OSU women’s coach Barto regroups after UMD series

Ohio StateÂ’s womenÂ’s hockey team held on stubbornly before falling 5-2 at Minnesota-Duluth, but the dam burst the next night, when the Buckeyes were the victims of an 11-2 drubbing by the Bulldog powerhouse.

If it felt good to return home Sunday to Columbus, coach Jackie Barto and her Buckeyes didnÂ’t have much time to regroup. Four days later, they would be heading for Minneapolis, and the second half of the WCHA-WomenÂ’s grind against Minnesota. Both UMD and Minnesota have been ranked among the nationÂ’s top three all season, a position the rest of the leagueÂ’s teams continue to strive to achieve.

While UMD and Minnesota are dueling for the WCHA and possible NCAA laurels, Barto and the Buckeyes have set more modest objectives, with the league in its fourth season since bursting upon the scene. Minnesota was the only one of seven teams that had a Division I varsity womenÂ’s hockey program when the WomenÂ’s WCHA was formed. UMD beat Minnesota for the first title, then Minnesota won the second and third, with UMD advancing the past two seasons to win the first two WomenÂ’s NCAA national championships.

“No question, Minnesota and Minnesota-Duluth have set the bar pretty high for our whole league,” said Barto. “The others want to continue to improve, and I definitely think there is good progress. Minnesota and UMD have a lot of very talented players out there, but the younger players on other teams are getting exposure to the game. With the resources available to all of us, obviously growth was going to happen. And it’s happened quickly.

“Our objective is to work hard and keep the games close against teams like Minnesota and Duluth. We want to qualify for the WCHA tournament and give it our best shot.”

Barto established herself as a force in womenÂ’s hockey coaching during five years at Providence, where she had been a star athlete. Her first team, in 1994-95, was 18-9-4 and won the ECAC championship. The next year the Friars lost to New Hampshire in the title game, but only after five overtimes. When the WCHA started in 1999-2000, Barto joined the new frontier and moved to Columbus, where her teams showed steady improvement through her first three years, going 8-26-3 with all-rookies, then 18-16-3 as WCHA runner-up, and last year fashioned an 18-15-4 mark.

This year has been more of a struggle, as OSU takes an 8-16-2 record (5-9-2 in the WCHA) to Minnesota.

“I feel that our program can compete with anybody, we just need some confidence,” said Barto. “The trouble is, teams like Minnesota and UMD don’t allow your confidence to grow, and confidence is such a fragile element.”

Both hope and that fragile element of confidence were the keys to Ohio State’s first game in Duluth, which was played in Pioneer Hall, adjacent to the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center main arena, because a “monster truck” show was roaring its way through the big hall both nights. Barto is not likely to soon forget the monster that struck her team suddenly, late in the first game.

The Buckeyes came in 5-7-2 in WCHA games, while UMD was 14-1-1. With both senior April Stojak and freshman Natalie Lamme playing well in goal recently, Barto decided to start Lamme in the first game, because she is from Minnesota’s Iron Range, and her Hibbing roots might help her take hold of the situation. Meanwhile, sophomore Jeni Creary, from Shell Lake, Saskatchewan, came in with 14 goals through OSU’s first 24 games – more than any other two Buckeye skaters combined.

Things were going along according to plan. When Krista McArthurÂ’s power-play goal put UMD up 1-0 during a 15-3 shot barrage in the first period, Creary got lucky and scored late in the opening period when UMD goaltender Patricia Sautter skated to the sideboards but misfired on a clearing attempt, leaving Creary with an empty net from 40 feet for her 15th goal and a 1-1 tie.

The mighty Bulldogs, who finished the weekend 16-1-1 atop the WCHA and 22-2-2 overall to defend their No. 2 national rank, stormed ahead when Hanne Sikio scored shorthanded, Jenny Hempel finished a 3-on-2 rush, and Nora Tallus connected on a power play. But Jana Harrigan knocked in a Jeanne Chapple feed with 5 seconds left in the second period, and despite being outshot 21-3 in the period and 36-6 for two periods, the Buckeyes trailed only 4-2 at the second intermission.

It stayed 4-2 for 12 minutes, which was to Ohio State’s benefit. One more goal – nice set-up, fluke or whatever – and the Buckeyes would be right on the cusp of a major upset bid.

