As predicted Golden Gopher and Bloomington native Ryan Stoa has signed with the Colorado Avalanche.  Due to his knee injury last season he was eligible to play another season at the University of Minnesota but that was highly unlikely. Stoa was drafted in the second round of the 2005 NHL entry draft by the Avalanche.  He was the WCHA scoring champion finishing the season with the Gophers with 36 points (19 goals & 17 assists) in 27 league games.  The Avalanche could have Stoa play some games with them in Denver for the remainder of the season or reassign him to play with the Lake Erie Monsters to join former Gopher teammate and former captain Derek Pelltier.
 
Former Gophers Nick Angell  & John Pohl are facing each other in the Swedish Elitserien Semifinals. Pohl has a goal and two assists for Frölunda against Angell's HV71 and Angell has an assist.  Frölunda holds a two games to one lead over HV71 in the playoff round.  
 
Eagan native Tom May, a rookie with the Utah Grizzlies, scored a goal seven seconds into the first period at the Stockton Thunder on Thursday, one second shy of the ECHL record for Fastest Goal From Start Of A Game held by Glenn Clark of Louisville, who scored six seconds into the game against Johnstown on Mar. 11, 1994. May also registered a natural hat trick with goals at 6:18 and 7:39 of the first period and added a career-high fourth goal at 18:50 of the third to finish with a career-best four points in the game.  May has eight goals and 11 points in his last seven games.

Regular QuickFacts readers will remember that last year I suggested the Minnesota Wild consider signing defenseman Jeff May as a free agent out of the Lethbridge.  They had him as part of a tryout during one of the Wild training camps but this season May played as a free agent in the AHL and ECHL, putting up decent numbers.  The 6'1" defenseman with a left-handed shot has now signed a multi-year contract as a free agent with the Phoenix Coyotes.

Minnesota State University Mankato Center Trevor Bruess has signed a two-year entry level contract with the Washington Capitals.  Bruess faced multiple disciplinary actions from the WCHA this season.

Bloomington native Brian Connelly has signed as a free agent with the Chicago Blackhawks. He was a junior with the Colorado College Tigers.  Connelly was part of this past year's Blackhawks prospects camp after being invited by Chicago.  

When the AHL released their Clear Day rosters for the playoffs some interesting names were not included and included:  For the Albany River Rats, Captain Tim Conboy was not listed, meaning he cannot be reassigned by the Carolina Hurricanes at the end of the season for any playoff run for Albany. For the Binghamton Senators, Brian Lee was listed, so whether he is up with Ottawa he can be sent down to play with the B-Sens, but former Badger Brian Elliot cannot, as he was not included. The Bridgeport Sound Tigers did not include Tim Jackman on their Clear Day roster so he will finish his season with the Islanders but Jack Hillen was included so will be reassigned to compete in the AHL playoffs when the Islanders' season is over. The Chicago Wolves did not include Rochester's Colin Stuart on their Clear Day roster, despite Stuart winning the Calder Cup with the team last year; he will finish the season with the Atlanta Thrashers. The Minnesota Wild will be able to reassign Peter Olvecky to the Houston Aeros should their season extend past that of the Wild, he was placed on the Aeros Clear Day roster. Former St. Cloud State Husky Andreas Nodl is on the list for the Philadelphia Phantoms but Aaron Slattengren was not on the list for the Portland Pirates who was traded to Binghamton for defenseman Geoff Waugh, who is on the list.  Matt Smaby made the list for the Norfolk Admirals so will be reassigned to the AHL at the conclusion of the Tampa Bay Lightning Season.  Alex Goligoski has been included on the Clear Day roster for the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins with whom he challenged for the Calder Cup last season.
 
