April 6, 2000

OPENING COMMENTS -

"I'd like to congratulate all the other teams that are here. I think the students take it for granted going back to back, but its real difficult to get here. In our last nine games we've fallen behind and we've managed to come back and win those games which shows the resilience of our club."

We went through a little growth pattern because of our injuries, especially at the forward position. While our forwards were getting better, it allowed for our defense to develop. The injuries have helped the experience of our freshman class. They have made us a better team.

The league has prepared us well. Last year we got swept by New Hampshire and it was probably the best thing that could have happened to us. This year we played Providence for the last four games and all of those games could have gone either way. We righted the ship and we've played very well.

I'm impressed with North Dakota. I've seen them on tape and they're a real explosive club. Dean has a real great club."

ON WHICH NORTH DAKOTA GOALTENDER WILL PLAY -

"We've seen both of them and they have very similar styles and they both win a lot so it doesn't really matter. If you look down the stretch, Kollar played well against Wisconsin and Niagara so he'll be ready. Either way, they will be real strong."

WHAT ROLE DOES REPEATING AS NCAA CHAMPIONS PLAY -

"At this point its a real opportunity. At the middle of the season it was a hurdle that put a little pressure on us. When we lost games like we did when we got swept by BC, you look back and compare it to the "perfect team" of last year and they got swept too, but it ended up to be perfect. It's a long season but now that we're closer we've talked about the possibility of a legacy. We also know that we have to play three strong periods for a chance to play another three and that's where we are right now."

ON THE OLYMPIC ICE SURFACE AT POSSIBLE FUTURE SITES -

"I think its a mistake to play games on different surfaces. What you play on in the Frozen Four is what you should play on in the Regionals too. With the IIHF and the NHL, there's the possibility that we could play on different surfaces, but our governing body shouldn't let those two bodies decide our great sport. I would ask the committee in the future to look into playing on the same surface."