Postgame Quotes: #11 Michigan 5, #9 Bemidji State 1
3/28/2010 12:00:00 AM | Ice Hockey
March 27, 2010
Recap | Notes | Photo Gallery 
Michigan Head Coach Red Berenson
On the game overall ... "It was a hard-fought game. I don't think it was a 5-1 game, but they were always in the game when you think about it. They scored a goal to get back in it and really the momentum was about to change, and then Carl [Hagelin] scored his goal. It was an important comeback goal to keep the momentum on our side. Our penalty killing and goalkeeping had to be solid; I thought it was a good team effort."
On the play of the third and fourth lines ... "You never know who your third-line guys are going to be out against, and their top line is as tough as it has been all year. I thought we did a good job of minimizing the damage, and it wasn't just the top two lines. A.J. [Treais] had a good game for a freshman; this is a good venue and experience for him. I also thought our fourth line was solid."
On the speed of the team ... "I think we've worked hard all along, but I know personally when you get confidence, get in pressure and get a sense of urgency, you can pick up the pace. So I think our team is feeling that feeling. Sometimes you're in a rut and don't know that you can go harder and faster. This is the time of year where we're playing for our season and I think everyone is putting everything they have on the ice."
On Louie Caporusso's goal ... "It was huge and maybe a little bit of luck. I thought the play started with Chris Summers, who forced them to take a penalty using his speed, and we ended up with a four-on-three; that gave us a chance. When Louie got that goal late in the period, you know those plays are tough."
On Bemidji State's play ... "They came back and gave it everything they had; they had a good season. They are a good team, and they are well coached. I can't say enough about them. I've watched more games on tape of Bemidji than I ever have, but I've been so impressed with them. We were very respectful of them and knew we had to put pressure on them. We knew we had to win the third period because if they were on our heels they could take over the game."
On playing Miami ... "We're here and they're here and last week's game just motivated them. I told their coach yesterday that we did everything we could to help them get ready for this week. They're the team to beat being the No. 1 seed. They went home and had a great week of practice. We know we'll have our hands full tomorrow."
On having Chris Summers back in the game ... "I thought he played well. You knew there would be a bit of a transition when you haven't played in three weeks with the quickness, speed, and intensity. We're playing at a much higher level than the last time he played, but he's such a good player. He picked his spots and played conservative, and I thought overall he played well."
U-M Junior Left Wing Carl Hagelin
On the challenges of killing penalties ... "I think we were aggressive throughout the whole game; we didn't give them much, and we came up hard on them. Before the game we did a good job scouting them. We just tried shutting them down, and today we did a good job at it."
U-M Junior Center Louie Caporusso
On reestablishing the lead ... "We just tried to get the puck moving around on the four on three, and [Chris Brown] happened to see the seam that was open to me, and it just went in. It was kind of a scramble play. I just tried to shoot it as hard as I could."
On the key saves by Shawn Hunwick ... "Those are the types of saves that are going to keep you in the game and win you games. [Shawn Hunwick] has been phenomenal since he's been [in goal], and I can't say enough about him."
Bemidji State Head Coach Tom Serratore
On the overall play of the game ... "That's a great hockey team we played tonight. They have a lot of octane, and they took advantage of every opportunity. Every time we had a breakdown they took advantage of the opportunity, and that is the sign of a great hockey team. I'm especially proud of our guys; I thought they fought until the bitter end. [Michigan's] the hottest team in the country, and it might be the best team in the country right now."
On the third Michigan goal ... "It was a tough line change; you give Michigan an inch, and they take a mile. We just had a bad line change. It was a slow line change, and then there's a two-on-one. That's tough, and they took advantage of that."
On the lack of high-quality shots vs. Michigan ... "Their speed is just tremendous. I just think we had a really hard time with their speed. They were one step ahead of us. Eventually what we did was stretch out a bit trying to create some offense that way. We tried to get pucks behind their defense to create more options, and it really did help open things up for us."
