Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign.
[00:00:03] Speaker B: The following program is brought to you in living color on Dell gazette.com or wherever you get your podcast.
The Daily Gazette Company presents the parting Shots Podcast. Now here's your host, Daily Gazette sports editor Ken Shot. Thank you Scott Gezy, and welcome to the Parting Shots Podcast, available wherever you get your podcast. Subscribe today. Thanks for joining me from the Parting Shots Podcast Studio studio in Schenectady, New York for our first podcast of March. And Josh Howj, the men's head hockey coach at Union College, joins us for his weekly visit. Josh, how's it going?
[00:00:41] Speaker C: A little bit more time than I'm used to this week. So it's been a, it's been nice.
[00:00:45] Speaker B: Yeah, the first round bye helps give you a little more time and let's get into it for the third straight week. It was another three point weekend for the Garner Chargers. They beat Cornell 4 to 1 on Friday to clinch an EC Hockey tournament, first round bye and then the final regular season game to be played at Mesarenko on Saturday. Union looked a little sluggish and dropped a 51 decision to Colgate. Union finished fourth and gets the weekend off this weekend. What were your general thoughts of last weekend?
[00:01:12] Speaker C: Yeah, I thought you, you know, you hit it on Saturday with us sluggish and I, you know, I really talk to the guys a lot about it and you know, we're trying to figure out why, you know, first you got to give Colgate credit. I thought they played really well, but we just couldn't get it going and for whatever reason it was like we had done our job getting the by and we were satisfied with it and that's not where we want to be. And I thought Friday was completely different. I was really pleased with our effort on Friday, thought it was a complete 60 minutes and you know, Cornell's a really good hockey team and to win that game was very important for the program and a big step. So it was an exciting weekend. But yeah, disappointed with the way Saturday ended.
[00:01:53] Speaker B: Well, let's begin with that Cornell game and it wasn't the greatest of for Union. Tim Rigo scores a minute 29 into the game to give Cornell a one nothing league. Certainly not the start you wanted. What happened on that goal?
[00:02:04] Speaker C: Yeah, we just kind of duplicated in the, in the defensive zone and you know, they came away with the puck and we're driving it to the net and then we got consumed with that and they snuck their D behind us and nice play by them and easy backdoor tap in. You know, our goaltender had no chance.
[00:02:19] Speaker B: Well, Union gets a power play at 5:39 when Nick DeSantis is called for tripping. Then 1:10 later, John Prokup is at the high top of the slot when he spots an open Colby MacArthur in the left circle. MacArthur fires a one timer past goalie Ian Shane to tie it at one. So how good was it to get the tie in goal that quickly?
[00:02:38] Speaker C: Yeah, and you know what? I thought we responded pretty well to giving the one up. We had a really good chance and then ended up earning the power play. And next thing you know, we're even 1:1 and you know, felt. Felt like, you know, as bad as maybe the first two minutes were, you know, to be one one, you know, seven minutes into the game, we're in a good spot.
[00:02:57] Speaker B: Well, Union then takes control of the game with two goals and 25 seconds. It started with, with I what I thought was a fluky goal, just the way it went in. DJ Hart takes a shot from the right point and it looked to be going wide and Brandon Burr was battling with a Cornell defender in the low slot. The puck somehow hit Spurr's stick and went past the stunned shane stick at 1408. Then at 1423, MacArthur wins a face off in the Cornell left circle. He draws it back to Nick Young at the right point. Young takes a couple of steps and fires a shot past Shane to make it 3:1. That was a big sequence.
[00:03:31] Speaker C: Yeah, I mean, it went from, you know, a pretty even game and then, you know, we, we had complete control in the matter of 30 seconds. So, you know, throw pucks to the net, good things can happen. And you know, on the first one, Brandon gets a stick on it and then, you know, obviously on the second one, just a really nice shot by Nick.
[00:03:46] Speaker B: Yeah, well, the Burrow goal impressed just how he got a stick on his. I don't know how he did it and the fact he was able to redirect it. Did you get a chance to see it on video?
