Gophers trip UMD in OT, face Wisconsin for title

MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. — The University of Minnesota proved thereÂ’s no place like home Saturday, rising up to defeat favored Minnesota-Duluth 3-2 on sophomore Gigi MarvinÂ’s power-play goal in sudden-death overtime in the WomenÂ’s WCHA semifinals at Ridder Arena – the only facility of its kind built specifically for a womenÂ’s college hockey team.

The victory earned a spot in Sunday’s championship game against No.1 ranked Wisconsin, which blanked Ohio State 4-0 in the first semifinal at Ridder, and it also proved the Gophers were true to their insistence that they had been able to put out of their minds two thrashings – 7-1 and 5-1 – at the hands of UMD in Duluth two weeks ago. The victory also rekindles Minnesota’s hopes to reach the eight-team NCAA women’s hockey tournament field. The Gophers were No. 9, and UMD No. 7 going into the WCHA semifinals, and while the result may not drop the Bulldogs out of the top eight, it could lift the Gophers just enough to squeeze into the select field, which will be announced Sunday.

Of course, a victory for Minnesota (23-11-1) in today’s league playoff final would secure a spot, and that was what Gopher coach Laura Halldorson was focusing on. “We can only worry about playing Wisconsin,” said Halldorson. “We’re just really excited and proud, because we gave everything we had to win a tight game against Duluth. We’ve had great games in the past, a lot of them with much at stake, as there was in this one.

“Kim Hanlon was fantastic in goal, and getting on the board first was huge – a huge momentum boost. We’re going to have to do that against Wisconsin, too.”

UMD coach Shannon Miller said she was uncertain of her team’s security in the NCAA selection process. “You never know,” she said. “We were fairly solid in seventh coming in, and Boston College and Harvard both lost. We do have the strongest league in the country, so it would seem logical that we should have three teams in the field.”

Unlike the pivotal series which boosted UMD (22-10-4) into second place and dropped Minnesota to third, in which the Bulldogs jumped off to 5-0 leads through two periods both nights, Minnesota battled through the first period by outshooting UMD 9-6, and taking a 1-0 lead on the first goal, scored by senior Andrea Nichols on a power play in the last minute of the period. Anya Miller shot from center point, and when UMD freshman goaltender Kim Martin blocked it, Nichols smacked in the rebound from wide to the left of the goal.

The Bulldogs didnÂ’t exactly get the upper hand in the second period, being outshot 5-3 in the tight, defensive struggle, but they did tie the game at 4:12 on a power play of their own. Freshman Emmanuelle Blais carried deep on the right side, circled behind the net, and came all the way out to complete the circle at the top of the slot before firing toward the net. Saara Tuominen, another freshman, knocked it in.

Minnesota regained the lead at 2-1 at 12:39 of the middle period when sophomore defenseman Melanie Gagnon sent a harmless-looking shot on goal with Marvin screening in front. Martin appeared to have the shot under control, but it eluded her and trickled in, putting the Gophers up until the third period.

UMD senior Jessica Koizumi tied the game, sprawling to poke in the puck at 4:50 on another power play, and UMD rose up to take control of the game, outshooting the Gophers 14-3 in the third period, but unable to put anything else past Hanlon.

“There was a scramble, and I was falling,” said Koizumi, who is playing with a brace on an injured knee. “We want another chance. Our team has just gotten everybody back from injuries, and we’re just coming together. I’ve been in this position many times, and I’m crossing my fingers that we get into the NCAA tournament, because this is my last year, and I really think we’ve got a team that could win it.”

In the overtime, UMD senior defenseman Ashly Waggoner and a Gopher were scrapping for the puck and when the Gopher went down, referee Jay Mendel called Waggoner for tripping, at 0:52. The Gophers kept the pressure on after a corner faceoff, and Marvin scored at 1:08.

“I looked up, and saw an opening, and put it in,” said Marvin, who scored her 18th goal to tie Bobbi Ross for the team lead. “We’re high right now, we just won a big game against a great team, and we’re excited to play Wisconsin. We were very calm before the overtime, focused, and very confident.”

UMD coach Miller waited afterward to talk to Mendel. When asked about it, she said: “All I did was ask him whether it was proper to talk on the ice, or if we should go down in the corridor. We went off the ice. I asked him how he could make a call like that and not let the teams decide a game like that.”

Asked about the difference in the teams in the semifinal, compared with the two games two weeks ago in Duluth, Miller said: “They obviously played a lot better. You can’t come to Duluth and get spanked 7-1 and 5-1 and not come back and play with some fury. I was proud of our team, because we competed hard, and I thought we played our best when we outshot them 14-3 in the third period.”

Halldorson, meanwhile, said she decided to not mention that shot differential when the teams went off for resurfacing before the overtime. “I didn’t mention the shots, because the score was 2-2,” she said.

The third period gave UMD a 23-19 shot advantage for the tight contest. “After we played at Duluth, we just wanted to forget about it and finish strong,” said Hanlon. “We knew we were going to win.”
Hanlon was asked if she was as confident when a shot by Michaela Lanzl in the third period hit the left post and the ricochet went out through the crease behind her. “I guess I had my angle right,” she cracked.

