Marquette Royales Team Request

Marquette Royales Team Request

     Welcome back to another blog of Biscuits and Breezers! Recently, I was approached by Head Coach Mike Stanaway of the Marquette Royales wondering if I could do a write up about the team and I quickly responded with a yes! I love this team and how they have been doing this year. They are one of the teams placed in the Great Lakes Division of the MnJHL. They are on a hot 17 game win streak and are going for #18 hopefully on the 8th against the Central Wisconsin Saints. This is team built on trust, team chemistry, passion, and great hockey players. Instead of playing for themselves, they all play for each other and that is really what has brought them out on top. To go along with the win streak, they have a multitude of NCAA offers to many of the members of the team. As a team they are all living the dream and I have great respect towards that. The roster includes many great players and leaders out on the ice. The Royales certainly have their priorities straight when it comes to their work ethic and how they approach games. I also love the fact that two of my biggest fans are on the team as well (little shout out to Nick DeSimone and Robby Gervino, major beautys) also players that I have worked with in the past when they were in Southern Oregon or New Mexico. This team should be high on your list of teams to watch as they grow and develop into what is suspected to be one of the best teams in the state of Michigan in my opinion. I was fortunate enough to interview Nick and Robby for a second time as well as Coach Stanaway and goaltender Nate Eminger. I think I will start off with Nick DeSimone's interview so sit back, see what they had to say, and enjoy the ride!

(Credit to Marquette Royales Hockey)

Nick DeSimone is definitely one of the greatest players and biggest gems I have ever worked with. He is always up for an interview and is very good at them as well! His skills in the interview category don't even compare to those on the blue line. He averages about 1 point per game and isn't afraid to show his physical side. He is a great player to watch as well as one to get to know. I can see him going very far in competitive hockey. I was lucky enough to interview him the other day and here is what he had to say!

Biscuits: Do you think you made the right decision joining the team?

Nick: Yes because I'm having fun and all the guys are starting to bond and it makes it fun to play hard every day to help the team get 2 pts every game. We're starting to play for each other and that makes playing on this team a blast.

Biscuits: Why would you recommend a player to tryout and/or join the team?

Nick: I would recommend Marquette as a great place to play because the fans are great and know hockey and also the coaching staff has been excellent. All the players play hard for our coaches because they're great guys on and off the ice.

Biscuits: Do you feel that you and the boys have a close relationship on and off the ice?

Nick: Yesss all the guys are awesome we have fun on and off the ice together. Everyone on the teams bonds as one. There are no cliques. I love all of them to death Biscuits.

Biscuits: How do you feel about the upcoming games against the Saints?

Nick: It should be a good test. They're a good team and we're going to have to play every period hard and stay discipline to pull out some wins.

Biscuits: Is your season going as you expected it to?

Nick: Yes great questions Biscuits I love every question soo far! Our season is going great so far. We got to keep working hard on and off the ice. I'm very proud of all the guys on the team. We've done well so far but our main goal is to win everything so we gotta keep working on our weaknesses and improve them so we can accomplish our main goal.

Biscuits: 7 shots on goal and 7 goals, how do you manage to rack up 21 TPs in 19 games as a d-man?

Nick: I've managed to put up okay numbers due to working on offensive game in practice as it's great to put up points, none of that really matters. The only stat I care about is the win/loss column.

Biscuits: Are you impressed with the MnJHL so far?

Nick: The MnJHL is okay. A lot of us decided to play in this league so that we could stay together and have fun and work to have a successful year.

Biscuits: Is Marquette a good hockey town?

Nick: Marquette is an excellent hockey town. I love the fans and the puck heads are amazing, they're practically part of the team. We all love them!

Biscuits: What series of games has been your favorite to play in so far?

Nick: I don't really have a favorite series. All of them have been pretty fun especially when we get the wins. The Saints series was good. It was a pretty good pace and had a lot of physical play, great question :) I'm looking forward to this weekend. It should be a good series.

Biscuits: What is the most important asset to the team?

Nick: To play as a whole unit not to play on individual talent. If we play hard together we have a pretty strong brotherhood that will be hard to beat. (Soo great I love these interviews me and Robby are in love with you!)

Thank you very much Nick it was great to interview you! Nick is a great defenseman to watch and has many talents to learn from! Next up we have Coach Stanaway's interview!

