Nov. 19 Press Conference Transcript
Mike Gabinet (Head Coach, Omaha Hockey):
Yeah, good to see everybody. Thanks for coming. We’re looking forward to getting underway here with Western Michigan this weekend here. And, yeah, nice to get a split up on the road against UMD here. So, again, continue to work on some things here, continue to improve, and looking forward to the weekend.
Emma Goldstein (Sports Information, Omaha Athletics):
Any questions for Jacob Guevin?
Tyler Doremus, UNO Gateway:
Getting kind of punched in the mouth Friday night, what did you guys do to kind of keep yourselves mentally in that game on Saturday to go and get that win?
Jacob Guevin (Senior Defenseman, Omaha Hockey):
Yeah, I think that’s been an identity for our team this year. I think we’ve been really good at coming back, especially on Saturday night. I think our guys are not afraid of any team in this country, so we knew they had a good team, but like I said, we’re not afraid, so we kind of just stick to our game plan, and everything went well.
UNO Blue Line Club Newsletter Writer:
What did you see out of Dawson that night (Saturday night)?
Jacob Guevin (Senior Defenseman, Omaha Hockey):
Really good. I thought he was super, super composed — and seeing him off the ice, too, he doesn’t look too nervous, so it’s kind of a calming factor for the whole team, and we’re just really happy for him.
Mike Vaillancourt, Learfield Sports:
Jacob, as you enter the (NCHC) slate, it’s the number one schedule, toughest schedule in the nation, weekend after weekend after weekend. How do you guys stay mentally sharp week to week (with) that kind of same grind over and over again?
Jacob Guevin (Senior Defenseman, Omaha Hockey):
Yeah, I think we actually kind of enjoyed that process. I think it’s nice to be, you know, playing all those good teams and we’re right in the mix with them and I think it’s good to build confidence, because like I mentioned, to be the best you got to beat the best, and I think that’s what we’ve been doing a pretty good job of that. So yeah, I feel like it’s pretty easy to stay focused because every game is a really hard game and you know the the opponent is going to be really good, so it’s been a very, very cool progress for our team for sure.
Bridget Brooks, MavPuck.com:
Jacob, you’ve continued to grow your game defensively. Where do you think you’ve taken the biggest step this year?
Jacob Guevin (Senior Defenseman, Omaha Hockey):
Yeah, I think I did a pretty good job in the summer with my speed. It’s always been something that I want to keep improving on, and I think I’ve improved on it a little bit, and I want to keep doing a good job at it so I feel like I can close on guys quicker and jump into play as well. So I would say that’s the biggest improvement in my game.
Mike Vaillancourt, Learfield Sports:
The confidence level in the locker room as you’ve gone throughout the season and the team has grown and improved — where would you say you are with that, versus maybe where you started the season?
Jacob Guevin (Senior Defenseman, Omaha Hockey):
Yeah, with all the new guys, I feel like we have a lot of guys that are new to college hockey, so they don’t really know what they get into it. So the first few weekends, it’s a little different for them. And now that we’ve been rolling for a little bit, I think everyone knows what their job is. And yeah, we feel really, really confident every game.
Bridget Brooks, MavPuck.com:
What do you think the biggest challenge that’s facing you guys this weekend with Western is?
Jacob Guevin (Senior Defenseman, Omaha Hockey):
I think they have experience. They have a good team. They won it last year, obviously. And we’ve just got to make sure we play a full 60. I think that’s the biggest thing. They come hard. They come quick. So just make sure we’re dialed (in) for the full 60.
Bridget Brooks, MavPuck.com:
Okay. So your puppy, Doug the Golden (https://www.instagram.com/doug_the_goldenn/), has almost 4,000 followers on Instagram. At this point, is there a recruiting battle in the locker room to be Doug’s favorite teammate, or is it you?
Jacob Guevin (Senior Defenseman, Omaha Hockey):
No, I think it’s all good. I don’t really run his Instagram. It’s more of my girlfriend, so I’m not aware of all that. But I’ve brought him to the locker room a few times, and the guys have seen him before, so everyone likes him, yeah.
