Odyssey rewrites standard for minivans for 2005
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Roaring up a gently curving hill on the challenging road-racing track at Barber Motorsports Park, I knew enough to stay to the outside until the last possible moment, then cut across the track, accelerating through the apex of the turn while setting up for the next one, just past the crest of the hill.
It was all accomplished smoothly, with a minimum of body leaning and no squeals of protest from the tires. It would have been good in a race car, only I wasnÂ’t driving a race car. I was driving a 2005 Honda Odyssey minivan.
Nobody explained why we were pushing the new Odysseys to their limits on a road-racing circuit, because nobody in their right mind would think of driving a minivan on a race track. But itÂ’s all part of HondaÂ’s subtlety in introducing their latest attempt at maintaining superiority of a motoring segment.
We drove up hills and around the countryside, from downtown Birmingham to rural Alabama, before getting to the race track, where we drove the new Odysseys on emergency-handling areas, flooded skidpads, and the race track itself. We also drove competing vehicles in some of those tests, and some did quite well for themselves. But the Odyssey was exceptional, and while it remains the benchmark in minivans despite being five years old, the new one is improved in every area.
In overview, the new Odyssey offers a more powerful engine with electronic control that works only half the time, sometimes; a new platform that supports a lighter body that is safer and stronger with the use of high-tensile steel; smooth exterior alterations that improve aerodynamics and looks; better seats that have more room in every direction; and airbags on all sides for all three rows that complement the firmer body for top safety ratings.
“We improved the styling, performance, and utility,†said Yutaka Fujiwara, Honda’s large product leader “We wanted to make it feel like a Euro sedan.†Fujiwara specifically pointed to the BMW 7 Series as a target, and while that’s pretty lofty for a minivan, the Odyssey obviously is moving upscale, with LX, EX, EX Leather and EX Touring models ranging in base price from $25,000 for the LX, and $35,000 for the fully loaded EX-Touring.
All models get one of two versions of the 3.5-liter V6. Its 255 horsepower are up 15, and 250 foot-pounds of torque are up 8 over the existing 2004 powerplant. A 12-percent increase in fuel economy, to a highway estimate of 28 miles per gallon on regular gas, sets apart the engine with optional VCM (variable cylinder management), in which the transverse-mounted V6 electronically shuts down the front bank of cylinders. That leaves the new Odyssey to cruise on three cylinders at freeway speed for optimum mileage, seamlessly reverting back to all six when you need more power and step on the gas.
Honda engineers chose to shut off the front bank, rather than the rear, to help improve interior noise levels, a focal point in a vehicle that also offers electronic external noise-canceling technology coordinated through the 360-watt audio system.
Thick, supple leather seats make a dramatic difference to the interior. So do new instruments, and a control panel on the center-dash that includes the five-speed automatic shift lever. On the right, there are two glove compartments, one above, the other below. The optional navigation system has been vastly improved, with a three-dimensional effect and a larger, eight-inch screen and a voice-activated DVD system with, Honda says, 7 million points of interest. Restaurants, with choice of food type, lodging, shopping and other items can be found on the system, which is integrated with a back-up camera that improves rearward vision when in reverse.
The shift lever placement allows walking between front seats to tend to the kids who can be assorted around the various rear seating arrangements. A “lazy susan†storage bin of cubicles is located in the floor, between the front bucket seats and the second-row seats.
The stowable second row features two full-size captainÂ’s chairs, which slide 10 inches fore or aft, can be linked together to form a short bench, or separated by a console, or a narrower third seat if you want to expand from seven to eight occupant capacity. The second row also folds down to become a console with a storage tray. The rear seat is even improved, with a 60-40 split that can be folded flat, or tumbled into that rearward cubicle with one touch.
The DVD entertainment system above the second row of seats has a larger, nine-inch screen dropping out of the ceiling, with wireless headsets that create personal surround sound. You get 15 cupholders in the Odyssey, unless you get the Touring model, which has 17.
Underneath all that, where equipment is always subtle but not insignificant, stability in driving and riding comes from a 20 percent increase in torsional rigidity, coupled with redesigned MacPherson strut front and double wishbone rear suspension designs, sitting on larger, 16-inch wheels. Stability assist, traction control and brake assist electronically augment the stability that always has been inherent in HondaÂ’s front-wheel-drive design.
