December 6, 2023 - Matt Koopman, Forward

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Episode Transcript

(00:00):
George Burge and mind on you onninety eight point seven WOVK the Badley's Country
Favorite's Corey kluegear with you as youmake that great escape from work. We
thank you so much for tuning inon this Wednesday hump day and for the
first time in a couple of weeks, Wheeling Naylor Wednesday is actually happening on
a Wednesday. And I got MattCoopman forward joining me here this time around
in the studio. So Matt,thanks for stopping bye, Oh prol thanks

(00:21):
for having me on. So youguys come off one of the busier weekends
and really one of the busier stretchesof the season, playing eight games and
twelve days and running through the gauntletthat is the Central Divisions. So what
are some of the takeaways from thatstretch and how you guys have been able
to compete? Yeah, I thinkoverall is a good way to finish off
the weekend on Sunday against against Kalamazoo. It is a lot of hockey over

(00:43):
the course of two weeks. Forme, it's it's good and bad in
the sense I mean you think it'sobviously want to have a little bit more
time in between games. But alsoif when you do lose a game,
it's a quick turnaround, you haveto reset right away and then try and
flush out and to find a wayto move on. I think going in
to Indy think it seems like thereall the time now traveling there, but
go ahead and back there Friday,so it gets a big test for us

(01:04):
now is how can we find away to shut them down and go in
there and win a game. Ithink that's our our mindset going into going
into Friday night and hopefully can getit done. You took the words out
of my mouth as if you haven'tbeen in India enough these last couple of
weeks. You got to go backthere Friday before the big home games on
Saturday and Sunday. But we talkedthe last couple of weeks with everyone stopping

(01:25):
by about staying fresh in a stretchlike that when you're playing those eight games
in twelve days. So aside fromtaking care of the body and everything like
that, getting the treatment that youneed, what were some of the other
things that you found yourself doing tomake sure the legs were staying fresh throughout
that stretch. Yeah, whether whetherit's the legs or even just finding a
little bit of time to get yourmind mind off the game, whether it's
going out for a nice diner orsomething. We go up the roads a

(01:46):
couple of roommates, then we wentto Charhouse the other night on the boulevard,
just a little stuff like that toget away, get away from the
game for a little bit. Allthe you know, cold tub and it
stretching, all that stuff that youthey do to get your body right.
But I think for me something justagain getting mind off the game, surrounding
yourself with with their teammates, justagain, because you don't want to be
again cramming everything in and kind ofoverdoing it that way. So absolutely again

(02:08):
Naylor's forward back Coopman joining me hereon a wheeling Naylor Wednesdays. So you're
in your first full season with theNailers because you were one of the guys
that joined kind of late in theseason last year's So as you get your
first full pro season underneath you here, what are some of the takeaways and
and how you've been able to fairwith everything. Yeah, I think the

(02:28):
biggest thing again is the turnarounds afterlike I keep I just preached on it,
but coming from the college schedule whereyou kind of had the whole I
guess Monday to Thursday to prep wherenow it's you're going to have games middle
of the week. Some games areon wicked Wednesdays. Again you'll have the
weekend games. But again just havinga having a quick memory, I think
is the biggest thing for me.Having a lot of good self talk and

(02:50):
make sure if it's a bad shiftor even a bad not your best game,
you know how you're recovering from thatmentally and not getting to to on
yourself or again, even if youhave good game, you're not riding high
too much knowing you got to turnaround and do it again the next night.
It's been the biggest adjustment I think, on top of you know,
all the stuff, it's more onyou know, how to take care of
yourself and kind of home in yourcareer. I can college, you had
a big, big emphasis was theset structure of you know, every hour

(03:15):
or classroom, weight room, onthe ice, where now it's more you
know, what do you doing atthe rink when you're not in the ice
again? Getting you getting yourself ready. Yeah, I can only imagine how
much of a transition that can bebecause I was listening to the Naylor's Power
Hour last night and they're talking aboutthe transition from college and how you're just
constantly going from class to the rinkto dinner and taking care of projects and

(03:37):
everything like that, and then youmake the transition from college to pro and
it's like, Okay, I havea lot more free time on my hands
zone that way. Yeah, yeah, that's that's the thing. I think
it's getting the honus is on ison the player now, it's more you
have the resources we have Marcados Iwas strained coach helping us out a lot
too, and Lauren in the trainingroom and all that. But I think
now it's on on the individual.What are you doing outside the rink to

(03:59):
eat and eating other right things?Not necessarily I don't have the dining hall
to go to every you know,every meal. He did like he did
in college. Again, learn howto cook a little bit too. I
think that's something that find myself onlineon Instagram or looking on different websites.
We'll try and find stuff to cookwith with their roommates, do likegain go
and grocery shop and you're on You'reon your own now for the most for
the most part, and it's cool. It's something Makingey grows as a person
as well. So speaking up thatcooking, any specialties in the kitchen that

