BUFFALO, N.Y. — For the first time in 10 years, the Canisius Golden Griffins practice to play in the 2023 NCAA Men's Hockey Tournament.
"I like the message of just go out and play," says hockey head coach Trevor Large. He continues, "When you talk about that word pressure, it's on everybody. We feel it. I'm sure they do too. It's the exciting part; that's why you play college athletics."
So as the team breaks to start their last at-home practice, the team knows they have lots of work ahead to beat Minnesota.
"We have that chip on our shoulder. You watch selections, and they don't like talking about Canisius, but they love hyping Minnesota, and on that side of things, I think there's a lot of things that we have that maybe teams like that don't," says the player Jake Barczewski.
The Griffins say never underestimate an underdog. We just saw low-ranked Fairleigh Dickinson University defeat the number one seed Purdue Friday.
"If people haven't seen Canisius play, we're a resilient group. We're tough. We forecheck. We're physical, and most importantly, we play together. So as a cohesive unit, I'm excited to showcase that for whoever is watching," says Large.
DraftKing's data indicates Minnesota is projected to win by at least three goals. Regardless, Canisius students are excited despite the odds.
"The whole community has rallied around this team, so now that they're going to it, playing in the NCAA tournament, the best team in the country. It's a special feeling," says senior Griffin Della Penna.
So with grit, effort, and competitiveness, the players believe that's all it takes to get the break they need to win.