Minnesota winger Erica McKenzie said: “Warming up, there was a weird vibe. We were calm, and people weren’t talking, but you could see it in everybody’s eyes – we were ready. I knew right when we got that power play, we were going to score and win the game. And then coach came down the bench and had some choice words for us.”
Halldorson clarified. “Wait a minute,” she said. “All I said was, ‘Would you guys please end this?’ And I’m glad Gigi took me up on it.”

BAUER, BADGERS WHIP OSU 4-0

ItÂ’s been a fantastic year for Ohio StateÂ’s womenÂ’s hockey program, and coach Jackie Barto credited a special crop of seniors for raising the Buckeyes to previously unattained heights. Unfortunately, the Buckeyes ran smack into the No. 1 rated Wisconsin Badgers, who stifled Ohio StateÂ’s offense and skated to a 4-0 victory that returns Wisconsin to the championship game. It wasnÂ’t like the Badgers overran the Buckeyes. They got a 1-0 lead on a power-play goal by Jasmine Giles late in a very evenly played first period. But much as the Buckeyes tried after that, they were never able to sustain enough offensive pressure to puncture Jessie VetterÂ’s 22-save shutout at Ridder Arena.

When the media requested players to interview after the game, the Badger staff declined to call on captain Sara Bauer, their captain, the defending Patty Kazmaier Award winner, and the just-named repeat winner of the Women’s WCHA player of the year award. After all, she gets interviewed all the time, and she undoubtedly will be called upon after the championship game. Besides, other players starred in the 4-0 victory – Meghan Duggan, who scored shorthanded in the second period to make it 2-0, and Angie Keseley and Jinelle Zaugg, who padded the margin in the third period with timely goals against Buckeye goaltender Erika Vanderveer. And also, of course, there was Vetter.
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However, Bauer made her presence felt with her usual near-flawless performance, and brilliant plays by the tiny but tenacious 5-foot-3 senior center from St. Catherines, Ontario, orchestrated easy goals by both Duggan and Zaugg.

“We’re thrilled to get another opportunity to play in the championship game,” said Wisconsin coach Mark Johnson, who had guided the Badgers to an even more outstanding season than a year ago, when they won the WCHA, the WCHA playoff, and the NCAA title. This year’s Badgers are 32-1-4, and ranked No. 1, with the WCHA league title in hand, and the playoff title within their grasp today.

The final count obscured the competitiveness of the game. The only goal in the first period came on a power play at 17:38 by Giles, giving the Badgers a key opening lead. Badger defenseman Meaghan Mikkelson, named the top defensive player in the league, got her first of two assists on the goal.

Ohio State coach Jackie Barto, whose team finished a program-best 20-13-4, said: “We had a couple real good scoring chances in the first and second periods, and if one of them had gone in, it might have been a different game, We’ve had some success on offense against Wisconsin, though; we’d been able to crash the net and get some rebounds this season.”

But not this game. In the second period, Wisconsin was killing a two-skater penalty shortage when Bauer got the puck in her own zone. She played the puck off the boards to herself, and seemed to mesmerize everybody in the rink as she raced down the left boards. Instead of merely dumping the puck in to kill time, Bauer held onto it, and carried deep into the left corner. About then, Meghan Duggan, a 22-goal-scoring freshman winger from Danvers, Mass., came out of the penalty box and skated for the net. Bauer passed it, and Duggan had her 23rd goal, a shorthanded gem.

“That second goal put a little dent in us,” said Barto. “Our team kept competing, but Vetter played solidly, and Wisconsin is very good defensively.”

Early in the third period, Angie Keseley made it 3-0, getting her stick on a loose puck while diving into a scramble at the crease at 6:05. And as the game neared its conclusion, Bauer did her thing again to seal it. With 3:06 remaining, Bauer forechecked to swipe the puck behind the Ohio State goal. She did a quick stop and go, reversing her direction on the end boards and carrying back behind the net, then passing out to the goal-mouth. Zaugg, a 6-foot-1 junior from Eagle River, Wis., was there for a one-timer. Vanderveer had no chance, and the Badgers had their 4-0 victory.

“I liked the way the last 40 minutes went,” said Mark Johnson. “The first 20 was a chess match, because nobody wanted to make a mistake. We made a couple of adjustments, and the team really responded well. We scored first on the power play, then Sara made a great play to Duggan coming out of the penalty box for the shorthanded goal.”
Vetter, who is 17-1-3 but only alternates with Christine Dufour (15-0-1), credited her defense. “Our D has been great all year, blocking shots,” Vetter said. “We had a little case of nerves in the first period, but we settled down.”

The Badgers settled down, and prepared to defend their league playoff title.

Top Car, Truck ‘cats’ move to the front of the herd

The hay is in the barn, as they say, although a more appropriate saying might be: “The Car of the Year is in the garage.” Winners of the 2007 North American International Car (and Truck) of the Year are determined but remain secret until Sunday (January 7), when their disclosure kicks off media dayspreceding the Detroit International Auto Show.

