	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

NCAA MEN'S FROZEN FOUR

April 6, 2017

Chicago, Illinois

Minnesota-Duluth - 2, Harvard - 1

MODERATOR: We're joined by Harvard head coach Ted Donato, Alexander Kerfoot and Devin Tringale. Coach, an opening statement.

COACH DONATO: I'd like to congratulate Minnesota-Duluth. I thought it was a hard-fought hockey game. I wish them the best of luck tomorrow night. I couldn't be more proud of our team, their effort, and the entire season, the leadership, everything that especially our senior group provided, it was incredible.

MODERATOR: Questions for the players.

Q. Alex, I think just to start, that sequence at the end there, just what was going through your head as you guys were trying to chase the equalizer?
ALEXANDER KERFOOT: I mean, obviously it was heartbreaking when they scored that goal with 26 seconds. Everything happened so fast.

We had opportunities to score there at the end, hit a couple of posts. We took it to them. And just wasn't meant to be.

Q. Both players, what does it mean to you guys to just represent this program? And just talk about your experience, kind of your four years here.
DEVIN TRINGALE: It's tough to find words right now. We're all pretty heartbroken. But just looking back, it's been an absolute honor to wear a Harvard jersey the past four years. All the seniors share that sentiment. It's probably going to take a little bit longer to process, but the best four years of my life. It's meant everything to me.

ALEXANDER KERFOOT: I mean, I'd reiterate that. I mean, we're all incredibly proud to play for Harvard. We're proud about everything that comes with the school, the academics, just the school spirit, being part of the Harvard community and obviously the Harvard hockey program, you see where it's come the last couple of years, the last four, five years under the coaching staff.

It's incredible to be a part of this group. And, I mean, it doesn't -- with who the team's got right now and the direction the program's going, everything's looking up for our group.

Q. Did you get any explanation on the disallowed goal or did you see what happened on that play?
DEVIN TRINGALE: I think -- I don't know, it might have been an early whistle. The goalie had the puck covered I think for a second and then it got pushed in the net. They didn't have audio on the replay or something so they couldn't, I don't know, determine what actually happened with the whistle. And I guess that's all I've really got.

Q. Alex, looked like early in the second period you guys found your legs, and a lot of observers' opinion you played the best Harvard hockey during this NCAA Tournament despite being on the losing end. Can you describe how you guys got it going second and third period, and were you proud to show the country Harvard hockey at its finest?
ALEXANDER KERFOOT: Yeah, obviously we want to -- every time we put on the jersey we want to give our best out there. But, I mean, yeah, I didn't think we had a great first period. I thought we picked it up after that. That's the nature of sports. I think you're playing -- every team in the NCAA Tournament is a really good hockey team. In one-and-done situations, anything can happen.

I think we had opportunities out there tonight. I think we showed we're a good hockey team, but I think we've shown that in the last 18 games. I don't think we've lost the last 18 games. Maybe we weren't playing, I don't know, on this type of stage, but we proved all year we're a good hockey team. And I think when it comes to these situations, anyone can beat anyone. Duluth is obviously a really good hockey team, and they earned the win tonight.

Q. Either one of you, obviously you guys are on the way out, but in your mind, what do you think is the state of Harvard hockey as the team moves forward here?
DEVIN TRINGALE: I think the program's in really good hands. The guys coming back are really competitive, hard-working group. I know they'll take this loss and keep it with them all summer and train really hard and push the envelope even more next year. And like Ker said, the program is on the upswing, and it's going to stay in that direction. So I think the program is in good hands.

MODERATOR: Thank you. Questions for Coach.

Q. It seemed like you guys had 40 shots on that. But the transition game in center ice seemed really tough for you guys to get into the kind of gear you want to have?
COACH DONATO: Yeah, I think pretty much every bit of ice was hard to get out there. I give Minnesota-Duluth a lot of credit for that. I thought neither team really had a lot of zone time. I think both teams had some good chances.

But certainly in the first half of the game, I don't think we were able to get out of our zone as cleanly as we would have liked and establish some offensive zone play.

But I thought the second half of the game, the second half of the second period and then in the third I thought we started to, you know, find our groove a little bit and, you know, had some chances certainly in the second half, you know, to get the lead.

And, once again, I think it was two teams that both are very good defensively. So I thought we generated chances. I don't think the game ever got probably up and down the ice as much as we would have liked. But as I said, I think Minnesota-Duluth deserves a lot of credit for that.

Q. How difficult is it for you to look to your right and see your two captains just defeated and knowing they won't play again this season, what's that feeling like?
COACH DONATO: Well, it's very difficult to describe. The emotions, the love in the locker room, and this was such a special group. Up and down the lineup, you know, guys even that weren't in uniform tonight. In general, you know, this senior group was just incredible from a leadership standpoint and from a character standpoint.

So I think it's always tough, but when you have the type of kids that we have as seniors this year and the success that they allowed us to have, I think the end was so sudden that I was hitting the post three times there I think in the last 25 seconds. It's really just hard to describe.

Q. The change over four years, I think this freshmen -- the seniors when they were freshmen might have been ten games under .500. You've seen the growth. What do you attribute the change in the culture at Harvard?
COACH DONATO: You know, it's not just one thing. I think we started to hold ourselves to higher standards. I thought this group, in particular, and last year's group, guys like V.C. and Chris Gallo, along with guys like Kerfoot and Tringale and Malone and Esposito, it's just a group that really accepted the responsibility of setting really high goals. And it's really tough to swallow right now because these guys have really given their all all year, not only of themselves but to their teammates. And I think this will be an incredible special group in my mind forever.

Q. Can you talk about your team's defensive posture on the game-winning goal. Did too many guys get caught on the boards? How did that play unfold for you?
COACH DONATO: It was just to the left of our bench so I probably wouldn't have gotten as good a good look as I would have liked. And I'll have to watch replays, but it appeared we had a couple opportunities to get the puck out and we get trapped I think with three guys on the boards. And I think they got a tip in front of the net that ended up going five hole.

But we had some opportunities to get it out. But as I said, I didn't really get a great viewing of it just because it was just to the left of our bench, it was hard to see.

Q. The question was posed for Devin, but I want to get your take as well, what was the explanation for the goal that was already called no goal?
COACH DONATO: Yeah, I mean, I think watching it on the replay, you know, it looked like the puck was in before he was able to blow the whistle. They went and looked at it. The explanation I was given was that there was no audio on the replay. He thought the goalie at one point had it underneath his glove, and in his mind that's when the play was over.

I think everybody's trying to do their best. They went to the replay to try to get it correctly. So obviously through my Harvard-colored glasses, it looked like a good goal. But it's -- everybody's trying to do their best out there.

Q. Merrick seemed to bail out the defense a few times tonight what was your assessment of his performance?
COACH DONATO: I thought Merrick was good in the first period. I thought he was good on a couple of their power plays. I thought we were good defensively 5-on-5. But they had a few very good chances and I thought Merrick looked on. I think he gave the bench a lot of confidence and just know when you play a team like that, you know, they played so many close games and it was going to be a bounce either way. We thought we got that bounce with ten minutes to go there. It didn't work out. But I thought Merrick was outstanding.

MODERATOR: Thank you.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297

NCAA MEN'S FROZEN FOUR

April 6, 2017

Ted Donato

Devin Tringale

Alex Kerfoot