Breaking The ice

Coach’s Corner with Joe Mullen

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Despite losing their first game in the opening round, Team Mullen came out victorious in Vegas. From Coach Joe Mullen’s perspective, he thought his team played well in all three games and was extremely proud of their effort (especially when it came to scoring goals). 

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“We got into that second round which gave us a second chance,” Mullen said. “The guys, they were in the locker room talking about it and hoping that they would get that second chance. When they did, they really came through for me. They played hard, they played well, they finished the job and won.” 

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When Mullen’s team wasn’t on the ice, he would stand in one of the corners of Orleans Arena and watch the on-ice action from the other teams. He would go back and forth between his spot in the corner and to the locker to check on his team, where he found them watching the other games on their phones. 

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“They were hoping they would get in and they were watching to see what the other teams were doing,” Mullen said. “So, if we did get in, we were all preparing for a strategy against them.” 

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When his team stepped foot on the ice for their first-ever 3ICE game, Mullen was a little nervous for his team in hopes of everything to go well. Then once the puck dropped, the winning head coach thought everything worked out well for everybody. 

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When reflecting on all six games, how quickly a lot of the goals were scored in most of the games stood out to Mullen. 

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“The games can turn around pretty quickly too,” Mullen said. “But the skill level was great, the speed was really good, and I think it’s only going to get better.” 

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And to top it all off, Mullen and his team came out on top. 

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“It was great,” Mullen said. “The guys were so excited that they won and so thrilled, and I was too. To win the first one was pretty special.”