Rooth, Guest lead UMD women to stunning sweep of Gophers

To call the Minnesota-Duluth women’s hockey invasion of Minnesota the “series heard ’round the WCHA” would be understating it. The games had obvious impact throughout the nation, and, in fact, the world.

Minnesota went into the series ranked No. 1 among women’s college hockey teams, having displaced Minnesota-Duluth. After they play another series in Duluth in February, the Gophers and Bulldogs could meet again in the WCHA playoff final, and – who knows? – maybe even another time in the Frozen Four.

That would be just fine with both teams, but it was UMD that skated off the bright, shiny ice surface of the new Ridder Arena on MinnesotaÂ’s campus with two victories on the chilly weekend when November turned into December. Both games lived up to their billing, as UMD pulled off a two remarkable comebacks to trip previously unbeaten Minnesota, winning 4-3 in the last minute Saturday, and 6-5 in a wild affair Sunday.

The first game drew 3,056 going against MinnesotaÂ’s menÂ’s basketball game across the street, and the second game drew 2,416 even though the menÂ’s rescheduled hockey game against Michigan started in direct conflict next door.

“It was very heated, and these are the games you want to play in,” said Minnesota freshman Natalie Darwitz, who had two goals in the first game and three assists in the second. “I wish we could have games like this every weekend.”

A couple weeks ago, Eastern powers Harvard and Brown came West to face Minnesota and UMD, the top two Western Collegiate Hockey Association womenÂ’s hockey teams. It was fantastic hockey, as Minnesota slipped past Brown 5-3 while Harvard stung UMD 2-1 with a power-play goal in the final 28 seconds. Swapping partners the next night, UMD and Brown battled to a 1-1 tie in a rematch of last springÂ’s NCAA championship game, while Minnesota nipped Harvard 4-3.

Those same four teams would make a splendid Frozen Four field in Duluth in March, but nobody Out West would be surprised if Minnesota and UMD wound up confronting each other with the national title on the line, either.

The sweep vaulted UMD to a 7-0-1 WCHA record, 11-1-2 overall, and dropped Minnesota to 7-2-1, 13-2-1.

In the first game, UMD rose from a 3-1 deficit with three goals in the last 11 minutes. Maria Rooth scored her second goal of the game with 2:47 left for a 3-3 tie, then Rooth completed a hat trick by scoring with 24 seconds left to stun the big crowd and give UMD a reward for outshooting Minnesota 39-25.

Both teams displayed their amazing offensive power, as U.S. Olympian Natalie Darwitz, a freshman, staked Minnesota to a 1-0 lead and made it 2-1 with 42 seconds left in the second period. Senior Winny Brodt made it 3-1 at 6:38 of the third, before Finnish Olympian Hanne Sikio converted a feed from USA veteran Jenny Potter pull the Bulldogs within range. Then Rooth, a standout on SwedenÂ’s Olympic team, came through with her two huge late goals and stole the show from the rinkful of high-profile stars with her hat trick. The UMD captainÂ’s play also became a pivotal point in the Sunday afternoon rematch.

The second game was a shootout from the start, with Kelly Stephens putting Minnesota up in the opening minutes, and Sikio tying it for Duluth, which fired 12 of the gameÂ’s first 15 shots. Tricia Guest put UMD ahead 2-1 on a power play midway through the first period.

At 16:39 of the first period, Rooth sped up the left side, 1-on-3. The third Gopher defender was Stephens, an aggressive sophomore winger. As Rooth stickhandled to her left, Stephens, overtaking but still behind her on the right, checked her. Rooth flew off her feet, striking helmet first into the boards, and then slamming in with the rest of her body. Stephens was given a minor penalty, and Rooth, who required several minutes before she could be helped from the ice, was taken to University Hospital to be treated for a concussion and a torn shoulder.

The UMD contingent was angry that it wasnÂ’t a major penalty; the Gopher side thought it was an unintentional result of incidental contact. The game took on a harder edge after that, and Guest scored on the power play for a 3-1 UMD lead, but Ronda Curtin retaliated with a Minnesota power-play goal and it was 3-2 at the first intermission.