The IIHF Under 18 World Championships is scheduled to be held at the new Urban Plains Center in Fargo and the Moorhead Sports Center beginning April 9th.  USA Hockey Director of Media & Public Relations David Fischer said they have been in touch with the folks in Fargo/Moorhead multiple times a day for the last couple of weeks monitoring the situation. Said Fischer "We continue to be optimistic that the tournament will go off as planned, but the option of conducting the tournament in an alternate location is certainly on the table. By early next week we expect to have a clearer picture."  With the pre-tournament camp being conducted in the Twin Cities at the Schwan Super Rink in Blaine and at Ridder Arena on the University of Minnesota campus the assumption would be that if necessary, the tournament would be relocated to the Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area if flooding conditions in Fargo/Moorhead were too severe and the facilities unable to accomodate the tournament.

Former Gopher Erik Westrum's Ambri-Piotta won the best of 7 playout against Sean Hill's EHC Biel in the Swiss NLA in game 6 coming back from a 3-goal deficit to score 4 unanswered goals to secure their spot in the upper tier and avoid relegation to the NLB next season.
 
There is only one hockey team in the NCAA tournament without a Minnesota player on the roster:  the Michigan Wolverines.

 
WCHA Final Five:

Underdog Bulldogs win Championship

The University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs became the first team to win three games in three nights to win the WCHA Championship Broadmoor Trophy.  As the seventh seeded team they were the underdog of the tournament and perhaps they were taken lightly or perhaps they just found the right formula at the right time in order to take a bite out of the higher ranked competition.

Their first victim was the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers, who were stymied for the better part of two periods by the solid defense of Duluth and the WCHA goaltender of the year Alex Stalock.   
 
The Bulldogs' MacGregor Sharp struck early on an opportunistic goal after a flu-stricken Alex Kangas got a partial glove on an Evan Oberg shot but it dropped in the crease for Sharp to put away for the early goal.  Kent Patterson replaced Kangas after the first period but the Gophers still could not score against Stalock and the tight-checking defense of Duluth.
 
Matt Greer a gave the Bulldogs a two-goal lead in the second period after crashing the net.  He even told the referee to check the video saying "I didn't know what it hit, I wasn't sure it hit me."
 
Minnesota finally got on the board in the third period with a Cade Fairchild goal but it wasn't enough as Stalock kept the Gopher barrage of shots out of the net, stopping 39 of 40 on the night. Said Minnesota's Ryan Stoa "We needed to adjust our game. It took us too long to do that."
 
Next up for Duluth was the WCHA MacNaughton Trophy winning North Dakota Fighting Sioux and again it was the MacGregor Sharp and Alex Stalock show.  Sharp again was opportunistic getting the first goal after North Dakota goalie Brad Eidsness left the puck behind his net and Sharp siezed it, and put it away on a wraparound, shorthanded, less than six minutes into the first period.  Mike Montgomery gave UMD a two-goal lead just minutes later on a rebound of a Josh Meyers shot.
 
Again, the Bulldogs tight checking game prevented few scoring opportunities, holding the Sioux to 30 shots with Alex Stalock stoning every chance. Duluth shutout North Dakota 3-0 marking just the second time all season the Sioux had been blanked.  Said Sioux senior Ryan Duncan after the game "We're not going to win too many games if we don't score any goals."
 
Duluth goaltender Stalock, the WCHA goaltender of the year, entered the WCHA Final Five Championship game against top-ranked Denver having stopped 70 of 71 shots but no team in the history of the Final Five had ever won three games in three nights to claim the tournament title.
 
Ten minutes into what had been a slow period the Bulldogs went on the powerplay with J.P Teswuide off for Interference.  MacGregor Sharp received a perfect pass from Mike Connolly and after a perfect give and go in front of the crease put the puck behind Brady Hjelle to follow their pattern of Sharp giving Duluth the first goal.  Then Alex Stalock continued to stop everything he faced, and a perfect defense prevented any decent chances from developing. The injury-depleted Pioneers were no match for Duluth.
 
Sharp went on to notch the hat trick with a second period goal and an empty netter at the end of the game, with Alex Stalock getting his second shutout of the tournament after stopping all 20 Pioneer shots on goal and The University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs claimed the WCHA Final Five Championship title by a final score of 4-0.
 
The monumental acheivement of what the Bulldogs accomplished was not lost on the team. They were the lowest seed to win the tournament, they were the first team to ever win three games in three nights to win the Championship Broadmoor Trophy and they held their opponents to just one goal in all three games.
 