The Car of the Year will come down to the voting points among the Honda Fit, Saturn Aura, and Toyota Camry. Truck of the Year will be the Mazda CX-7, Ford Edge, or Chevrolet Silverado.

Those of us automotive media types on the jury of 49 have voted, and this year for the first time, we voted to determine the top three point-getters, and then voted again on the three to make a more-focused winner. In past years, when the vote went in for finalists, the top three candidates were ranked 1-2-3, and only the agency that counts the ballots knew which of them was the winner. After years of considering the possibility – most persistently pushed by me – the membership agreed overwhelmingly to revote on the final three this year.

It is a good time to make the move, because this is clearly the most competitive year IÂ’ve ever seen in my 13 years of voting on the 14-year-old endeavor, which, unlike various magazine awards, is unaffected by advertising revenue, leading us to boldly proclaim that it is the most valid. As IÂ’ve often noted, you canÂ’t argue with the objectivity, because getting 49 ego-centered automotive media types to agree on anything is a lot like herding cats.

For example, Motor Trend’s annual car of the year award, announced in its current issue, went to the Camry. Two weeks later, Car & Driver magazine’s staff compared six intermediate sedans, voting on numerous criteria – including a couple of subjective segments, which allow a favorite to overtake one with more objective points – and in that competition, the new Camry came in fifth out of six! The Aura came in fourth, with the consensus ranking 1. Honda Accord, 2. Nissan Altima, 3. Kia Optima, 4. Aura, 5. Camry, and 6. Chrysler Sebring.

How can one magazine rank a car the best on the market among every category, while another ranks it fifth out of six in a six-car competition within its own segment? And how could two of our three finalists be ranked 4-5 by a magazine? Simple. Magazine writers apparently herd cats, too.

My personal choices have met with mixed success all through the process. First, I feel strongly that the best of the new vehicles for 2007 should include the Volvo C70 and Volkswagen Eos convertible-hardtops, plus the BMW 335 Coupe, and the Suzuki SX4 bargain all-wheel-drive compact. To me, those are cars of worldwide significance, along with the Honda Fit, Infiniti G35, Altima, Camry, and Aura. Since the C70, Eos, BMW and Suzuki all failed to make the reduction from the original field to the dozen candidates for cars and 14 for trucks.

When we vote to determine three finalists, we have 25 points to be distributed among all those cars we choose, in any order, with a maximum of 10 allowed for one and only one vehicle. My personal split the votes up, ranking the Fit high, then the Infiniti G35 — a fantastic mid-luxury sports sedan with all-wheel drive available — leading a cluster of the Altima, Dodge Caliber, Camry, Mercedes S-Class, and the Aura.
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My truck vote was similarly spread, and I found it even more difficult to give points to all the vehicles I thought were worthy. So dispersed were my points that I couldnÂ’t give anything 10 points. Because crossover SUVs are the hot-issue in automotives, I picked the Acura MDX a point ahead of a deadlock between the Mazda CX-7 and Acura RDX, then the BMW X5, Audi Q7, Toyota FJ Cruiser, Ford Edge and GMC Acadia. The Silverado remake is the best that truck has ever been, and while it captures numerous features from other trucks, and may be the only true truck in the field, it doesnÂ’t really break new technological ground like the vehicles I voted ahead of it.

Now for the revote. Here is a brief overview of the finalists, in order of my opinion.

Car of the Year:

Honda Fit — Fuel prices and traffic congestion have a new adversary in the Fit, which defines – and sets standards for – a new era of small cars. The expected over-30 fuel economy and creative interior layout are complemented by fun-to-drive performance and cat-quick agility, which prove boredom is not required to soothe a social conscience. A 1.5-liter high-tech four jumps at the touch of the steering wheel automatic paddle shifters, and foldable seats allow everything up to bicycles to fit inside. ThereÂ’s that word again.

Saturn Aura — The “I-canÂ’t-believe-itÂ’s-a-Saturn” Aura mixes an appealing design and luxurious interior with enough potency from the optional high-tech 3.6-liter V6 to create a new flair for Saturn in particular, and for General Motors inÂ…ahÂ…general. Big wheels help stability, a big trunk and roomy rear seat enhance livability, and the engine upgrade makes it an impressive variation of a vehicle first built by GMÂ’s European Opel subsidiary.

Toyota Camry — Revising a champion is challenging, but Toyota improved every facet of the Camry with a stylish 2007 redesign that offers models that stress luxury, economy, or – dare we say? – sportiness to the nationÂ’s largest seller. The base model is good, the sporty and luxury models are more than good, and the hybrid is impressive, although I got only 30 miles per gallon with one, driving conservatively with an eye on the fuel gauge.