The Bulldogs seemed a bit stunned when they started the second period without Rooth, their career scoring leader, and the Gophers were quick to gain the lead when Winny Brodt converted a Darwitz feed across the crease at 3:13 for MinnesotaÂ’s third power-play tally of the game, and Kristy Oonicx slammed in CurtinÂ’s 2-on-1 pass at 5:04.

The Bulldogs seemed to have tied the game when Potter scored at 6:23, but the goal was disallowed and Guest was sent off for tripping, instead. It all worked out, however, as Guest came out of the penalty box and scored as the trailer with Nora Tallus at 9:24 for a 4-4 deadlock. “I had never scored a point against the Gophers,” said Guest, a junior who went from 19 career goals to 22 with the hat trick and now has eight for the season.

The goal of the game might have been scored by Erika Holst, who stickhandled out of right-corner congestion along the end boards, swerved out front to beat two more defenders and slide the puck through Brenda ReinenÂ’s skates late in the second period to put Duluth up 5-4.

Again, though, Minnesota responded, as Winny Brodt knocked in another Darwitz set-up at 10:04 for a 5-5 tie. That left it to the final five minutes, and UMDÂ’s Joanne Eustace deflected a Juliette Vasichek slap shot in at 15:02.

Goaltender Patricia Sautter and the Bulldogs had to kill a final penalty that lasted through the final 1:05, and UMD celebrated the sweep.

“It says it all for our team that we have the depth to have players step up,” said Guest, after the Bulldogs outshot Minnesota 37-26 for the game and 76-51 for the weekend. “Losing Maria hurt, because whether she’s speaking or not, she’s a tremendous leader.”

UMD coach Shannon Miller said: “Some people are jealous that Minnesota has a new rink just for the women’s hockey team. I’m happy for them. It’s great for women’s hockey, and we don’t have our own arena for either the men’s or women’s teams. These games were between two great hockey teams – possibly the toughest two in the country.”

Miller was upset about losing Rooth. “That’s the fourth player we’ve had to send to the hospital because of hits from behind this season,” said Miller. “There are two ways you can respond when that happens. You can send their players to the hospital, or you can rise above it and just play the game, which is what we’ve done, so far.”

Minnesota coach Laura Halldorson said: “I attribute them getting to loose pucks to the fact they’re bigger and stronger. I don’t think we had breakdowns, but they have good offensive players. It was another exciting game, and while I’m disappointed we didn’t pull it out, I was happy with our effort and we look forward to seeing them again in February.”

And, maybe, in March as well.

