University of Massachusets Athletics
Don "Toot" Cahoon's Hockey East Teleconference
March 09, 2010 | Hockey
March 9, 2010
AMHERST, Mass. - Massachusetts Head Hockey Coach Don "Toot" Cahoon participated in Hockey East's teleconference Tuesday morning. Cahoon assessed his team's play to this point in the season and previewed this weekend's Quarterfinal matchup with second-seeded Boston College. The Mass Attack reached the Hockey East Quarterfinals for the eighth straight season, and will travel to Chestnut Hill to take on the Eagles beginning Friday at 7 PM from Conte Forum.
Coach Cahoon on his team's season to date:
I'd first like to congratulate all the teams that made the tournament, and we are certainly very pleased to be among that group. Going into the tournament we've obviously been on a bit of a rollercoaster, and it was a long slide down before we have started moving up. We've played pretty hard for a couple of weeks now, and we have played better defensively and gotten better goaltending. I think most teams that succeed start from the goal out and begin with the defensive part of the game.
We have some players that can make some plays, and I don't think we got as good of goaltending and made as many plays during February, and thus got the results that we got. We're feeling a bit better that we're more in sync and more organized that we have been in a while. But it obviously takes on a whole new picture going into the weekend against a Boston College team that is so good defensively and so good in the net.
Cahoon on the transition to a smaller ice surface at Conte Forum:
I don't think the size of the ice surface is any concern. Boston College is very good in their building. Most teams feel like they have a bit of a leg up at home, and clearly they're more comfortable on their own surface and environment. But we practice in situations where we reduce the size of the ice and play with limited space in certain drills, so there are all sorts of ways to do that. Our guys aren't uncomfortable in that ice surface; clearly the game is a bit different with the size of the seams and how they open up and the amount of ice that you have to be able to buy time and space.
It certainly didn't hurt New Hampshire in making adjustments to certain rinks; they won their share of games, and they play of the biggest ice surface in our league. So I don't think that's a factor, but I think it comes down to making good decisions, and playing good team defense and having good goaltending.
Coach Cahoon on the upcoming special teams battle:
I think that Boston College has very gifted goal scorers and that is going to be a big challenge for us. There have been several games where I felt our penalty kill executed pretty well, and some of that falls on the goaltending, because your best penalty killer is your goaltender. We had a couple injuries during February that we've now have back, especially Doug Kublin, who is one of our best penalty killers.
That's helped us in that he's going to improve the penalty killing situations for us, and also the fact that we can get Justin Braun some minutes off the ice. One of our biggest struggles over the past couple years is that when we get into injury situations, Justin plays ridiculous minutes (about 35-37 minutes per game).
Cahoon on the leadership of co-captains Braun and Brett Watson:
I think people are starting to recognize how important they are to our team. We have had some issues, relatively minor issues, but issues that get in the way during the course of a season. These two guys have been the most consistent players and most consistent people in our locker room; they're great leaders and individuals around campus and the community. And that helps us sell what we do out here.
I think Justin is one of the best defensemen in college hockey. He's been remarkably consistent; you rarely see him play below his abilities, and he's added the offensive dimension to his game. And I truly believe that he is the best defensive defenseman in this league. I think that will be supported by where he plays in the next few years; that's a bold statement, I understand, but I can't see him not being able to play at a high level for several years to come.
Brett Watson comes from a great hockey family, and he has a very clear understanding of what it takes to compete at a high level. Although he isn't a great goal scorer, he does things away from the puck that you pray other guys on the bench are watching because he really understands the game in its purest form. He's a terrific penalty killer and faceoff guy. So both of our captains demand respect from our players and coaches that's unparalleled.
Coach Cahoon on who he hopes will add offensive production this weekend:
We've got the likes of Will Ortiz, who has had a good year for us, and I'm hoping that Michael Lecomte gets to the top of his game, because he can give us some offensive play. We have T.J. Syner, who is one of the best skaters in the league, he gets to open spaces and loose pucks, and he can generate some offense. And we also have some other guys that we think are starting to come around in Danny Hobbs and Rocco Carzo.
But we're not going to go toe-to-toe with Boston College on that front. We need to compete and play smart and be on the right side of the puck and play with a passion that going to allowing us to hang in there with them. They've had our number for quite some time now; I think we stole an overtime game from them last year, but they've clearly had their way with us. But it's a whole new season and we'll see what happens on Friday, and I know that both teams are going to go in there prepared to play, so we are expecting them to be at their best.