Instead, everything came undone. After making her 40th save, Lamme, who was clearly the star of the game, was down when a teammate blasted UMDÂ’s McArthur down on top of her. The two exchanged words as they got up, and, while still debating, Lamme spit at McArthur. It was an outrageous act, Lamme would agree afterward, a terrible reaction to the pressure and frustration of the moment, and she seemed contrite. But she was gone, nonetheless, as referee Brad Shepherd gave her a game misconduct at 12:24 of the third period. In a moment, she had gone from star of the game to social outcast.

It was still 4-2, and Stojak came in cold and played well. But exactly two minutes later, Creary checked UMDÂ’s Joanne Eustace from behind, headlong into the corner boards. Shepherd had no choice but to hit her with a 5-minute major and game disqualification for checking from behind.

In the closing minutes, Hempel deflected in one more goal for the 5-2 finish, which still wasnÂ’t bad, considering UMDÂ’s 54-15 edge in shots. That left a moment of truth for Barto and the Buckeyes. They had suffered from a steady stream of penalties, and a perceived lack of discipline might have been worse than the outcome. And for the second game, the Buckeyes would be without Creary, who would have to sit out for the disqualification.

Barto chose to not dress Lamme for the second game, getting special permission from the league to go with only one goalie. But even without their top scorer, the Buckeyes responded to BartoÂ’s demand and simply tried to play the powerful Bulldogs heads-up. The result was the 11-2 rout, as Caroline Ouellette scored three goals and Sikio, McArthur and Tricia Guest scored two each, with the irrepressible Jenny Potter adding six assists. Sikio reached the 200-point plateau with her game-opening goal, and she had her two goals and an assist while UMD took a 4-0 lead in the opening session.

While UMD was outshooting the overmatched Buckeyes 33-5 in the first two periods and 51-18 for the game, Jenny Hempel and Guest scored the sixth and seventh UMD goals in a school-record 9-second burst, with Eustace setting up both goals. On top of that, UMD was without Maria Rooth – who reached 200 points two weeks earlier – and Erika Holst, both of whom were skating for Sweden’s National team in a four-game upset victory over Finland, which included UMD defenseman Satu Kiipeli, and Ohio State star Emma Laaksonen.

The Buckeyes obviously depend on CrearyÂ’s offense and LaaksonenÂ’s skills on defense, and Barto points to freshman Jana Harrigan, and sophomores Jennifer Desson and Meaghan Mulvaney to improve the teamÂ’s scoring ability. Laaksonen has proven that more than just UMD can attract top student-athletes from Sweden and Finland.

“The players have to be the right fit for us, though, they have to be players whose highest goal is to graduate from Ohio State,” said Barto. “Scholarships are available, and the talent pool is growing, so the opportunities are definitely there.”

With the trip to Minnesota looming, Barto will leave Lamme at home with an indefinite suspension. “We hold our athletes to the highest standards,” said Barto. “Natalie is disappointed it happened, and she will work hard to get back into the lineup, but it was definitely an act that was unbecoming of an athlete in our program. We all need to be held accountable. The game is all about respect – respect for the game, your team and your opponent.”