Malone takes on Huskies team — and scoring — leadership

Malone serious about senior leadership role of Huskies

Ryan Malone admits that he gave some thought to leaving college hockey for the jump to the professional side, but he says heÂ’s glad he reconsidered and returned to St. Cloud State for his senior season. HeÂ’s made a big impact on the Huskies, for more reasons than his 6-foot-4, 210-pound size, and it goes without saying that the Huskies are glad to have him back.
Malone centers Joe Motzko and Jon Cullen on an all-senior line that not only carries the load for the Huskies offense, but also means that the only three senior forwards on the club are clustered on one line. The move by coach Craig Dahl has worked well, because after 12 games, the three stand 1-2-3 in St. Cloud State scoring. Cullen has 14 points, on 3 goals and 11 assists, while Motzko is 8-7—15, and Malone leads with 8-10—18.
Malone missed three games with a hip pointer, so he accrued his points in just nine games, which leaves him tied with North Dakota freshman flash Zach Parise for the top spot in the nation in college hockey points per game. Parise has 10-14—24 in 12 games. Cullen also missed four Huskies games with a shoulder injury, and he and Malone missed the same three games – a tie at Mankato and a split against RPI.
The night they returned they were reunited with Motzko and sent out to face North Dakota’s top line, centered by Parise. In a “welcome to the WCHA” debut, that was the first game all season that Parise was held without a point, while Malone got a hat trick plus two assists and Cullen had a goal and four assists and Motzko added two goals.
The senior line has kept on soaring. Last weekend, the linemates figured in all five goals in a 3-2 victory and 4-2 loss that split a home-and-home series with Minnesota-Duluth. Malone had a goal and three assists, Cullen a goal and two assists and Motzko two goals for the weekend. In fact, before the injury, Malone had two goals and two assists, and since returning he has scored 6-8—14 in six games.
That makes for a solid comeback, but not as important as the comeback Malone made last summer. It seems that whatever level a hockey player is at, he is impatient about getting to the next one. That goes for the Squirt to Peewee level, or the high school to college level, or from college to pro. Malone proved his scoring abilities last season as a junior at St. Cloud State, and he admits considering making the move to pro hockey, but heÂ’s glad he reconsidered.
“I thought about turning pro, but Pittsburgh has a lot of players under contract, and not a lot of money,” said Malone, who was drafted on the fourth round by the Penguins in the 1999 draft. His dad, former Pittsburgh winger Greg Malone, is director of scouting for the Penguins, so Ryan was something of a known commodity and he was drafted after playing for a year at Lincoln in the USHL and before he started at St. Cloud State. Before that, Malone played at Shattuck-St. Mary’s prep school in Faribault, MN.
“I also knew if I left, I’d be leaving the chance to take some leadership with this team,” Malone added. “I’m definitely glad I came back. I talked to some of our players, like Duvie Westcott and Hartie (Mark Hartigan) who left school to turn pro, and they said that one of the things they miss about college hockey is that now they’re like the youngest guys on their teams in the pros, and there aren’t a lot of guys their age.
“I know you’re never going to play on another team where all the guys are the same age and have the same interests. I’ve known some of these guys since juniors, and I know I’ve got a different role on this team. Last year, when we had Mark Hartigan and Nate DiCasmirro, I really wasn’t a ‘go-to’ guy.”
He is that now, but it took a while for the role to crystallize for Malone.
“Malone, Cullen and Motzko have really taken over the leadership of the team, and they’re really doing a great job,”
said Dahl. “We’ve only really gotten healthy the last five games, and I could feel the team coming together in the last week. We’ve become a team.”
Naturally, the Huskies have a lot more than Malone and that big top line. They have junior Matt Hendricks, who has six power-play goals and leads a unit that has has scored on 20 of 65 power plays – a sparkling 30.8 percent, for a team that has led the nation in power-play goals for the past two seasons. A solid but no-name defense does an excellent job protecting the goal, where Jake Moreland, the only senior other than the top line, has a glowing .926 save percentage and a 2.43 goals-against mark with a 6-1 record. His only loss was the 4-2 rematch against Duluth in St. Cloud.
DahlÂ’s future looks bright with the Huskies, because against UMD they had seven freshmen and five sophomores in the lineup. And that group will be brought up to high standards by the seniors, if Malone, Cullen and Motzko have their way.
When Malone came to St. Cloud State, it almost seemed as though he was going out of his way to play a pro-style game in college. He took a lot of penalties, and he didnÂ’t score many goals. As a freshman, he had 9 goals, and only 7 as a sophomore. Last season he broke through, scoring 24 goals and 25 assists, even though he also had his most penalties, with 38 infractions for 76 minutes. This year, he is on a still-faster pace, and he seems comfortable playing a less-abrasive and more-productive style.
“I’m trying to help the team as much as I can,” Malone said. “I’m not punching guys back this year, but I still want to have a physical presence. I’m shooting the puck a lot more, and I know that those things are important when you get to the next level.”
And if that next level has to wait another year, Malone is making sure itÂ’ll be worth the wait.