[00:03:56] Speaker C: Yeah, and yeah, he just, you know, gets his. Gets his stick up there and deflects it back and you know, that's one of those ones where we're thankful that the rule and change went from the, you know, the shoulder instead of the crossbar because it was, you know, right at about crossbar level. So if it's, if it's, then it would have been, you know, 50, 50 if it counts. But because it's shoulder, it's. It's good to go.
[00:04:15] Speaker B: Yeah, I thought maybe hit a skate or a shin pad or something. Like, that is really. I don't think there is even a sound of hitting a stick.
[00:04:23] Speaker C: Yeah, you know, he does get a stick on it and you know, so for us, one of those things you spend a lot of time shooting, you know, at players and giving them a chance to deflect and get rebound. So kind of cool to see a guy get rewarded for the extra time they spend on.
[00:04:38] Speaker B: Yeah. Well, after Young's goal and what I thought was a shocking move, Shane was pulled from the game and replaced with Remington Kepley. It took me a couple minutes to notice that Shane, who won the conference's Ken Dryden Award as the top goalie in the league last season, has played okay. This has played okay this season.
He didn't even start Saturday's game against rpi. Were you surprised by the goalie change?
[00:05:03] Speaker C: You know, I think they were probably looking for a spark, you know, trying to get their guys going again. And, you know, for whatever reason, you know, this season they have so many seniors on that hockey team and you know, I think that they're still a really scary team because if they, if they ever play their best hockey, they could really go on a big run here. So, you know, I think at this point they're just trying to, you know, to get something, you know, get their group going and find something to rally around because there is a lot of talent. I mean, there's only one player off the team that was an Elite eight hockey team last season and you know, the NCAA hockey tournament and, you know, gave Denver everything they could handle.
[00:05:38] Speaker B: Yeah. Union increased its lead in the second period on an impressive goal by Ben Muthersbaugh. He skated with the puck into the Cornell zone, down the right side, he stopped at the right circle, faked the shot. A couple of Cornell defenders skated by him and then he fired the puck past Kepley with 7:48 left in the second. Talk about that goal. I mean, we talked about it after the game Friday, but I was very impressed with how the play developed and the patience. Smooth as Balk showed.
[00:06:02] Speaker C: Yeah, you know, he really slowed it down and you know, we had, you know, Brandon Beers driving the net and you know, putting some pressure on the goalie by us getting bodies to the net. And you know, I think at the time, I think Ben was probably looking to try to pass it, but then just, you know, waited, waited, faked the shot and then, you know, saw an opening and like he does, he finished.
[00:06:23] Speaker B: Well, Union could have put the game away when it got a five minute power play shortly after Ruthers Bog's goal. But the Garner Chargers didn't do anything on the major. Union only had one shot on goal and that came with 20 seconds left on the Major. What happened there and what do you need to make sure that the power play is generating shots instead of passing too much?
[00:06:41] Speaker C: Yeah, you know, I think it's one of those things you think you have five minutes and a lot of time to, you know, to really set something up and make the right play and we just got too cute and you know, even today in practice I thought like a little bit of just trying to make the perfect play in different scenarios. So we had to talk about, hey, you know, it doesn't always have to be perfect, it doesn't always have to be pretty. You got to get pucks and bodies to the net and find a way to finish well.
[00:07:02] Speaker B: Union takes the 41 lead into the third and does a great job of protecting it. And that ended up clinching the first round bye as a final second stick down. And the team knew it was going to have this weekend off. What was going through your mind?
[00:07:14] Speaker C: I think it was a little bit of a relief. You know, you have put yourself in a really good spot and you know, you work so hard for something that, you know, at the time, at the beginning of the year, you know, who knows what we're going to be. I really like the group. I thought we could take a good step but, you know, just didn't know, you know, if we could get there because the league is a lot deeper right now and there's, you know, there's no true standout team but there's no, you know, teams at the bottom where you're like, ah, that's an easy win. So every night was a battle and you know, it's proud of the group and just, you know, the effort they put forth this year.
