March 26, 2010
NCAA Men’s Ice Hockey Midwest Regional
March 26, 2010 | Allen County War Memorial Coliseum | Fort Wayne, Ind.
No. 1 Seed Miami (OH) RedHawks Quotes
Head Coach: Enrico Blasi
Opening Statement
We are excited to be here. I think the people from Notre Dame and the people of Fort Wayne have done a great job with preparation. As far as on the ice and with our season, it is what it is. These guys have done a great job of staying of focused and being consistent most of the year. I’m really proud of the way we handled a bunch of tough situations this year. Having to deal with a lot of questions at the beginning and then the tragedy we went through as a family. These guys have always managed to stay focused of what’s at stake. Again, we are glad to be here and we’d like to thank the people of Notre Dame and Fort Wayne for their hospitality.
On how things have been so far in Fort Wayne and at the Coliseum…
It’s been great. From the moment we got here last night to the Notre Dame staff to the people from Fort Wayne, you can tell it’s a hockey town.
On why the community should come out this weekend…
The fans here are accustomed to some pretty good hockey. I would say this is playoff hockey at its best. Just looking in the locker room, with the history, the teams and past players that have played here. These guys are going to leave it all on the ice. This is a do or die situation for all four teams. It’s going to be exciting hockey, probably at its purest level.
On the goaltender situation…
We’re going to have a staff meeting here in a couple hours. It has been situation where we are electing the pope. If you see some smoke coming out of the Marriott, we’ve made our decision. We have two number one goalies, there’s no question about that. They have both played well all year. Jarod Palmer
On the feeling within the team…
I think the team is confident, excited and ready to go.
Tommy Wingels
On the team’s stop on the way to Fort Wayne…
It was pretty quiet for a couple of minutes. The guys knew we were pulling up to the area. We spent a moment of two out there and every guy did their own thing and said a prayer for Brenden. We got back on the bus and it was quiet for the next five or ten minutes. I think the guys put a little closer to it, even though we have done it a few times this year. We know he is here with us and he is going to help us anyway he can.
On experience of playing in tournament…
It’s unbelievable. We were watching the NCAA basketball games and to think that that’s us in the next few days is remarkable. You work so hard growing up in the summers. You say you want to get back to where you were last year and a lot of credit goes to the guys because it’s not a shoe-in to get back in, it’s a tough season. A lot of good teams didn’t make it. I’m proud of the guys for making the effort to get into it again this year.