Former Badger star Eaves wins 1st as new WCHA coach

The University of Wisconsin hockey team will win a lot of games under Mike Eaves, but the new Badger coach will always remember that November 16 night at the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center, when he got his first WCHA victory.
Going into the weekend Wisconsin had done quite well in nonconference games, at 4-2, but had lost its first two WCHA games, 5-3 and 5-2 to defending WCHA champion and preseason favorite Denver. So the trip to Duluth, following a weekend off, was a true test for the rebuilding Badgers.
The first game of the series saw UMDÂ’s Nick Anderson pounce on a careless rink-wide pass in the neutral zone and race in to score after only 18 seconds had elapsed. Tyler Brosz and Junior Lessard added UMD goals, offset only by a goal from Wisconsin freshman defenseman Tom Gilbert. That 3-1 first-period lead stood up as UMD won the game 4-1, dropping the Badgers to 0-3 in WCHA games.
In those three losses, as well as in the two nonconference losses, several things had become constants. Their 4-5 overall ledger indicated that all five losses had come when the Badgers trailed after both the first and second periods, which is no big surprise, when you think about it, but also the four victories had come only when the Badgers allowed three or fewer goals.
Eaves was not dismayed by the loss. He talked about mistakes, which can be fixed, and he noted that it might have been the worst game the Badgers had played, from the standpoint of handling the puck.
His players werenÂ’t readily available for comments after the game, because, as usual, they were sent off on a post-game run and workout, in an attempt to rid their bodies of lactic acid buildup. Eaves, the sone of a noted Canadian physiologist, always has followed careful physical training routines, dating back to his days as a player. So his players should expect nothing less.
Eaves, of course, first found fame as a two-time All-American and the career scoring leader (94 goals, 173 assists, 267 points) as well as WCHA most valuable player when Wisconsin won the 1978 national championship. He went on to play in the NHL, and had a solid career with the Minnesota North Stars and Calgary in the early 1980s. His career was cut short, rudely, because of recurring concussions, and he had to leave the game he loved at age 28, about the time he was reaching a peak.
But he didn’t really leave hockey. Instead, he found another avenue to stay within the game. “Fortunately, the fact that I had played college hockey, and gotten a degree, opened up new doors for me,” Eaves said. “Because I had a teaching degree, I was able to get a job as head coach at Wisconsin-Eau Claire, where I also worked as a specialist in development of the program.
“Later, when I was coaching the USA Hockey Development team at Ann Arbor, I’d talk to 15-year-olds and I’d use education as a metaphor for a safety net, because I know how important an education is for opening new doors. I’d have loved to play 15 years in the NHL, but I moved on and found something else I love to do.”
When Eaves got the Wisconsin job last summer, replacing long-term coach Jeff Sauer, it was obvious there would be some major changes in structure, because Eaves has strong beliefs in running a program. And there was no question that rigorous physical training would be part of it.
So focused was Eaves on getting his youthful Badger team to take its next baby-step on the road to development that he said he didnÂ’t even think about his first WCHA victory the next night. He was, in fact, straining in hopes that his Badgers could manage a tie when the game stood 1-1.
