I won't say anything about what happened to him (Stafford). Obviously he wasn't available for the rest of the game. We've got to adapt and overcome injuries this time of the year. They're part of the game. Whether or not he's available for Saturday night, we just adapt to that and overcome it. |
I've always said about Jordan, maybe his best attribute is his competitiveness. |
If you asked Jordan, he'd tell you that he just did his job. They came strong the last four or five minutes. As he's done throughout the season, Jordan was there for us. |
It was a battle out there, right down to the final buzzer. I'm very, very proud of our hockey team. We took another step forward tonight. |
It was awful important to score that first power-play goal. That's the start we wanted to have. |
It was obvious what (Stafford) added. Not only the offense he brings, he also brings a certain level of calmness. He's been a leader in that way. The more veteran leadership this time of year is a big positive. I thought he brought some real stability. |
Jordan elevated his game once again toward the second half of the year, as he's done before. He's the leader for us in the locker room and he carries that onto the ice with him. I believe our guys play a little extra hard with him in the nets. At this time of year I wouldn't trade him for anybody. |
Lee is a guy who has a lot of experience playing up front and back on defense. I really like the experience level he brings. I think the potential for him to bring a solid, physical presence is a real positive thing. |
No. 1, we knew we didn't come out of the dressing room Friday night the way we needed to. We didn't match Mankato's intensity Friday. I thought we did that tonight. |
One thing I really like about these guys is that they're not afraid to play. If they make a mistake, they're not afraid to go out there the next shift. The first half (of the season) as a freshman, there is a pretty big learning curve. The only way to go through it is to experience it, if you have the mental ability and toughness. |
Our backs are against the wall. All we did tonight was even things up. Tomorrow night, the winner moves on. It was a battle tonight, a war. We were fortunate to come out on the right end of it. |
Our first goal is to solidify home ice. But it was only one step. We have more steps to go. |
Sometimes blocking pucks doesn't feel real good. But that's something he does, and it's something that's contagious with his teammates. |
That's all we've talked about. For six weeks we've been talking about how we can only control what we do, and we've got to win hockey games. |
That's hockey sense. You saw some chemistry between some of our forward units tonight. Guys made some great plays. |