Honda introduced Odyssey back in 1995, as a tall wagon on the Accord chassis. While other automakers were attempting and failing to unseat the Dodge Caravan as the primary minivan in public focus, Honda came back by quietly presenting an all-new Odyssey as a 1999 model. With its a low-cut storage bin just inside the rear hatch, and a tumble-down third-row seat that disappeared into that bin to leave only a flat floor for hauling stuff, the Â’99 Odyssey benefited by swift, strong, fuel-efficient performance, as well as trademark comfort, quality and trouble-free driving. For the past five years, minivan manufacturers still trying to catch Chrysler minivans in sales were joined by Chrysler to also compete with OdysseyÂ’s comfort, safety, technology and clever use of space.
The Nissan Quest, Toyota Sienna, Mazda MPV, the new Ford Freestar, and the Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Caravan – just to name a half-dozen – have raised their levels considerably, and General Motors has redesigned its whole fleet of minivans. All have declared they are the best, and some actually may have caught up to, or even edged past, the Odyssey for certain features. But just when they seemed to have the current Odyssey in focus, the target has moved.
By assembling the motoring press to Birmingham, Honda gained proximity to the race track, and also could give us a tour of the Honda Manufacturing Alabama assembly plant in nearby Lincoln, Ala., where workers build the Odyssey, its 3.5-liter V6 engines, and the Pilot SUV. Coordination of construction can only improve with the OdysseyÂ’s frame, body and drivetrain all built and assembled at the same site.
U.S. manufacturers have closed some plants and built new ones in Canada and Mexico under the cloak of NAFTA (the North American Free Trade Association), while the three-year old Lincoln plant is HondaÂ’s third car assembly plant in the U.S., with a separate engine-building facility also within U.S. borders. More than 75 percent of all Hondas sold in the U.S. are built in North American plants.
Currently, 4,300 of Honda’s 14,000 North American employees work at Honda Manufacturing of Alabama, which recently added a second assembly line. The plant will increase production capacity to 300,000 vehicles annually. That means the adjacent training facility to train applicants to become possible future employees – called “associates†by all who work for Honda – will stay busy.
This is the 25th anniversary of when Honda first built motorcycles in the U.S., and the 22nd year after Honda made the Accord the first Japanese car built in this country. No parades, no overdone promotions. You had to find those facts on Page 12 of the Odyssey introduction notebook. Subtle or not, a thoroughly impressive new standard in minivans should be celebration enough.
(John Gilbert writes weekly auto reviews, and can be reached at cars@jwgilbert.com.)
2005 Mustang takes us back to the future
SANTA MONICA, CALIF. — Back in 1970, I made the most exciting new-car purchase of my life. As a young sportwriter and automotive columnist, I was covering motorsports that included road-racing, and I enjoyed the Trans-Am series so much that I tried out all the factory pony cars before choosing a 1970 Boss 302 Mustang.
Without question — and notwithstanding rhapsodies from classic-car zealots about the original 1964, or the macho 1968, or any of the Shelby Mustangs from 1967 through 1969 — the 1970 Boss 302 was the single car that defines FordÂ’s favorite icon since the Model T. It was sleek, handled with fabulous precision, made an absolute statement for uncompromising performance, and had a 300-horsepower V8 that enjoyed high-revving sprints so much that it fairly whistled as the revs built, applying the zest with which Parnelli Jones won the Trans-Am series to the streets.
It also was the most-refined of the first herd of Mustangs, from 1964-70. In 1971, Ford made the Mustang a foot longer, and lost — seemingly forever — the art of putting the Mustang atop U.S. car-buyersÂ’ must-have lists.
It was a thrill, after all the intervening years — and with that Â’70 still in my possession under modified 1969 Shelby bodywork — to climb inside the 2005 Mustang. This is the car that redefines the Mustang for Ford, 40 years after the first one. Chief designer Hau Thai Tang is too young to recall those first Mustangs, but he went back and sampled a lot of 1967 and Â’68 versions. Alas, he never found a 1970 Boss 302 to examine, or his task might have been made easier. But he did well.
The 2005 Mustang proves conclusively by how much Ford designers have missed the mark since 1970.
That is not to discredit the most recent Mustangs, on which Thai-Tang worked to guide the shape back toward the originals, because, after all, Mustang has survived where Camaro, Firebird, Challenger, Barracuda, Cougar, and Javelin all did not. But the new Mustang is what a modern, high-technology extension of the 1970 might have looked like. Had Hau Thai-Tang been in charge back then, this might have been the 1971 design, instead of wandering aimlessly between bigger, smaller, tiny, and finally back to pony car stature.