Mike Vaillancourt, Learfield Sports:
You mentioned a lot of the players not having prior experience of college hockey, and the rivalries and whatnot that go along with it. How much has the senior group that’s been here taken upon themselves to kind of really integrate all that cultural feel, and to help these guys understand week to week what the NCHC specifically is about?
Jacob Guevin (Senior Defenseman, Omaha Hockey):
Yeah, I mean, even though they haven’t played college hockey, I think everyone has played some good hockey coming here, and it’s pretty easy for them to understand. That, you know, with our shorter calendar, every game kind of matters, and I think everyone’s been doing a pretty good job at putting in the work and knowing that every single shift really matters out there.
Emma Goldstein (Sports Information, Omaha Athletics):
Questions for Head Coach Mike Gabinet.
Bridget Brooks, MavPuck.com:
So, Coach, looking back at the Duluth weekend, What stood out to you most about the way the group competed?
Mike Gabinet (Head Coach, Omaha Hockey):
Yeah, I thought Saturday night especially, I thought we had our legs. Again, I thought we looked a little tentative on Friday and just weren’t skating up to the tempo and pace that we need to do against a team like that. And I thought Saturday, just right from the drop of the puck, we took the initiative necessary to be successful in those types of series against that type of opponent there. So, yeah, I just liked our pace better, liked our initiative better a little bit, I think.
Like you mentioned, we’ve got lots of new guys that are getting used to the speed of the game, and I think when you watch too much against good teams there, it’s tough to contain them, and you end up being in your own end a lot. So I liked our initiative there to be a little bit more aggressive in our style of play, and I thought it was positive for us.
Tyler Doremus, UNO Gateway:
Was that part of the plan to start Dawson on Saturday night, (or was) that kind of a change after Friday night’s game?
Mike Gabinet (Head Coach, Omaha Hockey):
No, I made my mind up. It was the Saturday before, Saturday before. Sometimes, you know, depending on something, sometimes it’s nice just to make that decision way ahead of time there. So both guys know what to prepare for going on the week there. Simon was a little bit under the weather there, and with the travel, and it was not a super easy travel to get up there too for us there. So it was nice to split the series up there for both goalies to get a chance to play and stay fresh.
UNO Blue Line Club Newsletter Writer:
He’s been really good in his two starts. What have you kind of seen out of him so far this year?
Mike Gabinet (Head Coach, Omaha Hockey):
Yeah, I think it’s just been great to see — just like a lot of our guys on our team, I think you’ve seen that growth since when you first got here to where he’s at now. And I think as a coach, that’s what you’re looking for. You’re looking at guys that want to push themselves to continue to get better, and he’s doing that. He’s working really hard at his game, and working hard to improve and get better, and he is. And I think it was just nice, again, like I think I made, again, the... decision to get him in (against) Colorado (College) a week before that game. In our conference, you can really get caught into that being reactive and sure at times you’re going to have to adjust your plans but I think if we can stick to a game plan there and get guys in for certain games, I think you know then it’s it serves us well in the future. And I thought he did a good job against CC there and then to get a boom another start again.
It’s nice too. And it’s nice to not have Simon to have to… He’s had a lot of shots in certain games this year too … not have to carry every single game and play every game. So it’s just nice to get him in early there. So now when he plays, it’s not like a big deal. He’s got some experience under his belt. He can be ready to go there whenever called upon there. But yeah, doing great. Keeps getting better. (Keeps) working hard. And just like all our guys, great to see the improvement.
Mike Vaillancourt, Learfield Sports:
You mentioned the injury bug kind of bit you again last weekend. How do you feel…how comfortable are you, with the depth of the club? And that’s almost kind of how to force guys into the lineup.
