Gophers lead upset-filled WCHA into final week scramble
Incredible comebacks on the penultimate weekend of WCHA play have left all sorts of challenges for eight of the 10 conference teams, with only those teams at the two extremities free of pressure going into the final regular-season weekend.
Only Colorado College, which wrapped up the championship by bombarding Minnesota State-Mankato 8-1 in a Friday night shocker, and winless Alaska-Anchorage are certain to not move during the final weekend. Elsewhere, there is chaos, as teams battle for the top five slots and home ice in the WCHA playoffs.
The award for comeback series of the season might belong to Minnesota, because the Gophers proved they could rally from a three-goal deficit not only once but both times against Denver, both times with tremendous surges in the second half of their games. The first night, Denver strode to a 3-0 lead through two periods with poise and precision, but Minnesota stormed back in the third period, behind two goals from Grant Potulny, to steal a 3-3 tie. PotulnyÂ’s second goal, on a power-play feed from behind the net by Matt Koalska with 1:05 left, gained the tie, as Minnesota outshot Denver 17-3 in the third period.
The next night, Denver again strode resolutely ahead. For the second night in a row, the overflow crowd at Mariucci Arena was stunned when Luke Fulgham opened the game with a shorthanded goal. Friday he did it at 15:44, and Saturday he scored at 17:06. In the Friday game, Kevin Doell and Jeff Drummond followed with second-period goals for the 3-0 cushion. In the Saturday game, Greg Keith followed FulghamÂ’s lead with another goal 1:23 later for a 2-0 lead. Potulny, who missed the first half of the season with a broken ankle, notched his third goal of the weekend at 0:55 of the second, but Fulgham seemed to nullify that by scoring at 2:27 and 4:32 for a hat trick and a four-goal weekend, which staked Denver to its 4-1 lead.
With Denver, the consensus coaches pick to repeat as WCHA champions, having Friday nightÂ’s Gopher comeback fresh in mind, there was no chance the Pioneers would let it happen again. But even their hardened resolve and the presence of league-leading goalie Wade Dubielewicz couldnÂ’t harness the Gophers, once they started rolling.
Tyler Hirsch got the puck as a lucky bounce and scored a power-play goal at 12:26 of the second period, then Hirsch maneuvered through the defense and beat Dubielewicz with a great move at 14:59, and it was 4-3. Koalska scored the tying goal just 18 seconds later, deflecting Paul MartinÂ’s point shot up and in, and the huge crowd was on fire. Barely a minute later, Barry Tallackson barged to the net and scored to put Minnesota ahead 5-4 at 16:22.
Tallackson, who, like Potulny and Koalska, had been expected to lead the Gopher offense but spent a few weeks on the injured list, made his physical presence felt throughout the rally, and capitalized on a 2-on-1 feed from Jerrid Reinholz at 3:30 of the third period, and when Jake Fleming scored at 6:11, the Gophers had scored six straight goals to wrest a 7-4 lead, and Denver coach George Gwozdecky pulled Dubielewicz for Adam Berkhoel’s relief. The seven goals – despite Dubielewicz’s 34 saves – dropped him from the top of the goaltending charts in both goals-against and save percentage.
Jeff Drummond came back to get a goal for the Pioneers, but Jon Waibel offset that one, and Minnesota had its 8-5 victory.
Still, only home ice was secured for the Gophers, who close the season with home-and-home games against St. Cloud State. “They’re all big now,†said Minnesota coach Don Lucia, whose team showed that with all its top guns healthy at the same time, it might be generating some great team chemistry at precisely the right time.
Finishing in the top five is the first priority of all WCHA teams, because it guarantees home ice for the best-of-three first playoff round next week. After that, the five survivors go to Excel Energy Center in St. Paul, where finishing in the top three becomes pivotal. Once there, the second and third-place teams get the same benefit as the league champ, by comprising two-thirds of the semifinals. The fourth and fifth place teams must play each other on Thursday, with that winner going against the No. 1 seed, while the No. 2 and No. 3 teams square off in the other semifinal.
By gaining three points out of four against Denver, Minnesota remained third, behind CC and Minnesota State-Mankato. Those two had an interesting series, with CC blowing out the Mavericks 8-1 to end MankatoÂ’s 17-game unbeaten streak with a definite thud. The next night, CC led 6-4 after two periods, and seemed well on its way to a sweep, but Mankato stormed back to win 9-6. The stunning split left the Mavericks in second place, more importantly with a three-point bulge over Minnesota, because the Mavericks are through with WCHA play, but will hold second unless Minnesota can sweep St. Cloud State.