Company officials proclaim that if the F150 pickup is the heart of Ford Motor Company, Mustang is the soul. Last year, the redesigned F150 generated thousands of corporate-website hits for information, but this year, seven times as many people sought information on the Mustang. The same officials say that the new Five Hundred makes an intellectual statement for FordÂ’s future, while the Mustang is strictly aimed at emotion.
The long-hood/short rear deck Mustang started out as gamble and captured U.S. buyers as an emotional entity, but also an economical one. It may have strayed since 1970, but over 8 million of them have been sold in 40 years.
The new car will be built in Flat Rock, Mich., on an all-new, purpose-built platform, with taut bodywork that is 4.8-inches longer overall stretched over a wheelbase that is 6 inches longer than the 2004 Mustang. Five of those six inches are up front, allowing more room inside, and an improved weight distribution by reducing the amount over the front axle from 57 to 54 percent.
“It may be emotional more than intellectual,†said Thai-Tang, “but there are some smart ideas in the new Mustang.Ââ€
Among those are modern frame-building, which makes the new car 35 percent stiffer in both torsional and bending rigidity. And the interior gives more than torture-chamber room to the still-tight rear seat while adding to front room, where the driver has a modern metallic flair with controls and instruments that recall the early Mustangs, as do external features.
We can forgive younger auto-writers who didnÂ’t live through the first Mustang era. Some claim features copy the original, which would be the 1964, when, in fact, they most copy the refined 1970. That includes everything from taillight shape and three-bar look, to speedometer and tachometer digits, which are large, single numbers, almost identical even in font to the 1970.
Ford intends to sell nearly 50 percent of new Mustangs to female buyers, with about 70 percent of the total choosing the V6 base model rather than the GT model with its V8. The cars have vastly different personalities, but both fit into the corporate plan to keep the price down to real-world levels.
Dissipation of all pony car competition leaves the new Mustang to take on the likes of the Acura RSX, the Infiniti G35 coupe, and maybe even the M3-style BMW, or R32 Volkswagen GTI-upgrade. But all competitors will flinch while consumers celebrate the Mustang base price of $19,410, and the GT base of $24,995. Both versions have a five-speed automatic available, but the sticks heighten the sportiness.
Interestingly, the base car has a clean, open grille that made the 1967, Â’68 and Â’70 models so attractive, while the GT has large foglights mounted inside the grille, more reminiscent of the inside pair of smaller headlights on the 1969 model. With the headlights on both cars stylishly located behind plexiglass lenses, I prefer the look of the open grille.
What the Mustang does not have that would be good upgrades are a six-speed manual, and independent rear suspension. However, the live rear axle feels good, and the five-speed is adequate, but both were included in a concerted attempt to keep the price down. If including an independent rear and a six-speed meant vaulting above and beyond $25,000, I think Ford made the right decision.
Another national publication said the base engine is all new while the GT V8 is the same-old 4.6. In reality, the V6 is the 4.0-liter V6 that originated in FordÂ’s German Scorpio as a pushrod powerplant. Ford brought the engine in, revised it by beefing up the block and installing single overhead camshafts, and using it as the impressive engine in the Explorer and Ranger. Revised again, that SOHC 4.0 V6 is now installed in the Mustang, with 210 horsepower and 240 foot-pounds of torque — substantially better than the 187/225 figures for the pushrod 3.8 it replaces. That means the V6 can be fun, especially for those choosing the five-speed manual shifter over the five-speed automatic.
The GT engine is, indeed, the 4.6-liter V8 introduced in 1996, but while the displacement remains unchanged the engine is made entirely out of aluminum, with three-valve cylinder heads sprouting two intake valves and one exhaust. That design allows the sparkplug placement to remain centered, and single-overhead cams on each bank can dictate variable valve timing equalized on both intake and exhaust sides. Along with being 75 pounds lighter than the conventional 4.6, significantly increased power is complemented by 57 percent improvement in emissions, and can run on regular gas.
My biggest complaint about the Mustang is that while being careful to blend retro with progressive inside, the gauges have bright silver rings around them. I found that distracting because the silver translated every bit of light to glare, attracting my peripheral vision, and even making it difficult to see the two tiny gauges located between the larger speedometer and tach.
What goes into the car is only important in the context of how it all is coordinated, and the 2005 Mustang GT feels totally together. I was able to drive it, hard, around the twisting mountain road switchbacks above Santa Monica, and by luck, my passenger was none other than chief engineer Hau Thai Tang. The Mustang snaked around corners and held its line flawlessly, indicating that the even the specific-built Pirelli tires on 17-inch alloy wheels complement the suspension and the carÂ’s refined balance.
