Sneddon, Catamounts prepare for Terriers

WASHINGTON, DC – Two proud members of Hockey East prepare to battle it out for a spot in Saturday nights championship game as the the University of Vermont Catamounts take on the number one ranked team in the country, the Boston University Terriers, Thursday night. The winner will take on either Bemidji State or Miami (Ohio) in the title game. While most hockey observers know the BU Terriers, not alot are know about their team and their Head Coach Kevin Sneddon. Before the two schools go against each other, both head coaches held their pre-game press conferences. Sneddon took the stand to talk about the team and their opponent on Thursday night. Opening Statement

“We’re certainly pleased to be here in Washington, D.C., competing in this year’s Frozen Four. It’s been a great 10 days of preparation for this event. There’s a lot of excitement in the state of Vermont and we’re just so pleased we can share it with all of our fans and alums, faculty and staff [at the University of Vermont] and all of our college hockey fans out there. I think our team is very well prepared, very focused at the task at hand for our match-up against a great BU [Boston University] program. We certainly know we have to be at our best all weekend to continue to advance and go after a national championship. On his player’s experience on the big stage “Not all of our players have had that experience, but most of them have and I think that definitely comes to play now. I think the experience at the regionals is big for us. To go through the same routine that we’re going through this week it’s certainly more intense in terms of the media attention, all the excitement in the community. But I think going through the regional and having success with that format, the distractions if you will, our team is very well prepared and used to this kind of situation.” “I think getting out there on the ice today was a special moment for our guys. We all grew up lacing on the skates and you wanted to play in a pro arena, and this venue is fantastic for us. We certainly want to pay tribute to all the people who have organized the event here in Washington, particularly the Capitals organization for allowing us to have this Frozen Four here. It’s going to be a special moment for all of our student-athletes to remember.” On finding the balance between game preparation and enjoying the moment “I don’t think it’s anything we’ve done as a staff. I just want to say thanks to all the people in the state of Vermont, yesterday was really special for us. We had a sendoff at the University of Vermont, some students, staff, faculty stood out in the pouring rain cheering the Catamounts on as we got on the bus to the airport.” “We get to the Sheraton [hotel] to have a lunch and we were greeted by at least 19 former players ranging from the 1970’s all the way up to more recently who live in the area. That was a special moment for not only our student-athletes but also for them to re-connect with their team, it’s their team. We drive two miles further and passed a school and every kid from that school was standing outside. We get to the airport and the air traffic control has a “Go Cats Go!” banner hanging from it. I think they’re enjoying the moment.” “We wouldn’t be able to do it without the enthusiasm of our fans. I think they would have been really caught-up in the game without enjoying the time [leading] up to the game. We’re a really focused group but at the same time we can step back and enjoy the special time.” On messages received from former players and other colleagues “You name it, my wife was ready to throw-away my Blackberry. I put it on vibrate and that thing was bouncing around the table. It rang all the way through today and I’m sure it will be the same all through the weekend. Whether it’s NHL players like Martin St. Louis, the best part of it all is that we’re sharing this moment with them. It’s their team, we’re happy to be running the program and be the flag but it’s their program and they’re very proud. That’s a great feeling as a coach, for these guys to be able to see how much it means to so many different people.”
On playing with intensity right away in the game
“I guess nerves will be a part of it, I’ll have nerves as well, you wouldn’t be a real coach or player if you didn’t get nerves for these games. We try to approach it as just another game as we prepare, but that’s easier said than done. We have enough clowns in the locker room to lighten the mood at times. I’ll try to be cool, calm, collected as much as possible.””I think our league [Hockey East], not slighting any other conference, but it seems like we’ve been playing playoff hockey since January so our team is very playoff savvy already. It’s an important game, but I don’t suspect nerves will play too much of a factor in how we play.”
On the idea of being labeled an underdog
“I wouldn’t say we want to be called an underdog. We’re just a team of blue-collar student-athletes who doesn’t really need the limelight. They don’t get caught-up in the backslapping and people telling them how great they are and I’m quick to remind them that people were telling us how bad we were after we got swept by Lowell in the playoffs a week earlier. I wanted to make sure we were grounded, but after talking to my team I didn’t feel that at all. We were very grounded.”
“People say what they want to say about us but I wouldn’t say we would be the underdog. That’s a good coaching strategy by Bemidji State and Miami. I told our team there’s not a student-athlete here who has played in a Frozen Four, you know, zero experience, so the advantage goes to the team that is more mentally tough. In that respect we are very mentally tough.”
On the pros and cons of playing a conference rival
“As a coach I always thought you have to be really careful to not over-coach just from the fact that we know each other a little bit more. We’ve played each other three times this year, the information is right there. This time of the year you have to worry about your team first, what your team needs to do to be successful. So from a coaching standpoint we can certainly drive ourselves crazy and drive our student-athletes crazy worrying about all the strengths of BU, an unbelievable team this year. I have to try and get the best of our team and not worry too much about our opponent.”
“I think we were very guarded against that in our preparation, that our student-athletes were peaking and preparing to be their best at what they do well rather than be worried about what BU does.”
Quotes provided by the NCAA
Contact the author at Brian.jennings@prohockeynews.com