[00:07:48] Speaker B: Well, let's hear from five of Union's players after Friday's game. Here are Kaden Viegas, Colby McArthur, Colin Ferguson, Brandon Burr and Nick Young.
Well, guys, for the first time since 2018, Union's got a first round bye. So how does it feel to know that you'll have at least two more home games here at Messerink? Cullen?
[00:08:07] Speaker D: Yeah, it's pretty sweet.
You're always fighting for a home ice advantage and the fact that we get to get that weekend bye, it's pretty nice because every extra game at the Mesa is, it's the best feeling, especially as a senior. But we still got one more game tomorrow so we want to take care of business.
[00:08:23] Speaker B: Kaden, your thoughts on that?
[00:08:25] Speaker E: Yeah, Obviously super proud of the guys to get that. Bye. It's unbelievably tough to get that in this league with all the teams that are in it. So, yeah, we're gonna enjoy this one tonight, but we know tomorrow's for third place and that's a huge advantage to have third. So our focus, which is to that and that's where we're going next.
[00:08:43] Speaker B: Colby, you guys didn't get off to such a good start there. Cornell scores first couple minutes of the game, making one nothing, and then you score the power play goal. I mean, how much did that really do you think changed the game's momentum?
[00:08:53] Speaker F: Yeah, big time. Obviously, getting down one nothing in a hockey game is tough, but being able to capitalize on the power play was huge.
[00:09:01] Speaker B: Brandon, for you look like the DJ's shot was going wide. What happened there?
[00:09:06] Speaker C: I just hit my stick and went the other way.
[00:09:10] Speaker B: I mean, was that maybe a sign that this was going to be your guys night?
[00:09:14] Speaker C: I mean, maybe. I don't know.
[00:09:16] Speaker B: Possibly.
And then for you, Nick, Colby wins a face off left circle there and score right after Brandon and chase the Ian Shane, which nobody usually does. So how big was that goal?
[00:09:28] Speaker E: Oh, yeah, I was just fortunate. He won in a great spot and like, been working on that for a while, so I'm glad it paid off. But, yeah, it was just a really fortunate situation there.
[00:09:36] Speaker C: So if Colin Kaden, just as seniors, how special is it for you guys to go through it from the bottom and now reach this point where you guys are getting a buy in the first round of the playoff?
[00:09:46] Speaker D: Yeah, I mean, Vegas and I talk about it all the time. If you told us that we would be in this position our freshman year, we would. We'd probably tell you you're just straight up lying to us.
But, you know, now that we're here and it's finally paying off, it's a good feeling.
[00:10:00] Speaker E: So, yeah, as older guys, we've seen this group take such steps over the couple years. That cow just come in and as I said before, I'm just super proud of the guys. Like, it's so tough that we're in this spot now, and it's not about getting here, it's about what you do with it. So we know we're going to have tomorrow, but then heading into that home series, we want to make the fans proud with the last few games here. And, you know, we want to get to Lake Placid more than Anything in the world. So. So that's the goal.
[00:10:27] Speaker B: Talk about Ben's second period goal there. Just he skates to the left, to the right circle, stops, lets the Cornell skaters go by him and then fires it into the net. How talented is is he with that kind of play?
[00:10:41] Speaker E: Yeah, I mean, people say it all the time, like, shoot the puck, Ben, because, you know, he's poised with it and he can make those plays, but he's got a hell of a shot and he can beat any goalie in the league. And yeah, it was a nice rip there.
[00:10:54] Speaker B: I think maybe the one drawback there, leg second for you guys, had a chance, really put the game away, Colby with that five minute major, but you didn't. Guys didn't generate a shot till like about 20 seconds left in the five one in the major. Why was it so difficult to generate anything?
[00:11:09] Speaker F: Yeah, I think we were playing a little too complacent. Obviously we were up 3:1 or 4:1 at the time, so we didn't want to give up anything. But we got a, we got a tactics time.
[00:11:18] Speaker B: Colin, how would you describe that third period there? Did you like the way you guys played it?
