Michigan State 2, UMass-Lowell 1
10/17/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
Oct. 17, 2008
Michigan State Head Coach Rick Comley
Overall impressions...
Overall, we played pretty darn well as far as work ethic. What we were afraid of when they scored was what was going to happen, because offense has been so difficult for us. All of a sudden, we took off. We were around the net a lot. We had 36 shots tonight, and in the first three games we didn't have more than 16. The kids will feel good about it, and we've had a lot of big wins here over the last three years, but this win for this team is really important confidence-wise.
On the play of freshman goalie Drew Palmisano...
He played great for his first college game, and he played the puck so well. It's interesting now, because that will challenge Jeff (Lerg) - you watch. I'll bet you the next time you interview him he's going to talk about puck movement. He watched (Palmisano) very, very closely. He's a really good goalie. We have three kids who can play in net for this program right now. It was a little bit of a gamble to play him, I guess, but I'm committed to playing him seven or eight times, and you have to put him in the net.
On the decision to play Palmisano instead of Lerg...
My fear was that these kids were relying so much on Jeff. They had to prove to themselves that they could win without him. That's what my hope was, but there's no guarantee that's going to happen. But that's what my hope was.
On getting the win after losing the first game of the series...
I think it was really important. As you know, in hockey, memories are really short - for our fans, for everybody. Everybody deals with 2-2 now because of the schedule, but everyone's OK now. They like what they see and they like these young kids and it's a good emotional win at home. It sets up a positive week of practice to play a really tough Northern Michigan team. Northern is a team that gives us trouble, because they're big, they're strong, they're older. Our average age is 20-point-something, and theirs is probably 27.
Massachusetts-Lowell Head Coach Blaise MacDonald
Overall impressions...
Give Michigan State credit, they had an outstanding bounce-back game tonight. They had a lot of energy and intensity tonight and energy means a lot. They capitalized on those third period penalties that got called. That 5-on-3 was huge and one fortunate bounce off the boards and that's the game.
On Drew Palmisano...
We weren't surprised to see him. He's a championship goaltender that has the ability to lead teams to championships.
On what he learned about his team this weekend...
We need to score more goals. We need to put in that little extra effort to turn on the red light. We have to realize that scoring goals is difficult and we can never take them for granted.
On the play of Massachusetts-Lowell goaltender Carter Hutton...
He was very solid for us this weekend. That's the kind of play we expect out of him.
Michigan State Freshman Center Ben Warda
On what getting a win at home...
It was amazing, unreal. The crowd went nuts after we scored those goals. It's a great feeling and I've never had that feeling before. It is definitely a big relief.
On coming from behind to win...
It was huge and a confidence booster, especially for our younger guys to hang in the game and keep battling.
On his thoughts about getting MSU's opening goal...
My mind just went blank. I scored and didn't know what to do. I was so happy. [Andrew] Conboy made a great play to get me a wide open net, I just had to shoot it in and it was awesome.
On transitioning into the team...
It's been tough. [Coach Rick Comely] changes the lines up a lot so you have to find a connection with certain linemates. It's been going well, you just keep battling and working hard to get your chances. I have enjoyed it so far.
Michigan State Freshman Goalie Drew Palmisano
On getting his first collegiate win ...
It means a lot to get the first win at home especially because we struggled last night. So to just get the first win under my belt is nice.
On his performance...
I felt really relaxed. The defense did a good job, and the forwards did a good job of playing down in their end for most of the game which made my job a lot easier. They blocked a lot of shots for me so I didn't have to be too big tonight.
On coming from behind...
You can't let it bother you too much. You're only down one goal in the third period in your home rink so you just have to battle like we did. We got a good goal and carried the momentum after the next faceoff. Luckily we got that done and got the next goal really quick.
On Jeff Lerg's influence and support ...
Jeff's been really great. He keeps supporting me, and saying "good job" and just helping me out every day in practice. It made me feel a lot more comfortable tonight.