Minnesota needs one point out of the St. Cloud series to assure itself of third place, because if the Gophers stay at 34 points, onrushing Minnesota-Duluth could catch them for third. The Bulldogs did the comeback routine as well, coming from a 3-1 deficit at North Dakota to surprise the Fighting Sioux with a 3-3 deadlock on Saturday, then concluding the weekend with a 3-2 victory on Sunday afternoon. Freshman Tim Stapleton, UMDÂ’s scoring leader who scored the tying goal in the first game, notched the winner in the second game with 2:01 left. For the third time in four weeks, UMD coach Scott Sandelin gave senior Rob Anderson the goaltending start in the second game to spell freshman flash Isaac Reichmuth, and for the third straight time Anderson came up with a starring role and a victory.
If UMD were to tie Minnesota – a longshot, at best – the two would have to go deep into the tie-breaking procedure because they met only twice this year and traded 5-4 victories. UMD, on the other hand, faces Michigan Tech and former Bulldog coach Mike Sertich in the final series, and the Bulldogs could finish anywhere from third to sixth based on this weekend. With 30 points, the fourth-place Dogs are within striking distance of the Gophers above, but also are vulnerable to North Dakota, which is one point back, and Denver and St. Cloud, both of whom are two points behind them.
North Dakota, which has seen its scoring fall off and its winning, and No. 1 national ranking, vanish in the last month, takes its fifth-place stance to Wisconsin, and shares the challenge with Denver (which faces Colorado College home and home) and St. Cloud (which faces Minnesota home and home), with the Sioux, Pioneers and Huskies all facing the prospects of finishing fourth, fifth, sixth or seventh based on their final two games.
Even Wisconsin, which surprised everybody by scoring nine goals for a 9-5 sweeping victory over Michigan Tech in a game played at Green Bay, Wis., and Tech are only three points apart. Far from challenging for fifth place and home ice, the difference between eighth and ninth is the difference between playing at either Minnesota State-Mankato or Minnesota. Pick your poison.
(John Gilbert has covered the WCHA for over 35 years and has written a book, “Return to Gold Country,†about last year’s Minnesota NCAA championship team. He can be reached by e-mail: jgilbert@duluth.com.)
Roseville whips Eden Prairie 4-1, faces Anoka in AA final
SAINT PAUL, MN. — Roseville was ready, willing and able to take part in the anticipated semifinal shootout in the state Class AA hockey tournament semifinals Friday night, while Eden Prairie was ready, willing but unable to hold of its end.
The result was a 4-1 victory for Roseville (24-3-2), which will make its second straight trip to the championship game, to face Anoka (24-4-1) – which won a stunning 2-1 semifinal victory to eliminate defending champion Holy Angels – and one of the two will be winning its first-ever state championship in Saturday’s 7 p.m. finale at Xcel Energy Center.
The Raiders led 1-0 in the first, 3-0 after two and 4-0 before Eden Prairie got its lone goal, with only 1:11 remaining. As impressive as Roseville was, throughout the game, part of the difference might have come down to the Hockey Expo, a display of new equipment, that is conducted annually at Wilkins Auditorium, next door to the Xcel Energy Center.
That factor came through after the game, when it was suggested to Eden Prairie coach Lee Smith that the game might have gone differently if Eden Prairie had been able to get one past Jerad Kaufmann earlier in the game.
“I feel like it could have been different if we could have hit the net earlier,†said Smith. “IÂ’ve never seen our kids miss the net as much as we did tonight. We were not just missing the net, but missing by a good three or four feet. A lot of our kids went to the Expo, and got new sticks. I told them all not to use something theyÂ’re unfamiliar with, but a lot of them used different sticks.Ââ€
A check with the Eden Prairie equipment manager confirmed that possibly more than half the Eagles prepared and used new sticks, a fact that defies the hockey tradition of using a “lucky stick†that worked for a goal or a victory, and staying with it until it breaks or the player’s luck changes. The Eagles managed only 16 shots, to Roseville’s 20, but, as Smith said, many of the Eden Prairie shots sailed wide by large margins.
SmithÂ’s frustration only got worse when he learned of RosevilleÂ’s fourth goal.
“Kellen Chamblee, who got our fourth goal,†said Roseville coach Steve Sertich, “scored it with a new stick.Ââ€
He bought it at Strauss Skates, however, and not at the Expo.
