Postgame Quotes: Michigan 2, #12 Northern Michigan 1
3/21/2010 12:00:00 AM | Ice Hockey
March 21, 2010
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Michigan Head Coach Red Berenson
On tonight's game ... "Northern is a great hockey team and they had a great season. We knew it was going to be a tough game after getting passed Miami last night. The first goal was an important goal again. We knew it would be a tight game and that the game could go either way. They had some isolated scoring chances that Shawn [Hunwick] came up big on. We put our chances in. It was a close game, a big game. I just think that wearing the road jerseys down here with our fans is an oxymoron. Our fans were terrific supporting this team. Not just at the Joe Louis but in East Lansing as well, so I think that is one reason we are sitting here tonight."
On earning Michigan's 20th consecutive NCAA tournament bid ... "We had not talked about the NCAA Tournament until this morning. I reminded the team that we would not be in the tournament unless we won this championship. The goal this week was to try and get by Miami and get in the championship game. We talked about how if we win this game we'll be in the tournament and if we don't we won't. It's not about where we are, but how we got here. To me, this has been the most challenging way into the tournament that Michigan has had in a long time. That's good for our team and our players. Good for our seniors and good for Shawn [Hunwick]. We've had a little more adversity than the average team and they've been amazing."
On goaltender Shawn Hunwick ... "I think he's earned a spot on our playing roster. I don't even like small goalies -- I've always been a big goalie fan, but I'm a fan of small goalies who battle hard. He is a warrior. He's not too worried, he's out there playing hard for his team and his team is out there playing hard for him. You can call it any kind of story you want. It's an opportunity and he's taking advantage of it."
U-M Junior Forward Louie Caporusso
On scoring after Matt Rust lost his stick ... "I think everyone wants power-play time. At the same time, Matt [Rust] realized it would be quicker for me to get out there than for him to grab a stick and who knows if the stick would be good for him or not. So I jumped out there; I didn't really give him a choice, but I think at the same time he's happy that we scored a goal."
On the turning point of the season ... "Maybe it was just the commitment and playing defensive, sound hockey. We had to play as a team. I can't tell you what it was; maybe it was the adversity throughout the whole year. Finally, we just said it is up to us. We don't care what people say or what is stopping us. We just have to work our hardest and play well and something just clicked. Now we're on the right road."
U-M Junior Goalie Shawn Hunwick
On being tournament MVP ... "It was a nice feeling, but I think it takes away from the team. The guys played tremendous. I don't even know if I deserve to be an MVP; I don't even know if I deserve to be a star. The boys played tremendous and it's nice to get a little recognition. Six weeks ago, I would have said you're crazy, but I just have to keep on going."
On playing in the biggest game of his career ... "I try to play like any other game. I think this is the biggest game of my career. I think it's my sixth or seventh start overall, I'm not even sure. You just have to take it in five-minute segments. You win that segment and get to the next one."
U-M Senior Defenseman Steve Kampfer
On returning to the NCAA Tournament ... "I think this one means the most to all of us -- the road we had to go through to get here. I think it just means more to the guys. We're excited to see where we're going tomorrow."
On playing without Captain Chris Summers ... "It's a huge blow for us. He's our best defenseman game in and game out. When he went down it just took more mental preparation for all of us, myself and Chad [Langlais], and you can keep going down the line. We had to step it up. We had to make up for our captain being out. We had to step it up defensively and help our forwards as well."
On student fan support ... "I have seen support from people in classes. You see them start to rally around the team. Obviously, they are big fans of Michigan, but when you see a team start to do well you see a lot of people following us. Before the game I got a couple texts saying good luck and bring home a championship."
