	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 9, 2009

WASHINGTON, D.C.

THE MODERATOR: At this time we welcome Bemidji State Beavers and head coach Tom Serratore. From my left we'll have Coach Serratore, Cody Bostock, Tyler Scofield and Travis Winter. We'll have an opening statement and then questions for the players.
COACH SERRATORE: You know what, we got beat by a better team tonight. Miami was -- they were strong. They were quick. They reacted well. Every facet of their game was very good, and we couldn't get on track.
And, again, hats off to Miami, we had a nice run. Thank you everybody in here. A lot of kind words the last couple of weeks. And Bemidji State University really appreciates it.
THE MODERATOR: Questions for the student-athletes.

Q. For any of the players who want to answer, can you give us a sense of what it was like rather than in the regional, you are kind of picking up fans as the games go along, as they realize what you're about to do versus it seemed like the crowd was really behind you guys from the get-go, everybody who wasn't from Miami, everyone seemed to be for you guys, just what you're going to remember of those moments before the game?
CODY BOSTOCK: What you said, a lot of people were pulling for us, we knew that going into the game. It's a feel-good story for a lot of people out there. It's something special to be a part of. You want to thank everyone out there.
Unfortunately, tonight we came up on the wrong end, but it's been a good run. The time of a lifetime. Something I'll never forget. I'm real proud of our guys and I'm real proud to be a Bemidji State University hockey player.

Q. Travis, you cut the lead to 2 to 1 and they score a minute later. How much did that take out of you guys?
TRAVIS WINTER: That was obviously a big goal for them. One of the bigger shifts of the game, obviously, right after a goal. And you try and win that shift, but unfortunately we didn't. And we thought we were tilting the ice a bit there.
And they scored a big goal and things started going their way, again, and it was a huge goal, probably the turning point of the night.

Q. Tyler, you guys were extremely effective offensively last weekend. What was it today that didn't click? Was it something different Miami did or was it an internal thing?
TYLER SCOFIELD: I'm not too sure. You never really have a definite answer when your line's not going like you expect to. And they did a good job taking away our speed through the neutral zone. I don't remember too many times where we had great speed coming into their zone. And we were just having a tough time hitting each other tonight.
And, I mean, we've had success lately. But tonight just wasn't there for us.

Q. For any of the guys, can you talk about in the third period down a couple goals, how difficult it was to even get into the zone and get anything started the way Miami was playing you?
CODY BOSTOCK: It was pretty hard for us. They did a pretty good job, seemed like they started sending one guy at the end and clogging up the neutral zone, like you said. We really couldn't get it in.
But we were just trying to throw everything out and they got a couple chances at the end. That's just the result of us down two goals at the end, D-men got a pinch, we were just throwing the kitchen sink at them at that point. And you're not out there to lose 3-1 like Coach told us halfway through the third period, and it just didn't work out.

Q. Cody, can you talk about that puck you took off the knee in the first period and what happened there and you weren't gone too long but you did go off?
CODY BOSTOCK: Yeah, just blocked a shot in front. It was kind of like, Oh. Trainer said it was kind of like similar to your funny bone in your knee there, a nerve or something and you just can't really move your leg for a bit. But once you walk it off, it's fine.

Q. Tyler, your last game, I'm wondering what your emotions were, what was it like in the locker room. Only one team is going to win this thing. The bad news is you're not the team, but the good news is you made quite a statement as a team in this tournament.
TYLER SCOFIELD: It's definitely emotional. I mean, it's your last game of college hockey. And it's been a great four years. It's been a great run this year. Senior year, going to the Frozen Four, you can't ask for much more.
Our team, we got along. It was the most tight-knit team I've ever been a part of and I love every single one of those guys. It was a fun run with all those guys on the team.
But it was definitely an emotional finish. Thinking back to that you're not going to play another college game, it really takes a toll on you.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you, guys.
Questions for Coach Serratore at this time.

Q. Coach, what are you going to take back from this experience your first Frozen Four performance?
COACH SERRATORE: What a wonderful venue. I told the guys after the game we had an opportunity of playing in one of the greatest venues in the world in one of the greatest cities, if not the greatest city, in the world.
And it's memories that last a lifetime. And playing in the Frozen Four is unchartered waters. Not many hockey players get an opportunity to play in something like this.
That's what they have to take from it. Obviously when you lose it stings, but you have to get over it. But after you reflect back and you look at it and, you know what, you're proud that you were able to participate in an event like this.