The two high-powered offenses paid closer attention to defensive coverage in the first period, as the teams dueled through a scoreless first 14 minutes. Not that there werenÂ’t chances. Brandon Svendsen, who has 30 goals for the Raiders, got loose for not one but two breakaways, about 10 seconds apart, 12 minutes into the opening period, but Eden Prairie goalie Maurcus Paulson came up with spectacular saves on both of them.
With 24 seconds left in the period, however, the Raiders broke through, as Pat Eagles rushed up the left side and dropped a perfect pass to Svendsen, who passed hard from the left circle across the goal-mouth, where Andy Carroll deflected it in for a 1-0 lead.
Blake Twardowski scored with a backhander at the left edge of the crease at 4:42 of the second period for a 2-0 Roseville lead. Then Mike Sertich made the Eagles pay with a power-play goal at 14:19 of the middle period, when Collin Cody passed from the left circle and Sertich converted from the right edge of the net.
Midway through the third period, Chamblee scored for the 4-0 cushion.
Eden Prairie got one puck into the Roseville net at 9:53, but Ryan Hawkins, who had been knocked down in the crease, clearly knocked it in with his hand and it was disallowed. Jordan Iverson finally scored for the Eagles, but not until 13:49, leaving too little time for Eden Prairie to close the gap further.
“We knew coming in theyÂ’d be aggressive offensively,†said Smith. “There wasnÂ’t anything they did that really surprised us. We werenÂ’t able to capitalize on some chances, but their goalie played big tonight, and they did a good job of chipping the puck to the end boards or to the side and then throwing it long.Ââ€
Sertich said he was especially proud of his team reaching the final because it has been pretty much overlooked amid the media attention all season.
“Last yearÂ’s team had more skills, but this team battles,†said Sertich. “WeÂ’ve been with these kids since they were peewees, and itÂ’s great to see them have some success. Our goalie, Jerad Kaufmann, hasnÂ’t gotten any notice, and heÂ’s 21-1 for the season.Ââ€
With a chance, he failed to add, to be 22-1 if the Raiders can win one more game.
Roseville rallies to subdue White Bear Lake to reach semis
SAINT PAUL, MN. — Brandon Svendsen didnÂ’t actually shoot the puck either time, but he skillfully got his stickblade where it mattered the most twice in the third period, and that was just enough to lift Roseville to a 4-3 victory over White Bear Lake in the final game of the first round of Class AA boys state hockey tournament quarterfinals.
The Raiders (24-3-2) advance to face Eden Prairie in the second Friday night semifinal at Xcel Energy Center, while the Bears (21-7-1) head for Mariucci Arena to face Lakeville in consolation play.
The Bears, however, didnÂ’t go down without a battle. They led 1-0 in the first, and 3-1 in the second, putting the explosive Raiders in serious jeopardy before a crow2d of 18,273.
Lance Malark staked White Bear Lake to a 1-0 lead when he carried in on the left side and snapped a deadly wrist shot that beat Roseville goaltender Jerad Kaufmann to the far side at 7:05 of the opening period. The Raiders countered at 12:34 when Andy Carroll took a feed from behind the net by Pat Eagles and jammed a shot from the right side past Jon Anderson.
The Bears stormed ahead in the second period. First Dan Bonne scored at 3:43, moving in on the left side and scoring high to the right. Then Matt Anderson scored after Pat Connelly squeezed past a tangle of bodies to rush up the left side and pass across the slot, where Anderson was stationed to steer it in at 7:08.
That was a pretty goal, and it inspired three more picture-play goals, but, unfortunately for the Bears, all three were scored by the Raiders.
With 48 seconds to go in the second period, Roseville cut into that 3-1 deficit when Taylor Cox shot from the left point and Mike Sertich deflected it artfully up and into the right side of the cage.
The faceoff to open the third period hit the ice, and the Raiders charged. Pat Eagles dashed into the White Bear zone and passed across the goal-mouth, where Svendsen stabbed it with his stickblade and deflected it past Anderson, who was the Frankie Brimsek Award goaltender of the year this season. The goal came just eight seconds into the third period and tied it 3-3.
At 4:24, Eagles again was the alert set-up man, as he pounced on a loose puck just inside the blue line and fired a shot that Svendsen again tipped past Anderson. The senior forward didnÂ’t have the puck on his stick more than a millisecond both times, but his deflections created the 4-3 lead.
The Bears stepped up their intensity and attacked until the finish, constantly pressuring the Raiders and outshooting them 13-5 for the period, and 24-19 for the game, but couldnÂ’t get anything more past Kaufmann. Bears coach Tim Sager pulled goalie Anderson with 1:10 to go, but Roseville held on, winning the best-played game of the day.