[00:11:22] Speaker D: Yeah, I was gutsy and we got the job done. So sometimes I don't really care how we do it as long as we get the job finished.
[00:11:30] Speaker B: So how important will it be to finish third?
[00:11:33] Speaker D: Yeah, extremely important. I mean, you want to keep going up in the rankings. Never be satisfied, never be complacent, especially when you're heading into the playoffs. So you're always, you're always chasing that next wheel.
[00:11:45] Speaker B: Well, there was a significant injury in Friday's game. Cornell head coach Mike Schaefer was hit in the head by a puck in the second period. Schaefer stayed behind the bench for the remainder of the period, but wasn't behind the bench for the third period. Schaefer was a scratch for Saturday's game against rpi. Did you get a chance to talk to Schaefer after the game?
[00:12:02] Speaker C: I did not. He had left and I spoke with their soon to be head coach in Casey Jones and you know, he said that, you know, he was just not feeling up to it. Thought he was going to be good and, you know, everything would be okay, but still a scary, scary situation.
[00:12:18] Speaker B: It's not the first time. I think he once got knocked out by a puck years ago.
[00:12:22] Speaker C: Yeah, and it was, you know, we watched it back. I mean, it didn't look like it was, you know, the type that could really, you know, do a lot of damage. But still, it's a hockey puck and it's coming at a pretty good pace. So.
[00:12:33] Speaker B: Yeah. So Saturday, Colgate was the opponent at stake was third place in the standings. It also marked the final regular season game at Messerink. It was also Senior Day. Really should have been a fun day for the program, but unfortunately Union was to step slow. We mentioned at the top of this podcast, it was a sluggish game. The Raiders dominated Cruz with 5, 1 win. It was a scoreless after one. Colgate out shot Union 169 at first period. And then Colgate scored four times in the second, two by Ben Raymond, one of them shorthanded. Caden Vegas scored a power play goal late in the second period and Colgate got an empty net goal and clinched thirds. The third seed for the ECAC hockey tournament. I mean, how disappointed were you in that effort?
[00:13:14] Speaker C: Yeah, not our best and a little bit frustrating.
Tried to turn the page as quickly as we could on it. One, just because we wanted to honor the seniors and two, I just felt like there was such a weight off of everybody's shoulders, including myself, that we didn't have it. And there's no excuse for that. We gotta correct that. It can't happen.
But you know, it's, it's one game and we gotta, we gotta push forward with it.
[00:13:41] Speaker B: Is it better to be able to get. Have a bad game right now instead of two weeks or next weekend?
[00:13:46] Speaker C: Well, that's what we talked about, you know, this week already and you know, after the game is just if you have a night like that, it's going to end your season. So, you know, we're lucky that we can hopefully learn from it. And yeah, I mean, again, you got to give Colgate credit. I thought they played well.
[00:14:01] Speaker B: How about the senior ceremony? How good was that?
[00:14:03] Speaker C: Yeah, I mean, you know, think a lot of those six guys and just everything they've done for us and you know, all the alumni back to support them. It was a pretty special day, even though the outcome wasn't what we wanted.
[00:14:15] Speaker B: I didn't get a chance to talk to some of the alums, but will the Alumni game become a yearly tradition at Union?
[00:14:21] Speaker C: Yeah, we, you know, we talked with Josh Kozak actually this morning a little bit and he was mentioning how he was hoping it would be, you know, good to see, you know, former captains Ben Tupker and Owen Farris there. I mean, just a lot of guys back, so pretty cool.
[00:14:34] Speaker B: Yeah. Well, let's hear from Union players Kaden Villegas and Colin Ferguson and then Colgate head Coach Mike Harder Kaden. The last regular season home game, Senior day and all that stuff, last good 10 celebration said is a flat effort today. What happened?
[00:14:49] Speaker E: I mean, came out a little bit flat in the first period and then we tried to get it going as the game went on. I thought our third was good, but it was just too late.