Zach-attack sets blistering tempo for Fighting Sioux

Zach Parise is only a freshman, but he has taken the WCHA, and the nationÂ’s college hockey scene, by storm this season, while helping North Dakota vault back from a rare noncontending season into the thick of the title chase.
In fact, while going into an idle weekend (Jan. 24-25), the Fighting Sioux (10-1-5) are tied for first place in the WCHA with Colorado College (11-2-3). And Zach Parise shares the national collegiate scoring lead with Colorado College star Peter Sejna at 47 points. Sejna (25-22—47) is matched by Parise’s 18-29—47, although Parise took three weeks off to star for the U.S. Junior National team over the holidays. Parise’s 29 assists are one reason why Brandon Bochenski, his sophomore linemate, has 28-18—46, third in the nation in points, and first with 28 goals.
“I’m having a great time, and the season is going great,” said Parise, an unassuming young man who just scored four points or more for the fourth time this season with a hat trick plus one assist in the 11-2 Sioux romp at Alaska-Anchorage last Friday. He added an assist in Saturday’s 3-0 sweeper, to extend his point-scoring streak to 12 games.
As if leading the nation in scoring wasn’t enough, the versatility of Parise’s play is underscored by breaking down his goals and points. In all games, he is fourth in the WCHA in goals with 18; he is second in assists with 29; he is fifth in power-play points with 6 goals, 11 assists and 17 points; and he is first in shorthanded points with 3-2—5.
Beyond the points, however, Parise is a complete player already, covering his man and finishing his checks on defense, even though those acts are overshadowed by his offensive skills, where he is always moving, always in the right place, and a compelling figure to command the attention of teammates, foes and fans every shift.
While his scoring touch seems heaven-sent, Parise can trace his work-ethic to his father.
Jean-Paul Parise played most of his NHL career with the Minnesota North Stars, where he became a fan favorite because of his constant hustle and irrepressible work-ethic. Tough in the corners, constant in his conscientious backchecking and always alert for any opportunity, J.P. Parise scored a lot of goals – and a lot of big goals, after which he was at his best in the dressing room after games.
“What about that goal, J.P.?” one of the gathering of reporters would ask.
“Well,” Parise would start, a serious look on his face, “I saw a small opening on the short side, so I dipped my shoulder and looked to the far side and then I shot for the opening…”
As reporters would feverishly write down J.P.’s carefully detailed description of his key goal, he would let a sly smile spread across his face, then he’d laugh heartily. “Are you kidding?” he’d say. “I just put my head down and shot and it went in.”
That routine would reoccur every time Parise scored, because scoring goals was always a bonus with J.P. Parise.
A couple of decades later, when Parise had chosen as his retirement occupation the opportunity to lead the entire hockey operation at Shattuck-St. MaryÂ’s prep school in Faribault, Minn., he has guided a program that is unique among Minnesota high schools. Shattuck doesnÂ’t play in the vaunted Minnesota state high school structure, but instead plays nationally and internationally in an elite schedule, at the top youth age groups as well as high school.
The program has developed many outstanding prospects, but the one who has made the greatest impact at the next level is Zach Parise, J.P.Â’s oldest son. And while J.P. observed and nurtured ZachÂ’s developing talent from the start, there is no question that Zach will never adopt the familiar routine J.P. used to pull on the media when he scored. When Zach lets fly with a shot, he seems to know where the openings are and he hits them with great precision.
In fact, meaning no disrespect to his dad, Zach Parise is being compared to current NHL standouts.
“People say Zach plays a lot like Paul Kariya,” says Dean Blais, North Dakota coach. “But I think he’s more like Peter Forsberg. Kariya and Forsberg are both great offensively, but Zach is more like Forsberg – first on the forecheck and he finishes every check.”
Before going to Alaska, Zach Parise and the Fighting Sioux faced a huge test at Minnesota. With both teams ranked among the top five in the nation, North Dakota beat the Gophers 4-2, with Parise getting the gameÂ’s first goal and assisting on two others. The next night, the Gophers shut down the Sioux 6-3, although the score doesnÂ’t indicate that two late Minnesota goals were empty-netters when Blais gambled to try to maintain North DakotaÂ’s unbeaten streak, which ended at 16 games.
It was a huge weekend for Parise, who was returning close to his Bloomington home for the first time as a collegian, and the Gopher fans were primed and ready. Parise had passed up Minnesota when he chose North Dakota, which has been the source of a curious, ongoing controversy. After he made his decision last year, former Gopher and later North Stars player and general manager Lou Nanne, and Glen Sonmor, current Gopher announcer and former coach, as well as a coach of the North Stars, drove to Faribault to try to convince Parise to change his mind and go to Minnesota. That was an NCAA violation that caused the Gophers to self-report.
This season, word spread that Herb Brooks, another former Gopher coach, had advised Parise to go to North Dakota to join the best program with the best coaching staff. Brooks said the report was taken out of context, and that he had answered J.P. Parise’s question by suggesting various colleges for various reasons – including Harvard or Yale for academic emphasis, Notre Dame for prestige, Big Ten colleges Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota for a strong combination of hockey and academics, and North Dakota for its emphasis on a strong hockey program and its great coaching staff.
Regardless, the fans were ready to let Parise have it in the first game, but Parise got the last laugh.
“It was awesome, I can’t even describe it,” Parise said afterward. “I had about 30 friends and family here. It was very emotional. The fans cheered when I got a penalty and booed when I got a goal. But I expected it. I thought it would be like Keith Tkachuk going back home to Phoenix.”
Those NHL comparisons just keep on coming. Kariya, Forsberg and Tkachuk are all worthy parallels, but for the present – and the future – Zach Parise being just Zach Parise will be all the Fighting Sioux want and need.

