I feel like we took another step ahead. We hustled. We don't get rewarded for it. But as a team we've got to know we played the world champs and took them to overtime. The only reason we did that is because of how hard we played.

It came slowly. I did stuff on the bike [while I was recovering], core stuff, a lot of legs. I didn't take off completely.

It's a good feeling to clinch it on my birthday, but we want to build on this and see if we can climb a bit more. I had good looks (today) and didn't think twice about taking shots.

A lot of players take some time off, so I feel like when I was injured that was my time off. I think I'm [close to] 100 percent. My hand will keep getting stronger. I'm on right path to recovery. I just have to keep doing what I have to do.

It's a big possibility. My freshman and sophomore years of high school, I felt that [Connecticut] was the school I was going to.

It feels like I keep getting something. Throughout my career, I never really got hurt. All of a sudden, maybe it's telling me I have to put on weight and toughen it up.