The Badgers, outplayed pretty thoroughly the night before, played much better in the second game, but were being stymied by UMDÂ’s flashy freshman goaltender, Isaac Reichmuth. The game was scoreless until Ryan MacMurchy scored for Wisconsin on an unlikely low shot from 45 feet out on the right side at 2:01 of the third period.
Wisconsin goaltender Bernd Bruckler was clinging to that 1-0 lead until only 2:59 remained, when Junior Lessard deflected in a Beau Geisler power-play shot for the 1-1 tie. As so often happens, the tight-checking three periods turned into something of a wide-open overtime, as both sides had excellent scoring chances. Reichmuth made an impressive stop on Rene Bourque, and Bruckler came back for a great save on Marco Peluso.
In the last minute of the 5-minute overtime, the Badgers worked the puck in, but a pass was deflected off toward the board-side of the right faceoff circle. Erik Jensen, a senior whose status on the first line is more a reward for hard-working consistency than scoring prowess, spotted the deflected puck first and veered to his right to pursue it.
Jensen, who had just one goal for the season and only 11 for his four-year career at Wisconsin, got to the puck, whirled and rifled a quick shot. He laughed about any suggestion that he had taken a look and picked a top corner, but as luck would have it, Reichmuth dropped to his knees when he lost sight of the puck for an instant, and JensenÂ’s wide-angle spinaround missile sailed over his shoulder and into the upper corner of the net.
“I just wanted to get it on net and hoped we might get a rebound, or something,” said Jensen, a hometown winger from Madison.
The time was 4:43 of sudden-death overtime, and assistant coach John Hynes shook EavesÂ’ hand.
“It wasn’t until John Hynes said ‘Congratulations, coach, on your first WCHA win,’ that I realized it,” said Eaves.
“We weren’t going to take any chances on gambling for the winning goal, because right now, I thought the point was important. We needed a point as something to hold on to. But it was nice for a young man like that – a grinder – to get a reward like that.”
Jensen and big Brad Winchester are the only two seniors among WisconsinÂ’s forwards, while Mark Jackson and Brian Fahey are the only senior defensemen. Goalie Scott Kabotoff, who played FridayÂ’s game, is the fifth senior on the team. At the other end of the scale, Licari and Gibson are two of seven freshmen who played at UMD. MacMurchy, Adam Burish and A.J. Degenhardt are other freshman forwards, and Gilbert, who played a lot and played very well, and Tom Sawatske are freshman defensemen.
All three goals Wisconsin scored over the weekend were either scored or assisted on by freshmen, Eaves, who has been candid in his criticism of his team, was equally candid in praise for the steps the young Badgers have made.
“We probably had our best bench tonight,” he said. “They all took more of a piece of the pie tonight. We were really solid, and they didn’t get a lot of good chances. Everybody had a role. Tonight, Brent Gibson and Nick Licari gave us good energy, and that was their job. Bernd Bruckley has a tendency to sit back in the net, like a lot of European goaltenders, and I thought tonight he came out and challenged more and had a bigger presence in the net.
“I had told our guys that we’re into our third level now,” said Eaves. “We had Base Camp first, then Camp 2 was the start of the season, and Camp 3 is this weekend then North Dakota, Michigan and Minnesota, when we’ve got to go on the road.”
There will be many more road trips, too, in the Mike Eaves regime, but the rookie coach will also remember the upbeat return trip to Madison from Duluth late that night of November 16. And at some point, when his mind cleared up of the clutter of different line combinations, new forechecking schemes, or maybe some new post-game workout, Eaves might have time to take a deep breath, and appreciate WCHA Win No. 1.