Mike Gabinet (Head Coach, Omaha Hockey):
Yeah, I don’t think we’ve been healthy yet, right, this year. I think we’ve always had one, two, if not three guys out that we probably predicted to be in the lineup. And it’s a great opportunity for other guys to play and get experience and get those touches and get that real-life feedback.
So, you know you always want your best lineup “ready to go,” but I think it’s also real positive if you can get guys experience and they’re working really hard in practice and that’s what you talk about preparing for your moment as a player and “next man up” and we’ve had some really good guys step in and and … not only get experience, but help the team be successful so I think that’s what you’re looking for as a coach. You need that depth in today’s game. There’s just too many injuries now. You’re going to deal with it throughout the season. And in college hockey now — and moving to the 26-man roster — you’re going to need guys that can play, right? You’re going to have to find those guys that can help support, as injuries are going to happen.
Bridget Brooks, MavPuck.com:
Speaking of guys that can play, talk about Jacob Guevin and his impact on the team this year and throughout his Maverick career.
Mike Gabinet (Head Coach, Omaha Hockey):
Yeah, he’s just been one of those guys that’s such a steady force back there for us. You know, he logs a lot of minutes back there for us, and plays the right side. And like he talked about, not only is he a good offensive defenseman, but he’s also really — you see him on the penalty kill, you see him out there in key situations defensively there. So (he’s) just done a tremendous job really rounding out his game and finding ways to impact the game on both ends of the ice.
So I can’t speak enough about him. A guy that really, again, does the right things off the ice too, takes care of himself, and is a good role model for our younger guys we have here as well.
Bridget Brooks, MavPuck.com:
So Western’s coming off a sweep of Miami and scored 12 goals on the weekend. What stands out to you about how they’re playing right now?
Mike Gabinet (Head Coach, Omaha Hockey):
Yeah, again, they play that kind of north-style aggressiveness. They’ve played their last four games in Western, which is obviously a little bit different of a building (there) for ice dimension, zone dimensions, etc. there, but (they’re) just a team that goes north in a hurry there and they’re hungry around the net — they transition well. You just got to be ready to go, you got be ready to go, because they’re going to play with a lot of pace and intensity there and I’m really looking forward to the matchup you know. Again, i think Fersch (WMU Coach Pat Ferschweiler) as done a great job there, and, uh, I know our guys are excited to again take on one of the top teams in the country
Tyler Doremus, UNO Gateway:
Have you prepped any different coming off a split, and looking ahead to playing such a tough team like Western?
Mike Gabinet (Head Coach, Omaha Hockey):
Yeah, again, I think I still like to keep the focus on us. I mean, obviously we’ll do a lot of preparation for who we’re playing. They’re a little bit different style than Minnesota Duluth, so you have to make those technical adjustments, and be prepared for that. But I think, again, we have so many things we need to keep improving at too as a team that you’ve got to make sure you keep coming back to those fundamentals, those certain things that are going to give you success no matter who you play against. So really, really finding that right marriage between those two things, you know, knowing about your opponent, how you have to prepare for them, but also keep working on yourself, and how to improve individually and collectively as a team. So we’ve really focused hard on that this week.
Mike Vaillancourt, Learfield Sports:
On Saturday, you had mentioned before the game that you had challenged the team “not to be heroes, but to be good.” Do you think that that kind of maybe helped them relax a little bit and not grip the stick so tight, especially coming off a Friday night loss?
Mike Gabinet (Head Coach, Omaha Hockey):
Yeah, I thought Coach Noel-Bernier did a really good job — it was kind of his statement there was, you know, “we don’t need everybody to be great. We just need everybody to be good.” And I think sometimes when you’re playing at this high a level of a team, you know, and when you’ve come from maybe junior where you’ve been able to be that great player all the time, it’s just harder to be great at this level. There’s just so many good players. The competition is so tough.