Rooth returns to UMD women’s lineup with same speed, flair

Maria Rooth is scoring less this season, and sheÂ’s happier than ever. For the previous three seasons, Rooth established herself as one of the top players and an inspirational leader for the University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs, who continue to carve out a reputation as the greatest success story in any sport.

“Our team has improved a lot every year,” said Rooth. “Our first year, we had some walk-ons and some players from the club team, but we had a good team. We’ve gotten better each year, and this year we have more depth, and this is the best club team I’ve ever played on.

“It’s funny, but that first year seems such a long time ago in some ways, but in other ways the four years has gone by so fast. I can’t believe it’s almost over. It’s too sad to even talk about.”

Rooth is a coachÂ’s dream come true. Not only is she a supremely skilled, swift-skating and highly competitive star player, but she has the kind of humility that sets apart the truly great players from those who think theyÂ’re great. For example, every coach would love to have players who arenÂ’t consumed by their own point totals, and most players will insist they donÂ’t pay attention to their individual startistics. Rooth, however, proved it decisively when her University of Minnesota-Duluth womenÂ’s hockey team was playing Dartmouth a couple of weeks ago.

Rooth got an assist when Joanne Eustace knocked in her rebound in the first period, and she got another to help break a 2-2 tie when Erika Holst scored in the second period. When the second period ended, each team was given a penalty after the buzzer, and UMD coach Shannon Miller sent Rooth, UMDÂ’s captain, out to get a clarification from the referee.

“When I went over there, the linesman gave me the puck,” said Rooth. “He said, ‘Give this to the player on your team who just scored her 200th point. I said, ‘OK,’ and brought it to the dressing room. I asked [assistant coach] Shawna Davidson who on our team had gotten her 200th point, and Shawna said, ‘I think YOU did.’ ”

Sure enough, Maria Rooth, whose scoring tally is lagging behind her pace of her first three years this season, was the first player in UMD women’s hockey to have reached 200 points. Although she’s in her fourth year, there is still some confusion about pronouncing her name. Some, including the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center public-address announcer, pronounce it “Roth,” as though that’s the English translation of Rooth. She laughs, and points out that it’s pronounced the same as “RUTH,” although more like “ROOT,” with a tight little “th” sound at the end. Whatever she’s called, Shannon Miller knows what she should be called.

“She can be the best player on the ice without ever scoring a point,” said Miller. “If we need some speed or a big play to ignite the team, it’s either Maria, or Shmiggy [Jenny Potter] who I send out there to do it. Shmiggy is leading the nation in points, and we can always depend on her, but often Maria is our most effective player at both ends of the rink.”

When Miller was brought to Duluth to start the UMD program, she found a lot of homestate players were looking beyond UMD to larger and more established colleges. Miller, the highly competitive coach of the 1998 Canadian women’s Olympic team, had two choices – she could recruit second-tier Minnesota girls just to get the program established, or she could use her international connections, bring in some world-class players, and see that the program hit the ice flying. Knowing Miller, there really was no choice in the matter.

She went to Sweden to get Rooth and Erika Holst, young National team members, and to Finland to get forward Hanne Sikio and goaltender Tuula Puputti. When Potter, then Jenny Schmidgall, before her married and mom days, transferred to UMD from the University of Minnesota, the Bulldogs had the nucleus for a team that won the very first championship in the womenÂ’s WCHA first season. UMD also went off to what served as a national tournament that year, but it wasnÂ’t until their second season that the NCAA decided to start a national tournament in womenÂ’s hockey.

Rooth and Schmidgall were both named to the WCHA first team all-stars after that 1999-2000 season, as Schmidgall led the nation with 41 goals, 52 assists for 93 points, while Rooth had 37-31—68 in 32 games. Both were finalists for the Patty Kazmaier Award as the top college player in women’s hockey.

