Inside College Hockey posted an interview today with Husky Senior Captain Garrett Raboin. I've posted it below...
Jess Myers: Were you surprised with how much trouble Minnesota State gave you in the first round?
Garrett Raboin: They played well. They played tight and didn’t allow us many opportunities all weekend. They got fantastic goaltending and strong defense, which made it tough for us.
INCH: Is that typical of your rivalry with the Mavericks?
GR: Mankato’s been tough as long as I’ve been here. All in all, they’ve probably gotten the better of us record-wise. They had some good players and good leadership this year and gave us all we could handle.
INCH: Were you a Husky fan as a kid?
GR: I was. Well, I was kind of a WCHA fan. My first few years I lived in International Falls (Minn.), so I grew up around Duluth. The ‘Dogs are the big deal around International Falls. Depending on who was having success in a particular year, I kind of flip-flopped from team to team in the WCHA.
INCH: When did you move?
GR: I was six years old when we moved to Detroit Lakes.
INCH: Your parents are both in special education. What was it like growing up around that?
GR: It was just what I knew, I guess. It was always entertaining when their students would come over. We always had a lot of fun, so it was just part of growing up for me, having students around in the summertime. I never thought too much about it.
INCH: At what point did you feel that was something you wanted to do as well?
GR: Probably after high school when I was in juniors, you kind of start thinking about which direction you might be heading and it seemed like the natural choice for me.
INCH: You played three years of junior hockey. Were you always thinking Division I, or did you get to a point where you would’ve taken any college offer?
GR: Division I was always the goal. There definitely is a point where you’re wondering if you might need to go play Division III or anything to continue your career, but I stuck with it and never lost hope and things ended up working out.
INCH: What ultimately went into your decision to go to St. Cloud State?
GR: It was one of those things where right when I heard from Coach Motzko, it felt good in my gut and my heart was there. I couldn’t wait to get to St. Cloud. From the time I first talked to coach to the time I knew I was coming it was a matter of days.
INCH: Last season the Huskies did pretty much everything except beat Minnesota and ended up sitting home and watching the Final Five as a result. Was that a motivating factor going into this year?
GR: I don’t think it was really our losses to Minnesota. Definitely being away from the Final Five and other postseason play, guys went to work this summer with that in mind. It’s also another year of maturity throughout our lineup and we brought in some good freshmen. It’s just a unique team. It’s different than any team we’ve had since I’ve been here and guys like to go to work every day at the rink. That’s contributed a lot to our success.
INCH: It’s your second year as a captain. How has it changed things for you, being in a leadership role?
GR: It really hasn’t changed things too much. I’ve always been a player that’s worn it and gone about my business as I had before. That letter has fallen on me by how I’ve carried myself on and off the ice up to the point that I earned it. I’ve kept doing the things that come to me naturally and never thought too much about it.
INCH: How did you injure your ankle and how has the recovery process been?
GR: I kind of went into the boards funny, got bumped from behind a little bit in Wisconsin. It’s the longest injury I’ve ever had to deal with, but a lot of players have to deal with it in their career. I had to go through rehab, and it’s one of those things that’s going to linger around until the season’s over and I get some rest. For right now, with the importance of these games and the intensity of them, you just play with it and kind of forget about it with the emotions of the game.
INCH: On the Huskies defensive corps, what makes that group so successful?
GR: Eric Rud is our coach back there and he’s done a lot of work with us. It’s an accumulation of things that have come throughout the four years at St. Cloud, from learning from the guys who were older when I was a freshman and sophomore. When you’re growing up through a program, you try to teach the younger guys something as I was taught by the guys before me. This year, I think we have some defensemen who have played a lot of games. Just about all of us have a couple seasons under our belts and have led for various teams. It’s a team thing. It’s the forwards and the defense all working together toward a common goal.
INCH: A few years ago some of the Huskies dyed their hair red for the playoffs and I see Wisconsin is going with the playoff moustaches this year. What is your team doing as a playoff gimmick?
GR: Nowdays you’re different if you don’t do anything, so we’re going to stick with being ourselves and go with what’s been winning us games throughout the year.
INCH: With the end of the season approaching, do you think about the NCAA Tournament and getting the Huskies their first win there?
GR: To our guys, that’s not a thought. You hear about it. The two previous times I was in the national tournament, that comes up, but this team of guys has goose eggs all across the board and we’d like to get a win. Not to get rid of the losing streak for the university but for ourselves because that’s where we hope our season can go.
INCH: The crowds at the National Hockey Center are pretty legendary. What is it like having all of those crazies on your side?
GR: It’s unbelievable. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I think opposing teams enjoy playing in our arena and it brings out the best in them … it definitely brings out the best in us.
INCH: Do you block out the crowd once the game starts or do you hear the chants from the student section?
GR: Absolutely you hear them. They’re a big part of any success we have had and are going to have. Our fans are top notch, that’s for sure.
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