Truck of the Year:

Mazda CX-7 — Crossover SUVs are the rage, and MazdaÂ’s seductively sporty CX-7 has the zoom-zoom of a sports car with SUV attributes. Few competitors can match the zip of a six-speed turbo four, winter-beating assets of all-wheel drive, and the CX-7Â’s bargain price. It lacks the sporty paddle shifters, but in the mid-$20,000 range, a direct-injection and turbocharged 2.3 pumps out 244horsepower and leaves large engines in its dust.

Ford Edge — The name Edge also describes the sharply-chiseled styling of FordÂ’s well-equipped entry in the crossover race. Comfortable interior appointments and well-planted SUV solidity may require extra heftiness, but it is adequately offset by the punch of a new 3.5 V6. Built on a lengthened and stiffened Mazda platform, and borrowing from VolvoÂ’s safety and traction technology, the Edge stays personal and leaves third-row seating to its larger siblings.

Chevrolet Silverado — While overdue for a renovation, the new Silverado got it right for Â’07, with vastly improved looks and chassis stiffness, outstanding interior design, plus the wise inclusion of some of the most-clever features from various competitors. Styling is definitely first-rate, but claims of 20 miles per gallon are strictly EPA-estimate fantasy, based on the 13.8 I got in a week of freeway driving.

So, what will win? ItÂ’s anybodyÂ’s guess. I have a hunch, though, that if the car result isnÂ’t the closest on record, the truck winner will be. The envelope, pleaseÂ…

A little icing alters luxury-performance car selection

Holiday time is always special, snow or no-snow, with family gatherings for Christmas that always seem to overlap to also cover New Year’s celebrations. This year became special on the road as well, because by chance, I had the opportunity to simultaneously road test three of the best mid-luxury sports sedans – the Infiniti M45 Sport, the Acura TL Type-S, and the Audi S6.

If you like winter, this Christmas season was pretty wimpy, especially in Minnesota. While the southern half of the state got a couple storms, the Duluth and North Shore area has been remarkably free of snow. It was, in fact, one of only four times in history that the Duluth area had a “Brown Christmas.”

Meanwhile, if you like luxury cars, but also want your car to rise above standard-issue models in quick and agile performance and handling, youÂ’d choose a car that lacked the ultra-soft or ultra-quiet features of pure luxury. In that mindset, if you had a choice of vehicles to drive across the country, but for combined comfort and excitement, the M45 Sport, Acura TL Type-S, and Audi S6 would be a perfect hat trick.

Two things made this exercise particularly worthwhile. First, the Infiniti M45 Sport, with a 4.5-liter V8 (325 horsepower and 336 foot-pounds of torque), is front- engine/rear-drive; the Acura TL Type-S, with a 3.5-liter V6 (258 horses and 286 foot-pounds), is front-engine/front-drive; and the Audi S6 with a 5.2-liter V10 (435 horsepower, 398 foot-pounds) is quattro-loaded with front-engine/all-wheel drive.

All three cars had high-performance automatic transmissions with paddle-control manual shifters on the steering wheel. All of them had the most sophisticated new traction-control and stability-control technical stuff.

So-called “performance” magazines universally prefer rear-drive, and it’s fun to apply power until you hang the rear end loose for an exhilarating way to take a tight turn on a race track. Conservative types in the worst winter climates prefer the security of all-wheel drive, although Audi’s quattro system was aimed at all-out performance handling, with the outer two wheels getting more power for cornering,, and handles foul weather as a side effect.

In the Upper Midwest, front-wheel drive not only was accepted but was embraced by all who ever white-knuckled a rear-drive car in a winter storm, and front-wheel-drive remains the preference, because they have most of the traction assets of all-wheel drive without the added weight or expense.

Now we return to Christmas weekend. For the journey 150 miles north from the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area to Duluth, the three vehicles were apportioned. I drove north first, in the Audi A6. My wife, Joan, came later that afternoon, in the M45 Sport, and our two sons would come the next day.

It was only drizzly with a chilly rain when I left, but I saw a few snow flurries on the trip, so when I heard that the rain had turned to snow in the Twin Cities, I called Joan. She had started, but said the driving was treacherous enough that she had slowed to 40-45.

“Oops,” she said, “the car next to me just went off the road.”

Because the storm had caught us by surprise, I hadnÂ’t worried about the M45 Sport being rear drive. The snow grew in severity and blew across the whole central part of the state, and Joan arrived late, but intact. Barely.

She then relayed the story about how, two-thirds of the way through the trip, she was driving 40 in the right lane, with no traffic around her, and only one car reasonably close behind. Suddenly, without any input from Joan, the M45 SportÂ’s rear end started to swing out to the side.

She knew she was on glazed ice, and she didnÂ’t panic. She said she tried to remember some of the things we had discussed after various emergency-driving courses IÂ’d been through.

One of them was to turn the steering wheel into the skid, but don’t make the common mistake of turning it all the way to lock – and, more important, once the car reaches the “point of no return” and is destined to spin out, bring the steering wheel back to straight ahead and take your foot off the brake and the gas.