With Schmidgall out of school the next two years, having a baby and playing for the U.S. Olympic team, Rooth took on the role of inspirational leader. She led the Bulldogs with 41-31—72 in 35 games, was all-WCHA first team, All-America, and again was a finalist for the Kazmaier Award, but her most prized accomplishment was that UMD won the first-ever NCAA women’s championship. Rooth scored three goals and one assist in the third period to lead a 5-goal barrage that buried Harvard 6-3 in the semifinals, and she added another goal and assist in the 4-2 title game victory over St. Lawrence.

Last season, with Schmidgall having become Jenny Potter, but still away at the Olympics, Rooth again took charge. She and Holst tied for the team scoring title with 38 points, Rooth with 22-16—38 and Holst 16-22—38. For the third straight time, Rooth was named first team all-WCHA, and Kazmaier Award finalist, and for the second straight year she was named All-America. Once again, however, it was the team-first attitude that prevailed, as UMD won the second NCAA championship.

At Olympic time last February, Rooth and Holst joined SwedenÂ’s team at Salt Lake City, while Puputti and Sikio played for Finland. With Potter back in a UMD uniform this season, and again leading the nation in points, and Holst, Canadian Olympic rookie Caroline Ouellette and junior Tricia Guest scoring in large numbers, Rooth continues to be an inspirational force, but she doesnÂ’t have to score as much. And thatÂ’s just fine with her.

“In Sweden, some people know if they’ve got a lot of goals or points, but it’s nothing like here,” said Rooth. “We’re not used to all the stats that people keep over here. On our Swedish Olympic team, I don’t think anyone knew how many points they had. But you know, sometimes you can have a great game and not have a single point.”

In RoothÂ’s case, she can score in bunches, and she has the capacity to raise her intensity to an unstoppable level, particularly after she might get bodychecked or otherwise frustrated. Or when she just makes up her mind to take charge. When the Bulldogs played their biggest series of the season, at undefeated and No. 1 ranked Minnesota on Nov. 30-Dec. 1, Rooth scored three goals as UMD came from a 3-1 deficit to win 4-3 in the first game.

“No question, Maria was the best player on the ice that game,” said coach Miller.

The next day, Rooth was flying again, but she was checked from behind into the side boards late in the first period, and while the Bulldogs came from behind to win that one, too, with a 6-5 performance, Rooth was KOÂ’d for six weeks with a concussion and separated shoulder. SheÂ’ll miss more games while joining SwedenÂ’s national team in another week, so she may never get her point total up to its normal pace.

But her teammates depend on her for so much more than mere points. Last weekend, Wisconsin beat UMD 2-1 Friday night, for UMDÂ’s first loss in the WCHA this season, as the Badgers did a fantastic job of preventing Rooth and Potter from their usual dominant roles. But in the second game, Rooth scored with a big slapshot off a neat drop pass from Joanne Eustace at 1:24 of the first period. Potter made it 2-0, and when Wisconsin closed to 2-1 in the second period, Rooth scored another goal at 18:11, and assisted Michelle McAteer for what turned out to be a 4-1 victory.

The three-point game boosted Rooth to 11-14—25 for this season. That’s a long way from the 24-32—56 of Potter, and also trails Holst’s 39 points, Ouellette’s 33 points, Sikio’s 30 points, and freshman Krista McArthur’s 27 points. Still, she seems certain to claim an all-WCHA slot for the fourth consecutive year, and the fourth time could be her lucky year in the Kazmaier Award competition. None of that fazes Rooth, nor does being sixth in team scoring, or moving back in UMD’s offensive-oriented attack from “torpedo” to “halfback.”

“We moved Shmiggy up from halfback to torpedo and switched Maria to a different line and moved her back from torpedo to halfback,” said Miller. “In our system, our halfbacks have a big defensive responsibility, and Maria is more effective in that role than any of our other forwards.”

“I think I like halfback better,” said Rooth.
ThatÂ’s no surprise to anyone who has watched Rooth dominate both ends of the ice. Now, with the Bulldogs ranked No. 2 in the country and the third NCAA womenÂ’s tournament scheduled for Duluth in March, there might be just enough time for the P.A. announcer to get her name right.