[00:14:57] Speaker B: Yeah, you feel forced to be down, not being down, but Squirrels after one.
[00:15:02] Speaker E: Yeah, I mean they had chances, we didn't have many. So shoves played really well in that first period and kept us in it. So thankful for him there, but we didn't help him out in the second or third.
[00:15:13] Speaker B: It seemed like it was a lot of mishandling puck, bad passes were not clicking and sometimes passes that shouldn't have been made were being made. How do you correct that going into the postseason?
[00:15:25] Speaker E: Yeah, I mean we got big two weeks here to get healthy and ready for the playoffs. So I mean we're gonna regroup and we're gonna. We've always bounced back. We're super resilient. So I'm not worried.
[00:15:35] Speaker B: What was that ceremony, senior ceremony like?
[00:15:37] Speaker E: Yeah, I mean it's. I'm super grateful for my family and I know everyone else's that are seniors right now and I'm just excited for the group we have going into playoffs. I know they're gonna give it their all for us too.
[00:15:49] Speaker B: Good chance. This was, you know, senior night, Senior night, last regular season home game here should have been a celebration. Instead you guys can't flat. Never really recover. What happened?
[00:15:58] Speaker D: Yeah, I mean, I think we just, we never really got back on our, on our horse after the very beginning there. They came out hard and heavy, you know, I think we just got a little satisfied but you know, I'd rather our team make mistakes now than in the playoffs.
[00:16:13] Speaker B: So. Yeah, there's a lot of, you know, pucks, a lot of passes were not clicking and some, you know, ill advised passes. How important is it going to be to clean that up when you get into the quarterfinals?
[00:16:25] Speaker D: Yeah, yeah. I mean like I said in between the intermission, I think we're a good team. We're a skilled team. We can make plays. We just need to have a little bit more poise, I believe in this group.
[00:16:33] Speaker B: So man, what's it going to take to get back on track? I mean, the last three weeks have been win one, lose one, win one, lose one. You can't do that now in the playoffs.
[00:16:42] Speaker D: Yeah, I know and we talked about that. Like you can't. You got to have more consistency in Your game, it's do or die at this point, so we need to go in with that mindset every single game. And yeah, there's no time to screw around.
[00:16:54] Speaker B: What was that ceremony like at the end of the game?
[00:16:56] Speaker D: It was good. It was emotional. I'm not very good with talking about the end of my time here, so just gave my parents a hug and got off the ice before anyone could see me crying.
[00:17:05] Speaker B: So the for tonight.
[00:17:07] Speaker G: Yeah, it was good. It was a complete game for us. It might have been one of our most complete games actually. And we were all, we're all doing it.
[00:17:13] Speaker B: It's.
[00:17:14] Speaker G: It's amazing how sometimes if you don't have too much pressure on you, you know, you can play free and in a flow state. And I think that's what our guys did today.
[00:17:21] Speaker B: Yeah, I mean, you guys force Union made a lot of mistakes, a lot of turnovers. They were handling the puck well. I mean, you guys could have been up one or two. Nothing in that first period, but to be able to get four in that second period. What does that say?
[00:17:32] Speaker G: Yeah, no, that was good. Yeah, it's. It seemed like every time they had the puck, we, we were getting on them and getting on them and I think we got a few bounces too. No, our guys were skating. They're moving. I think they're feeling it and you know, it worked out well for us.
[00:17:43] Speaker B: Is this a good way for you guys headed into the quarterfinals in two weeks?
[00:17:47] Speaker G: Well, it's the old adage of college hockey.
[00:17:48] Speaker C: Right.
[00:17:49] Speaker G: Win on Saturday night and you have a great week.
[00:17:51] Speaker B: So.
[00:17:52] Speaker G: Yeah, it was good. It's good. It's good to get a break then. Well deserved, well earned break and then, and then build back up for sure.
[00:17:58] Speaker B: I know in 2016, Union was the team that helped close out start ranking the regular season. You, you guys won that game. You were an assistant coach then at the time. Yeah. You know, you come here as the head coach, you close out unions, mass rank regular season. What does that feel like to be somewhere symmetry a little bit.
