Postgame Quotes

Alaska Anchorage (15-17-3) 4, Minnesota (16-13-6) 3
March 11, 2011
Mariucci Arena, Minneapolis, Minn.

Minnesota Head Coach Don Lucia

On the game:
“It’s disappointing. I thought some of the young guys looked nervous to start the game. I thought we got better as the game went on, but the bottom line is you can’t give up four goals this time of the year and win in the playoffs.”

On Alaska-Anchorage being opportunistic:
“Yeah, they did a good job of blocked shots. They obviously played very well. … We had a lot of shots blocked. We missed the net a lot, and our chance hit the crossbar there with 10 seconds to go, but the way they played, they probably deserved to win the game.”

On being down one game in the series:
“We’ve been in this situation a few years back where we lost the first but came back and won the next two. It’s all about tomorrow now. You’ve got to win one game. If you don’t win one game, the season’s over. We have to have a good start to our game. We also have to understand it’s going to be a hard-fought game.”

Jake Hansen (Jr.)

On the mood in the locker room:
“We’re a little down right now. I know that everyone’s really disappointed. We didn’t come out and play tonight. … But we’re going to come back tomorrow and respond.”

On the slow start:
“I don’t know what it was, but our team didn’t come out. It was just really unacceptable for the fans, for our coaches, for everything. We just didn’t play a hockey game the full 60 minutes, which is what you need to do in playoffs. Alaska’s been playing some good hockey. Their goalie’s been pretty good lately.”

Jacob Cepis (Sr.)

On the slow start:
“We shouldn’t have had a slow start. Maybe we weren’t prepared. We should’ve known that they were going to come out hard. I guess it’s a just a slip-up. You’ve got to know during playoffs. Especially this team. They’ve been hot in our league. They were coming out with a purpose.”

On any momentum the Gophers might have gained from scoring three straight goals:
“It’s not good to lose the first game, but you’ve still got to win two games to win a series, right? It’s not over yet. You come back tomorrow and you have a big day and then see where it goes from there.”