Puck Quotations

We take the shortest route to the puck and arrive in ill humor.

I saw a hockey game where they threw the puck aside and just started fighting. I saw that, and I'm like, 'So I'm the thug?'

Sometimes that happens. I know how it feels to lose eight or nine to nothing. It can be frustrating but it was good for us. This was a team that was hot the last nine games. It seemed like any puck we touched went our way.

I think the idea of the obstruction through the neutral zone and away from the puck was an excellent rule.

The one thing you saw today was a flow, it was up-and-down. When you play that way at that speed and that tempo, things are going to happen. They got the game-winner off one of our guys' skates but that's a credit to them because they got the puck to that point. Some days the bounces go your way and some days they don't.

We stressed in the locker room that we wanted to really bring the hammer down and that goal really drove the nail into Waterville and we kept the puck deep in their zone from there and didn't allow too many good shots on goal.

We started off not bad in the first but after that I don't know what we were doing. We kind of started playing by ourselves ... and we got caught turning the puck over way too many times and couldn't really find our game.

We've always thought they were a very skilled team but they're even more skilled than people know. They skate really well, they swarm the puck, the protect they puck well. They all have exceptional puck skills, stick skills, and they compete.

We're getting too cute, too fancy (with passes). That's what happens when you got new guys coming into the lineup that are skilled players playing with guys who are skilled players. Everybody wants to show off and show how great they are and how fancy they can make things happen. As a result, we turned the puck over and we all looked like we had no idea what we were doing.

When we did get the puck deep our wingers didn't support. We didn't cycle as well as we could have.

When we have good puck possession, we're close to one another and it's all short passes and puck support, and you work your way up the ice.

We had 1:15 ... 1:20, so we knew, 'Let's be patient here, let's wait for the right play' ... We moved the puck around and got lucky. I got a clear shot.

We're moving the puck at a good tempo. We have players that can really play offensively. The players are embracing the concept of unselfishness. They don't care who gets the goals.

We're just not poised enough with the puck. We're not managing the puck well and we're not taking advantage of what they've giving us. Give credit to Carolina. There's a reason they're in first place.

We're getting a little better as far as not coughing the puck up as much. When we do, that's when we tend to give up more shots. That's something that has gotten better generally as the season has gone on.

We're a very skilled team. When we move the puck the way we're capable, we're a tough team to play.

With the red line removed, ... those two will be able to play with the puck and make surprising passes.

With the parity in this league, we could see either of these teams again this season. We happened to get the best of them this weekend, but we'll have to continue playing at this level. The key for us is to break the puck out, so we can generate offense from the back.

With the new rules, if you've got the puck with some speed, it's tough for the opposition to stop you.

We knew they were going to come at us strong. We just wanted to keep it really simple and get the puck in deep, but we turned the puck over on a couple of occasions and the next thing you know, bang it's in the net.

We knew they were a good skating team. We came out trying to force their hand with some hitting and our guys got caught up in that a little bit too much. We lost sight of the puck and they're a very good team. They find their open players very well.

We know we're not going to beat him with something from the perimeter. He has good pads and contains long shots. We've got to get traffic in front of him. If he stops the shot we have to get the puck back.

With Tom, we can look to control the puck and set our forwards up more quickly. His ability to score gives the rest of our offense more open looks.

We're still going to have to skate, ... We're going to have to cycle the puck down low, where we should be strong, but at the same time, we have to be able to move.

We're seeing teams make increasing use of the long pass so the puck goes up the ice now in the blink of an eye,

We've got great guys who can move the puck and get up in the play. Offensively do some damage, that's why we're here.

We want to put the puck on net a little bit more. There were times we did it, there were times we could have done it more.

We want to play them in their end and always have the puck and start making plays in their zone. When we're successful, we get results like this.

When he got the puck there I was thinking about the Olympics against Corey Hirsch. That was a big goal for him.

When he gets the puck on his stick, it's not easy to get it off. He's a big guy, a strong guy, a skilled guy. He's got everything. You just have to try to limit the time he has with it.

When he gets the puck in those areas, he usually scores.

We want him to want the puck, to skate with the puck and find people open with the puck. Hopefully, he can do it. He's shown flashes where he takes off and goes, and sometimes he backs off and becomes conservative.

(The Red Wings) are the one team in the league that challenges you with puck possession. We didn't match them today in intensity.

We abandoned what worked in the first period. We wanted to pass the puck into the net, not shoot it. It goes back to very simple hockey. Pucks to the net create excitement for everybody.

We abandoned what was working in the first period, and that was shooting the puck. We wanted to pass the puck into the net. In the first period we shot the puck and went to the net.

We really got going in the second half of the second period and in the third period, ... We got good scoring chances, we got the puck to the net, we got our speed going. I think more and more throughout the preseason you're going to see the new NHL, where they will pick up speed and not have those dull moments.

We had a few different plans, actually. It just depended on where the puck was going to be. 'Pies' made a great play just to be able to bump it back, and I just took out my driver and swung at it, and fortunately the puck went between his legs.

