Rather than just posting a link to the Penn State game recap, I pulled my favorite part - the coach's comments - to post here. If you really want to read the full game recap article, it's here:
https://gopsusports.com/news/2022/1...-womens-hockey-shuts-down-mercyhurst-4-1.aspx
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Q: Coach the game got a lot more physical today, how did the team adjust and handle that offensively?
A: Yeah, I think now that we're into CHA play, we played Lindenwood last week and that was very physical and today was physical. I felt like the first 10 minutes were a little bit shaky, and then after that I thought we played really well. We were definitely ready to play, I don't know if we were necessarily ready for the physicality. But once we started reversing charges using our speed and putting pressure on their defense then it got a lot better for us.
Q: Coach, to actually go down one and then Courtney (Correia) to tie it up at the end of the first, do you think that sort of shifted the momentum of the game?
A: Yeah, absolutely. She's a great player, and she's got a lot of energy, so the two goals right in a row were definitely momentum changing. And then I thought we had control after that.
Q: Two for four on power plays today, how important was that coming in and how do you feel those opportunities contributed to that win directly?
A: Yeah, I mean we spend time on it. We haven't spent a ton of time all year, and things have switched around a little bit. But we spent some good time this week, and it's just a matter of moving the puck quickly and attacking the net. All three units are solid and put pressure on and so we're happy to see that.
Q: Coach, there were only five shots in the third period. Was it an emphasis to park the bus?
A: We wanted to keep our foot on the pedal. We are a good defensive team, so the offense comes from the back and pinning, breaking out, and letting our forwards do their thing. But we always try to stay shut down as much as possible. And then again, if we did make a couple of mistakes out there, we didn't give up any quality chances, but we gave up a few and Josie made big saves when we needed her.
Q: Strong win today, what's the message going into tomorrow's game?
A: The message, again in our league, is always when you lose the fist game, there's inherently a little letdown for the next day. The team who loses usually comes out ready to go, so we have to expect Mercyhurst to push in that first period. But we need to match, surpass, and be ready to go from the puck drop.
Q: Coach, what was the message on the bench after giving up that first goal early in the first period?
A: Yeah, it was a random goal. It was actually kind of almost a carbon copy of our goal against them in the playoffs last year. It was just the scrum and it went off a skate, so there was no stress, we were in good shape. Our players have focused on being composed and knowing that if they're up a couple or down a couple, then they're gonna stay consistent and play good hockey and habits. It happened early, and again like Courtney came back and got us going offensively with that nice shot. Then that led to another goal right after, it was a sick blast, as well.
Q: Coach, what do you think about Courtney's play this year in these last two games in particular.
A: We asked Court to come in for one, being a veteran, playing a lot of games, and being like a star player before she got here. We asked her to play wing, and we're trying to find the right chemistry, and she plays well there. We asked her to play the middle as of a few games ago and just jump right in there, and I'm impressed with her offense, but we kind of expected that. In terms of defense, it's just jumping in there and playing a good brand of d-zone hockey as a center winning draws. After the second period she was around 70%. I don't know how she finished the game, but that's a big part of why we put her in there, knowing she's going to win faceoffs most of the time and get possession where we can do our thing.
Q: Was there a decision putting her in the majority of the face offs this game?
A: No, I just think it was trying to find chemistry among the group. We know that Kiara (Zanon), Courtney (Correia), Mya (Vaslet), Tessa (Janecke), and a few others like Maddy Christian could jump in there and play center. So generally, when these players come from their club teams, they all play center. When you have a collection of talented hockey players, someone needs to play the wing, and someone's going to take the job.
Q: How important do you think special teams will be, especially after this game where there's a lot of success?
A: Hugely important. You never know in our league how the game is going to be called, but going forward, power plays, and taking advantage of those opportunities is monumental.