Denver scoring woes open WCHA door to CC, North Dakota

SAINT CLOUD, MN. — No team gets through a rugged WCHA season completely injury-free, but a strange thing has happened to the Denver Pioneers. The preseason WCHA favorites lost one of their two goaltenders, and suddenly the Pioneers seemed unable to score enough goals.
If that sounds curious, it also is a fact – unrelated as the two elements of success might be.
Before the season started, all the coaches in the WCHA agreed that defending league champion Denver, and defending NCAA champion Minnesota would be the top two contenders for this seasonÂ’s WCHA crown. So when Minnesota suffered serious injuries to four regular skaters, Gopher coach Don Lucia said that he suspected Denver might build up an early but insurmountable lead.
Denver coach George Gwozdecky undoubtedly would have gone along with that scenario, but his Pioneers have had their own struggle, and they have done more than just leave the door wide open for the rest of the WCHA challengers. As the league broke for the Christmas holidays, the Pioneers find themselves in an 0-3-1 WCHA tailspin, and now must look up at Colorado College, North Dakota and the resilient Gophers.
After a 5-1-2 start, the Pioneers are 5-4-3, exactly the same as upstart Minnesota-Duluth for a fourth-place tie, but in a league where the “loss” column is pivotal, they stand behind Colorado College’s 9-1-2, North Dakota’s 8-1-1 and Minnesota’s 6-2-2.
The superb goaltending tandem of senior Wade Dubielewicz and junior Adam Berkhoel was the primary reason that Denver was everybodyÂ’s favorite to win the title. And it still could happen, certainly. But when Dubielewicz went down with a hamstring strain, no team seemed better prepared to cope with his absence than Denver. Berkhoel stepped in for his first full-time stretch of duty, and the Pioneers beat Alaska-Anchorage 3-1, then whipped Mercyhurst 5-1 and 7-0. No problem, right?
But a pivotal home-and-home series against arch-rival Colorado College came next, and Denver lost 4-3 and 6-2.
That sent the Pioneers to Saint Cloud for their final series before the break. Denver looked properly smooth and polished, and it didn’t seem much of a problem when the Pioneers scored only one goal – by flashy freshman defenseman Brett Skinner – because they made that first-period goal stand up for about an hour. Thanks to Berkhoel’s brilliant goaltending, it appeared the 1-0 lead would remain.
However, Huskies coach Craig Dahl pulled his goalie, Jason Montgomery, and the last-minute attack worked. Colin Peters got the puck to Ryan Malone, and Malone spotted fellow-senior Jon Cullen off to the side of the slot. Cullen scored with 17 seconds remaining to gain a 1-1 tie for the Huskies.
“I saw the puck go from the point to Malone,” said Berkhoel, “then it got through a screen, and I got tripped up as the pass was made.
“The CC games were two games I’d like to have over again,” said Berkhoel. “I didn’t play real good in the first CC game, and the second game was worse. So it was great to get some confidence back. It was nice to get into the game early, but we’ve still got to get a ‘W.’ ”
Gwozdecky was tight-lipped about his deeper feelings perhaps, but he praised Berkhoel. “I thought the game was a heck of a battle, and Adam Berkhoel was tremendous,” said Gwozdecky. “St. Cloud came on in the second half of the game, and we gave them too much space and time. Adam was the difference between us getting a tie and losing.
“We are having more difficulty scoring than I thought we’d have,” Gwozdecky added. “I’m not sure why that is. But we’re gong through a little period where a lot of guys are not playing with a lot of confidence. We’re not reading the ice, we’re not shooting, and we’re feeling not as good as we could with our offensive game. Against Mercyhurst, we had 60 shots, and 39 Grade-A scoring chances, with five goals.
“Friday against CC, we were sloppy. Saturday we were much better, and in the first 10 minutes we had four 2-on-1s and a 9-1 edge in shots, and of the nine, five were great scoring chances, but it was 0-0. They got a simple little shot by Peter Sejna from 25 feet, and they had the lead.
“Like in anything, when you’re not doing well in one area, you’ve got to make sure you’re doing the other things.”
The next night, the Pioneers found the net and held leads of 1-0, 2-1 and 4-3. But the persistent Huskies came back to torment Berkhoel, who was starting his seventh consecutive game. The Huskies turned their big first line loose, and Cullen completed a hat trick with his third goal gaining a 4-4 tie, and Ryan Malone broke in to score for a 5-4 lead with 5:02 left. Malone then hit an empty net for his third goal of the night, and the two hat tricks gave St. Cloud an improbable 6-4 triumph.
The Saturday Denver goals were scored by defenseman Aaron McKenzie and forwards J.J. Hartmann, Jeff Drummond and Gabe Gauthier, which means nobody on the top two lines in that game scored a goal all weekend. First-liners Connor James and Kevin Doell lead the team with 11 and 8 goals, respectively, but they were silent against the Huskies.
Berkhoel enjoyed the chance to play a lot, and in the seven straight starts he gave up three goals in four of the games, but also was dented for 15 goals in the other three.
“I like to play, but personally, I know we’re a better team with Wade playing in front of me and me coming in the second game,” Berkhoel added.
At that, Berkhoel still has glowing statistics, with an 8-3-2 record, a 2.13 goals-against mark and a .904 save percentage. Gwozdecky remains fully confident in his goaltending; itÂ’s the rest of the team that has aroused his concern.
“I expect we’ll come out out of it,” said Gwozdecky. “After St. Cloud, we have a 10-day break, then we come back against New Hampshire, Miami and Clarkson in the Denver Cup.”
By then, Dubielewicz should also be back in the rotation – so the Pioneers can start scoring and winning again.

