This is our seventh segment of 'Between the Pipes with Keith Kinkaid.' This past weekend Keith and the team swept both Cornell and Colgate at home in two decisive victories. He is currently the 5th best goalie in the country statistically with a save percentage of .920 through 1,767 minutes of play. His current record in net is 21-7-2.How did the team come out with such a decisive victory over Cornell? What was the mindset coming into the contest? What were your thoughts about only saving nine shots on net?
We were working on our starts all week because this past weekend we had some slow starts. We knew we had to be better and our great start turned into just a dominant game against Cornell. Also on the mind of the returning guys was the fact that they beat us in the ECAC championship last year which brought some extra motivation. In a game with only nine shots against you have to stay focused throughout the whole game. You have to keep your mind on the game because even though there may not be much action, the next shot could have an impact on the game.
What were your thoughts about the fights that happened in the closing two minutes vs. Cornell? If the NCAA had no rules against fighting, which fight on the ice Friday night would you have loved to have seen take place? Who do you think is the best fighter on the team?
I thought the fights were unnecessary at the end of the game. It was evident that we frustrated them by our play during the entire game. The boys did a great job not getting involved because the game is not about fighting and it was about the 58 minutes before the fights. If there was fighting allowed, I would like to see Cainer fight.
Now, the team fell down early 2-0 to Colgate on Saturday night. What was the tone in the locker room like after that unfortunate first period? What in your mind sparked the offense to score five unanswered goals? How influential were the seniors in the turnaround?
I think we just got out to a slow start against Colgate. We need to have back to back good starts because if you find yourself down by more than 2 goals after the first, it is hard to get back into the game. Those two goals were also ones I would like to have back in my mind. We knew we had the scoring power to get us back into the game after the first. We maintained a positive attitude and knew there was plenty of room for improvement. We needed to take pucks hard to the net and crash for rebounds. The seniors and coach did a great job of getting us back on track during the game.
What improvements must the team make heading into next weekend's games in the North Country?
Like I said earlier, we want to have strong starts and not find us behind the 8-ball early. It's important to set the pace for the game and get that first goal. Special teams are going to be a key factor this weekend on the road. Our powerplay and penalty kill will need to be on top of its game and get the job done.
Do you have any superstitious habits that you only do while on the road? What are some of the weirder habits you've seen your teammates do to get ready for games?
I try not to change up any superstitions on the road. There are alot of superstitions our team has but I dont want to give away all of them. After our stretch we break up into Defense and Forwards. Forwards have their own part of the warmup and the defense and goalies do their own thing. One thing that has become an every game thing is a dance John Simpson and Welshy do before putting on the pads. It's to the song "We No Speak Americano", so you could just imagine what wacky moves go on during that.
Everyone has been talking about the Islanders/Penguins game from the other night these days. Seems like there was a fight every five minutes and the refs were powerfless to control the fighting. I know your from Strong Island and a big Islanders fan, so what's your take on your teams performance the other night against the Pens?
I personally thought the game was awesome. The Islanders scored nine goals in one game which was shocking. I checked the score while out to dinner with my parents and said to my Dad "you'll never guess the score of the Islander game tonight". He was also shocked haha. Then to see Johnson fight a forward gave me a chuckle. It was good to see some life out of the Islanders. That Bruins-Canadiens game was also a exciting game to watch since I know you are a 'B's' fan.
Well there you have it folks, you've heard it from the man himself. Please leave your reviews in the comment box below. Enjoy this upcoming weekend's games- be sure to tune into live stream radio on Unionathletics.com to pick up the action. I myself may be traveling to the North Country to see the boys play their last set of regular season road games. And remember fans, you can find Keith Kinkaid on facebook at any time during the day. -JZolot
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