Badger women, new coach survive toughest 4-game stretch

He stood behind the bench as the University of Wisconsin womenÂ’s hockey team skated up and down the rink, and there was something familiar about the look, the way he tilted his head back, thinking. His arms were folded as he gazed out on the ice, watching players skate up and down the rink. Mostly, he was undemonstrative.
That may be what was misleading. He wasnÂ’t bouncing back and forth on the bench, patting this player on the back, suggesting something to that player and quite frequently running the palm of his hand over his face, as if to clear away an imaginary cobweb that had somehow attached itself to his face.
But it was Badger Bob JohnsonÂ’s kid, nonetheless.
He was disappointed that the Badgers had been swept by Minnesota, on the new Kathleen Ridder Arena ice sheet. The powerful Gophers had beaten Wisconsin 3-1 and 2-1, tough losses both. And they came one week after Wisconsin had lost and tied Minnesota-Duluth at Kohl Center in Madison.
“Our biggest problem through out first few games is that while we’re playing well, we’re just not scoring goals,” said Johnson.
That may be, but it also must be pointed out that the Badgers had just finished four straight games against the No. 1 “team” in the nation. When the Badgers lost 5-2 to UMD, it was a 2-2 game until the high-powered and top-ranked Bulldogs erupted for five third-period goals to put it away. The next night, Wisconsin held on for a 3-3 tie.
Then, off to Minnesota for the 3-1 and 2-1 losses.
However, right after that weekend, the national polls came out and showed UMD and Minnesota ranked dead even in a tie for the No. 1 rank in the nation. Both of them remained undefeated, with a combined 15-0-1 record, and remain cofavorites to win the WCHA title.
Johnson may be a rookie coach, and his competitiveness may have left him frustrated at the BadgersÂ’ lack of success in the four games, and at their opening 0-3-1 WCHA record, but two factors must be considered: 1. Wisconsin, which remains 3-0 in nonconference games, didnÂ’t get blown out in any of the four games; and, 2. The Badgers wonÂ’t ever face four consecutive games of that caliber, and, tough as it was to make it through, it could be the perfect overload training for the rest of the season.
Wisconsin, however, is ranked No. 5 in the nation with a 4-3-1 record. But thatÂ’s not good enough for Mark Johnson, who comes by his competitiveness with good reason.
Older fans will remember him wearing a Wisconsin jersey, and while he spent most of his time stickhandling through opponents and generally tormenting them, he will be most remembered for standing at the top of the faceoff circle, with Mike Eaves over at the other one, while Steve Alley snuck around by the net, and Craig Norwich or John Taft fed the puck in from the points. As a unit, they made the University of Wisconsin power play a formidible force. Johnson went on to star for Team USA in the 1980 Olympics at Lake Placid, and had a brilliant career in the National Hockey League. But Badger fans will remember him best for his days at Wisconsin.
Johnson was freshman of the year in the WCHA in 1976-77, when the Badgers won the WCHA league, playoff and NCAA titles, while Eaves, a year older, was All-America. Wisconsin returned to the NCAA tournament in 1978 but lost in the semifinals as Johnson (39-31—70) and Eaves (25-45—70) tied as the league’s leading scorer. And in 1979, Johnson was all-WCHA, WCHA most valuable player, and All-America.
Johnson served as assistant to Jeff Sauer with the menÂ’s team, and was a finalist for that job when Sauer stepped down before this season. The choice went to, of all people, Mike Eaves. Johnson was let down, obviously, but he was able to serve as an assistant coach with a USA Hockey select team last summer.
“I realized I wanted to coach, so I came home and looked over my options, and applied for the women’s job,” said Johnson.
His impact on the always-tenacious Badger womenÂ’s team is immediately evident. Under pressure, the Badger players never simply threw the puck and hoped it would get out of the defensive zone. Instead, they repeatedly moved the puck up and chipped it past the points to clear the zone.
“After these two weekends, I’ll know what we have to work on, and our players will know what they have to do to succeed against teams of that caliber,” said Johnson. “Some of the players are a little frustrated, but I think we learned a lot.
“Duluth has five or six top players who are very good. They’re smart, they move, and they execute very well. Minnesota is the same. When they put that line out with Natalie Darwitz and Krissy Wendell, it’s pretty impossible to stop them all through the game.
“In cases like those, we need to move the puck much quicker,” Johnson added. “Teams like that make things happen a lot quicker, and we’ve got to be able to move up to that pace.”
The Badgers had an added problem because they were short two of their most experienced defensemen against Minnesota. Carla MacLeod is out after breaking her leg in the Duluth series, and Sis Paulsen had to sit out a disciplinary penalty for a bit of a brawl against the Bulldogs.
“As it was, our ‘D’ got a little bit tired,” said Johnson.
That may have been true, but the Badgers have an experienced outfit, led by junior center Meghan Hunter and senior defenseman Kerry Weiland. Last season, Weiland was named first-team All-America and Hunter was placed on the second team.
Junior Steph Millar and senior Kendra Antony, and senior goaltender Jackie MacMillan, who is considered perhaps the best goaltender in the nation, give Wisconsin a solid nucleus. Senior Michelle Sikich, junior Jocelyn Cookson and an all-freshman line with Nikki Burish centering Sharon Cole and Grace Hutchins give the Badgers a varied attack.
At Minnesota, WendellÂ’s power-play goal staked the Gophers to a 1-0 lead, and Melissa Coulombe made it 2-0. But Jackie Friesen, a sophomore winger Johnson had placed on the firs line with Hunter and Steph Millar, scored with 5:41 remaining in the third period to cut the deficit to 2-1. LaToya ClarkeÂ’s power-play goal with 2:54 left clinched it for Minnesota, which outshot Wisconsin 27-20.
The next night, the Badgers came closer, despite being outplayed by a wider gap. MacMillan was brilliant, with 40 saves, while the Badgers forced Jody Horak to block only 12 shots. Nevertheless, it was MinnesotaÂ’s U.S. Olympians who did the damage, with Natalie Darwitz scoring her seventh goal of the season in the first period, and setting up Krissy WendellÂ’s 11th goal in the second for a 2-0 lead at 4:44. Nikki Burish, on that all-rookie line, got one back at 5:17 of the second period, and MacMillan held the Badgers close enough to scare the mighty Gophers the rest of the way.
“Some of our players are a little frustrated, but we’re getting some chances,” Johnson said.
If Johnson lives up to expectations, the Badgers will remain a threat for post-season play throughout, and nobody will be surprised if the Wisconsin power play starts to score some goals.

