January 4, 2012

St. Scholastica's Mark Wick Joins Chat

Rink Chat, with NCHA Insider Nate Woelfel


Nate Woelfel: What were your expectations of your team heading into this season?

Mark Wick: “We had pretty high expectations of our team. Our hope is that last year was not an indication of where our program has been at. We had a 20 win season in ’09, in ’10 we had a five-loss season. Last year was kind of a struggle for us but the things we felt we had to shore up coming off that season, we really thought we shored up.”

NW: What is it about your team that makes them always ready to play?

MW: “I think our guys have bought into what we are trying to do here.  They know what we did in ’09 and ’10 that made us successful. One of the things we can control is how well we compete and how long we compete. We are dedicated to playing 60 minutes and I think if you see some of our games, we have had to do just that. We’re just going to come out there and compete because that is what we can control.”

NW: What is inherent in the NCHA that makes it competitive from top to bottom seemingly every year?

MW: “I think all of the coaches work hard at going out there and getting the best players. I think our league has a very good reputation and because of that our league has very good players. There are a lot of very good coaches in our league that get their teams ready to play. I think it is something that has gone on over time.”

NW: Your team narrowly missed the NCAA tournament a few years ago. What do you hope is different about your team this season?

MW: “We’ve kind of changed our focus on really looking at our league and understanding that you have to do well in the league. Number one, we want to shoot for home ice in our league playoffs as long as we can.  Our goal is to win the Peters Cup because then you take it out of everyone else’s hand. We’ve done a lot of things here that we are proud of. But the one thing we haven’t done is we haven’t won a Peters Cup.”

NW: What would you like to see your team shore up in the second half of the season?

MW: “We just have to get better consistency defensively. We play some very strong games defensively and then we’ve given up some goals.  One thing that we’ve always stressed is our defensive play. I think if you look at the teams whether they are in our league or on the national level that have success are generally the better defensive teams.” 

NW: Jeremy Dawes is having a great season so far. What is like to have a guy like him on your squad?

MW: “He just brings us a lot. He does things that you can’t coach. His speed and his acceleration can really open the game up.  He’s kind of what you ask for. You have to rely on your juniors and seniors in this league. This is it for him; he realizes it and I think he’s put his most complete effort together so far. This year he’s looking to take on more of that role himself and he’s doing a good job of it.”

NW: What is going to be your message to your team as you hit the second half?

MW: “We have to get better. We have to learn from the first half. We are happy with our play the first half… but we’ve always said this is the time of the season where you have to play your best. It doesn’t matter if you win your first ten games, you have to win your last ten games. That’s our message.”


NEXT UP FOR THE SAINTS: Friday, Jan 6, at Gustavus / Saturday, Jan 7, at Augsburg