Benny Walchuk:
Coach, the regular season is now in the rearview mirror after a couple of wins over the weekend. What did you like most about your team’s game heading into the playoffs?
Emery Olauson:
I really liked our game in Melville. That one was pretty much roster versus roster and both teams had a lot to play for. There were some tough bounces — one off the stanchion and even a goal called back — but our group stayed composed. A lot of teams might have found excuses, but our guys dug in. It was a back-and-forth, emotional, playoff-style game and I really liked the resilience we showed. The goaltending was sharp both ways too.
Then in the final game of the season, Melville had less on the line and brought in some affiliate players, while we were still fighting to secure second place. I liked how our guys defended and played the right way. We didn’t give up many grade-A chances and our third and fourth lines got some good reps once we had the lead. Our goal was to lock up second place and get through the game without injuries or suspensions, and we were able to do that.
Benny Walchuk:
Now it’s a second straight year playoff matchup with your Highway 10 rivals, the Melville Millionaires. It’s an exciting time for both communities and I’m sure for your team as well.
Emery Olauson:
Oh man, it’s a lot of fun. Both buildings will be full and there’s going to be a ton of passion and emotion in the rinks. This is a special time for these young players. Our job as coaches is to keep things organized and make sure everything runs smoothly, but it’s definitely an exciting time of year and the guys are really looking forward to it.
Benny Walchuk:
From a coaching standpoint, what does your group need to do consistently to have success in this series?
Emery Olauson:
For us it’s about sticking with the process we’ve built all season. We had a few tough games recently, but in hindsight those might have been good lessons about how tight playoff hockey can be. The last couple of wins were a good response. What got us to this point is what will help us moving forward.
Now the focus shifts to one opponent, and that changes the dynamic a little bit. It’s Melville until one of us is done. There’s more attention on the opponent, but we still need to focus on our own game — controlling what we can control and continuing to get better every day.
