2003-04 IHM vs. Michigan State -- Postgame Quotes
12/5/2003 12:00:00 AM | Ice Hockey
Michigan Head Coach Red Berenson
On scoring a goal off a faceoff ... "It's good. What it does, it makes every play that much more important. You've heard me talk about faceoffs and how just one faceoff can make a difference in a game. You saw that, and that's what it really came down to -- winning a faceoff in the offensive zone and maybe not losing in the defensive zone. Both these teams played hard. The game could have gone either way [with] a bounce here, a bounce there, but I like the feeling out on the bench. I thought there was a lot of enthusiasm and the momentum in the third period. The game was on the line and we played well. It's a good feeling."
On the play of goaltender Al Montoya ... "He made some good saves and it wasn't an easy game for a goalie to play because it seemed like shots came in bunches and they weren't easy to see. I think there were a lot of screened shots and loose pucks and rebounds and Al was strong in the net. He battled hard, both goalies did. (Dominic) Vicari had a great game. Both goalies gave their teams a chance to win."
On scoring in the last few minutes of play ... "It's a good feeling. We've been there before; it was like we were in overtime. The game was essentially in overtime the last five minutes and the team that scored was probably going to be the team that would win. We were disappointed we weren't scoring on our chances, but they were too. When you score it's a great feeling and like I said, it's like an overtime win."
U-M Junior Forward Eric Nystrom
On tonight's game ... "It was a battle tonight, 0-0. It always seems that way in these Michigan-Michigan State games, it's a 1-0 game or 1-1 tie. That's the way it is when you play these guys. It's a battle and it's about will and that's what we did. I think we put together our first 60-minute game of the year. We put together a complete game and came out on top. These are huge games. It doesn't matter where you are in the standings or who is the better team because whenever they come to town, or we go to their place, it's an all-out war. It's the Michigan-Michigan State rivalry. It's been around for a long time and it just feels good to get a win in against these guys."
On his goal ... "We were trying to go forward with it but on a second effort, Dwight (Helminen) somehow knocked it back to me and Mike (Brown) did a great job of blocking the guy out in front. I just wristed it through. There were a lot of bodies in front and somehow it found a way in."
On being matched against the Jim Slater line ... "We knew coming into the game that we were going to be matched up against their line. It's nice to check that line and keep them off the scoreboard and then when you add a goal, it's a bonus. When you discourage their best players, their team kind of gets down because they look to them to lead. Unfortunately, tomorrow night we don't have the luxury to get the last line change but we'll try to match up as we can. If they don't score and we don't score, that's our line winning the game."
U-M Sophomore Goaltender Al Montoya
On playing in this game ... "As a goaltender, that's why you play goalie, because you're back there and you're the one that has the last say in everything. Dom (Vicari) played a great game, but on the other hand, we got to him late. Our team was playing great on offense, we were going at him all night."
On the play of the defense ... "Our defense and our forwards played great. Everyone was coming back, everyone was communicating. It was a game that we want to see progress throughout the year and that's what we were doing. It was really nice to see that."