[00:18:15] Speaker C: Sure.
[00:18:16] Speaker G: I, I don't love closing it out and you know, with Union not winning, but I think they'll have a really good opportunity to actually close it out in a couple weeks and hopefully for them they can end on wins.
[00:18:25] Speaker B: Are you going to miss this place?
[00:18:26] Speaker G: I will not miss this place, but I'll miss the way we play tonight though. Hopefully we can have more outings like that for sure.
[00:18:32] Speaker B: Let's take a break. We'll have a. Another mess of r memory and we'll talk about how the team will be handling the by weekend. You're listening the Parting Shots podcast.
[00:18:49] Speaker H: It's the most historic conference in college hockey. It's a battle night in and night out. ECAC Hockey, an iconic conference, home to 12 of the most prestigious universities and programs in the world and showcasing the best student athletes in the sport. Top notch facilities and arenas, incomparable traditions, passionate fans, alumni who go on to become elite professionals, leaders and champions. ECAC hockey. There's no experience like it.
[00:19:21] Speaker A: Hi, I'm Stan.
[00:19:23] Speaker B: And I'm Shen.
[00:19:24] Speaker A: And each week we bring you the Stan and Shen Show. And each week we talk about fun things through our travels throughout the capital region. We touch on food, we touch on news, try to touch heavily on good news. And Shen's always available with hot takes.
[00:19:40] Speaker B: Yeah. So if you could follow along and listen to us every week on DailyGazette.com or on all major streaming platforms, we'd love to have you join us.
[00:19:51] Speaker C: Hi, this is Union College women's Hockey alum Meghan O'Connor. You're listening to the Parting Shots podcast with Daily Gazette sports editor Ken Schott.
[00:19:59] Speaker B: The Parting Shots podcast presents another Union hockey Messerink memory.
[00:20:06] Speaker I: I'm Rick Clifford. I played for Union College men's hockey from 1988 to 1992. My most vivid memory of playing in Messer Rink was the final game here in 92 against Yale. And I think it was because not only Shane White got a start net and stood on his head. I think we lost either later in overtime, but it just cemented to me just an awesome experience and I never look back and have a negative thought about that game or that season.
[00:20:31] Speaker B: Welcome back to the podcast. I am host Ken Shot, joined by Union men's hockey head coach Josh Hauge. Josh, for the first time since 2018, Union has a first round bye in the ACAC hockey tournament. Also getting first round buys were Quinnipiac, which is the 1 seed, Clarkson, which is the 2 seed, and Colgate which is the 3 seed. The first round matchups are number 5 Dartmouth hosting number 12, St. Lawrence, number 6 Cornell hosting number 11 Yale, number 7 Harvard hosting number 10 RPI and number 8 Brown hosting number 9, Princeton. The question is with having the weekend off, how do you approach practice this week?
[00:21:08] Speaker C: Yeah, I think, you know, so Monday we went with skills and then just kind of got some puck touches in. Tuesday we stayed off the ice and just did some team video.
You know. Then today was, you know, up and down, up and down the sheet a lot of pace, no contact, trying to, you know, just limit our bumping. And then going into the weekend here, we'll practice Friday and Saturday, and that'll be more competitive based more, you know, defensive zone, forecheck structure stuff and a little bit of contact. We, we wanted earlier in the week, want to make sure we get everybody healthy and, you know, as. As healthy as they can be at this time of the year. And then, you know, as we go here, we want to make sure that we're prepared for, you know, next Friday night and ready to go that way.
[00:21:52] Speaker B: How tough is it to practice not knowing your opponent yet?
[00:21:56] Speaker C: I mean, you know, realistically, we understand that we're probably down to, you know, a couple teams that we could play. So, you know, we've, we've seen everybody twice at this point. So it's, you know, just prepping for the, you know, the five, six and seven teams. And then, you know, from there, if, you know, obviously we expect that, you know, it's going to be one of those three teams, most likely. So we're basically focusing on ourselves as far as practice goes and then. But video wise, as staff, we're kind of watching all three of those.