For those interested in impressing others, driving the Mustang in California meant some interesting reactions. It was easy lip-reading to note that numerous pedestrians and drivers at intersections would say, “Oh, thereÂ’s the new Mustang!Ââ€
One journalist had an unfortunate incident where he claimed a car ran a stop sign from his left, and he smacked it broadside when he started up. We came upon them moments later, as the woman talked on her cellphone in the passenger seat and two young boys stood next to her. I went across the street to shoot a picture of the bright yellow Mustang, and suddenly I was aware of a young boy standing next to me.
“That new Mustang is really neat,†he said. “How fast will it go?Ââ€
Turns out, it was the kid from the car that was hit, who was, in effect, praising the car that had just broadsided his car.
Later, in semi-rush-hour traffic by the ocean, a long-haired young man was weaving through traffic in a bright blue Volkswagen R-32, the high-performance upgrade from the GTI. We stopped next to him at the next intersection, and he said: “ThatÂ’s the new Mustang, eh?Ââ€
I said yes, it was.
“Effen rad!†he said.
I donÂ’t speak California, but judging by the radical nature of his car, I figured he ought to know rad when he saw it.
(John Gilbert writes weekly car reviews, and can be reached at cars@jwgilbert.com.)
Acura’s 2005 RL makeover makes Legendary strides
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Remember the Acura Legend? That was HondaÂ’s breakthrough attempt as the first Japanese manufacturer to create an upscale brand, and it proved solid and durable for two versions, while Toyota came out with Lexus and Nissan with Infiniti.
Remember the Acura RL? That was the third phase for Acura’s top model, replacing the Legend 10 years ago, when it looked properly contemporary. As the RL aged, I thought that the mid-range Acura TL was preferable, even before Acura brought out an all-new and spectacular TL a year ago. On top of that, by introducing a small, quick sporty coupe named the RSX, a sporty compact sedan called the TSX, and the new TL, meant Acura showcased three ultra-high-tech cars, while the corporate flagship was left far, far behind.
The wait is over, finally, and maybe it was worth it. After driving the 2005 Acura RL at its introduction in Washington, D.C., the new RL raises AcuraÂ’s standards to unprecedented heights, and moves to the forefront of car-of-the-year consideration.
Pick something you like about new cars — styling, performance, high-tech features, comfort, gadgetry, you name it — and the RL has it covered, with just about every feature ever seen on high-end sedans, and a few that no other car can duplicate.
Acura officials list the Mercedes and Lexus as standard-bearers for pure luxury, and the BMW and Audi as luxury cars that focus on being more sporty, and they placed their corporate bullseye on the BMW 5 Series and Audi A6 as their prime target. In price, the new Cadillac STS also fits into that $50,000 bracket for sporty-luxury cars, but the STS must prove itself in that company, just as the RL hopes to do.
The sticker price is $48,900, which is a lot. But everything is standard on the RL. Everything. There are no options, unless some buyer forces an Acura dealer to glue on some aero body-trim.
Otherwise, everything is included. That wouldnÂ’t mean a lot, except that in this case, “everything†is over the top — meaning everything available on the most high-tech cars as well as a few things not available anywhere.
Masaaki Saito, chief engineer on the RL, pointed to the “taut and wide stance, and the emotional and functional style,†and said the RL is aimed at improving its status in the “mid-luxury†segment by setting standards for styling, performance and handling.
Consider the high points: A unique all-wheel-drive system; 300 horsepower out of a 3.5-liter V6 with variable valve timing and drive-by-wire technology; a stiffer, firmer chassis incorporating high-tensile steel and blow-molded aluminum that Honda engineers claim sets new safety standards; a tighter, wider, longer body that makes an impressive styling statement; paddle shifters for fingertip up- and downshifts of the six-speed automatic transmission; keyless entry and ignition operation; adaptive headlights that shine around curves as you approach them; a navigation system that can be voice-commanded to guide you to 1.7 million points of interest or an obscure address with every street in every city charted; a Bose DVD surround audio system that includes a unique noise-canceling system that eliminates ambient noise through the sound system; XM satellite radio, which includes a unique Acuralink message alert that incorporates a traffic-warning capability to send congestion alerts through the satellite audio in the 20 largest U.S. cities — including the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.
How is that for standard equipment?
“Performance-oriented, with a dose of luxury,†said Mike Spencer, who manages public relations for Acura. Spencer, a former professional motorcyle road-racer, added that it sounded like rain the next day, which might prevent us from putting the RL through its paces on Summit Point Raceway in Virginia. I suggested that if he really wanted to show off the new all-wheel-drive stability, a little rain would clarify the evidence.