Bemidji coach Olson watches UMD women celebrate title
It was pretty much the perfect ending to a perfect regular season for the University of Minnesota-Duluth womenÂ’s hockey team. After romping to a 10-0 victory at Bemidji State, the Bulldogs returned home to almost duplicate the feat with an 11-3 Sunday matinee triumph over Bemidji at the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center on Sunday afternoon.
The victories clinched the WomenÂ’s WCHA title at 21-2-1 for UMD, which finished regular-season play ranked No. 2 in the country at 27-3-2. While it is normal to conduct some sort of senior day before the final home game of the regular season, UMD coach Shannon Miller chose to hold this one after the final game, knowing the pregame ceremony might bother the visitors from Bemidji State, and the possible emotion might bother the UMD players.
So, after the game, a carpet was unrolled on the DECC ice, and while the 1,443 fans stayed in place, the eight seniors were called to center ice one by one. Joanne Eustace, Jenny Hempel, Erika Holst, Navada Russell, Patricia Sautter, Hanne Sikio, Michelle McAteer, and Maria Rooth. They walked out with parents or adopted Duluth family members, and there were a lot of tears and emotion spilling after an incredible four-year run. Rooth and Holst are from Sweden, Sikio from Finland, Sautter from Switzerland, Eustace, McAteer and Russell from Canada, and Hempel from Minnesota.
As the ceremony continued, a tall figure stood over behind the glass in the corner, where the visiting team enters and leaves the rink. It was Bemidji State coach Bruce Olson.
“That’s a great team,†said Olson, whose team still has a weekend to go at 5-12-5 and 9-15-6. “What can you do? They’ve got some awesome players. All we can hope to do is land one or two kids with that kind of skill, and then maybe some others will follow.
“We know it might be difficult to get up to that level at Bemidji, be thatÂ’s what we hope to do.Ââ€
Olson knows that thereÂ’s a gap between the top of the WomenÂ’s WCHA, and teams such as UMD and Minnesota. But Wisconsin has closed the gap on them, and Bemidji State hopes to challenge Ohio State and keep moving up, while also bringing some stability to the Beavers program.
“I’m the third coach the program has had in four years,†said Olson.
“But look at where we are. We got to Ohio State for the final weekend and weÂ’ve got a chance to finish fourth. Ohio State is tough, but if we happen to win, weÂ’d finish fourth, and that would be the best Bemidji State has ever done.Ââ€
Regardless, the Beavers and Buckeyes are on a collision course to play this weekend in the season-ending series, and then to meet again at Englestad Arena in Grand Forks, N.D., in the WomenÂ’s WCHA Final Five playoff March 6-8. The fourth and fifth teams play a one-game knockout, for the right to face UMD in the semifinals, while Minnesota finishes the regular season against Wisconsin, and then comes right back to take on the Badgers again in the WCHA semifinals.
It is likely that two teams will advance to the NCAA Frozen Four in Duluth, with UMD and Minnesota both being ranked among the nationÂ’s top three teams all season, and Wisconsin among the top seven.
Olson, who was a star player at Roseau High School and then at UMD, coached in North Dakota and returned to coach the boys high school team at Roseau before going back to North Dakota to further his degree, and while there, he coached the North Dakota club team that this year started varsity hockey. His team reflects his steady and classy approach to the game.
Olson has eight seniors on the Bemidji State team, led by Amber Fryklund of Hibbing, who leads with 12 goals and 18 assists for 30 points. Lill Raynard, another senior, plays on FryklundÂ’s wing. Betsy Hegland, Alicia Kinsman and Kerri McEwen form an all-senior third line, and Amy Shepler in on the fourth line, while Lisa Peters leads the defense and Bre Dedrickson is one of three rotating goaltenders.
The challenge for Bemidji State was immense against UMD. The Bulldogs have so much scoring power they had overrun the Beavers 9-0 and 10-0 earlier in the season. Adding SaturdayÂ’s 10-0 victory meant that UMD had outscored Bemidji State 29-0 in three victories. But the Beavers played hard in the Sunday match at the DECC.
After Caroline Ouellette staked UMD to a 1-0 lead, Raynard scored her ninth goal of the season to not only give Bemidji its first goal against UMD in four games, but to tie the game 1-1. Nora Tallus and Sikio came right back with goals 48 seconds apart for a 3-1 UMD lead, but Kinsman scored with a diving deflection of a long pass to bring Bemidji up to 3-2.