[00:22:27] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. Barring any upsets, it's going to be Dartmouth, Cornell or Harvard.
Probably most likely Dartmouth. But I mean, let's talk about Dartmouth. You know, just a brief synopsis. You know, lost both games this week, this year against them. Lost to them in the quarterfinals last season.
What makes them so tough?
[00:22:48] Speaker C: Yeah, they're. They're a really structured hockey team. They, you know, they defend in numbers. They, they take away your time and space. They're physical and hard. So, you know, the last couple games, they've had our number, and I think, you know, we're, you know, that's kind of who we're anticipating playing. But at the same point, obviously, they got to go do a job on Saturday night. And, you know, St. Lawrence is a team that has had their number this year.
[00:23:12] Speaker B: Yeah, St. Lawrence beat them twice. Won the. I was.
Dan Rubin of USHO.com will be on with me on Thursday's podcast. And I was doing some prep work and I was shocked to see I knew that St. Lawrence had won at. In Hanover, and I was, I forgot that they actually won an overtime at home. So it's, it's one of those things. I mean, obviously, beating a team three times in the season's tough. So if St. Lawrence could pull off that episode, that'd be amazing. Of course, you just saw Cornell.
They're scary. I mean, I mean, just because you swept up in the regular season doesn't mean you can do it in the playoffs.
[00:23:46] Speaker C: Yeah. I mean, at this point in time, we know whoever we get is going to be a good hockey team. So it's just, just kind of prepping and you know, it's, it's kind of nice being in the four because you kind of, you kind of know who you're going to play, but at the same point, you never know for sure. So it's just, you know, narrowing it down to those, you know, if it gets past that, then, you know, we'll, we'll be spending a lot of time on Sunday working on whoever we get.
[00:24:09] Speaker B: Is it kind of nice that the schedule sort of split that way? You watch the Harvard RPI game Friday and then the. Obviously the start times are staggered for Saturday with Cornell Yale game starting at 7:30, because Cornell's hosting the Women's Final Four and the Dartmouth St. Lawrence game Saturday. So it's kind of, it's kind of nice to see. Have a little time between.
[00:24:33] Speaker C: Yeah, it's nice to, you know, just be able to watch as much hockey as possible. So it's, it's fun for, you know, fun time of the year. It's fun time to be watching and you know, it's, it's crazy to think just, you know, we're, we're less than, you know, 10 days away from a playoff home game and excited about that.
[00:24:49] Speaker B: Now, you've had some experience with the first round bayou when you were up at Clarkson. What was the preparation like? I remember 2022, you faced union in the quarterfinals. So what was that time like going into the quarterfinals against Union?
[00:25:02] Speaker C: Yeah, it's a weird one because you never, you know, you never really know where your team's going to be at and you got to kind of play it by, you know, where they're at. And certain times at Clarkson, we had, you know, really healthy team so you could push a little bit harder. And, you know, other times we were beat up, so you're trying to take advantage of the rest. So it's a little bit of just like feeling the group out and seeing where you're at. You know, I think we're in a pretty good spot health wise. But at the same point you want to make sure Everybody's, you know, 100%. And obviously Dartmouth and Cornell both present different problems. So, you know, playing them. So just trying to prep for, you know, what you might see because they're a little different in the way they Play.
[00:25:40] Speaker B: And just mentioned Harvard. You swept the season series in Harvard as well. Both are one here, two one out there. I think the two one game may have been a little tougher out there.
So you expect the same thing if you face Harvard.
[00:25:53] Speaker C: Yeah, they're, you know, they got obviously a ton of talent, and they're, they're a younger team, too. So getting them this time of the year is always a little bit scary just because those guys, you know, sometimes they don't know, like, oh, we're the, we're the 17, 17. Maybe we should look. They shouldn't win this one. So they'll be competing hard.
[00:26:08] Speaker B: I mean, do you, can you picture an upset one of these four games?