It rained, all right, a downpour from dawn until dark. In fact, after we drove a couple hours to Summit Point and returned to the posh Mandarin Oriental Hotel, the television news advised regional residents that because the leading edge of Hurricane Jeanne had dumped 5 inches of water in Virginia, everyone should avoid driving there. ThatÂ’s precisely where we went, and we not only drove the RLs on the road-racing circuit, they performed — including the wipers — better than anyone could have envisioned.
Acura had arranged to have us also drive a BMW 530, Audi A6 quattro and Mercedes E-Class 4-matic, and I must say all of them acquitted themselves well — most surprisingly the rear-drive BMW. But the RL was the star of the show. It felt so secure and stable in every circumstance that I decided to take a chance. As I headed into a 180-degree left turn that also headed up a slight hill, I thought IÂ’d try to break the car loose, so, I forced myself to stand on the gas entering the turn, where my head told me I should still be braking. Amazingly, the RL zipped around the turn, never hinting that the torrential downpour was even a problem.
Audi always has gotten high marks in areas where winter driving is a challenge because of its quattro all-wheel-drive system, in which all four wheels drive the car all the time. A couple of BMW and Mercedes models, as well as the new STS and Chrysler 300C, also offer all-wheel drive, but they are primarily rear-drive allowing some torque to shift to the front when the rear slips. The RL is primarily front-wheel drive, distributing increased torque to the rear when performance demands it.
Acura calls its unique system “SH-AWD,†for super-handling all-wheel drive. During normal cruising, the RL runs 70 percent of power to the front wheels and 30 percent to the rear — something front-wheel-drive advocates in snow-country will appreciate. Under hard acceleration or cornering, or when traction is threatened, the system instantly shifts up to 70 percent of torque to the rear axle — something hard-accelerating drivers will appreciate.
Then the RL truly steps out on its own. In severe cornering, the outside rear wheel turns more than the average of the front wheels, which bedevils most AWD systems, but Acura engineers fashioned a device that runs through an electromagnetic clutch to accelerate the outside rear wheel to run faster than the other three. So in a hard turn such as on the race track, when 70 percent of the torque goes to the rear, fully 100 percent of that rear torque goes to the outside rear wheel only, essentially pushing the RL around the turn as if itÂ’s on rails.
No other AWD system does that. It complements the superb suspension, and the drive trainÂ’s performance. The 3.5-liter V6 has been condensed into a shorter and narrower package, yet gains 40 horsepower to its 300-horse peak at 6,200 RPMs, with 260 foot-pounds of torque at 5,000 RPMs, all controlled by fingertip-paddle shifting. The RL body gains 33 percent in rigidity, thanks to super high-tensile steel, as opposed to normal high-tensile steel, plus aluminum hood, trunk, front fenders, front and rear sub frames and suspension components.
Inside, the car has a modern, crisp look and a great feel of luxury. The navigation screen is bigger and brighter, and while I don’t like the large knob that controls all sorts of features because it causes the necessity to divert driving attention to the navigation screen, just like the anti-intuitive BMW “iDrive,†the RL’s is easily overridden by voice command. Bark out an address, and the system’s voice immediately starts a turn-by-turn guidance to that destination. Same with a site, such as Chicago’s Soldier Field, the Minneapolis Metrodome, or Duluth’s Aerial Bridge, with the same voice soothingly directing you, backed up on the nav screen.
The 10-speaker DVD surround audio system is magnificent — although I remain unconvinced itÂ’s better than the TLÂ’s Panasonic ELS DVD surround — but the RLÂ’s system handles more than ear-blowing music and Bluetooth phone service. It has an active noise-cancellation system that nullifies low-grade noise intrusion, silencing the interior as well as clarifying the audio sound. And it relays traffic conditions from the Acuralink system, which bounces congestion information off a satellite and back through the XM satellite radio. The navigation system is updated by the minute, and while everything, including the XM radio, is standard on the car, even the first year subscription to the XM system is covered.
Remember the Legend? Or the previous RL? Well, after a dose of the 2005 RL, those predecessors will be distant memories.
(John Gilbert writes weekly auto reviews and can be reached at cars@jwgilbert.com.)
Gophers, Denver show early contending potential
SAINT PAUL, MN. — The cast of characters has pretty well changed over, but the two college hockey teams that have won the last three national championships both have put the WCHA on notice that they intend to stay in top contention for the 2004-05 WCHA season.