Said MacGregor Sharp "Not often do you get a chance to do what we did. Nothing was going to stop us.  We were too motivated.  We willed our way to win."
 
The Bulldogs took a gigantic bite out of their competition and will definitely put a scare into the NCAA West Regional field where they will meet Princeton in the first round and then perhaps may have a rematch with the Denver Pioneers for the chance to go to the Frozen Four. With Alex Stalock, MacGregor Sharp and an incredible defense like the Bulldogs have, chances are there isn't a leash strong enough to hold them back right now.
 
QuickFacts pick for the Frozen Four: Notre Dame, University of Minnesota-Duluth, Boston University, Michigan (though I really want to pick Air Force).
 
 
Quick Speculation:
 
Look for Golden Gopher Mike Carman to forego his final year of eligibility with the University of Minnesota to sign with the Colorado Avalanche.  He was reportedly offered a deal when declared academically ineligible and could have left mid-term but declined to remain with the Gophers.  However, this time a good offer is not likely to be declined.
 
Drafted players who Quick Facts believes will remain in Minnesota are Tony Lucia, Mike Hoeffel and Jay Barriball.  With the new NHL collective bargaining agreement some NHL teams who believe a prospect is worth retaining do not want to risk allowing the player to remain in college through their senior season where they would be only months away from free agency upon completion of their elegibility, meaning players who are drafted are most at risk of being signed away following their junior season if they have remained in school that long.  Ryan Flynn, Derek Fischer, Jay Barriball, Ryan Stoa & Mike Carman, Tony Lucia &  Brian Schack  just completed their Junior years with the University of Minnesota.

Quick Quotes:

"I think he's a dangerous offensive guy who was having a pretty good year before he was hurt," Arniel said. "I really like what he brings to the team. He's a left-handed guy we can use on the point on the power play and in a lot of different situations."
- Manitoba Moose head coach Scott Arniel on Virgina native Mark Cullen (Winnipeg Free Press)

 
Quick Take:
 
The University of Minnesota Golden Gophers can take one thing from their loss to the UMD Bulldogs, they were the only team able to score against Alex Stalock in the entire Final Five tournament.  But the loss was a bitter end to a disappointing season, made even more bitter when the North Dakota Fighting Sioux finalized the Gophers' fate by losing to the Wisconsin Badgers in the third place game, ensuring that Minnesota would not earn a berth to the NCAA Tournament this year.  
 
Who would have thought that last year's Golden Gopher team was better than this year's team? But they were; a better record, better scoring (anemic as it was), better goals against average, and they performed better when it counted most, in the tournaments.
 
Quick Facts was reviewing notes from the beggining of the season when hopes were high.  Don Lucia said at the pre-season Media Day that "There doesn't seem to be any egos on this team."  and that "Last year's team wasn't very special; I really felt last year was a killer."
 
Lucia was speaking of the special teams with last year's squad but what the team did last year should not be underestimated.  They overcame the loss of Ryan Stoa, the departure of Kyle Okposo, multiple injuries, the aforementioned egos, and yet still found a way to battle their way to the Championship game of the WCHA Final Five and chance to play for the Frozen Four. Quick Facts thinks that perhaps last year's team was more special because of the lack of talent and in spite of the egos.
 
So inevitably the question is asked, what is different this year from last?  There is a prevailing opinion that Minnesota only became a bad team after a post holiday fall because of their early season top-ranking. But Quick Facts believes that isn't necessarily the case.  The ranking was very misleading.  The Gophers record simply wasn't that good prior to January, it was just that neither was anyone else's until after January either.  
 
The Gophers had five ties before the Dodge Holiday Classic, two one-point wins, three other wins and three losses including two by shutout. Their best victories came in the first three weeks of the season when the referees were calling every single penalty and the only part of the Gopher system that was consistent all season, the penalty kill was able to hold teams like Wisconsin, Minnesota State and New Hampshire off the board.
 