(John Gilbert has covered the WCHA for 35 years. He has just published a book, “Return to Gold Country,” about last year’s Minnesota NCAA championship run. It is available by return mail at 1-800-678-7006, and he can be reached by e-mail at jgilbert@duluth.com.)

Quest for WCHA victories frustrates rebuilding Seawolves

John Hill established an impressive resume as long-term assistant coach to Don Lucia, at both Colorado College and Minnesota. Hill already has his rebuilding program underway at Alaska-Anchorage, but the second year has been more trying than the first for his youthful team.
After tying and losing at Minnesota-Duluth, Alaska-Anchorage stands at 0-7-3 in the WCHA and 1-9-4 overall. That trip to Minnesota-Duluth offered evidence of the struggle.
The Seawolves, who opened the season with a 4-2 victory over Alaska-Fairbanks, had seen their six-game unbeaten streak against UMD end earlier in the season when the Bulldogs came to Anchorage and won 3-2 before the teams played a 2-2 tie in the rematch.
All four goals the Seawolves scored in Duluth were scored by freshmen – Morgan Roach, Brent McMann and Curtis Glencross in the 3-3 first game, and by defenseman Matt Hanson in the 5-1 second-game loss. When the Seawolves lost and tied UMD in their earlier series, all four games also were scored by freshmen. That may mean good things lie ahead, but it doesn’t overcome the futility of not winning right now.
The return series at Duluth might have been just the tonic, and, sure enough, the Seawolves hit the DECC ice flying. An early penalty didnÂ’t dissuade them, and when UMD was penalized, Roach scored with a goal-mouth pass on the power play for a 1-0 Alaska-Anchorage lead in the first period of the first game.
Late in the opening period, McMann blocked the puck free and took off on a breakaway, outsprinting the hustling defense and firing a shot past UMDÂ’s flashy freshman goaltender, Isaac Reichmuth, for a 2-0 lead.
“We’ve got a lot of young guys,” said Hill. “We had eight freshmen in the lineup, four of whom were defensemen. They’ve brought a lot of energy to our team, but there also is no question that Kevin Reiter’s play in goal has been the big reason our scores are close to competitive.”
UMDÂ’s coaches had been concerned that their players had been competitive with everybody so far, and even though theyÂ’re rebuilding themselves, they might actually be unready for the Seawolves. That concern proved valid, but the message got through, loud and clear in the second period.
Brett Hammond slammed in a Luke Stauffacher feed to get UMD up to 2-1, then two goals 19 seconds apart late in the period vaulted the Bulldogs to a 3-2 lead. Marco Peluso scored at 16:00 at the crease, and Junior Lessard scored at 16:19, as UMD outshot the visitors 13-4 in the middle period.
“We had another 2-0 lead,” said Hill, “and our guys were really high. Then after two periods, suddenly we’re behind 3-2 and the mood in our room was as if we’d already lost.”
It was time for Hill to make a key decision.
“We’ve had such a tough go, that I knew our guys don’t feel very good about themselves,” Hill said. “You can say all you want about players being leaders, but sometimes coaches have to provide the leadership. Our guys needed a lift, and I tried to do that.”
Hill stressed the positives. One period to go, the score was only 3-2. There was still a minute to kill of an overlapping penalty, but then one goal would tie the game.
The third period started, and UMD was all over the Seawolves, peppering Reiter. But, sure enough, UMD was penalized for too many men on the ice at 7:41, and less than a minute into the power play Glencross scored from the slot.
The Bulldogs stormed back, outshooting the Seawolves 17-5 for the third period, but junior goalie Reiter stopped all 17, and the game went to overtime. More of the same. UMD had three shots in the OT, and the Seawolves had none. But the game ended 3-3, despite UMD holding a whopping 41-17 edge in shots.
Hill was relieved, pleased and disappointed, all at the same time.
“Maybe Duluth is down because they had the lead and we got the tie,” said Hill. “But they can’t be faulted. They got 40-plus shots. Sometimes you’ve got to give your opponent some credit.”
His Seawolves seemed to play with confidence in the first period, and, after the second-period lapse, they handled the puck well again in the third.
It didnÂ’t last through the next night, as UMD started fast and won 5-1, with freshman defenseman Hanson scoring the Seawolves goal at 4:47 of the second period, but only after UMD already had three goals on the board.
“We’ve learned that you’ve got to rely on your teammates,” said Hill. “You’ve got to be responsible yourself, and you have to play with pride and believe in yourselves.
“But we need to get a win. We got our fourth tie here, but we haven’t won a game since opening night.”

