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NCAA MEN'S FROZEN FOURApril 10, 2013Norm BazinJoseph PendenzaChad RuhwedelRiley WetmorePITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA THE MODERATOR: Ladies and gentlemen, we'll begin with some opening thoughts from each of our participants, and we'll start with the head coach. COACH BAZIN: Thank you. Our group is thrilled to be at the Frozen Four. It's been a long season, and we're looking to have a great weekend this upcoming weekend. THE MODERATOR: Couple more lines, no, I'm just kidding. We'll come back to you. JOSEPH PENDENZA: Yeah, we're really excited to be here and represent the school and all the students there. We can't wait for tomorrow to be here, so really excited and ready to go. CHAD RUHWEDEL: Yeah, want to say thanks to Robert Morris for hosting us. The conference has been a phenomenal venue so far, and we can't wait to get started. RILEY WETMORE: Yeah, to follow these guys and really excited to be here. Just a great city to be in to host this and just can't wait to get started tomorrow. Q. Coach Bazin, it's a long season, as we know in college hockey, you had a slow start this year. What would you say maybe is the biggest factor in the turnaround? What could you see from your team that prompted such a dramatic turnaround in your season? COACH BAZIN: Well, that's an excellent question. I think there is a combination of things; however, I felt like there was a stronger buy in. Sometimes you have to fail to really have a great learning lesson. I felt that we played great competition. We got off to a slow start. We struggled, and we dug ourselves out of a hole. A good part of that was buy in. I felt like we had the guys' attention at that point, and they bought in and they turned it around. Thankfully, we had a great second half stretch that kind of led us to where we are now. Q. For any of you, Coach or any of the players, you've been here for about 18 hours. Has there been any wow factor or wow moment that you can pick out that stands out that you realize this is different than anything you've done in your careers? RILEY WETMORE: I'd say for all of us, as soon as we got off the plane, Robert Morris had some cheerleaders and a pep band, we were kind of in awe. We don't really expect that ever. It was kind of something different and it was kind of neat. Just all the signs, obviously, around Pittsburgh of the Frozen Four and seeing the UMass on the rock symbols. It's really neat and exciting to see. CHAD RUHWEDEL: I think the first wow factor I had this weekend was the police escort going to the airport. I thought that was pretty cool. I'd never experienced that before. You get there pretty quick. We were a little early for our flight. But all the decorations everywhere, Frozen Four here and there, having our name on a lot of these things is really cool for us and we're excited to play tomorrow. JOSEPH PENDENZA: For me, it was kind of coming to the rink and seeing the Frozen Four stuff and our name everywhere. Just being able to see an NHL rink was kind of amazing. The rink is brand new and it's one hell of a rink. COACH BAZIN: Well, the welcome that Riley alluded to at the airport was tremendous. When you're greeted by a set of cheerleaders and the band at the airport, it's phenomenal for the kids. It's exciting for the student‑athletes, the coaches and the administration at large. So we're soaking it up, and the coaches are working on getting our focus back to the job at hand tomorrow. THE MODERATOR: I'm sure you want to know which song the band was playing. Anybody know? RILEY WETMORE: They weren't playing any song in particular. They were just chanting our name and let's go, River Hawks. Q. Chad, you guys brought in some new bodies on defense this year, whether it's freshman or a transfer in Joe Houk. Just what it meant for that unit to come together and maybe what those new guys have brought to the table? CHAD RUHWEDEL: Yeah, they brought in some new bodies and executed our system that's definitely worked out for us this year. Buying into the system that coach has integrated has really paid off in the second half. But a lot of our defense comes from our goaltending. When you have good goaltending, the defense is a lot easier for us. So we couldn't be happier for them. Another good point is our forwards participate a lot in our "D"‑zone coverage and all that kind of stuff. So it's definitely a team effort and it seems to be working in the second half. Q. For one of the players and for Coach, kind of piggybacking on that comment, your goaltending has obviously been a big part of the story. You're going into a situation where it's one and done, and there's all kinds of media and all that stuff. How much does that help to go into this situation knowing you have a goaltender that you can rely on that is kind of a keystone to what you're doing? RILEY WETMORE: I think actually looking back, I think it's been like that the last couple weekends. I think we're doing the same things and that kind of prepared us for being here and for tomorrow. I feel like one of the underlying themes of our team is team defense and blocking shots. I feel like a lot of people don't look at that. But that's why Connor has been doing so well. I feel like it's a team game, and he'll tell you that as well. His poise back there, you see him, he's kind of boring to watch at times because he's always in the right position and he is such a good goaltender. But when you have a team buying in and everyone blocking shots, it really does help him out. COACH BAZIN: Everybody's pitching in on team defense, and obviously, you don't go anywhere without a great goalie. All four teams have gotten here because of good goaltending. So it's going to be an exciting weekend. We face another good goalie tomorrow just like we did last weekend, so it should be a great challenge for us. Q. Coach Umile last weekend and Coach Allain today talked about how good you guys are in transition offense. Can you talk about what makes you so good at that? COACH BAZIN: I feel that the Lions have done a good job of moving the puck