[00:26:12] Speaker C: Well, just the fact that, you know, in the last two years, you know, the lower seed has won three games. I mean, it's happened every year. So I'm sure, you know, there's a chance that one of the, you know, the nine through 12, at least one, will win. But, you know, we'll see. You know, it's. The league has been just so up and down this year that, you know, really, anything can happen.
[00:26:32] Speaker B: Yeah, that's my weekly question about Carter Korpi.
[00:26:36] Speaker C: Yeah, he's just doing everything in his power to get cleared medically right now, but until that happens, we're kind of.
[00:26:42] Speaker B: Just waiting, not practicing at all at this point. Not with us, of course. We always encourage questions from our listeners. And Ryan Fay, a regular listener to the podcast and a nearly regular question contributor, is asking this question. Union has gone one and one the past three weekends. What does the team need to do to string wins together more consistently going into the playoffs?
[00:27:05] Speaker C: Well, I think, you know, you look at those games, everyone is a little bit different, but I think it's just our energy and effort on Saturday night and, you know, really, you know, just committing to it for, you know, the 120 minutes. And it's hard to, you know, follow, win up with another, you know, but you got to protect it. And, you know, at this time of the year, you're only going to be focusing on one team at least this weekend or this upcoming weekend. So it is nice to prep. You know, you can put all your focus into whoever you're going to play and you're going to, you know, you might play them twice, you might play them three times, but the opponent's not going to change. But you can make little subtle changes as a group.
[00:27:45] Speaker B: Well, thanks, Ryan. If you have questions for Josh, email to shotchotdailygazette.com or you can post them on Facebook on my personal page and the Parting Shots podcast page. You can also send them via bluesky X&threads at Slap Shots. I had a chance to see you Sunday because I covered the Section 2 Division 1 high school hockey championship game between Shenandahoa and Saratoga springs. A Shenandahoa 4:3 victory. Six goals in that first period, I think was four in the final two minutes, three in like less than 30 seconds. How crazy of a game was that?
[00:28:18] Speaker C: Yeah, that was. I mean, that was a lot of fun and, you know, tons of energy in the building and having the student sections from both, you know, both schools was, was, you know, always a great experience. And it's fun for me just to kind of go and get to bring my two sons and just watch a hockey game and be a fan. And it was a lot, a lot of fun. It was an exciting game.
[00:28:35] Speaker B: Is it going to seem strange not playing this weekend?
[00:28:39] Speaker C: No, I mean, I think it's one of those things it's nice to just sit back and kind of watch a little bit.
You know, it's. Yeah, we've always been really stressed at this time of the year, so not that we're not right now, but it's a little bit of a, you know, breather.
[00:28:54] Speaker B: Well, besides watching the games this weekend, any big plans?
[00:28:59] Speaker C: No. You know, I mean, honestly, I will focus in on just who we're going to play Sunday, spend a little time, you know, with my family and, you know, maybe, I don't know, maybe go up and watch the Thunder play on Sunday. So I might even go watch that.
[00:29:14] Speaker B: Okay. Well, Josh, appreciate the visit as always and enjoy the buy this weekend and enjoy watching the games.
[00:29:20] Speaker C: I appreciate it.
[00:29:21] Speaker B: All right, that's Josh Algae. Coming up on Thursday's podcast, I'll have interviews From Sunday Section 2 Division 1 boys high school hockey championship game, which was a 43 Shenandoah win over Saratoga Springs. Of course, Josh and I just talked about was a fun game to watch. And as I mentioned earlier, Dan Rubin, who covers ECAC hockey for USCHO.com also the voice of a Bentley men's hockey team, joins me to preview the ECAC Hockey tournament first round game. So please tune in.
The views expressed on the Parting Shots podcast are not necessarily those of the Daily Gazette Company. The Parting Shots podcast is a production of the Daily Gazette Company. I am Daily Gazette Sports editor Ken Schott. Thanks for listening and I'll catch you next time from the Parting Shots podcast studio in Schenectady, New York. Good day good hockey.
