room with all the guys. I think he just enjoys having the company of the team, and we love having him with us. It's been a pleasure with him every time he comes to a game. He's been out to, I think, five games, and I'm glad that we could make it here for him. He fought to be here, and we fought for him to stay in this team as long as he can. It's a great feeling to have him here, and we're hoping we can pull a couple more wins. Q. Ross, you've had the longest vision, if you will, of where you guys have come to get to this point. You look back at two years ago when Yale was kind of in your shoes and the bubble factor they were on, and now you kind were kind of on the bubble getting to the tournament. Is that motivation for what can happen Saturday night? ROSS MAUERMANN: Yeah, it's been I think a long journey. Each year we come into it with a goal to win a national championship, and every year you're building and building trying to get better. And I think this is definitely the best team I've been on with the depth that we've had. We've had four lines, each line go out there and score a goal, and I think that really adds to our success, and with Jon on the back end, too. For us, we've just got to focus on playing our game and taking it one game at a time and go from there. It's going to be a hard‑fought game tomorrow night, and we've just got to make sure we're ready to go from the start. Q. Jon, you really seem to be right in the game and sharp right off the bat in the East Regional Final. What kind of things do you look for to get kind of into the game right away and try to do to make sure your intensity level is up there? JON GILLIES: I think one of the big things in a game like that is not to over emphasize it in your mind, not treat it more than it is. It's the same game of hockey, and you've got to remember to have fun with it. You've just got to prepare the same way and not do too much, not try to do too much, just stick to what makes you successful and what's made you successful all season. That was one part of it, and I think we came out strong from the beginning, and our guys had a lot of jump and stuff like that, too, so it makes it easy when the first shots you're seeing are from further away or from outside to get a feel for the puck and get into it. Q. Coach, is there anything looking back on your NCAA experience at Union that you wish you had done differently or from last year even that you wish you had done differently as far as the routine, scheduling, and how you set your team up for NCAA success? COACH LEAMAN: Well, both times we lost to the national champion. You know, my last year at Union we lost to Duluth. They went on and won the national championship. It was a tight game. Last year we lost to Union, they went on, they were the best team in the nation and they won the national championship. Over the summer we were just thinking that‑‑ how far are you off, and that was the question we were kind of asking ourselves and what areas you need to improve in, what areas you need to address. But I thought the one thing is Union came out and they jumped us at the start of the game last year, that second‑‑ that regional final. We felt like we were a little slow at the start of that game, and they came out and they just jumped us, and we were kind of on our heels that first period. We managed to get through it, but we were chasing the game after that point. I think going into the regional final this past year, it was something that we spoke about at breakfast, just about that we don't want to be chasing the game, that we want to come out hard from the beginning, and we did a better job. We did a better job with that this year, so that would probably be the one thing. Q. Just talk a little bit about what you've seen from Omaha on film and best things that they do and what you need to neutralize to be successful tomorrow. COACH LEAMAN: Well, I think it starts with that. I think they have outstanding goaltending. They have a goaltender that led the country in saves percentage. That's pretty darn good because I think there's a lot of elite goaltenders in college right now. First and foremost, I think that's their biggest strength. I think they've got a lot of stick skill. I think their forwards are good in transition. And I think if you give their forwards time in space, they're going to find the open man. They're very good at doing that on the rush. They're good at doing it in the offensive zone. I would say those are their strengths. NOEL ACCIARI: Yeah, Omaha is a great team. We watched some film on that, good offensively, and their goalie likes to battle. We didn't watch too much film on them, we just want to focus on our game and focus on what we need to do and play hard, and we'll see the outcome after that. JON GILLIES: Yeah, I played against Ryan Massa in the USHL so obviously I have very high respect level for him and what he's been able to do there. He's an outstanding goalie. It starts there. I have had the pleasure of playing with Ian Brady, as well. I think their D core starts with him. He's a very mobile guy and likes to jump up on the rush, as well. And then obviously on offense we've seen some tape and we know they have a very good top line, and their 2 through 4 get it done really with their depth. We know they're going to come at us in waves and they're very skilled, as Coach said, and as Noel said we have to be ready to play our game and not tailor ourselves too much to them and be ready to execute our game plan and be ready to go. ROSS MAUERMANN: I think, like they said, good stick skill and stuff like that. I think the biggest thing is to close time in space. Last game that was a big thing coming in, not giving them time in space coming in because they have