UMD was not to be denied, with Sikio and Rooth scoring 41 seconds apart in the final minute of the opening period to make it 5-2, and the Bulldogs never looked back. They outshot Bemidji State 45-16, and Jenny Potter scored three goals and four assists, Sikio added two goals and four assists, and Rooth, the captain, was named No. 1 star with three goals and one assist.
That means Potter continues to lead the nation in scoring with 32-51—83. Ouellette has 26-37—63, Holst 29-28—57, Sikio 22-26—48, and Rooth 19-29—48. Rooth now has 226 points to become UMD’s all-time leading hockey scorer, breaking Dan Lempe’s 24-year-old mark of 222 career points for the Bulldog men.
Olson, whose Bemidji State team tied the Gophers 2-2 early in the season, and has a victory and a tie in an early series with Ohio State, knows this yearÂ’s Beavers have improved as the season has gone along. And they have more to go. But watching him watch the on-ice celebration by UMD at the DECC made you realize he has an idea for where he wants to take the Bemidji State program.
Minivan far from forgotten as Toyota launches new Sienna
DETROIT, MI. — When it comes to sport-utility vehicles, Toyota is loaded with weapons – with no less than five SUVs already out under the Toyota name and three more with the upscale Lexus nameplate. But when it comes to minivans, which are the anti-SUVs of the auto business, Toyota has only one. For the 2004 model year, Toyota has totally redesigned its Sienna, however, and intends for it to be a serious challenger against the best minivans.
The 2004 Sienna was introduced to the media this past week, with a brief explanation and test-drive in Detroit on Monday, followed by a trip to Princeton, Ind., where Toyota will build the new Sienna on a new assembly line, in the same facility that builds the Tundra pickup truck and Sequoia full-size SUV, based on the Tundra.
Toyota started with the Van Wagon in the U.S. back in 1984, and switched to the Previa, which had all-wheel-drive, from 1991-97, before introducing the first Sienna as a replacement in 1998. The reasons for the dropoff of the Sienna, which is a quite-competent vehicle, is that Chrysler redesigned the segment-dominating Caravan/Town & Country, while Honda had come out with a highly acclaimed Odyssey since then, and Mazda and General Motors made major improvements in the last year. Furthermore, Nissan has already displayed its soon-to-be-realeased sleeker Quest.
So Toyota made a move to upgrade the Sienna from every possible angle for its reintroduction, and, from a preliminary look at least, and a brief road-test, the Sienna hit the mark on almost all counts. The LE model with all-wheel-drive shows good stability, precise steering, well-designed bucket seats, and a lot of room.
With SUVs dominating the industry in general and Toyota in particular, the Sienna proves that Toyota has no plan to abandon the minivan segment, although it was obvious a major overhaul was needed for the Sienna, which drooped to only 81,000 sales for 2002.
“SUVs have taken a chunk out of the minivan market, but it is still strong for fulfilling family needs,†said Don Esmond, vice president and general manager of Toyota Sales in the U.S. “We think minivans will increase in volume at the expense of other vehicles, and our plan calls for annual sales of 130,000 to 150,000 Siennas.
“Our market research shows that two groups dominate. One is emerging families, where the parents are between 30-49 and their kids are in grade school. The other is empty-nesters, who are age 50 and over, and mostly retired. In both cases, these people want minivans because of kids – of being a good parent, or good grandparents. There were 1.2 million minivans sold last year, despite a decline of 4 percent, but we expect it to stabilize and possibly rise in the next year.Ââ€
Esmond said that chief engineer Yuji Yokoya had spent five different trips driving through every state in the U.S., from Alaska to Florida and from Maine to California, totaling 53,000 miles, allegedly to learn what features would be important to have on the new Sienna.
Among those are: 6 inches longer in overall length, 5 inches longer wheelbase, 1.6 inches taller, 4 inches wider track, translating into more head, leg and shoulder room, an increase of over 15 square feet of cargo volume to 148.9, and yet a turning radius that dropped by more than 3 feet to 36.8 feet.
Those are just numbers, of course, without converting that extra size to usefulness, and not many companies are any better than Toyota at making the most of space, with seating for seven or eight with the three rows of seats. The second row can be two buckets or three. With three, there is room for eight occupants and the center seat can slide forward to more easily reach a child-seat, for example. With two buckets, the seats can move sideways to form a short bench, or stay separated by open space or a console, which can be interchanged to fit between the front or second-row seats. Without the console in front, a fold-up tray is fixed in place. The third-row bench seat is a 60-40 split, and it tumbles and disappears flat into the floor. The gearshift lever comes out of the dash. And the tailgate rises with a power mechanism.
