Speaking of the team, it seemed like you guys had hit a low with a four-game winless streak and Brian Kaufman went down with an injury against Alaska, and now all of a sudden the team has bounced back, winning four in a row and earning a first-round bye in the CCHA playoffs. Have the spirits totally changed since the Alaska trip?
No, not really. I don’t think there is a huge difference between the four games where we didn’t get a win and the four games where we did. We got a few unlucky bounces in those two games. We went to the overtime with Alaska, twice. Anything can happen in overtime. And, I think the last four games, the bounces just went our way, and when you work hard, you tend to get those bounces and that’s just the difference between those two quarters there.
Do you think a lot of that has to do with the veteran leadership that you and the five seniors bring to the table, realizing how long the season is and it is more like a marathon than it is a quick sprint?
Yeah, you don’t want to dwell on the four-game streak where you don’t have wins. Because, like you said, it is an extremely long season. You can bounce back, and as long as you win your last game, that’s all that matters.
And, speaking of your last game, I heard there were a couple hurdles trying to even get to the arena Saturday night.
Yeah, the bus got stuck behind the hotel, so we went over the arena on shuttle buses with 10-12 guys on each bus. And knowing [head] coach [Enrico] Blasi and how superstitious he is, we are going to be taking shuttle buses to every rink from hotels.
Speaking of superstitions, do you have any, and did Saturday night’s transportation troubles throw off any of those off?
No, I just try to focus on the game. I have a few tape stick superstitions and I listen to a play list, but I don’t get too in depth in that kind of thing because situations like that can throw anything off.
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