(Credit to Marquette Royales Hockey)

Coach Stanaway is a one of the best coaches, in my opinion, to have on a team. He is strict but at the same time encourages the players to play their own way. I have great respect towards him because he strives to move his players onto either college hockey or higher tiers. He pushes the team in the right direction and improves their game each day they are on the ice. With out any further delays, Coach Stanaway's interview!

Biscuits: How do you feel about your position as head coach?

Coach: I feel good with what we have done so far. Being from Marquette, getting the chance to coach in my hometown after spending time in the WSHL has been a great experience so far.

Biscuits: Considering the team's 17 game win streak, is there anything you do or anyway you coach differently to motivate the guys to play their best?

Coach: I think it is important that we not only stay hungry but strive to get better everyday. We are on a fantastic streak, but there are many aspects of our game that needs improvement as we continue to move forward.

Biscuits: Why would you recommend a player to tryout and/or join the team?

Coach: Well I think there are many reasons why we feel our program is the right fit for players. We work extremely hard as a coaching staff to successfully advance our players to NCAA programs. (We already have four players that have received NCAA offers so far.) Another reason is we strive to make sure our players leave our program as better players than when they got here. Not to mention, Marquette has some of the best fans in the country!

Biscuits: Do you feel that you and the team have a good relationship on and off the ice?

Coach: I think so, I am very straightforward with the players. They know what my expectations are and they work very hard, which is all I can ask for. The guys know that if they do things the right way that I will work extremely hard to advance them to solid NCAA programs.

Biscuits: What would you say the team's most important asset is?

Coach: I think we have two assets that have given us early success. The first is our team is very balanced. We have an explosive group of forwards, a tremendous group of defenseman and our goaltending has been solid. We are deep at every position. The other asset is our team chemistry. They guys bonded early in the preseason and it is showing in our current success.

Biscuits: Do you feel that the MnJHL is a good development league?

Coach: I think it is. Having coached in the Northern Pacific Hockey League as well as the Western States Hockey League, I can say that the MnJHL takes the development of their players very seriously. There are a lot of teams with tremendous coaching staffs throughout the league.

Biscuits: How is the team preparing for the match up against McCreary and the Saints? Are you looking forward to the series?

Coach: We are preparing for a tough series with the Saints. We took three games down there earlier in the season and we know they will be competing hard to get some of those points back. They are a physical group that has a lot of overall team speed. We will have to make sure we are on top of our game this weekend as it will be a tough and physical series.

Biscuits: Would you say Marquette is a very good and supportive hockey town?

Coach: I think Marquette is the best hockey town I have coached in. The fans are unreal in Marquette. I grew up here but seeing the town's reception of the Royales has been unbelievable.

Biscuits: Do you have any plans whether that might be tweaking game plans or practices for the team in the future?

Coach: I think from a player personnel standpoint we are in great shape and I don't feel we need to make any changes. For our game plans, I think we always have to adjust to our opponents but the biggest thing we have to do is to continually improve our execution.

Biscuits: Is there anything you would like the public to know about the team and why they should be keeping track of the Royales?

Coach: I think everyone should be keeping track of the advancement of our players. I think there will be quite a few players moving to NCAA programs from here. Everyone may also want to keep their eyes on our players. They are a group of guys that can flat out play and have the personalities to match.

Thank you very much Coach Stanaway! It was a great pleasure to talk with you! He is one of the best coaches out there so make sure to watch his career for futher updates on his tremendous coaching style! Next up we have Robby Gervino!

(Credit to Marquette Royales Hockey)

I was very excited to get to interview Robby  again because this guy is such an amazing player and is an awesome person to talk hockey with! Robby is always willing to chat with me and has a great personality towards the game. His intensity out on the ice is outstanding and it shows up not only on the team stats but in the wins as well. If you are a young player reading this, I would recommend you watch him because he balances out his physical strength with his puck handling abilities just enough that he can score in almost any situation. I was lucky enough to interview Robby and here is what he had to say! (This one is tad different because it was sent in a bulk message but the effect is still the same!)

Biscuits: 1.Do you think you made the right decision joining the team? 2. Why would you recommend this team and/or league to a hopeful player? 3. Do you and the boys have a close relationship on and off the ice? 4. Are you excited about the upcoming games against the C.W. Saints? 5. How do you think your season is going so far? 6. 38 pts in 19 games, how do you rack up points so effortlessly? 7. Do you prefer the MnJHL? 8. Do you like being a player in Marquette? 9. Which team is your favorite to go up against? 10. What is the most important asset to the team?

