Mel Pearson Show summary for 2-2:
We played pretty well, about 4 min Friday night in 2nd period didn't like, but otherwise good job
These are tough games, every expects Ws and expects it to be easy, but they're a tough team to play
We thought their best player was there goalie, and we focused on solving him, wanted to take his eyes away and get to the net
Like our GAA from weekend, wont loose much with giving up 0 and only 1 on Sat, Jamie had a good bounceback weekend
D group had good breakout passes, real good week for Dmen, all starts with breakout pass
8 PPG, liked our PP Friday, we need those goals to get a jump start, Sat goals just went in, put anyone out on PP later on Sat, but thing still found their way to the net
Later in Sat game, put guys out on PP, didn't coach them up as much, but we have good players, guys that can score
Every player knows the PP, even they aren't a regular on the PP, typically that guys is on PK and understands how to play against it
Pietila/Kero 100 career points, big milestone especially in college hockey today, tougher to score. Told Blake he's having his best hockey right now, sure there's a lot more points for him.
Kero good commitment, true leader on this team. Congrats to both those guys, two real leaders of our team on/off ice.
On Friday:
0-0 after 1, 14-8 shots, UAH's best period is 2nd, so it's playing into their hands at this point
1-0, Petan PPG, very skilled/patient with the puck, Baltus a nice addition to that line with Kero/Petan
2-0, Pietila PPG, We did a good job in front of the net creating havoc, will have to continue that with Bemidji
3-0, Gould from Pietila, they've started to light it up together since xmas, L'Esperance on that line too
UAH had some opportunities, got away from us a bit as we got a larger lead, they had a few 2x1s, addressed them well Sat morning, much better Sat
4-0, L'Esperance, he's a big body, hard to defend, he's learned how to use his size, soft hands too
5-0, Steman, 2x1 with L'Esperance, he's created scoring chances, fans get excited for 5 goals, Dominoes!
We've had 2 D sets the same, 3rd set Leibinger/AUk playing together more, Hyland mixed in too getting better, Jamie played well too, good shutout
On Saturday:
Our starts haven't been fantastic, we've been good/solid, just haven't scored, we changed some things, team meeting times, stetches, shake things up to get a better start
1-0, Kero, need a good start against UAH, was on a delayed penalty, so go on PP, good rule change a few years back
When Mel is bored righting up the practice, he knows he needs to change things up, practice log from everyday since before his time at Tech, good to look at years before to see what was don't, give a day off etc.
We've been on ice since Sept 15, it's a long season, need to keep things fresh, want to keep the energy then execute
2-0 Petan PPG
You have a basic PP structure, but players need to freelance off that, guys did a good job moving puck and reading what was available
They don't given up a lot of goals, goalie, structure etc, but we stuck with our game plan better than we did Friday
3-0, Gould PPG from Pietila, can't teach the chemistry they have right now, dialed in, it's exciting for coaches, always looking for chemistry like that
Beauty of our team, not worried about points, just worried about playing hard/playing well, guys we're plugging in are playing well too, Vallis/Anderson
Drawing up our team, depth and guys that have done it in games, it'll be tough but fun down the stretch
Vallis goal was huge, we were in control, don't want to give UAH any life, took a bad penalty in offensive zone, said something to ref so double minor, good job by PK, UAH scored right after
They skimmed over many of the other goals
10-1, Watson, 1st goal with goalie in net, wrist from the point, just playing everyone on the PP
11-1, Baltus goal, Kero assist to get to 100 career points, he's having a great year, want senior to have their best year, Hietila/Sweeney probably playing their best hockey too, seniors helping
Talked between 2nd/3rd period, we have to finish this game, we could see this team in a few weeks, want to make a statement we'll be ready for you
One way for seniors to measure their progress is if the program is better than they arrived, they are setting a high bar
Proud of only giving up 12 shots, there will be games you don't score a lot, not giving up a lot is big
Bemidji State:
3 point from BGSU last weekend
Good team, they out played us in both games, but Jamie was a rock and we got 2 Ws, they outshot us both games
Different team now, they beat two real good teams in the North Star Cup, UMD and Mankato
They're 3-0-1 against top 10 teams recently, I like our team too, Winter Carnival, building will be electric
GA tickets are for sale, reserved seating is getting low
Would like our fans to come out, Kero a local player doesn't have a lot of games yet, want senior to go out with full building, only two teams have 20 wins in all of college hockey
Seniors have done a lot to help our program, encourage people to come out and support them, it means a lot to them to have a full building, only 3 games left
They discussed other WCHA games
Questions for Mel,
dj@themix93.com
Do you think recently our team has taken a step forward in quality of play?
Yes, our defense is round out, Jamie is playing well, Forwards are scoring more now. Like our PP too lately. Have to work on PK some too.
Want to play best hockey at the right time, want to get injured guys back and get them some games.
Are we going to be able to keep Watson/Roy for 4 years?
I think we should and can. You want to be over ready to make the next step.
Don't want to go play for minors hoping for the opportunity. Only in college once, never know, but hope they finish their degree.
Has Mel been on the other end of a blowout like that?
Yes he has. At MI, beat at MSU 11-2. Had four Dmen on that team play in the NHL, freshmen at the time. You'll see almost everything when you're in the game long enough.
From UAH perspective, how does a coach reassure commits that things are turning around.
They have measurable improvement this year. 7 wins, sweeps at home, points at UNO.
Can you start Kero so fans can hear Hancock, MI from Mitch Lake when announcing lineups?
Maybe on Senior night, somehow make that happen.
What a great turnout Sat for junior hockey night. See all the young people out there on the ice.
Do you change anything when pucks aren't going in the net, but a lot of shots?
Yes, change drills, shooting, skill things. Show some video etc, have to stand in front of the net.
Is Penn State a possible future opponent?
Yes they are, we've had conversations with a number of teams. Talked to AZ State, they've anxious to come up here. We might go down there too.
A lot of diff things going on.
Do you show the team, videos of games you lost after UAH, to remind them what could happen if they don't show up next weekend?
No, there's enough each game to show spots for improvement, more show here's what we need to do, instead of what not to do. More positive.
After Friday, showed a few clips of us not getting in front of the net, or turnovers in the danger zone etc. Message is that we can't make mistakes in future games, wont get away with it.
Do you look at the diff styles of our goalies when picking a starter, depending who we're playing?
Not really, stopping the puck is stopping the puck. Go with the hot hand.
How is Devin Kero's development?
Outstanding, leaps and bounds from beginning of year. Would play him tomorrow if had to.
Him and Shawhan great relationship, considering redshirt, same with Blacklock/Anderson. Don't want to waste a year playing them this late in the year.