Minnesota, the team that won the NCAA title in 2002 and 2003 after not having won a championship in 23 years, probably suffered the most losses to both graduation and early-pro-signing departures, but the Gophers registered a 5-2 victory over Denver University, the team that won the 2004 NCAA title.
The Pioneers, of course, didnÂ’t exactly get off to a rousing start last season, when they struggled with injuries, inconsistencies and a problem holding leads and finishing off foes, but got it all together in time for a stirring march through the NCAA regional and Frozen Four. Like all teams, the Pioneers also suffered some graduation losses, most notably goaltender Adam Berkhoel, All-American and WCHA defenseman of the year Ryan Caldwell, and WCHA student-athlete of the year Connor James, a speedster who returned from injury just in time to ignite the offense in the NCAA tournament.
The Gophers, though, lost similarly with the graduation of three-time captain Grant Potulny, offensive sparkplug Troy Riddle and colorful team leader Matt Koalska, among others, then watched over last summer as star defenseman and Hobey Baker finalist Keith Ballard signed a pro offer, then big defenseman Jake Taylor did the same, and, just before fall quarter started, scoring phenom Thomas Vanek also left the program to turn pro.
All of that was somewhat ironic, because the NHL was headed into a non-start to its season, so when Denver came to the Twin Cities to face Minnesota at Xcel Energy Center, it was to be the only autumn appearance of big-time hockey in the Minnesota WildÂ’s home barn. Over 17,000 eager Twin Cities fans turned out, even though the Minnesota Twins were playing, and losing, their final American League playoff game to the New York Yankees over in Minneapolis.
“This was a good start for our young guys,†said Minnesota coach Don Lucia. “We both will be completely different teams three months from now.Ââ€
The big questions were: Who would pick up the slack and fill the roles of those big-name departures for both sides? To the considerably relief of both coaches, various applicants emerged.
“WeÂ’ll be OK,†said Denver coach George Gwozdecky. “I didnÂ’t know that weÂ’d need to depend on our goaltending quite so much this early, but Glenn Fisher showed he could do the job.Ââ€
Fisher was outstanding at the start against Minnesota, when the Pioneers were outshot 12-1 through the opening minutes, and he held on against a steady barrage that resulted in 30 saves. Fisher is the sophomore goaltender from Edmonton who was 3-1-1 as back-up last year to Berkhoel, who left seriously large skates to fill.
Denver, however, followed up the loss to Minnesota by absorbing a 6-2 thumping at powerful Boston College. Still, the Pioneers stand as Exhibit A that itÂ’s better to fit things together at the end of the season more than the beginning. Last spring, the Pioneers almost waited until it was too late. Denver lost 4-3 and 6-1 to be unceremoniously swept by Colorado College right in Denver in the WCHA playoffs.
As it turns out, missing the WCHA Final Five paid unusual benefits to the Pioneers, who sat home to finish recovering from injuries, but they also were not able to face the possibility of possibly losing a game or two – which could have dropped them out of NCAA consideration – or, if they were to keep winning, of having to face Minnesota, North Dakota and Minnesota-Duluth in three straight nights.
As a late invitee to the NCAA tournament as regional host at Colorado Springs, Berkhoel got hot and Denver beat Miami 3-2, then stunned No. 1 rated WCHA champ North Dakota 1-0 to win the regional and gain the Frozen Four. Once there, Denver beat UMD 5-3, and astounded all hockey followers when Berkhoel blanked Maine 1-0 for the title. After giving up 10 goals in the sweep at CCÂ’s hands, Berkhoel gave up only five goals through the PioneersÂ’ four NCAA tournament games.
Gabe Gauthier, who scored the winning – and only — goal in the NCAA title game, figures to be among DenverÂ’s scoring leaders this year, and he could get some help in the form of Jon Foster, one of six seniors on this yearÂ’s team. Foster scored both Denver goals against Minnesota, with his first coming off GauthierÂ’s feed midway through the second period to trim MinnesotaÂ’s lead to 2-1, and his other on a power play midway through the third period, to lift the Pioneers to a 3-2 deficit.
The Gophers, on the other hand, are usually a swift-starting team, so their victory was also impressive. The loss of Grant Potulny may be impossible to relieve, but up stepped Ryan Potulny – Grant’s sophomore brother, who missed most of last season with injury – to score a hat trick and rekindle the form that made him the U.S. Hockey League’s junior scoring champ two years ago.
Potulny scored a power-play deflection on a shot by Alex Goligoski, a freshman defenseman from Grand Rapids who chose college over the USHL, and appears ready to immediately help. Tyler Hirsch, another returnee who could come up big as a junior, gave Minnesota a 2-1 lead on a rebound, with a pair of frehmen – center Mike Howe and defenseman Derek Peltier – getting assists.