Sounds strange, but if you keep the wheel turned, the skid will be encouraged to make the car go around and maybe around again. Bringing it back to neutral, and getting off the pedals, will cause the car to seek the path of least resistance in the skid – which is straight ahead, where the tires want to roll.

Well, she admitted she forgot the first part, but held her cool. The rear end of the M45 Sport swung briefly to the inside, then went to the outside — all the way around, a full 360-degrees. To her amazement and eternal relief, it finished the full spin and continued straight ahead, straddling the center line, but with no contact, no ditch expedition, no problem.

The engine had died from the skid, and before she could restart, the car behind her slowed and asked if she was OK. She gave them a wave and said she was fine. I wondered what went through the minds of the people in that car, when they watched, in some degree of horror, as this shiny new Infiniti up ahead gently and smoothly spun an entire 360-degree spin and all was OK.

Our whole family was relieved that Joan had come through her sudden emergency without a problem. We also had reinforced the belief in the inherent advantages of front-wheel drive, or all-wheel drive.
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Performance magazine writers ridicule front-wheel-drive cars for lacking the all-out performance feel of rear-drive, and whine about front-wheel-drive vehicles having a little torque-steer when driven beyond reasonable limits in tight corners. I would love to see one of those hot-shot drivers transplanted into the driverÂ’s seat of that M45 Sport at the moment Mother Nature decided to prove who is really in charge.

The M45 Sport is an exceptional car. Its high-tech V8 has variable valve timing, and the 5-speed automatic has a feature that matches revs whenever it is called upon to downshift. It also has a unique rear suspension that flexes enough to act as four-wheel steering. And, it has EBD, BA, VDC and TCS – which translate into electronic brake-force distribution, brake assist, vehicle dynamic control, and traction control system. These are the sophisticated devices that cause rear-drive zealots to insist we could all get through winter with rear drive.

They overlook the obvious, which is that the same devices on front-wheel-drive cars enhance their ice-driving superiority. The whole point is merely one of physics. If the rear wheels push the car, then on slippery surfaces, the front wheels are coasting, while the rears spin with power and might want to try to pass the fronts – which, in a nutshell, is the definition of a spinout.

There are ways to make the best of a threatening situation, by installing winter or all-season tires. My preference remains Nokian WR all-seasons. But, again, such tires can help a rear-drive car survive winter, but they also can be mounted on front-wheel-drive or rear-wheel-drive, where their traction attributes can make winter driving enjoyable, rather than threatening.

Ironically, there wasnÂ’t a flake of snow in Duluth from that storm. So we didnÂ’t get a chance to test the comparative assets of the Audi S6, which is the high-performance upgrade version of the A6, or the Acura TL S-Type, which is the high-performance upgrade of the TL.

If we had encountered the same glazed freeway stretch, however, we would have slowed down and continued in a straightforward vector. It might have taken just as long to get there, but it would have been minus the heart-in-the-throat moment of terror during a 360-degree spin.

You donÂ’t have to take my word for it. Ask Joan.

Gophers trip Badgers twice, grip No. 1 in WCHA, nation

MINNEAPOLIS, MN. — The University of Minnesota hockey teamÂ’s strong start through the first two months of the season has reached 6-0-2 atop the WCHA, and 10-1-2 atop the national ratings – so impressive that the only remaining person predict the likelihood that the Golden Gophers might falter isÂ…Golden Gophers coach Don Lucia.

Lucia is not a pessimist, but he realizes the unlikelihood of avoiding a slump all season. And heÂ’s painfully aware of what can happen if that flat spot comes too close to the end of the season.

It seemed unfair when the WCHA coaches picked Minnesota as preseason favorite, since it was clear the Golden Gophers would have to count on freshmen to fill the very large skates of players like Ryan Potulny, Phil Kessel, Gino Guyer and others. But so far, MinnesotaÂ’s freshmen have played a pivotal role, outplaying the best freshmen on every other WCHA team and helping Minnesota roar off to first place in the WCHA and the No. 1 rank in the nation.

Tyler Hirsch, returning from a redshirt year off, leads the team, and the WCHA, with 17 points in all games, and tied for second with 16 points are Gopher freshmen Kyle Okposo and Jay Barriball, both with 9-7—16, ahead of sophomore Blake Wheeler (7-7—14), junior Ben Gordon (5-9—14) and senior defenseman Alex Goligoski (4-9—13). The play of Okposo has been little short of spectacular, while Barriball has been an unexpected sparkplug.

“We’re not going to play nine freshmen and not have our ups and downs,” said Lucia. “We’ll go though a couple of weekends with some injuries or something, and my thought is that if we can just find a way to get points every weekend, we should be OK. We’ve been fortunate to catch teams when we have. We played Colorado College when they had a couple defensemen out, and Duluth was a little banged up when we played them, and Wisconsin was missing Jack Skille, and then got a couple more guys banged up against us in the first game.

“I think you’ll see our league have more compression, instead of separation,” Lucia added. “We haven’t seen Denver or North Dakota yet, and we know they’re both tough. Michigan Tech and Alaska-Anchorage are much better, and CC will be fine, and St. Cloud is in good shape right now. But while we’ve been fortunate when we’ve played teams, we’ve taken advantage, too, and put some points in the bank.”

