Final tuneup for Yale

We got over to Yale to chat with Keith Allain and a few players Thursday afternoon. The Bulldogs will play host to Ontario Tech in an exhibition Saturday night, the final tuneup before they officially begin defense of their national championship next weekend at the Liberty Hockey Invitational.

Here's the story I wrote for the Register previewing the weekend for Yale and Quinnipiac. 

A couple of additional notes:

* All games will again be broadcast on WYBC-1340, good news for weirdos like me that still enjoy radio.

** Allain will dress everyone, and then let the game dictate who plays and when. If special teams gets a ton of work early, Allain said he may send a line of forwards to the showers so younger players can get more experience. All three goalies will play.

** Tickets are still available for banner-raising night on Nov. 1, but not many. According to Steve Conn at Yale, only the Quinnipiac game is sold out right now, but it's standing-room only for most of the remaining ECAC games.

** No one has to remind Yale hockey fans how fortunate they are to have the program under the direction of a man like Keith Allain. That said, here’s one more reason to appreciate a true coach:

Asked Thursday if he took some time to let his guard down and celebrate in the weeks after Yale’s national title, Allain said, “To be perfectly honest, for me it wasn’t about that. It was about getting a group, having a goal, working toward that goal, and accomplishing the goal. Being in that room after the game, and seeing the look on their faces, that was enough for me.”

Then, a short pause.

“So I want to do it again. Damn straight.”