Following the Dodge Holiday classic, the goaltending liability began to be shown up more and more as the penalties were called less and less and the Gophers' inability to score showed itself more and more. Where last year the second rebounds were cleared or smothered this year they were finding their way in the net.
 
So the question becomes where to lay the blame?  Quick Facts believes that there has been a series of management decisions that have lead to this result on the ice.  From the kind of players recruited to the the fact the goalies weren't rotated to the departure of an assistant coach, to academic issues (there wasn't one Gopher on the WCHA All Academic team this year) and that lies squarely on the shoulders of the general manager of the Golden Gopher hockey team Don Lucia.
 
While many will allow for the excuse of his absence this season due to his health issue Quick Facts believes that was a non-issue with the performance of the hockey team.  The decisions made prior to the season and during the season had more of an effect than two weeks of Lucia behind the bench.
 
It began with the kind of players recruited or not recruited to play for Minnesota.  While having elite players and NHL drafted players come to Minnesota may seem prestigious Quick Facts believes that isn't always what wins championships and what is best for college hockey in Minnesota anymore and isn't probably what is best for the Gophers.  If you look at any of the teams that have been to the Frozen Four in the past five years they are a combination of role players with a few stars with character who bleed for their school.  
 
Two players walked off the Gophers in the middle of the season this year, one left in the middle of the year last year.  How does that speak to the program and the management of it? With the increased competition for players within Minnesota and the WCHA there needs to be better attention paid to the kind of player recruited and more attention paid to the recruitment process itself.  No longer can it be assumed that ever Minnesota player wants to grow up to be a Gopher and that the Maroon & Gold sells itself; that isn't the case.
 
The University of Minnesota lost one of its best recruiters when Bob Motzko left to become the head coach at St. Cloud State and it lost another with the dismissal of Mike Guentzel.  It also lost a great talent with the coaching of the defensive game for both the defensemen and forwards.  Quick Facts believes that loss was felt this year especially with the incoming freshmen class.  While Mike Hastings is a great coach Guentzel brought a fire to the players that seemed missing this year and the loyalty an alumnus has for the program cannot be replaced in the recruiting process.
 
Another coach whose loss was likely the most felt was that of former Hobey Baker winner Robb Stauber.  Due to scheduling conflicts Stauber was no longer able to serve as volunteer goaltending coach but the struggles of Alex Kangas this season prove that the void he left was great.  
 
While Don Lucia had in the past platooned goaltenders with both the Colorado College Tigers and the Golden Gophers he failed to recognize the need to do so with Minnesota this season.  Kangas struggled from November through February but it wasn't until the end of the season that Lucia started Kent Patterson instead of the Sophomore goaltender despite having to pull him from multiple games.  That is a management decision that should have been made and wasn't.  
 
During media day Don Lucia said "Its not about the freshman, its about the returning guys." But if it hadn't been for Jordan Schroeder and Aaron Ness this year's Minnesota team could have had an extremely disappointing season. There were bright spots like the breakout play of Mike Hoeffel and, until his injury, the how Taylor Mattson attacked every shift.  But the inconsistancy in scoring was a repeat of last year, as was a lack of size and scoring on the blueline.
 
The hope is some of that will be addressed with the incoming freshman class but again, how much pressure do you put on a freshman class and how many players will be lost to attrition this summer? Gopher fans are a loyal bunch, and they will certainly be patient with a man who has given them two National Championships.  But they will remember that those teams were partly assembled by former head coach Doug Woog, with assistance from Bob Motzko, Mike Guentzel and Robb Stauber, none of whom remain with the program.   
 
Joel Maturi is definitely a Don Lucia loyalist but with attendance not as stellar as it once was, and with the academic record of this year's hockey team certainly not stellar combined with the shiny new football stadium across the street and hightened performance and spotlight on Tubby Smith's basketball program, there may not be as much patience as before with a hockey program not winning championships or earning berths to the Frozen Four.
 