Robby: Absolutely, I have zero regrets about my decision to come to Marquette. 

Being a Royale in the Minnesota Junior Hockey League has brought my game to a new level. There is a lot of talent in both divisions of the league. Marquette is the place to be, it truly is a hockey town. The atmosphere at The Lakeview Ice Arena is unbelievable. If heaven is anything like playing in Marquette I'm going to start going to church more often. The boys get a long great we started becoming a team fairly quickly actually. There are definitely some funny guys in the locker room this year. Especially Trevor Givens he makes the boys crack up day in and day out. Every weekend is special here in the UP. So far the season has been great, we're sitting on a 17 game win streak right now, but we have higher goals than just that. It's all luck. haha The points are always nice to have but they wouldn't be there without the help of my teammates.

Thank you very much Robby! It was great to talk with you again and I am looking forward to the rest of your season! Hopefully he will move on to a higher competitive league where he can further his skills. Last but not least we have goaltender Nate Eminger!

 Here is a video about the Royales'  tryouts found on YouTube

Last but certainly in no means least, we have goaltender Nate Eminger. Nate has been an on-the-spot goaltender this year. He has been solid in the net and has become even more increasingly solid as the season has progressed. He is a veteran in the MnJHL after playing with the Edina Lakers last season so he is one of the bigger influences on the the rookies. Nate is very reliable in the cage and can by trusted in high stress situations. Well basically every situation thrown at him. I had the chance to talk with Nate and here is what he had to say about the Royales!

Biscuits: Are you enjoying your season with the Royales so far?

Nate: Yes it's been great couldn't have asked for a better team to play for especially only playing 2 games last year with the Edina Lakers.

Biscuits: 190 saves out of a total of 203 shots on goal, how do you manage to stay on top of everything going on outside the net?

Nate: Ya I know I try to keep my head on straight and just take everything day by day. If something bad happens in a game or not just have to readjust to it.

Biscuits: Do you feel that you and the boys have a good team relationship on and off the ice?

Nate: Oh ya everyone connects really good and we all feel like one big family up here.

Biscuits: Are you excited about playing the Saints this weekend?

Nate: Definitely, they gave us a good battle down at their barn so it should be a fun but rough series!

Biscuits: How do you think your season is going so far?

Nate: It's going great, started the season off a little rough with our only losses but since we are all clicking and it's awesome.

Biscuits: Do you enjoy being involved with the MnJHL?

Nate: Ya now it's my 2nd year in the league and this year being on the Great Lakes side it's different. The league has been good but still has parts that need some help.

Biscuits: Is Marquette a good, supportive hockey town in your opinion?

Nate: Yes bet much so it seems like no matter who I talk to in the town they all know us! Our crowds are awesome especially having the Royale Pains in the crowd.

Biscuits: What has been your favorite match up so far this year?

Nate: I would have to say playing the Saints down in Stevens Point earlier this year. It was a great battle and especially because it was close to home for me.

Biscuits: Who or what is the most important asset to the team?

Nate: Our fans. Without their support it just wouldn't be the same in Lakeview Arena.

Biscuits: Why would you recommend a player join the Royales squad?

Nate: It's a start to a great organization, the coaches are great at moving kids along and on to higher levels, and the community is amazing.

Thank you very much it was great to get to talk with you! I hope we see more of Eminger in the net because this guy is definitely a beast when he is in the cage!

Royales season recap as of October, found on YouTube

  As you can see this is a great team with a fantastic future ahead of them. The players are phenomenal and if you can, watch them throughout their NCAA careers because even though none have been drafted yet, I can sense a couple of rising stars here in the near future. As I said before they are an absolutely great organization and I just want to thank them for contacting me and squeezing in a couple of interviews along the way with some great players! Good luck this weekend against the Saints boys I will see if I can catch some of the games. Keep rocking it out there on the and let's see if you can extend it to 20!

 If you haven't checked them out already, their website is: http://marquetteroyales.pointstreaksites.com/view/marquetteroyales and you can go like them on Facebook as well! (Which I highly suggest!) https://www.facebook.com/royaleshockey