Those are all great ideas, although while Toyota was wise enough to include them all, it must be pointed out that they are “acquired†tastes: Honda put a fold-up tray in its CR-V five years ago, and the tumbling and disappearing third seat has been in the Honda Odyssey since its inception, while the Mazda MPV minivan has side-sliding middle-row buckets. Several manufacturers have the shifter coming out of the dash, which enhances room if you want to make a trip between the seats and through the fold-down tray to the second row. Chrysler put a power tailgate in its last minivan upgrade.
Including the best ideas from a variety of competitors is nothing new, of course, and Toyota has incorporated most of the best ones in the Sienna. Only a few competitors offer all-wheel drive, which Toyota aims to capitalize on, offering it in the LE, XLE and XLE Limited models – all but the base CE. A center differential separates power 50-50 front and rear, then power is automatically transferred to front or rear if any slippage is detected at the other end. Vehicle stability control and traction control, plus electronic brake distribution and brake-assist all contribute to the feeling of security, whether going, going straight, or stopping quickly is the objective.
For power, Toyota increased the 3.0-liter V6 to 3.3, and the engine is a dual-overhead-camshaft gem, with variable valve-timing that adjusts valve operation for optimum power and efficiency, turning out a healthy 230 horsepower at 5,600 RPMs and 242 foot-pounds of torque at 3,600 RPMs. A 5-speed automatic transmission harnesses that energy, and Toyota claims 0-60 times of 8.3 seconds for the new Sienna, with potential for up to 27 miles per gallon for the front-wheel-drive and 24 for the all-wheel-drive version and an upward move from low-emission vehicle status (LEV) to ultra-low-emission vehicle (ULEV).
Power rack and pinion steering not only circles in a much shorter span, it is smooth, without that binding feeling, meaning the Sienna will have some of the best assets of SUVs, without some of the drawbacks.
Pricing is impressive. Toyota actually lowered base price on the CE, dropping it by $1,000 to $22,955, and decreasing it $4,480 to $24,260 on the LE. It drops $3,077 to $28,260 on the XLE, while the new XLE Limited will start at $34,480. Most impressive is that the base model gets the same potent engine and transmission as the upgrade models, while other features and interior amenities such as woodgrain trim and navigation system account for the higher prices.
Toyota officials anticipate an altered mix of models. The outgoing Sienna had 25 percent of its sales as the CE, which is expected to drop to 5 percent; the LE had 49 percent and may account for 68 percent on the new one; the XLE had 26 percent and should have 22 percent. The XLE Limited should account for 5 percent, in its first year of existence.
Following the “kids rule†philosophy for selling minivans to families and grandparents, Toyota added some other neat touches. There are all sorts of cupholders and bottle holders, and numerous storage bins up front and in the doors. The rear doors slide open on both sides, with power assist and a sensitivity to stop closing if one-finger pressure intercedes. Those sliding rear doors also have roll-down windows, a huge factor to relieve the claustrophobic feeling of some vans with the doors shut. Another feature is a 30-percent larger sunroof that opens above.
EPA fuel estimates for the front-wheel drive Sienna are 19 city and 27 highway; 18 city and 24 highway for the all-wheel drive models. It also has all the latest safety devices, including front and side airbags and full-length side air curtains.
Knowing that minivans have kids in mind, the Sienna has a “conversation†mirror, a convex thing that folds down from the front roof so the driver can keep an eye on what’s going on in the back. There also is the obligatory DVD player in the ceiling for rear occupants, and wireless headphones for individual use of the optional 300-watt, 10-speaker surround-sound audio, which has cassette and CD players located in the dash. Heat and air controls can be dual or triple zone, depending on whether both fronts and the rear get separate controls, or just the front and rear.
Dynamic laser cruise control can be set to hold your speed, or to maintain the interval with the car ahead. And sonar parking assists are positioned front and rear, so you can keep your distance when parking, whether youÂ’re coming or going.
The Sienna is improved enough that even Toyota executives admit it might capture a lot of customers from other manufacturers, and might even steal a few from its own vast SUV contingent, if they realize that the once-scorned minivans still are the best possible answer for a lot of family-hauling requirements.
(John Gilbert writes a weekly automotive column. He can be reached by e-mail at: jgilbert@duluth.com.)
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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