good players. That's the main thing for us is to play our game and make sure we're closing space in the D zone. Q. Jon, after Regionals your coach talked a little bit about how there's been times he's been pretty tough on you in the past and gotten on you for stuff because he expects so much of you. How do you handle that when you're either criticized or kind of under scrutiny from your coach? JON GILLIES: I mean, the one thing he's been hard on me, but it's always been one‑on‑one. It hasn't been calling me out or anything like that. I think it's one of those things where you may not understand at the time, but it's something you look back on a day later or a week later or something like that and you really appreciate it for what it is because it helps you going forward. It's not always going to be smooth sailing, and no one is perfect. I mean, I've learned a lot from my mistakes, and definitely the mistakes that he's highlighted for me have helped me come a long way on and off the ice. We might butt heads sometimes when it's actually happening, but it's been probably the biggest part of my development, looking back on it. Q. Coach Leaman, I know you probably want to comment on it. COACH LEAMAN: Well, it's your job. I think it's the toughest thing about college athletics. As soon as you let the guys know how much you like them and how much you really love them, things slip. You have to have a relentless standard. Your job is to get guys to reach their potential. And there's a lot of love in the summer. You can put your arm around each other in the summer. But we try to confront that at our opening meeting and just let the guys know that you're going to see the face of our staff that sometimes has their arm around you and you're going to sometimes see the face of our staff that is pushing you to another level. That's our job. We have to look ourselves in the mirror at night sometimes, also, and say I didn't let things slip. I helped that guy develop or I did my job. We all have a job, and that's the big thing is that everyone has got to look in the mirror at the end of the day and say, yeah, I did my job. Q. Coach and the players, is there a little extra regional pride being a New England school and having the Frozen Four being held in New England? COACH LEAMAN: Yeah, I mean, it was great making the bus trip up. We didn't need a movie, so that was good. You know, it was great. It's special that it's in Boston this year. I'm sure it's special for Boston University, also. We've heard ticket sales have gone really well, and I think having two New England schools in the championship when it is in Boston, it's awesome for hockey, it's awesome for our area, and I think hopefully we can get it in Boston on a regular occurrence. NOEL ACCIARI: Yeah, I think it's going to be a lot of fun, and knowing that we're not that far away, knowing that our fans can drive 45 minutes to the game and knowing that we'll have their support, I mean, it's going to be a lot of fun. JON GILLIES: Yeah, I think being obviously right down the road, our fans have been great from the beginning, fortunate enough to play in Providence there, and the outcome, the turnout was amazing. It'll be a lot of fire in the stands from our fans, as well. Big thank you to them 100 percent. And the New England part of it, I mean, I'm from Maine, as well, obviously, so when something like this comes to New England, you find college hockey fans that you didn't necessarily know even knew what college hockey was. That part of it is pretty special, as well. I'm really happy for our school that we're able to be here and represent Providence and the great state of Rhode Island and stuff like that, and hopefully we can make a run. ROSS MAUERMANN: We're just excited to be here locally in the New England area, just to have our fans there and just great for our program, too, to be able to be close to home and they can come watch and they can be there to support us. This is a big step for our program, and the previous Regional was unbelievable having our students down there and having alum down to come watch and people that had probably never even been to a game in my four years, and now they might be hooked for the next 20 years, coming to games. It's just an awesome experience to be part of and to be close to home for us is great. Q. Coach, I want to start with you, and if any of you guys want to pipe up, as well, that would be great. I'm curious for people who aren't familiar with this program and what you do, what would you say to them? How would you describe your team, your identity or your personality? COACH LEAMAN: Well, you know, we try to be competitors. That's the biggest thing. We practice hard, we don't apologize for it. We focus on competing every day. We focus on being, as Noel mentioned earlier and Ross mentioned earlier, a group of guys within the locker room that can look across the locker room and play for one another, that care about one another. We want to be respected, as well, in our community. Good people around campus, good students in the classroom, represent Providence College well because there are so many alumni in the New England area, and we realize that we're playing in front of these people a lot. You know, if I had to choose one word, I would say competitor. That's our identity. We want to be competitors all the time. ROSS MAUERMANN: I think for us, relentless is a word I think I'd describe us with. Just no matter what, we're going to keep working, we're going to keep battling until the end of the buzzer. It's been kind of an up‑and‑down year, but we've stuck through it, we were relentless through the times when stuff didn't go our way, pucks didn't go in the net, and I think that's made us a better team now, just