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• About the Author

  John Gilbert is a lifetime Minnesotan and career journalist, specializing in cars and sports during and since spending 30 years at the Minneapolis Tribune, now the Star Tribune. More recently, he has continued translating the high-tech world of autos and sharing his passionate insights as a freelance writer/photographer/broadcaster. A member of the prestigious North American Car and Truck of the Year jury since 1993. John can be heard Monday-Friday from 9-11am on 610 KDAL(www.kdal610.com) on the "John Gilbert Show," and writes a column in the Duluth Reader.
  
  For those who want to keep up with John Gilbert's view of sports, mainly hockey with a Minnesota slant, click on the following:
  
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• Exhaust Notes:

  PADDLING
  More and more cars are offering steering-wheel paddles to allow drivers manual control over automatic or CVT transmissions. A good idea might be to standardize them. Most allow upshifting by pulling on the right-side paddle and downshifting with the left. But a recent road-test of the new Porsche Panamera, the paddles for the slick PDK direct-sequential gearbox were counter-intuitive -- both the right or left thumb paddles could upshift or downshift, but pushing on either one would upshift, and pulling back on either paddle downshifted. I enjoy using paddles, but I spent the full week trying not to downshift when I wanted to upshift. A little simple standardization would alleviate the problem.
  
  

  SPEAKING OF PADDLES
  The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution has the best paddle system, and Infiniti has made the best mainstream copy of that system for the new Q50, and other sporty models. And why not? It's simply the best. In both, the paddles are long, slender magnesium strips, affixed to the steering column rather than the steering wheel. Pull on the right paddle and upshift, pull on the left and downshift. The beauty is that while needing to upshift in a tight curve might cause a driver to lose the steering wheel paddle for an instant, but having the paddles long, and fixed, means no matter how hard the steering wheel is cranked, reaching anywhere on the right puts the upshift paddle on your fingertips.
  
  

  TIRES MAKE CONTACT
  Even in snow-country, a few stubborn old-school drivers want to stick with rear-wheel drive, but the vast majority realize the clear superiority of front-wheel drive. Going to all-wheel drive, naturally, is the all-out best. But the majority of drivers facing icy roadways complain about traction for going, stopping and steering with all configurations. They overlook the simple but total influence of having the right tires can make. There are several companies that make good all-season or snow tires, but there are precious few that are exceptional. The Bridgestone Blizzak continues to be the best=known and most popular, but in places like Duluth, MN., where scaling 10-12 blocks of 20-30 degree hills is a daily challenge, my favorite is the Nokian WR. Made without compromising tread compound, the Nokians maintain their flexibility no matter how cold it gets, so they stick, even on icy streets, and can turn a skittish car into a winter-beater.