Bowling Green State University Athletics
BGSU Hockey Press Conference Quotes
October 04, 2005 | Ice Hockey
Oct. 4, 2005
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University hockey team is less then two weeks away from their season opener with Merrimack (Oct. 14) and Boston College (Oct. 15). Head coach Scott Paluch and senior captain Don Morrison sat down with the media this afternoon (Tues.) to discuss the upcoming season.
Head Coach Scott Paluch
How was it to see your team on the ice last night?
"It was good to see them on the ice. It was about as quick of a turnaround as you can have from having your first practice on Saturday to a game on Monday night. We had great energy. It was nice to see seven goals go in our first time on the ice. I was not sure what to expect after two days of practice, but it was a good night to see a lot and move forward."
Talk about your special teams from last night vs. Windsor.
"We need to be a better penalty kill team then we were a year ago. Our biggest challenge is to improve the PK and we held them 0-for-10 last night, which was a good start and we can build from there. To get four power-play goals was good, and as the game went on we got better and more crisper and finish the chances we got."
Discussing the Falcon goaltending...
"Jon Horrell has played some games last year and played extremely well. Jimmy Spratt comes in with a lot of high-end junior experience. I think we have a real good battle. The important thing is for our goalies to understand that we don't need anyone to do what Jordan [Sigalet] did. We just want our goalies to compete and give us a chance to win games."
"Much like any other position, the player that will be in goal will be the one that gives us the best chance to win. We had a situation for the last three years where there wasn't much of a goaltending decision. Jordan [Sigalet] was in there and that was an easy decision for us to make every night. Now we are in a situation with two goalies battling for that spot and that is the best thing for our team, then that is what we are going to go with."
What is life going to be like with out the Sigalet's?
"We are talking about Jordan being one of the top goalies and top players to ever play at Bowling Green. Jonathan was on his way to a tremendous career here as well. The signs of a good program are when they can overcome losses and move forward, and hopefully you are building enough depth that you can overcome losses like that."
How does it feel to be picked eighth in both preseason polls?
"Our big concern was that we finished fifth a year ago. A lot of those guys from that team are back and those guys went through the rigors all season long that got us home ice. We want to improve on that finish. We are not really concerned what people put down on a piece of paper. So many teams in our league through the years have proved the coaches wrong in a lot of ways going up or down."
Can you talk about Brian Holzinger a bit and about him being inducted into the Hall of Fame?
"The first time I went on the road recruiting it was a game up in Windsor to watch Brian play. At that time there were a couple of coaches that went and watched him play and said that guy is pretty good. After we got him I thought this recruiting stuff was pretty easy. He turned out to be not only a tremendous player here, but even more importantly he is a tremendous young man who exemplified everything in the classroom, off the ice and on the ice, which is what we want out of our players."
Talk out the difficulty of your non-conference schedule.
"I think it is important that you play good teams and have a schedule that not only the team wants, but something our program and fans deserve as well. On October 15 former coach Jerry York comes back with his Boston College team, a team that has a chance to win a national title very year. It will be a great test for our team and we are excited about it."
Senior Captain Don Morrison
How did it feel to get out and play last night?
"To get out there against another team was a great feeling. It was competition and every hockey player loves that."
Scoring seven goals against Windsor last night...
"It was nice to see that, but we expect that this year. We are out to win, play well and want to improve upon what we did last year. The seven goals were great and it was a statement on what we can do."
How do you feel about this year's goaltending?
"Jordan was a great player and an awesome goaltender, but I have all the confidence in the world in all three of our goalies that they can get the job done. It is a battle for the position, but they all stepped up last night and they are all looking real strong at this time."
Do you feel you have something to prove to people that you can win without the Sigalet's?
"I guess we do have something to prove, but for the most part it is just our team focusing on what we have to do to win the games. We know we will be okay."