Ryan Potulny scored again to make it 3-1 with an unassisted shorthanded goal just 44 seconds after FosterÂ’s first goal, but it was still very much a contest when the Pioneers rallied to outshoot Minnesota 19-13 in the third period and FosterÂ’s goal closed it to 3-2.
But this time it was Kellen Briggs, MinnesotaÂ’s sophomore goaltender who was 25-11-3, with a 2.62 goals-against mark and .894 save percentage as a freshman, who stepped into the spotlight, keeping the Pioneers in check the rest of the way with 18 of his 32 saves in the final 20 minutes.
With 4:34 left, winger Brent Borgen, another of the seven freshmen used in the game by coach Don Lucia, rammed in a goal from the crease, and Potulny completed his hat trick with an empty net goal that made the final 5-2 score considerably wider-spread than the actual margin of play had been.
“WeÂ’ve lost so many players, this will be a fun team to watch,†said Lucia, who acknowledged that this season will call due those long-standing claims that the Gophers have stockpiled spare players better than the regulars on some teams . “Now it the juniorsÂ’ and seniorsÂ’ turn.Ââ€
Returning veterans like Gino Guyer, Barry Tallackson, Andy Sertich, Tyler Hirsch, Danny Irmen, and defensemen Chris Harrington and Judd Stevens, along with Briggs, will be thrust into prominent roles, and, in fact, when the Gophers went to Alaska for a second-week tournament, they beat Massachusetts-Amherst 1-0 on yet another Ryan Potulny goal and Briggs made 17 saves for the shutout.
But some rookies also will make their presence felt. “Ben Gordon has great hands and heÂ’s going to be great on the bigger Olympic rinks,†said Lucia, referring to a freshman winger from International Falls who spent a year with Lincoln in the USHL. “And Gologoski has great poise on defense, and heÂ’s going to be a great player. He has such great hands, he reminds us a lot of Paul Martin.Ââ€
Martin is the defenseman who, before BallardÂ’s early departure a year ago, had helped the Gophers win their two NCAA titles and then left early to star with the New Jersey Devils as a rookie last year, and as a standout for Team USA in the recent World Cup Tournament. When defending WCHA champ North Dakota lost high-scoring linemates Zach Parise and Brandon Bochenski as early signees over the summer, the Gophers arenÂ’t the only ones afflicted.
However, losing blue-chip defensemen is a problem. Hobey Baker winner Jordan Leopold left the Gophers to sign with Calgary in 2002, Martin did the same in 2003, and Ballard in 2004 made it a hat trick of early departures on defense from the Gophers. On the other hand, having three such defensemen on the same team makes the Gopher championships in 2002 and 2003 no surprise.
North Dakota women rise from 0-4 WCHA launch pad
Under ordinary circumstances, starting a hockey season 0-4 and being outscored 32-3 would be pretty devastating. For the University of North Dakota womenÂ’s team, however, that start served as a potential catalyst for better things to come.
As initiations go, the University of North Dakota womenÂ’s hockey team had an impossible task for opening its first season as a member of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. But as overload training goes, that mission impossible couldnÂ’t have been more effective for the hopeful Sioux.
The assignment for the Sioux was to open their first WCHA season against the University of Minnesota – last year’s WCHA and NCAA champions, and the unanimous No. 1 ranked team in the nation. Next came the first Sioux WCHA road trip, to Duluth, where they would face the University of Minnesota-Duluth – the winners of the only three previous NCAA tournaments, in 2001, 2002 and 2003, and a top-5 rated team against this season.
The powerful Gophers administered 8-0 and 7-1 whippings on North Dakota in the opening series. Then UMD posted 8-1 and 9-1 thumpings in Duluth.
“If you look at the schedule, we had the hardest start of any team in the country,†said Shantel Rivard, UND coach. “They are two of the top five in the country, with one of them being No. 1.Ââ€
Rivard knew there was frustration and disappointment about losing those first four games, but she also was confident that her playersÂ’ attitude remained good and the high level of play they faced from the Gophers and Bulldogs would be a springboard for them for the rest of the schedule.
Sure enough, Week 3 found the Sioux traveling to St. Cloud, where freshman Melissa Dianoski from Fairbanks, Alaska, scored her first two collegiate goals and led North Dakota to a 5-3 victory – UND’s first WCHA triumph. The next night, St. Cloud State came back to stifle the Sioux for a 1-0 reversal.