So, at times, you’re not going to be able to make a big play or do what you want to do with the puck because of your competition you’re facing. But if you can be really solid, really good, really competitive, smart with the puck, and everybody can be good, that’s how we’re going to win hockey games. So I think it was just a good message on — take some of that pressure off yourself to be the first star of the game, but put a lot of pressure on yourself to be really good with your B game, really help the team win. And I think sometimes if you’re struggling a little bit individually too, and you just take that pressure off looking internally at yourself and ask, how can you help? I think sometimes that relieves the pressure that sometimes us competitors put on ourselves and then we just can’t get out of our own way, because we’re just so focused on ourselves and, oh, I’m not feeling it. I should be doing better. I should be doing this instead of, Hey, how can I help my teammate be successful here? How can I help the team be successful? And then it frees you up just to kind of not keep as much focus on yourself.
Bridget Brooks, MavPuck.com:
The Western Series always seems to be a very physical one. What’s your message been to the group this week about staying disciplined but still finishing checks and competing physically?
Mike Gabinet (Head Coach, Omaha Hockey):
I thought we were better at that again against Duluth. That’s one thing I like about this team. Sometimes you do take two steps forward, and one step back. You’re not going to just be perfect from here to the rest of the year. They’re going to keep making mistakes, and we have to keep helping them out. I thought our discipline was better.
You know, (there’s) stuff to work on — controlling our sticks and how the game’s officiated now and all that stuff there. But again, I thought we were better on that. I think it’s a real key, you know, right? Again, if the less penalties you take, the less power plays you’re giving the opposition, the more power plays you’re going to have, good things are going to happen there. So that’s something we have to continue to harp on.
We did a drill today just on stick management, you know, stick on the ice. It’s hard to get penalties when your stick’s on the ice. And that’s where you want it to be 95% of the time in hockey, right? So just working on some of those things, and keep reinforcing that behavior we want to see. And hopefully that allows us to not only create turnovers, but also keeps us out of the penalty box.
Mike Vaillancourt, Learfield Sports:
Real quick, turning back to the goaltending, you mentioned being good, and not having that much pressure. Do you think it might help Simon now, knowing that Dawson is behind him, that he can get a break every now and again, maybe lighten mental load a little bit, in addition to the physical load?
Mike Gabinet (Head Coach, Omaha Hockey):
Yeah, absolutely. I think anytime you know you’ve got good support around for anybody, I think it’s a positive thing. Just like if you lose a defenseman, you know the next guy that can step in there can do the job. I think it helps not only those individuals, but also the team have confidence in that too. And I think you’re seeing that now.
Like you said, if Simon needs a night off, we know that Dawson can step in there and do the job. Just like if we lose a forward like we’ve lost, you know that somebody else can step in there and fill that role there. It’s part of being a team, man. I mean, hockey is a team sport. You know, you can’t … I know, you know, my daughter’s playing basketball, so I’m learning more and more about basketball, but you can have a couple of really good individual players there and really carry the team. For hockey, you know, you need that, you know, you need that — not saying that it’s not a team sport too, but like, you know, you just, you just, you know, you really can’t just rely on one player. We got to, especially our team, I think that’s one of the fun things about us is that you got to really, really support each other, and really help out, you know, for different guys having different nights.
Tyler Doremus, UNO Gateway:
That Saturday night game was the first time that Duluth had been shut out in over a month. What did you see just from your defense and goaltending that really made that possible?
Mike Gabinet (Head Coach, Omaha Hockey):
Yeah, I think one thing too, I thought we played in the o-zone (offensive zone) a little bit more too, which I think is the best way to defend. If you ask me, I think keep the puck and keep it in the o-zone, and they’re not going to score as many goals. And so I think that was one. And then I think just, again, to Mike (Vaillancourt)’s comment about the physicality, like I think against good teams, you have to be physical. You have to end plays. You have to slow them down, right? You want that puck to stop moving in the d-zone (defensive zone) and then get it out of your zone. So I think it was some good things there defensively as well too. And again, I just thought we had more jump. We had a little bit more intensity. We’re quicker on pucks — both offensively, defensively — just did things at a higher tempo and pace that you have to do against good teams.
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