along and finding some holes, and it's nice to see that Coach Umile is paying us such a high compliment, because I thought this team is excellent in transition. They're trying to shut the transition and make ours even more potent last weekend because we had to close the gap in that area. I think in the second half you've seen our team improve in a couple of areas, and I do feel transition has been a little bit better. We hope to peak this week in that area also. Q. Gentlemen, there has been this sense from UMass Lowell that you guys are going to breakthrough, going to breakthrough, going to breakthrough. Last year and this year there's really just been this change of your attitude and the culture around the program. Can you talk specifically about what happened there that's brought you to the Frozen Four? CHAD RUHWEDEL: I would say the way that our new coaching staff came in last year with the professional mindset, having a game plan, telling us this is what we're going to do and how we're going to do it is really easy for the players to buy in. They brought in really good recruits both years, and just the sense of professionalism that they brought to our locker room helps us on and off the ice. I think that it's really contributed to a lot of our success this year. JOSEPH PENDENZA: Yeah, definitely, when Coach came in and he brought in his coaching staff, the sense of professionalism has kind of seeped down to all of us, just being prepared for everything. The coaches always are prepared for every meeting, and we prepare for every game as well and every practice. That's kind of where it's changed and led us to the Frozen Four. We've just got to make sure we're ready and prepared to go tomorrow. RILEY WETMORE: Yeah, just to kind of echo these guys' thoughts. I feel like the buy in is a big part. I feel like the guys have bought in in the second half, and it's really started with the coaches. The accountability the last two years has been there. It doesn't matter if you're a freshman or a senior, Coach is going to hold you accountable. It is the same thing in the locker room. I had a freshman come up to me, I was doing something wrong, and it's how it's been all year and it works for our team. THE MODERATOR: It's always nice to have the support of the administration here. I didn't have a chance to meet Chancellor Meehan. Chancellor Meehan is here if anyone would like his perspective. Maybe I shouldn't say that. Maybe you don't want to talk to the media. CHANCELLOR MEEHAN: I'll do it after. THE MODERATOR: Coach, any thoughts? COACH BAZIN: If I can make a couple comments along those lines. I think leadership comes from top down, when Chancellor Meehan came back five or six years ago, we were fortunate enough as alums to see the development on campus. I think when you ask about the mindset about development on campus, it starts there. When you see new buildings being erected, when you see progress in motion on campus, I think these guys here on this club are a microcosm of that process. These guys are all proud to be students and they work extremely hard for each other. We talk about work habits in practice and execution in games, they bring it every day. That's something that you've got to give the whole group credit for. Q. Can you just talk a little bit about your opponent, what you've seen on film? And can you compare them to any of the teams that you've played in your schedule early this year? JOSEPH PENDENZA: Yeah, I mean, I know a couple guys on the team just from playing with them. They're a really good team. They've got a really strong goalie back there. They're fast. They like to play fast, quick transition. That's kind of the gist of what the coaches have told us. It's kind of all we really know about them. But we know that we just have to come prepared and play our own game, really, and just worry about us. RILEY WETMORE: Yeah, to go off what Joe said. It's been our mindset all year to focus on us and not any other team. Any team that makes it this far is doing something right. We have to folk us and make sure the guys in the locker room are focused for tomorrow. CHAD RUHWEDEL: Yeah, just to add on to that, we watched some video on different aspects of their forecheck and their special teams and stuff. It really comes down to how we prepare and coming out and playing Lowell style hockey. We couldn't be more excited to do that. COACH BAZIN: Yeah, to answer your question, I think they have a lot of strong characteristics. Obviously, they're very quick, they're tenacious, and they seem to have great special teams. They're well‑coached and another good opponent. We've played several in the past couple of weeks that I could highlight a lot of good things about. But it comes down to whether we can execute what we do. We're going to have our hands full. If we're fortunate enough to get by the first game, we'll have our hands full the second game also. THE MODERATOR: Mark Bedics is here. Mark, come on up so people can see who you are seeing you run this thing. I think many of you know Mark. Here he is right here. He's aging, but we all are, I guess (laughing). We all have that in common. All right. Q. Coach, could you address Chad's strengths all year on the blue line? COACH BAZIN: Yeah, he's been a real presence for us. He's one of six defenders that plays consistently, and he's added to our special teams. I think he's coming of age, and maturing into a very good defender apart from the offensive contributions that have been obvious since he's stepped foot on campus. I think one of the highlights of Chad is we've cut his ice time down this year because we've had more support around him and it's been better for Chad. I think he's improved because of it. Last year, we were forced to play him a little bit too much at times. In any event, he's had a good season so far, and we hope that continues. Q. Coach, you've had Joe Houk at Hamilton. What did you like so much that you wanted to bring him to Lowell, and what did you see from him this season adjust to go the Division I game? COACH BAZIN: Joe is an excellent offensive threat. You haven't