We have really played them tough in the past. We really need to just take care of the puck and stay out of the penalty box.

The expectations for Mike have always been so high, he's raised that bar to a level that only he can reach. And when the puck doesn't go in the net or the team struggles, he's certainly the one that everyone's going to point to,

Good news, they found Nemo! The bad news is, they found him in one of Wolfgang Puck's puff pastries.

We have a number of girls that can put the puck in the net. She's a good goal scorer.

When he has the puck, he doesn't slow down. It's like in football, when they talk about 40 (yard) speed and game speed. Some great running backs seem quicker when they have the ball, and that's Phil with the puck on his stick.

When I got the second goal, I knew I had 100 goals so one of my teammates, Gillian Apps, grabbed the puck for me.

When I look at Simon, I see the same player I've seen for two years. But now he plays with a center man who is a playmaker. I see a guy who gets to the puck who never got to it when he was here previously. He gets a lot of goals off the rush, which he never used to get before.

We needed a good start. They have a lot of young guys, especially on defense. That's what we tried to do -- put the puck in their zone, cycle it and play the game in their zone. Once you do it, you get a lot of scoring chances, that's what happened.

When things aren't going well, sometimes it's tough to go to the ballpark. But when you'd walk into the park and Puck was there, you'd have to smile. When he was in a room, he brightened it.

The plain fact is that some guys really have to look deep within themselves and figure out how badly they want to play. You can't come out and play rope-a-dope for two periods. On our home ice, you don't want to leave a game to a bounce of the puck in the last 20 minutes and we did. And this is what you get, a 1-0 loss.

We're glad we got a chance to play the game. We've been having some trouble scoring, so it was nice to put the puck in the net.

We're seeing third-period lead changes and we are seeing players using their sticks for intended purpose of sticks, and that is to handle and to propel the puck - not as a tool for checking.

Mac did an awesome job. I saw him wheeling down there and he got to the puck first and then battled it out and then a one-handed pass, it was great. I was all alone and he gave me all the time in the world so hats off to him.

Sean Payne brought it down and got the puck low, and they shot it out but it went up in the air. I just palmed it down. Nobody was on me; I saw the low corner.

She wants the puck like I've never seen before. She doesn't care if it's boys or girls (hockey). She wants the puck.

She's playing with poise and a great deal of confidence. She's played well the complete 60 minutes. She's in the zone, she sees the puck well and controls the rebounds well. She puts the team in a position to win.

Some nights you don't know how the puck goes in sometimes. Tonight we didn't know how it didn't go in sometimes. When you're playing a game like this, it's fun. Every time you get the puck, you think you can do something.

Shooting the puck up ice is something we've been working on all season. It's gotten me in trouble a couple of times, turning it over to the other team and getting goals against us. It was a bang, bang play and fortunately it worked out.

She has had those moments all season long. The skill she has that every time she touches the puck there is a chance that something is going to go in.

She played great. There was one play that I think went a little unnoticed where, late in the game, she made a save where she just tipped a puck and it hit off the post instead of hitting an open net, and it was little things like that where she came up big for us tonight.

Most of the time the puck doesn't come to you. This time I was lucky.

Mistakes cost you, and we had a few that really hurt us today. It wasn't just on that goal that got waived off, but we had five blue shirts standing around watching two (Tech goals) on rebounds when our goalie didn't know where the puck was. We have no one to blame there but ourselves.

Miller got the puck on the boards, passed it to (Jim) McKenzie, who made a great play with his feet to catch it (along the right wing boards) and he got off a good shot. The rebound came out (into the slot) and I got enough of it to put it past him.

Maxim is such a dangerous player with the puck, he draws players to him, especially after scoring a goal like that. I look for that, you seem to get a little more space when Maxim has the puck, so it's my job to get to an open spot, because he usually finds a way to get the puck to you. He made a great pass and all I had to do was hit the net.

Maybe we were a little too fancy at times and we just need to get the puck into the net. We made a few mistakes, a little bit over aggressive and if you make mistakes against a quality team like this they will burn you. I think we will get better as the rest of the tournament goes on.

One of the things our team has been doing so well the past month is that we pin teams in and we control the puck in the offensive zone for such extended periods that sometimes you wear them out. You see a lot of teams do that BC did today, they finally break out and just dump it in because they're spent." ()

One of the silly ones, in my opinion, is the automatic (penalty) for flipping the puck inadvertently up in the stands. We all know, and so do the officials, when it's intentional, so call the intentional ones.

My first instinct when I have the puck and I have the shot is to shoot at that open spot (of the net). I get a lot of my goals that way, but also score on rebounds as well.

My abs are sore. They speed around, and they handle the puck, too. It's really tough to handle the puck when you're moving.

My head was turned toward the puck and I saw him out of the corner of my eye. He got a pass, the puck was in front of him. I don't think it was a dirty hit. Stuff like that is going to happen in this game.

Maybe but we've set it up in a simple way that we dump the puck in and support each other very closely, so even if you are forcing it a little bit, at worst you're just kind of giving it up along the wall.

Now the puck goes from the goal line to the far blue line just like that.