“St. Cloud was tough,†said Rivard. “They outshot us 15-5 the first period in the first game, and we were lucky to get out of it 0-0. Then we went up 4-1 after two periods, but we gave them a little too much room in the third period and they came back before we won it 5-3. The second game, we had trouble putting the puck in the net. With less than a minute left, we thought we scored, which would have tied the game 1-1 and sent us into overtime, but the linesman said the whistle had blown before the puck went in.Ââ€
Nevertheless, a series split at St. Cloud sends North Dakota home for the next two weekends, with Ohio State and then Bemidji State coming to Grand Forks for two very important series. After that, with three nonconference series sprinkled in, the Sioux will face Wisconsin on November 20-21, and Minnesota State-Mankato the first weekend of December, which would give North Dakota eight straight WCHA home games. The perfect venue if the Sioux are going to make themselves a factor in their first WCHA season.
Rivard took on the North Dakota task of starting a varsity program three years ago. During two seasons of infancy, North Dakota was 10-14 and 16-14-2, with last season concluding with a 13-0 run. But every game was an exhibition, and Rivard knew the WCHA would present special challenges.
“I knew about the WCHA before I came to North Dakota, and it is everything I anticipated,†said Rivard. “It’s run very professionally. I think it was good that we had to wait two years to come in, so we could develop our program first. We’re up to nine scholarships now, So we’re halfway to where everybody else is.
“ItÂ’s all about development. For us, right now, itÂ’s getting to know one another, and moving the puck.Ââ€
North Dakota has only two seniors, linemates Marissa Hangsleben and Meaghan Nelson, with five forwards, two defensemen, and goaltender Margaret-Ann Hinkley among the juniors from her first recruiting crop. Sophomores include two forwards, two defensemen and goaltender Amber Hasbargen, who has emerged as the No. 1 netminder after a solid high school career at Warroad. Hasbargen survived after weathering the assaults by Minnesota and UMD and played well in both games at St. Cloud State.
That leaves a large freshman class as North DakotaÂ’s hope for the future. Melissa Dianoski is joined by twin sisters Cami and Cara Wooster from Salvador, Saskatchewan, among freshman forwards, while Christey Allen of St. Andrews, Manitoba, and Stefanie Ubl of Blaine High School in Minnesota are freshman defensemen, and No. 3 goaltender Jenna Burdy is the sixth freshman in the Sioux lineup.
“We lost our top three goal scorers from last year, and Liz Funk is our top returning scorer,†said Rivard. “SheÂ’ll contribute once she gets going, if she makes the same improvement from sophomore to junior that she did from her freshman to sophomore years. Our freshmen have the potential to help our scoring right away. Cami Wooster has good hands around the net, and Melissa Dianoski can score.Ââ€
Cami Wooster scored the only goal in the two games against Minnesota, and scored again at Duluth, then Dianoski led the one-game scoring outburst at St. Cloud with her two goals.
“They were really pretty goals, too,†said Rivard. “On the first one, she had just come on for a line change, grabbed the puck and moved in with a little patience. It was a goal-scorerÂ’s goal. The second one was on a rebound, but it was off a faceoff play.Ââ€
Looking back at the Minnesota and UMD weekends, the Sioux were facing some of the elite womenÂ’s players in the country. U.S. Olympians Krissy Wendell and Natalie Darwitz led the Gophers, but they were ahead only 1-0 after one period. Minnesota broke loose after that, but four of the eight goals were on power plays. The next night, Minnesota led 4-0 after a period, but again the Gophers were 4-for-5 on the power play.
At UMD, Canadian Olympic star Caroline Ouellette was named WCHA offensive player of the week with 11 points, getting six assists in the 8-1, when UMD scored four power-play goals, and two goals and three assists in the second game, when UMD scored five more power-play goals.
So, as lopsided as those first four games were for the Sioux, 17 of the 32 goals scored by Minnesota and UMD came on power plays. The best teams, typically, have the best power plays, and Minnesota and UMD are no exceptions to that theory.
While Minnesota and UMD have raised national standards for womenÂ’s hockey while also calling attention to the caliber of the WCHA, Wisconsin is ranked right up there in the top five nationally as well. “YouÂ’ve got Minnesota, Dartmouth, Harvard, UMD, Wisconsin and maybe St. Lawrence as the best teams in the country,†said Rivard. “We donÂ’t fit in there yet, but we will.Ââ€
Of more critical importance is the present. “The games this weekend with Ohio State are really important,†Rivard added. “But every game is big, this year.Ââ€
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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