Q. You play a relentless -- you said you play a relentless, puck-pursuit kind of hockey, the puck-pressure kind of hockey. Did you feel that you guys came out and did that right away, and what happened through the game, was it either you or what Miami did to take that edge away?
COACH SERRATORE: Probably both. We didn't have the pursuit. We didn't have the puck pursuit. We weren't relentless. We didn't play as fearless as we obviously did last weekend and when we really get onto a roll.
You know, I don't know, why didn't we have the jump? Who knows. But you've got to give Miami credit. They played great and they really out-muscled us. And, again, it's not like they're huge, but we're undersized and we had a hard time really getting free. As far as the game plan that we tried to throw at them, we never could get going. We just couldn't get going.

Q. Tom, I think you just answered it, but did you get a sense -- they have their own underdog story to tell. They haven't won a championship in their history. They're a little bit hungry, too?
COACH SERRATORE: Big time. You're exactly right. I said it before. This is an elite hockey program in Miami. You take a look at what they've accomplished. They won a championship with George in the '90s. They've kept it going. They've been pretty consistent since that point in the early '90s.
In the last 10 years I think they're a have in college hockey. They're an elite team in college hockey. They've been to four straight NCAA tournaments. That's a good hockey team and they're going to stay that way.

Q. In the second period, though, you make it 2-1, then goes 3-1 and then you have the opportunity there with that power play. How do you coach through that? What do you tell your guys through the ups and downs?
COACH SERRATORE: It's hard. You can sit there and it's hard -- you know, it's our reaction when you're on the bench. And you have to see how the game is going at that particular time. You just try to will your guys. That's what we were trying to do the whole night, the whole coaching staff. We saw the same thing on the bench as you saw. We couldn't get going. We had a hard time sustaining any kind of pressure. We weren't getting any pucks deep.
An example, turnovers, we had less than 25 turnovers against Cornell and Notre Dame last weekend. We had 24 after two periods. I don't know what we finished with, but when we can't get pucks deep and you're turning pucks over, you have a hard time getting into a rhythm.
Again, what we were trying to do was just will our guys and make sure they paid attention to detail, get some pucks on the net. Just the basic hockey talk that you try to get your guys going and hopefully, again, you'll get a greasy one and maybe, again, you can feed off of that.

Q. Can you talk a little bit about what it's like to see your guys turn a crowd for them, whether it was like '05 in Amherst against Denver where it was, oh, my God, they might do this against them, versus today where you're here and right from the get-go they're behind you and just what it's like to see your guys turn a crowd like that?
COACH SERRATORE: It was outstanding. We knew, obviously, that we were going to have the crowd. Obviously, we know the situation we're in.
And the fans, obviously, you know what, I would say of Oxford and Burlington and parts of Boston right there, they want the Beavers to do well. And we're kind of that story, that George Mason story, if you want to say that. And it was great.
But, again, we never could get the crowd into it. That's the trouble. I mean, if we could have got the crowd into it, maybe we could have fed off of it. But we just couldn't get it done. That's too bad because it would have been nice to see what that crowd would have been like if we could create some electricity.

Q. You've told me all season that intensity is the key to winning hockey games. Did you feel like the intensity was there or did they take their foot off the gas pedal?
COACH SERRATORE: At times we had it. Again, we didn't sustain a lot of pressure. And, again, it was just a situation where, again, you know what, I don't think we had a lot of intensity. Again, for what reason? I can't put a finger on it.
But I want to continue to give kudos to Miami. Maybe they had a lot to do with it. But, again, we couldn't get any speed through the neutral zone. We were having a hard time advancing pucks, and, again, we really didn't take care of pucks very well.

Q. Do you think there will be any future benefits for the program as a result of the appearance here?
COACH SERRATORE: You know, who knows. That's a good question. You hope that it does, obviously. You hope that you can, again, parlay that into more success in recruiting and have the situation where when your kids are playing in big games it becomes easier the next year. But, again, it's hard to predict.
But what I can tell you, what it did, it gave the people, again, the people in Bemidji, just a lot of pride for the Beavers. And the people in the region, alumni -- our alumni, they're just a -- we have a wonderful group of alumni and gave those guys a sense of pride.
So, you know what, from that standpoint it was a good-feel story. But, again, I can't sit there and tell you, again, what's going to happen as a result of this.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you, Coach.

End of FastScripts

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297