New skates are so much lighter for comfort and speed, and guys are shooting the puck so much harder. Sometimes something has to give.

Obviously, I was just going for the puck first. I can't say I was surprised with the call. I haven't seen the replay, whether it was a blatant trip or not. But either way, I cost my team the game, so it's kind of tough to take.

Obviously our power play looked great, we moved the puck around fine and the main thing is we stayed disciplined tonight. That's how we're going to win games, stay disciplined and capitalize on our power plays.

Obviously I love playing when it comes down to crunch time. I like the playoffs and those last games against BC were big for us for home ice. The puck has just kind of been falling in for me. Hopefully I can continue that this weekend.

Right now, it seems that we're doing good things, the puck is bouncing for us and we're getting breaks like I did at the end of the game.

Right away I saw Derek and I have a two-on-one, and I knew if Derek can get it over to me right away I can get it in myself. I think the puck kind of rolled on Derek, and he had to settle it down, and once he passed it to me I think the goalie kind of read it, so I knew if I hold onto it for a split second and just give it right back Derek would have a pretty good chance on an open net.

People were doing a much better job without the puck of getting in position and having patience and moving it quickly. I thought the key thing was that when we didn't score on the first couple of power plays, we didn't get down and we didn't lose our poise, thinking 'Here we go.' You could feel that there was a confidence.

Peter's got a good feel for the puck in the offensive part of the game. He's a give-and-go player and he knows what to do with the puck. He's got good vision and he gets his stick on the puck. He's got some good anticipation. I think his skill dictates top two lines and that's where he'll get a lot of opportunity in those areas, and we'll see what he does with it.

Peter's got a good feel for the puck in the offensive part of the game, ... He's a give-and-go player and he knows what to do with the puck. He's got good vision and he gets his stick on the puck. He's got some good anticipation. I think his skill dictates top two lines and that's where he'll get a lot of opportunity in those areas, and we'll see what he does with it.

On Friday against Iowa, I think we were just trying to be too cute. Tonight, I think we were a little bit more prepared to get the puck to the net, and when you do that, you get rebounds and can make things happen that way.

Nikolai and I understood each other and we were cycling the puck down low very well, ... I think we will be able to find each other and have the final touch to put the puck in the net.

(Nauta) actually played very well in all the games. It's really tough to fault the goalie. He played well enough for us to win, we just didn't always put the puck in the net.

On the power play, I'm in a really good position, ... Guys are giving me the puck for the one-timer and I get good chances. I played the point back when I played in Russia. It's a really good spot, you know. I have lots of shots and lots of chances. I practice a lot at it and it's working. The goals are coming and the wins are coming.

I was surprised. It was the first shift for us. We just tried to throw the puck on net and hopefully go for a rebound or cycle the puck. I took the shot and it just kind of went five-hole. I was surprised, but we'll take it.

If we go out there on our first shift and we bang some bodies or even if we get hit, that gets us into the game right away. If we get the puck in the zone and work down low the first shift of the game, that gives us confidence for the rest of the game and it's something that we can build off.

If they're anything like last season, they'll move the puck well. We don't know how we'll match up yet.

If we can free up the puck carrier, I think we can create the excitement that the fans have desired for some time.

I don't know what happened. We lost our composure and turned the puck over and just couldn't get settled down again.

I don't know No. 15's name, but he's the best player I've seen in the state. The top line of theirs, they were physical, they moved the puck well. He did things at full speed that you don't normally see high school players do.

But whatever your system is, you still have to have good players and we had some kids who would shoot the puck and would get goals around the net.

But the rest of the team was there. We needed to stop the puck better and we didn't play to our physical capabilities. We didn't play our physical game.

Baxter really played well in net for Mt. Ararat tonight. He was always squared to the puck and didn't allow too many rebounds. He came up big for them.

I lost the puck to make it 3-1. After that, I felt real bad. I had good luck.

I felt good, on top of the crease, waiting for the puck. I wasn't reacting to too many things that make my game all messed up. I was watching the puck and watching the play, and that's it.

I felt good. I felt I could have handled the puck a little better. All in all, I felt pretty good.

I can't remember the last entry (into the offensive zone) where he had a step on a guy and drove to the net. There's been too much one-on-one. For him it's more about finding the help, putting the puck there, and getting it back. He needs to compete for the puck, take the body when he has to, then make himself available to get the puck back.

Getting the puck out of our own end is a victory right now.

From our goaltending right on out, I thought we played well, I thought we played hard, I thought we created a lot of offence but you're still in the situation where you're not putting that puck in the net when you have those chances. The 20 minutes in the third period was very important in just finding a way.

From my friend Wolfgang Puck to Ciro, when it comes to pizza, good taste can come from anything under the sun.

From my experience, when a team is faced with adversity, the best course of action is to simplify things. Our play away from the puck has to be a priority. We have a talented group of players here, but we have to make more of a commitment to team defense.

From what I hear, the net was off. That was the difference in the game, that controversial goal. We had opportunities to score, we hit the post, we won draws, but the puck just didn't go in for us late in the game.