Northeastern University Athletics

Northeastern vs. Harvard
2011 Men's Beanpot - Semi-Final
Monday, February 7, 2011
TD Garden
Boston, Mass.

Northeastern head coach Greg Cronin

Opening statement:

"I thought our special teams were a big factor in the game, we had a power play goal at a critical moment and I thought our penalty killing was good in the first period. Offensively, I thought that we were really sloppy. We had moments where we looked really good offensively, but I thought that we looked good defensively. Harvard is a better team than their record reflects. They are in a lot of 1-0, 2-0 games. I thought that it would be a low-scoring game and they threw a lot of pucks at the net. We knew that from when we played them back in the middle of January. I thought that our defense did a good job of clearing out the front because there were some rebounds there. I thought Chris Rawlings was terrific and that's why we won 4-0."

On what it would mean for Northeastern to win a Beanpot Championship:

"It's funny you ask that question because I was thinking about two years ago in the final, the BU vs. Northeastern game was a great game. BU scored three short-handed goals and the power play goal and that just doesn't happen in the Beanpot. We ended up losing that game. Last year we played a terrific game against BU in the first round. Again,  (Alex) Chiasson shoots the puck and it squeezes through Chris' shirt and trickles in the net just like McLaughlin's did. Unfortunately, those are the memories for a lot of the Northeastern people over the last 20 years, near misses. When I got here six years ago the program needed a lot of work, infrastructurely and just getting the fans back. Fans come in when you win. We started to win incremently and we started to fill the building. Last year, we had good crowds but this year they have stopped showing up. I think you see a reflection of the fans when you are on the bench and you look up to that left corner and there weren't nearly as many black jerseys as there was a year ago. I'm not a baseball fan, believe it or not, but I like the Yankees over the Red Sox. I like the Yankees because they would always win and the Red Sox would lose. But I think the fans have had the mentality of 'when are they going to win this thing,' and I don't blame them. This is twice now in the last three years that we are in the final and I know that whoever wins the BC vs. BU game, we are going to have a tremendous opponent to play against. To answer your question with a period, they would have to get both the NUPD and the Boston Police around that campus if we win."

On his expectations for Mike McLaughlin coming into the season and how he has performed:

"Candidly, he has been a disappointment. He was a guy that we thought would be a double-digit scorer throughout his career. Let me rephrase that, he has been a disappointment offensively, and I think that he would tell you that. As a hockey player, playing every spot on the ice, blocking shots, killing penalties, winning faceoffs, he has a high level of intelligence on the ice and he has been outstanding. He is a great kid in the classroom and responsible socially. Offensively, we have been waiting for him to start contributing with a double-digit type of season. If you remember in the Beanpot finals two years ago, he is the one that scored the first goal then missed the wide-open net when it was 3-2.If he had made that, it would have made it 3-3. As he has said, he has had a fits and stops career scoring, but I think this year he is breaking through."

On his concerns about getting caught off-guard by Harvard:

"No, I was more worried because we had a really heartbreaking loss to Merrimack last Friday at home. It was a huge game for us and the locker room looked like they had been through a funeral, the players were really down. We lost in overtime with 28 seconds to go. It was a really energetic, passionate game like an old Bruins-Flyers game where guys where getting penalties left and right. If they could have dropped their gloves, there would have been about five fights. It was just that type of climate. I was just really worried about them getting back up for this game, even though it's the Beanpot, it was only 72 hours later. I didn't even remember we had the better record two years ago facing Harvard. I had no thoughts about Harvard two years ago and quite frankly I did not really care. I was just more mad that we lost the game. We got our rear ends kicked, the first five minutes they scored three goals. I remember that."

On the Chris Rawlings posting four shutouts over the last six games:

"He's great. He is a great goalie. I have said all along that it scares me that he is a sophomore. We lost a great freshman last year in Jake Newton, he left to go in Anaheim's organization. Chris is getting offers from NHL teams that are poking around him. He is a pro type of goalie. I don't know if he is going to play in the NHL, it's all about his head. I was happy that he played well tonight because they did give us a little bit of a barrage at the end but he was good. I hope we get him for another year but he is 6'5 and he can move. He has a really good future ahead of him."

On why the fans should come to next Monday's championship game:

"They are foolish if they don't. We don't get to the finals that often so they should show up and see it. They have a problem with Matthews Arena, I get it. But this is a once in a year thing. They better show up. And we shouldn't have to give them any t-shirts to show up either."