Hello hockey fans:
It's hard to describe in words the feeling of winning the Big 10 championship (4-3 against Minnesota on Saturday). We were extremely prepared going into the weekend and Coach (Brandon Naurato) did a really good job of prepping us, doing a lot of video work, and helping us understand our opponent. A lot of our upperclassmen and sophomores had been in that situation before, being there last year, so we freshmen took a lot of stuff from them. We learned and listened to what they were saying and that was huge. We went at Minnesota with a certain mentality and style of play, and just tried to go as hard as we could for 60 minutes. That was the biggest thing.
Our celebration in the locker room after the game was amazing. We were going pretty crazy. Coach was extremely excited. Obviously, he's on an interim basis (since August) so that's huge for him. We obviously hope he gets his contract soon and we're doing everything we can for him. He was pretty jacked up and we were all pretty pumped in there, so it was amazing.
The thing I appreciate most about Coach is the way he thinks about the game. He's extremely smart and, in terms of preparation, he likes to break down tendencies and come up with offense or defense that can break whatever the other teams' trends are. He's good at preparing us and himself for the game.
Next up is the NCAA Tournament. We play Colgate in the tournament-opener on Friday in Allentown, Pennsylvania. From what I've heard, Colgate plays a pretty defensive style game. They're an older team so obviously our coaches have been watching video, learning about their tendencies. We've been talking as a team, trying to figure out the best plan of attack.
It's been an incredible season so far. I think it's been everything and more because I didn't know what to expect coming into this year with a change to the level of play, the team, living in a dorm, but it's been amazing. I'm so excited we're getting a chance to play for a national title, so the work is not done yet.
There was obviously a sense of pride when I was awarded Most Outstanding Player of the Big 10 Tournament. I'm extremely grateful that I was able to be given that award. But more importantly was the team trophy. Winning that Big 10 championship with this group was the biggest thing for me. Making sure a ring was on everybody's finger was important because that's what we all wanted going into it. Hoisting that trophy was the best thing that could have happened.