So far, the Golden Gophers have faced good teams, bad teams, inexperienced teams, traditional rivals, and the defending NCAA champions, and theyÂ’ve done more than just take a point or two every weekend — they havenÂ’t lost a WCHA game. Their only loss this season was 3-1 against Maine in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame game at Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul. Since then, the Gophers have put together the nationÂ’s longest undefeated streak (10-0-2).

Now, at 6-0-2 atop the WCHA, Lucia says he focuses on the “lost” column of the standings. That shows Denver is second at 5-2-1, North Dakota 4-3-1, and Colorado College 4-2, but while all of them are certainly within striking distance, that zero in Minnesota’s loss column looks larger and larger. The toughest games in that 12-game undefeated streak were a pair of ties, 5-5 and 3-3, against St. Cloud State, but the Golden Gophers came back from that to topple defending national champ and archrival Wisconsin 2-1 and 3-1. That sweep was a role reversal from a year ago, when Wisconsin came to Minnesota, swept the Gophers, and it seemed the Badgers were going to run away with the WCHA title.

“But look what happened last year,” said Lucia.

True, last season the Badgers lost All-America goaltender Brian Elliott, dropped into a slump for a few weeks, and Minnesota stormed past to win the league title and gain the No. 1 rank. However, at the end of the season, Wisconsin beat the Gophers 4-0 in the WCHA playoffs, and the Gophers never recovered, losing to Holy Cross in the NCAA regional, while Wisconsin got things back in order and went all the way to the NCAA title.

The Gophers are going so well right now that Lucia pulled star winger Tyler Hirsch out of the lineup against Wisconsin. Lucia said Hirsch had fallen behind in a couple of classes, and he not only has decided to tighten up his discipline this season, he wants to make sure he has Hirsch’s skills for the whole season. “When Tyler came back this year, I said I wanted two things,” said Lucia. “I want him to have a big year, and to graduate.”

Without Hirsch, the Gophers had to work harder to score, but, as usual, they scored just enough to sweep Wiscoonsin. They won 2-1 when Goligoski scored on a first-period power play, then Barriball made it 2-0 in the third period with a goal that looked more like a veteran than a freshman. Wheeler had skated up the right side and passed across the slot. As Elliott, WisconsinÂ’s ace goaltender, slid anticipating the shot, Barriball already had anticipated that move and had quickly rapped a backhand for the far side of the net to score.

“I’m not surprised by Kyle’s play, but Barriball is definitely a surprise,” said Lucia. “He was going to play at Sioux Falls in the USHL, and when Phil Kessel signed a pro contract, he came in. He’s tenacious around the net, and he’s got great hockey sense – the instincts about where to go, and the puck finds him. He also has a good shot, and he has that habit of scoring goals.”

BarriballÂ’s goal proved to be the first-game winner against Wisconsin, after Ross CarlsonÂ’s goal broke the shutout bid of senior goalie Kellen Briggs.
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The next night, Minnesota fell behind 1-0 on Ben StreetÂ’s deflected goal in the second period. In the third, Ryan Stoa tried to pass out front to Okposo, but the pass hit the back of ElliottÂ’s blocker and caromed into the net for the equalizer.

With 5:43 remaining, the winning goal was an all-freshman happening. Tony Lucia – the coach’s kid – played an outsnding shift, hustling and forechecking and circling to attack again. Amid the flurry, freshman defenseman Brian Schack got a shot away from inside the left point. Elliott blocked it, and it popped up. Minnesota’s Mike Carman went hard to the net, and it was impossible to tell whether Badger freshman John Mitchell shoved him into the crease or chased him there, but they both bumped into Elliott, who fell facing south, while the puck landed in the north end of the crease. Lucia, about 20 feet out from the cage, saw the congestion of bodies and zipped around to the right and made a headlong dive, poking the free puck as he slid to the end boards. It was his first goal, and it was a reward for an outstanding shift.

At the end of the game, Okposo fed Wheeler for an open-net goal, and the Gophers had a 3-1 victory for the sweep.

Sophomore Jeff Frazee tended goal in the second game, as Lucia – the dad – continued to alternate him with Briggs. In league play, both have 3-0-1 records, and Frazee has a 1.71 goals-against average and a .907 save percentage, while Briggs is 1.96, and .924.

Goaltending has been easier because of strong defensive play. Goligoski, a junior, pairs with senior Mike Vannelli, the captain, while junior Derek Peltier pairs with freshman Erik Johnson, the NHL’s No. 1 overall draft pick last summer. The third unit has a pair of freshmen, Brian Schack and David Fischer, but the rookie blueliners have been solid, rather than inconsistent, and their size – all three are over 6-foot-2 – lets them make up for any uncertainty with a dose of aggressiveness.

