Mel Pearson Show summary for 2-16:
Our guys played well offensively, good passing/execution, best we've executed in a long time
Watched UAA's game at Mankato, close going into 3rd, concerned going in, have to beat teams you should beat and be ready, we were
Can be hard to get big lead then tend to relax, good 1st 10 min Friday, then didn't like the rest of our game, we learned some lessons this weekend that will make us better going forward
Didn't like our 2nd period Sat, did everything wrong, but Jamie stood tall
Changed our forecheck late Sat, try not to be as aggressive, want good habits and keep playing, but don't want to embarrass anyone, that's why P. Anderson was on PP, but had people in penalty box so had to put out Pietila/Kero at times too
On Friday:
We took Wed off to try and change things up a bit, gave us energy Thursday and that led into Fri.
Tuesday was worst practice of the year, frustrated but stuck with plan to give them Wed off
Mantha really good to start, shots 15-1 at one point with no goals yet
1-0, wanted more rebound goals, got several this weekend
2-0, Hanna one-timer, gave us momentum, Hanna plays well in AK, last years trip got him going, pass from Petan had to be perfect
Liked Johnstone all weekend, good to have him back
Starting to get healthy, Heinonen getting healthy, Eick should be ready, have a lot of guys playing well, tough decisions
3-0, Neville, quick play, good for Neville, he had plenty of points in junior hockey
4-0, Heinonen, Hyland with a good D play, good transition, and good pass by Steman, he's playing fantastic
Steman very good, consistency is there, plays hard, strong, adds offense, he's professional, not sure he realizes how good he can be, had all As 1st semester at Tech
Doesn't play on our PP, he could easily, but he puts up points in HS and Juniors, his value is in other areas, can't play in every situation, Neville/Eick/Steman so good on PK
He needs to keep pushing, not be satisfied, grow your game and be a dominant player
5-0, Hanna, Heinonen was wide open back door, thought he'd pass it, but he was in slot said he wasn't going to pass that shot up
Ended up with 3 goals on 5 shots in 2nd period, play went south, played on wrong side of puck
Just talked to the team during intermission, said we'd play a really good team in the future, we wont get away with stuff we were doing
5-1, turnover ended up in UAA goal
We played better in 3rd, overall have to find a way to win with tough trip
On Saturday:
Jamie was outstanding, good he gets a few days off physically/mentally, get ready for the push
Hope to have a lot of hockey left, only guaranteed 6 games left
Break comes at a great time, even with W streak, guys can get heads/bodies back in normalcy, get academics in order before final push
1-0, Kero, Baltus hard work, playing with confidence
2-0, 3-0, Gould both times, good effort on 1st goal, it'll make a highlight goal of the week, he's got confidence
4-0, Baltus with the steal and breakaway, UAA lazy with the puck
Not happy with 2nd, worst period in a long time, Mathias went in and may have sparked UAA. We were flat, made a lot of mistakes. Outshot 14-4
7-0 Steman, garbage goal, good job going to the net this weekend
8-0 Petan, give and go with Kero, good play, we've scored some goals high/blocker side lately, 100 pt club this weekend
10-0 Anderson, first career goal, he's hung in there, hadn't played games until this year, continues to work hard/add something
Getting offense from Dman, shutout, regrouped without Cliff on D, a lot of good things
We've got tough decisions, Johnstone healthy playing well, Gillies/Eick hope to be ready next week, depth on this team continues to show
Tech 1 point back of Mankato with 4 gm to play, everyone will be rested, credit to our team we're in a good position, was looking like a long shot a few weeks ago
Played two 1 goal games in Houghton, we're underdog, no pressure, will be a great weekend of hockey, we don't have tickets in Houghton ticket office, call ticketmaster
A guy called Mel wanted 14 tickets, another wanted 8, it'll be a huge series and great weekend of hockey, want our fans to get tickets and be down there, a lot at stake
Last year was last weekend, they wanted 1st place, we wanted home ice, Sat tie didn't let either team
Can't wait, told our team, Mel's already on to next weekend, will give guys 2 days off
Questions for Mel:
Is the PWR the be all & end all of who makes the show?
It is, Mel is on committee. Understands process. We did slip, but part is what others do too. Not just us.
It's your body of work, your strength of schedule, but how other teams did too.
It's okay, if we keep winning we'll be okay.
Everyone has to deal with and knows how it goes.
Will preparation for playoffs be different than regulars season?
No, consistent, want it to be another game. Not too big of a deal or too small, wont change routine etc.
Watching Saturday night, each goal had minimal celebration. Very business like.
In those games sure, aware of what UAA is going through. Not trying to embarrass. They were excited about Anderson 1st goal though.
What's it like in an almost empty building?
Tough, but if we're playing in empty or full, we need to create our own energy and get job done. It was a business trip
Can only worry about our fans, we have 3 home games left, come out and watch this team.
Other conferences have adopted 3 point system, Will WCHA go to that?
We've talked about that. A lot of our coaches do not want shootouts.
A lot of coaches, Mel included, likes the way it is.
How do you keep guys positive after removing them from lineups in games they contributed?
Communication, talk to them why they're coming out. Difficult to take someone out, tell them to continue to work hard etc.
Sometimes concerned about matching lines, but speak of depth and trust you have in them. If you just roll lines, will you have advantage?
We do have 4 very good lines. This weekend did not match lines. Just rolled them. For most part want to get in flow and let players play, have trust in players. Players can sense that.
You have been in several close games without TO, ever regret using it early in the game?
Maybe sometimes. Muckalt thought this last weekend was early, if you get trapped early in a game, may never recover from the long shift.
Any plans to play top teams out East?
Nothing scheduled, talked to some teams, BU, some conversations. Nothing on schedule.
Prob continue to try for Minn, MSU, Notre Dame, UND etc before out east.
What is Blake's winning % in face-offs?
He's been real good, not sure. Maybe 60-75%.
Any future expansion on heels of ASU? Mel's thoughts?
We've had conversations with ASU, seriously considering going out there next year. All 20 of their games next year are on the road.
We are tied with 2 other teams with Road Ws. No problem traveling.
Expansion - key spots would be great, B1G country or Pac10. A lot of talk, momentum, everyone waiting to see how ASU goes. PSU has been good.