got to keep going, just keep doing what we're doing. Q. Jon, who keeps it loose? Who's the clown of the bunch? JON GILLIES: There's a few of those. I can't pick one. I don't have one to pick. It's a tie between a few guys. It wouldn't be fair to just give one guy the credit. NOEL ACCIARI:  Which question am I answering? Q. Your team, what it's all about. NOEL ACCIARI: I think we're a gritty team. Like Coach said, we like to battle, and we're a team that can come from behind and sneak up on you and take the win. Yeah, we'll fight hard for 60 minutes, and I think our results will show for that. And for the guy that's funny on the team, let's see here. I don't know if I can pick, but the guy that tries the most to get a chuckle out of us, I'm going to go with Mark Adams. He tries. Q. Guys, when we talk about the New England landscape, Massachusetts has obviously had its moment in the sun in the Frozen Four, Connecticut had it a couple years ago. In terms of the state of Rhode Island, Division I hockey, you've become kind of the standard‑bearer coming in here for the Ocean State. What is that like, and what do you want people to know about the state of Rhode Island and the game coming out of the state that's no longer in between Massachusetts and Connecticut? You guys are on center stage with Rhode Island here. JON GILLIES: I'm going to shift this one over to Noel because he's from there. NOEL ACCIARI: I think as a team, I think we just need to focus on like getting here wasn't‑‑ we didn't just get here. We played it one game at a time, and as of right now, I mean, we're focused on Thursday night, and we're not done until 60 minutes. But we're focused on first shift, first five minutes. We like to take it one step at a time. We don't like to just say, we're here. Like we worked hard to get here, but in the end, we got here one game at a time. Q. Take it a step forward with Rhode Island and talk about your Rhode Island pride. NOEL ACCIARI: I guess it's a small state, so you don't hear it too often, but it's good to get Providence back on the map. In 30 years we're back to where we need to be, and hopefully we can continue this journey. I mean, it's a good feeling. People like Ross and Jon had said about having the regional in Providence, having people come to the games that usually don't come, it's just good to have people in Rhode Island come out, see the games, see what Providence is all about, and what kind of team we are. We might be a small state, but we're hard workers. Q. Nate, we talked about the local aspect and this being a New England Frozen Four. We always ask about the wow factor and whether players are ready for the big moment. Do you expect that maybe some of that is a little bit mitigated because this is a routine a little bit for you guys, that you're familiar being here, you made the bus trip many times? And also for the players, does this feel like it's been a little bit more routine than maybe it would have been if this was in Pittsburgh or Philadelphia? COACH LEAMAN: We'd like to keep it routine, but we're not regularly in front of 50 media after every practice. There's definitely feels, both the regional last weekend and coming into Boston here, that it's a big moment. It's the Frozen Four. I think the guys definitely realize that. All the media on the bench at practice and things like that, those aren't things that we're used to being around. Indirectly, those things touch the guys. We want to try to focus on staying in our routine, and I think traveling 50 minutes up the road to Boston helps us kind of maybe feel a little bit more like our routine. There's not a flight involved. We've played in this building before; that helps us a little bit. We want to limit the distractions and try to just kind of stay in our routine. But the guys know it's the Frozen Four. They know there's going to be big moments, and that's where competitors step up. Competitors play their best hockey in the big moments. ROSS MAUERMANN: I mean, like Coach was saying, it's tough when you get a police escort from the hotel to the Garden to kind of realize that it's just another game. But I think for us, kind of being in some bigger games like this, we know the media and the off‑ice stuff that comes with it, and I think once we step on the ice tomorrow night, it'll be just another game for us. We've played in a lot of big games in the past, and I think we're just excited for the opportunity and just making sure we leave it all out there. Q. Jon, did the bus back up the ramp? Were you on that bus? Was it terrifying? JON GILLIES: No, he did a great job. Q. How is the Frozen Four treating you? JON GILLIES: It's great. I think it's pretty fun to be here and just realize how fortunate we are to be here. It's kind of hit. I know my roommates and I talked about it a little bit at the beginning of practice, or last Saturday before practice on Saturday, about how we're one of four teams in the country left still practicing, and that's a pretty cool feat, pretty cool accomplishment. When you get to this point you want to take it all the way. We're proud to be here, but at the same time that's not going to affect our work ethic. We're going to attack the game tomorrow, and we're definitely going to be ready to go and push this thing into Saturday. NOEL ACCIARI: A lot of fun being here, but at the end of the day it's a business trip. And having an older team will help because we've been in these big games. And knowing there's a couple of young guys that will be in there, we'll be able to set them straight. It's been a lot of fun so far, and can't wait for tomorrow and see what's in store for tomorrow. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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