seen that too much at the Division I level yet, but you think he's maturing into that. But he's had to learn to deal with bigger, stronger, faster players this year, and it's taken him a while to defend. He's still working on his offensive game and perfecting his defensive game a little bit more as the season progressed. But I think in time he'll grow into more of an offensive threat. He gives you a little size. He gives you a little puck movement, and so far I like the way he's progressing. Q. For any player that wants to answer this, and for Coach as well, these are four teams in the Frozen Four that are non‑traditional college hockey powers, and a lot of casual observers might not know who you guys are and where you come from. Do you feel like you've made a statement by being here that you guys and the other three teams here that college hockey isn't just BC and Wisconsin and Michigan, the traditional powers anymore? Do you feel like you've kind of made a statement about that just by making it this far? CHAD RUHWEDEL: Yeah, I would say so. We play those big teams day‑in and day‑out in our league, going against the BC, BUs. It's always fun playing those big teams because they have a good following, and it's good to have our fans and our support watch us, put up good games, and beat those teams sometimes. We went out and played teams like Denver this year, and that was a real tough weekend. But I think you're right. It's putting not the big five or six teams in the country, but it's putting the other guys on the map. I wouldn't say the other teams are falling off. I think everybody else is starting to catch up. That's what happens when you play them on a nightly basis and it's good competition and we really like it. JOSEPH PENDENZA: Yeah, I think it really sets parity throughout Division I. Now basically every team can win any night. You'll see the No. 1 team will lose to the No. 20 team in the country. It just shows how strong each team and each league is becoming and how anybody can make it. I think it might be weird to the average observer because they might not be used to these names. But I think you look a little closely, and it says just how close every team is throughout the country. RILEY WETMORE: Yeah, I think these guys said it. At this feel like what Joe said, the parity in college hockey is there. For the average observer, like he said, it might look a little different seeing these teams here. But we feel and I have felt since I've been here that we could get here to this point. To have that and the commitment that we have, we're just excited to be here and can't wait for tomorrow. COACH BAZIN: I like what these guys have said. I think Hockey East has done a tremendous job of preparing us for this level. We're able to play with BC, BU, and all the rest of them. Hockey is such a great conference, and the other teams are making a statement in this league also. Q. Riley and Coach, you talked about the wow factor and the first time the school has been this far. How do you balance the excitement and thrill of the uniqueness of this experience with also having to go and play the game just like it's another game? RILEY WETMORE: We're fortunate enough to have a lot of firsts this year, going to the Garden this first time for everyone that's here, and then obviously the Regionals. I feel like that really prepared us, and we kind of have a wow factor. For the first day, that's our mentality. We want everyone to enjoy the experience. For the guys in the locker room, this is kind of once‑in‑a‑lifetime. Being a senior, this is the only time I'm going to be able to experience it. So, yeah, we took it in. We had a good practice. Tonight, team dinner and tomorrow it's going to be mentality. We've got to be focused and ready to go. COACH BAZIN: There is no question we've approached these last three weekends the same way. You've got good leadership. Riley Wetmore has been a great two‑time captain for us, and the only one in the history of our program to lead back‑to‑back NCAA teams. So I think when you have good leadership you can get over some of those distractions, and we've done a fairly good job, I believe, as a coaching staff, trying to eliminate a lot of these distractions over the course of the week, introducing some of the things that they may see here. I think once tomorrow comes, it will be business as usual. THE MODERATOR: Teams will have a chance to experience Heinz Field later tonight as part of their Frozen Four experience. Q. Coach, Scott Wilson is a Penguins prospect. Can you just speak about his play this year and his role in getting your team here? COACH BAZIN: He's much like our team. He started off slow and came on gang busters in the second half. We're very happy to have Scott. I think he'll have good playing time. He's someone that is elusive skating‑wise and shot‑wise. I think he can contribute offensively, and he's been improving his game defensively as the season went along. He's always been physical, but now I think he's picking his spots. He certainly is one of the offensive contributors. Q. Norm, earlier today you were named the Spencer Penrose winner, and in the context of what's going on this weekend, it probably doesn't mean a whole lot. But what does it mean to you to be recognized by the Coaches Association as the "Coach of the Year" nationally? COACH BAZIN: Well, it's a tremendous honor when your peers nominate you for an award, number one. I feel it's a coaching staff award, more than an individual coach award. We have a great strength and conditioning coach. We have Cam Ellsworth who is a former goaltender who deals with our goaltenders. Jason Lammers, a defenseman; and I was a forward, so there are different layers on that end. We have a hockey operations guy that can be a great resource. So we're staffed like one of the top‑tieredprograms in the country. It's exciting and a tremendous honor. We'll probably think about it more in the summer. THE MODERATOR: Gentlemen, thank you very much, and best of luck. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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