I'm an emotional coach. I put my heart into it. I think it shows. And I know that our kids recognize that. We're not going into this game (against West Haven) taking them the least bit lightly. Look at their schedule and how they play. They'll be ready for us. We need to be ready for them.

I know that this loss really hurt them. But, that's hockey. We needed to win. To keep this going. They're a good group (Lyman Hall) and, like us they're young. I'm rooting for them the rest of the way. It would be good for hockey statewide if they're able to come back and qualify for the state tournament.

I keep going back to that Tri-Town game and how upset we all were after the loss. It was a reality check for this team. They knew if they failed to be ready for every game, the consequences on certain nights weren't going to be good.

After that loss to Tri-Town (6-2 on Jan. 4), we went back to basics, right from conditioning on up through. I think that our kids realized the depth of the loss to Tri-Town. They realized how badly they were outplayed.

I've got to give the credit to Eric in these last two games. He's not the most technically sound goaltender that you'll find around, but he's an athlete, and a competitor. He's quick and he's a winner. He hates to lose. He'll do whatever it takes to win. I love him.

It's amazing how successful we've been on the power play. I'd like to see us play a little better when we're five-on-five. But these two wins have been great. We're beating quality teams. North Branford isn't just a good team, they're a top-ten (New Haven Register hockey poll) team.

We had our moments where I thought we were going to put this one away. Then West Haven would come right back. When you're in need of a win big time like they were, those things will happen.

This was real big for us. Now, we're 4-3. This could very well be the turning point in our season.

This was a great learning experience for us. We knew coming in that they were in a must-win situation. It's great to think that for two of those three periods we played toe-to-toe hockey with a team that one of the area's perennial powers.

We've been good friends for a long time. I've been here for three years now, so those seniors were the last group that I had contact with.