Battered Gophers hang NCAA banner, lose two more skaters

As celebrations go, the University of Minnesota hockey team made the most of its banner-hanging party by scoring a hat trick of hat tricks in a 12-1 romp against Alabama-Huntsville. But coach Don Lucia would just as soon try to find an alternative means of celebrating.
It was OK to hang their NCAA championship banner in the Mariucci Arena rafters, and doing it before the home opener against Alabama-Huntsville might have been just fine, too.
“It was a thrill, but to be honest with you, I’m ready to move on,” said coach Don Lucia. “It was great, but it was last year, and now we’ve got a new season to worry about. They wanted to have a long ceremony, and present the championship rings at center ice, but I cut the ceremony down to about five minutes. We gave the rings to the guys Saturday night in a private thing.
“As it was, the guys you’d most want to be at something like this were the seniors who led the way, like Johnny Pohl, Jordan Leopold, Adam Hauser, and Jeff Taffe [who signed an NHL contract with Phoenix after his junior year]. But those guys are all gone. Our freshmen kind of said they didn’t feel like they should even be there.”
There were several reasons beyond the new year that could cause Lucia to be happy to do away with such ceremonies. For one, defending that title got a lot tougher in the face of players dropping off the lineup with injuries. An example was Grant Potulny, the gritty captain who scored the game-winning goal when Minnesota beat Maine 5-4 in overtime in the NCAA final. He wasn’t on the ice with his teammates, he was able to be up at the top of the stands officially raising the banner – because he’s not allowed to put any weight on a broken leg until mid-January. He slid into the boards in the opener against Ohio State at Xcel Energy Center.
Down on the ice, the Gophers treated their fans to a hat trick of hat tricks. Troy Riddle, Thomas Vanek and Jon Waibel each scored three goals for Minnesota. But even that had its drawbacks. When Waibel, who scored the first two goals of the game, scored his third, with 2:13 to go in the second period, he leaped up and punched the plexiglass in glee.
“And he broke his hand,” said Lucia.
Waibel joined Potulny, winger Barry Tallackson, who is out for a month with a separated shoulder, and Jerrid Reinholz, who was soon to join the list when he caught an elbow the next night and suffered a broken jaw.
“I’ve never had so many guys out with these kinds of injuries – a broken leg? A broken hand? A broken jaw?” said Lucia.
“Actually, I don’t think Alabama-Huntsville is that bad. We beat them the next night 4-2, and I think that was more indicative of the two teams.”
The Gophers had to score late to break a 2-2 tie in that one, although they volleyed 56 shots at the Huntsville net.
“One thing that’s good about the injuries is that some guys are getting more ice time than they would have otherwise,” said Lucia. “They’ll get a lot more experience, and we’ll find out how good they are. And when the injured guys start coming back, we should be just that much stronger. But in the meantime, Denver may run away with the WCHA race.”
Tallackson should be back from his separated shoulder by mid-December, Waibel as soon as he can get his hand inside a glove and grip the stick, Reinholz was facing four weeks, pushing his return to December, and Potulny will probably be out until mid-January.
“Obviously, we miss Potulny on the ice and in the locker room, because he is one of our more vocal leaders,” said Lucia.
Some of the younger Gophers are more than fulfilling their roles. Vanek leads the team in points, while Gino Guyer has been spectacular, whether getting points or not. Guyer was centering Greenway of Coleraine linemate Andy Sertich and former Eden Prairie state Mike Erickson on Friday against Hunstville, and the line threatened constantly, but figured only in the 12th goal, by Keith Ballard with Guyer assisting.
“In the Saturday game, I moved Dan Welch up with Guyer and Sertich,” said Lucia. “They didn’t score, but Welch got 11 shots in the game.”
Maybe the coach will have to restrict the scoring, or at least keep exuberant scorers away from the plexiglass. Because keeping his players on the ice might be of critical importance in case these Gophers start thinking about hanging another banner.

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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.
  
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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.