Eaves meets the media at Monday's news conference
November 22, 2011 | Men's Hockey
Nov. 22, 2011
MADISON, Wis. -- Wisconsin men's hockey head coach Mike Eaves addressed the media on Monday at UW's weekly news conference. A full transcript follows.
Eaves answered questions on Mercyhurst, Mark Zengerle and winning national championships, among other topics.
QUESTION #1: Mike, you had mentioned how you thought your team was evolving after Friday night’s game. Where are you after Saturday night’s matchup with CC?
Mike Eaves: Still evolving. You’re disappointed with the way the game, A, the beginning of the game, the fact that you lost, but that’s all a part of the evolving process. We talk about with our guys, we’re moving toward becoming a championship caliber team. Now we’re not there yet, and, but we’re moving toward that. And that’s where we evolve every day, every week, because today’s efforts are going to determine tomorrow’s results. So we’re going to control what we can.
And there were some darn good things. In looking at the video, we weren’t as bad as I thought we were. We had some major breakdowns that they capitalized on. But after the 10:00 mark of the first period, the rest of the game was even, and we actually had some excellent scoring chances and didn’t finish. So we’re evolving. It’s still a great term when you have a young group of people, and we’re going to continue to push. We get back in the middle of the morning on Sunday, and we get back to work today, and continue to work on things that we see.
QUESTION #2: Mike, to what degree has your view of your goaltending situation changed since the weekend, and have your expectations have been met with those two?
EAVES: Expectations have probably been met and exceeded, and nothing’s going to change this weekend. We’re going to start young Mr. Rumpel on Friday and go from there.
QUESTION #3: Mike, Mark Zengerle’s got a pretty impressive (point) streak going. You have, apparently, the longest one in school history. What’s it like being in a zone like that?
EAVES: It’s been a long time since I was there, Andy. It’s tough to remember. The one thing we talked about with the team the other day is when you’re playing well, in looking back in time, the one thing you don’t want to take is to take what you’re doing for granted when you’re on an offensive streak.
I remember when Robby Earl was here, and right before Christmas, he was playing unbelievably well scoring goals. And he came back, we had Christmas break, and then he had to try to start to get that momentum again, and it’s not easy to do. So we actually talked with our team. When you’re playing well, don’t take it for granted. When you’re practicing well, don’t take it for granted.
Bring that every day, because it’s a precious commodity, this momentum, this offensive momentum that you have. And so Mark’s on a great streak, and you want to ride that wave as long as you can, because the fact that offense does tend to be finicky, and there’s a flow and ebb that comes with it, and you want to ride that wave as long as you can.
QUESTION #4: In that evolution process you talked about before, is it helpful now to take a step back in that you only have two conference games over the next month and a half, and you have a couple of weeks before you return to WCHA action?
EAVES: Nothing changes. Nothing changes. It’s pushing. It’s coaching. It’s evolving. As disappointed as we were on Saturday night, in looking at video, there were some things that we’re seeing from our young people, you know, we’re going to try to mix the lines up a little bit, but we saw things from LaBate and Navin and Paape and Woods, you know, these young guys that are, they’re coming, and we need to have them come. And the fact that we’re playing an out of conference, nothing changes. We are going to push and evolve every day this week and see where it takes us this weekend.
QUESTION #5: Mike, what’s Mick Byrne feeling right now?
EAVES: Mick Byrne, what is he feeling? And your purpose for the question?
QUESTION #6: Having just won a national championship. What’s that like?
EAVES: Well, again, I’m going back in time. For, Mick, I’m sure there’s a great feeling of satisfaction, because when you’re a player, and you win, there’s a lot of emotion that just rushes out of you. As a coach, you set your plan, you set goals, and when you meet those goals, and you achieve your highest pinnacle, there’s a deep satisfaction that sets in. So if I was to project what Mick was feeling, I would sense that he’s feeling that. And when you win with a group of young men, that really locks your relationship for a long time.
QUESTION #7: Do you miss, does it matter that you don’t have the College Hockey Showcase that you usually have this time of year around Thanksgiving with Michigan, Michigan State, replace it with a Mercyhurst Series?
EAVES: Not at all. Not at all. I mean, our scheduling is tough enough as it is, and the fact is, we still have to win these games. It doesn’t matter if it’s Michigan or Michigan State, it’s a matter of going out and winning, and that’s our task this weekend.
QUESTION #8: Mike, I know you like to concentrate on your club, but this Mercyhurst team actually is playing some pretty good hockey coming in here, isn’t it?
EAVES: They’re well coached. They’re well coached, and they play hard, and that’s about what I know of them right now. We started watching video today and tonight, but and any time a team plays hard, they give themselves a chance to win.