So far, everything has fallen into place so well, itÂ’s understandable that coach Lucia might be looking for a possible flat spot, and heÂ’d prefer it to come early enough for the Gophers to be able to rebound. Of course, thereÂ’s always a chance there wonÂ’t be any slump, but if there isnÂ’t, it will take coach Lucia until about a week into April to realize it.

Acura’s 2007 MDX sets luxury-performance standards

The 2007 Acura MDX seemed like it would be little more than a stylish upgrade of an already very good SUV. It is much more than that, which might not have been readily discernable except for a late-summer downpour that struck a Pennsylvania road-racing track just as we were about to test-drive several SUVs, and challenging the elements proved the new MDX might be the most capable performer among all SUVs.

More recently, I further test-drove an MDX for a week in Minnesota, and could better appreciate its comfortable seats, technical potency, and superb ergonomics. The MDX may deserve at least a B+ and maybe an A, just for the comfortable appointments and interior features, but recalling its response while being hurled around that rain-drenched race track boosted its marks to A+ all the way.

The MDX is a strong candidate for North American Truck of the Year, although competition is fierce, with AcuraÂ’s more compact and sporty RD-X, plus the Mazda CX-7, GMC Acadia, Ford Edge, Toyota FJ Cruiser, Dodge Nitro, Audi Q7, Hyundai Santa Fe, Suzuki XL-7, Jeep Wrangler, Saturn Vue Greenline, Chevy Silverado and Tahoe, and the all-new BMW X5.

The current 2006 X5 was good enough to be Acura’s overall benchmark, and if someone had quizzed me about which of the dozens of luxury, full-size, or crossover SUVs would be the best high-performer, I probably would have picked either the BMW X5 or the Porsche Cayenne. But that was before I was among the automotive journalists at the 2007 MDX introduction, where we drove it against some targeted rivals at BeaverRun road-racing track.

We got acquainted with the MDXÂ’s features by driving a herd of them through the rolling-hill countryside to the track. After lunch and race-track-oriented technical talk, I was looking forward to driving the enlarged MDX on a road-course, through challenges it will never face in real-life.

Acura officials tuned the new MDX suspension at GermanyÂ’s Nurburgring, the most torturous road-racing track in the world, but I was impressed to see a BMW X5, a Porsche Cayenne, and a Volvo XC90 V8, all parked alongside a string of MDXes in pit lane. They could have picked less-challenging but equally prominent competitors. The plan was for us was to drive one at a time around the track, as hard as we dared, alternating between an MDX, then a competitor, then another MDX, and so on, until we had driven everything.

Trouble was, the sky opened up just as we were getting started, and a front being pushed up from the south by a late-summer hurricane was heavy enough to send most of the media types under a tent for cover, then scurrying inside for shelter. My thought was that we were test-driving a new, all-wheel-drive SUV on a road-racing course, so what could be more ideal than to do it in foul weather? A couple other journalists shared my willingness to get a little drenched while hopping back and forth among the vehicles, and the rest must have thought we were out of our minds.

The X5, the Cayenne, and the XC90 all did pretty well in those circumstances. All of them were fine on the straights, and, if you used a little care, you could go fairly hard through the turns. The X5 felt the most rigidly firm, although I didn’t get a feeling that it would warn me if I was overdoing it. The Cayenne was more flexible through the corners, but the V6 didnÂ’t have enough oomph to power out of them. The Volvo XC90 had V8 power, and while it leaned the most in the curves, it felt secure and stable, if not as performance-oriented.

The surprise was that with the MDX, I felt far more comfortable going much harder into the corners than in any of the competitors, to the point that my confidence level led to something approaching reckless abandon. The MDX has an all-new 3.7-liter V6 – the largest and most powerful engine every put in any Honda production vehicle – and it also has a new SH-AWD system, which brought along an assurance that whatever I did, the vehicle would respond with precise steering and suspension to handle it. I got aggressive enough to try to “dirt-track” it in some curves – cocking the steering wheel sharply enough just before the apex of a turn to coax a slight, high-speed weight shift to the outside, then hammering the gas and blasting, or splashing, through the turns, right on line.

SH-AWD is for “super handling” all-wheel drive, modified from the system introduced on the luxury RL sedan a couple of years back. In most systems, the drive wheels – front, in the MDX – get maximum power until the computer detects a tendency to spin, at which time it apportions some power to the other axle. With SH-AWD, torque also can be transferred by accelerating hard, where the weight shift sends power rearward. In normal cruising, a maximum of 90 percent torque to the front of the MDX has; while accelerating, the ratio goes to 50-50; and whenever full weight shift goes to the rear, as in climbing a steep hill, anything up to a maximum 70 percent of torque goes to the rear axle. The secret to SH-AWD is that if you swerve abruptly, as if to dodge a deer that darts out in your path, or go hard around a sharp curve, up to100 percent of whatever power is directed to the rear gets shifted to the outside rear wheel.