(04:21):
you're working on. I think wefor the most part, I remember even
yet last night we kept the prettysimple, just ground beef and potatoes.
But I think one one night wemade some some pasta dish with with Bunzie
too. He's pretty good about that. I think with me, Bunzie and
laugh, we all we all tacklesomething, whether someone's cooking the meat,
someone's making a salad, someone's cookingsome kind of side or potato. For

(04:44):
the most part, we keep itsimple. We're starting to branch out a
little bit in that sense, sowe're working on it. So it seems
like the first line when it comesto Coop when it comes to cooking is
Davis Buns, Peter Lobbilette, andMatt Coopman. Yeah. Yeah, they
come. They they mean they're notthey don't chirt me, but they'll kind
of, hey, we can takethis one. You know, you can
kind of lay back and take iteasy, maybe make a salad or something
that's more up your alley. Gooddeal again, Matt Coopman joining me here

(05:06):
for the Wheeling Nailers on a WheelingNaylor Wednesday. So after what seems to
be the tenth trip to Indy inthese last few days, you get to
spend some time with West Banco Arenaagain with the Tulsa Oiler Saturday night at
seven ten and Sunday afternoon at fourto ten, and of course Saturday is
the big game with it being theWheeling Wonderland game. So much great Christmas
stuff happening during the game, includingthe Pomp Pom hat giveaway, which by

(05:29):
the way, Matt is wearing rightnow. I know you can't see it
because of radio, but it doeslook pretty sweet, so you'll definitely want
to get your hands on one ofthat. But also it's the Teddy Bear
toss games. So have you everbeen a part of a Teddy Bear Toss
game? I have in Junior's inWaterloo in the USC. How every Thanksgiving
the game they did a Teddy BearToss. I think we had three thirty

(05:51):
five hundred four thousand, was prettyI guess, pretty similar to West Banco,
so it was it was a soldout crowd there too. It was
pretty cool. Now, have youbeen lucky enough to score the Teddy Bear
goal. No, I wasn't.I think I was on the ice when
the one year I was there.I don't know if I don't think I
had an assist or anything. Imight have told my buddies I had the
assist or something on the goal.I meant least at least you were on

(06:12):
the ice to enjoy the the avalancheof Teddy Bears and all the cleanup as
well. Yeah, I've been onthe road too for a couple and when
the fans just keep pouring them on, you're getting hit with him on the
bench, whether you're on the iceor not. I've had one of those
two when I was playing juniors too. So I'll get you out of here
on this lack on this last question, Matt, because it's easy for people
to say, I'm gonna be theone that scores a Teddy Bear toss goal,

(06:33):
I'm going to be the one tocue the bears. But if not
you, who do you think hasthe best chance to score the Teddy Bear
goal on Saturday. I'm gonna go. I'm gonna go. The Cedric de
Rousseau wrote, just a guy thatI think would step up in those in
those big moments. Has that kindof area about him, you know,
I think he I think he'll bethe first one to tell you. I

(06:53):
mean he's not he's been shooting thepocket. I think he's going to tell
you he's got a shoot a bitmore. I think he'll come come Saturday
night ready to go start firing thepuck. Yeah, he got off to
that hot start in the season,and then ever since coming back from his
PTO with wilkes Bury, you couldtell it's getting a little bit acclimated.
But definitely the betting favorite, Iwould say, because of the amount of

(07:13):
goals that he's been able to scoreearly on. Yeah, and then maybe
for for a sleeper, I couldsee one of our again, maybe a
d Man from the point or somethingeven like a David Drake. He's do
for one of those, maybe ashot from the point off of shin pad
or something was off the crossbarn,and so I'd go, I'm gonna go
safe. Bet would be yeah,go Sedric de Rousseau, and then the
sleeper would be, uh, DavidDrake. Well, either way, hopefully

(07:35):
a Naylor scores a goal, becauseI remember one year that we were in
danger of just being shut out,shut up. But then we ended up
scoring with like fifteen seconds left,so hopefully we don't have to be our
seats with that. Yeah, Buteither way, once A Naylor scores the
first goal of the game for Wheeling, all the Bears are going to be
donated to the Salvation Army helping outkids and need this Christmas. So hopefully

(07:57):
you're able to come on out tothe game Saturday and do your part,
and not only do your part tohelp make spirits bright for kids in need,
but also see a pretty good hockeyteam and see Matt Coopman do his
thing. So Matt, thank youso much for your time today and best
of luck this weekend and the restof the wait man, thank you appreciate
it. So again, hopefully you'reable to stop out to West Banco Areenna
this weekend see the nailor's take onTulsa, and especially on Saturday, try

(08:18):
to help out some kids in needwith the Teddy Bear toass But if you're
not able to make it out tothe rink this week, you can catch
all the action over on our sisterstation, Mixed ninety seven three Borgae Country
coming up after the break we'll kickit all off with Thomas Rhetz, so
stay tuned. A ninety eight pointseven WOVK