All of this technical weight-transferring is seamless, and all the driver feels is that the right-rear drive wheel which is most likely to lose traction under those circumstances instead gets the largest dose of stability-controlled power to push the MDX around the curve in a perfect trajectory. In real-world driving, Large, 13-inch front and 13.2-inch rear disc brakes have four-channel antilock, and Acura tests show the MDX beats the Cayenne, X5 and XC90 in braking tests, and that the stability system plus SH-AWD makes the MDX the best in class in snow tests. Redesigned front strut and rear multilink suspension, combined with the Delphi active-damper system, and 18-inch alloy wheels, help the SH-AWD to exceptional handling.

A normal owner may never approach the limits we sought in that rain, on that race course, but it’s a secure feeling to know it can handle any such maneuver. Acura claims it exceeded its benchmark aimed of the BMW X5 for performance, with active roll control, and Delphi electromagnetic dampers that use 15 sensors to react instantly to stiffen as required in a revision from the shock absorbers Delphi designed for the new Corvette and Cadillac XLR roadster. With a console switch to set either sport or comfort settings, Acura also claims the MDX exceeds its other benchmarks – the Cayenne for handling, and the RX350 in ride comfort.

Chassis engineer Frank Paluch calls the targeted spread family moms and driver dads, based on the previous MDX owners. “Moms would drive the MDX all week, while dads drove the other family car to work, then drove the MDX on weekends,” said Paluch. “Our intention was to keep the moms satisfied, and add enough driving excitement and other missing attributes to attract the dads as well.”

The high-nose look was designed to resemble a racing yacht, and technical upgrades give a performance feel to the driver, without compromising the comfort for all occupants, in a package worthy of taking a client to lunch, or three friends golfing, of for a family with two or more kids who can sit three across in the second row of seats, or, if theyÂ’re young enough to be spry, flip up the two occasional seats in the third row.

If performance was the key new ingredient, Acura found it with the 3.7-liter V6. By increasing bore and stroke from the 3.5, enlarging the valve diameter, and using special silicon-aluminum sleeves in the cylinders, engineers also installed oil-jet piston cooling. The 2006 model’s 3.5 engine felt potent at 253 horsepower, but the new 3.7 has 300 horsepower – gaining its aggregate 47 horsepower by getting 20 from increased displacement and compression ratio,15 from the new intake ports and the VTEC cam-timing, and 12 from the revised induction and exhaust system. Torque also increases by 25, to 275 foot-pounds.

The 5-speed automatic transmission is smoothly efficient, and adds more than just sports-car fun with a manual shift gate, and little tabs behind the steering wheel to let the driver upshift with the right hand or downshift with the left, without looking away or taking either hand off the wheel. The MDX goes beyond being sporty to drive with a 5,000-pound towing capacity, which could be a boat, or a 24-foot camper trailer. An electronic trailer stability assist helps sense and eliminate any tail-wagging the vehicle-trailer might be tempted to develop from a lane-change or emergency swerve.

With a lowered stance, the MDX is 2.2 inches longer, 2.4 inches wider and about a half-inch taller than its predecessor. It seems inconceivable that anyone would use the MDX for serious off-roading, but its 26-degree approach angle, 24-degree departure angle, and 20.2-degree breakover angle mean it would be willing to handle the assignment.

Safety, a major focus at Honda/Acura these days, is built into the all-new structural platform of the MDX. Over 60 percent high-strength steel is used in construction, compared to 13 percent in the current model. The 360-degree safety strategy encased in all the assorted front and side airbags includes rollover protection. In a frontal impact, the structure sends some of the force up the front pillars and the rest down to the frame perimeter, rather than penetrating the safety cage. A quad ring that encircles the rear hatch opening further stiffens the structure.
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The interior ergonomics are excellent, and some subtle but effective touches include high-resolution instrument lighting that adjusts automatically to ambient light conditions; an intuitive navigation system, which has been ranked as the best in the industry (although I still like the Nissan/Infiniti unit best) uses an 8-inch screen on the dash, which doubles for rear-view-camera video display; real-time traffic information about congestion in 31 major U.S. cities; rear-seat 9-inch DVD screen with wireless headphones; hands-free voice recognition controls; plus a choice of exceptional audio systems, both with XM satellite ratio. The stock MDX audio is 253 watts with eight speakers and a 6-CD changer with an auxiliary iPod jack. The upgrade is to the superb Panasonic ELS DVD 5.1 surround system, with10 speakers, and 410 watts – a unit that I declared the best in the industry when it was introduced as standard equipment in the Acura TL.

For over-the-top features, there is a GPS-based, solar-sensing, tri-zone climate control system. And, for safety and convenience, you can transfer up to 1,000 cell-phone contact names, each with up to 10 numbers, to the MDX hands-free system, so you can then access any of them for voice-command calling.

Acura aims at selling 60,000 units in the first year of the new MDX, at prices that range from $41,000 to $48,000. Buyers can add sport, technology or entertainment packages, or buy items from those packages as free-standing options. As it is, the MDXÂ’s impressive technology and features make its prices seem reasonable. And thatÂ’s without knowing about how fantastic it is while frolicking around a road-racing course in what would normally be considered treacherous conditions.

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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.