There are several benchmarks over the course of the last several years that can be pointed to and questioned, management decisions made by Don Lucia on the direction he has taken the University of Minnesota hockey program:  the recruiting tactics; the players recruited; the coaches hired and dismissed; the decisions on whether to return players to the lineup after injury; suspensions for discipline or not to discipline; players given ice time or not given ice time; non-conference opponents played or not played and more.   That isn't to say all of them been poor, but with the high expectations set for the Gopher program there should be some reflection upon the direction the program is taking.
 
There are those that will break down specific coaching decisions on the ice but Quick Facts is more concerned with a broader picture and the overall management of Gopher Hockey.  While Don Lucia has proved to be an excellent coach in the past with Colorado College and his early years in Minnesota, his management of the program over the past few years has not matched that skill and the record and reputation of Golden Gopher hockey following the 2008-2009 season reflects that.
 

Casey Borer will be out for the remainder of the season after suffering a broken neck after the team bus for the Albany River Rats crashed early Friday morning on the ride back from a game in Massachusetts.  His doctors have told him that they are optimistic that the injury should not be career-threatening.  Both Borer and Joe Jensen, who suffered a concussion in the crash, have been released from the hospital and the team has begun practicing again after their weekend games had been canceled in wake of the accident.  


 
A day after the Albany River Rats' bus crash another professional hockey team was involved in an accident when the SPHL Huntsville Havoc bus crashed on Interstate-65 on the way home after game against the Columbus Cottonmouths on Friday.  Hermantown native B.J. Radovich, who played at UW-Superior plays for the Havoc and was on the bus at the time but no one was seriously injured in the accident. The team was able to get alternate transportation home and arrived in Huntsville early the next morning.  

Former St. Cloud player and Minnesota native Steve martinson was involved in a bus accident with his ECHL team the Elimira Jackals in November of 2007 when the Jackals' bus slid off the highway.  Savage native and former Badger Dan Boeser suffered a knee injury in that accident and St. Paul's Jim Mckenzie & former MSU Spartan & Martinson were uninjured.

Jim Jensen of Maplewood,  Shane Wagner of Stillwater, playing for the Twin City Cyclones of the Southern Professional Hockey League were involved in a rare true bench clearing brawl  against the Columbus Cottonmouths on Friday, February 20th.    What makes this even more outrageous is that this occurred when the Cyclones were wearing their Pink in the Rink fundraising sweaters to benefit the Susan G. Komen Foundation.  The local newspaper The Ledger Enquirer has more information on the fight.

Thomas Vanek returned to the ice with the Buffalo Sabres on Monday for the first time since being hit in the face with a slapshot and having surgery to repair a broken jaw.  According to the Buffalo News he was wearing a full face shield and red no-contact sweater and was just skating in order to maintain a level of fitness and is not expected to return.

Evan Kaufmann has suffered an ankle injury while playing for the DEG Metro Stars during the first period of a game against Hamburg last week. Kaufmann reports that he attempted to play in the second but was unable to.  After being examined by the doctors he was diagnosed with a small fracture in the ankle and a partially torn tendon. He will be out approximately three to four weeks so is hoping to return in time for the playoffs.  

Bloomington's Toby Petersen has been placed on IR for the Dallas Stars with broken bone in left foot suffered Mon. In 57 games he has 4g 7a.

Dan Bjornlie has been signed to a one-year contract extension with the Vienna Capitals in the Erste Bank Liga in Austria.

Matt DeMarchi has 7 goals and 21 assists for Asiago in the Italian Elite League and has 76PIMs, just one minute behind teammate Trevor Johnson who has 77PIMs.

Virginia's Matt Cullen scored the first hat trick of his 11-year career, the 2nd goal was his 400th career point as Carolina beat the Colorado Avalanche 6-2

Brandon Bochenski has registered 19 points (10-9-19) in his last 20 games for the AHL Norfolk Admirals.  He is under contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Travis Morin of the South Carolina Stingrays has a five-game point streak (2g-8a) and a five-game assist streak (8a).

Ben Gordon has a four-game point streak (1g-6a) and 12 points (3g-9a) in his last nine games for the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL.

Congratulations to Edina's Walter L. Bush, Jr., Chairman of the Board for USA Hockey who has been selected to the International Ice Hockey Federation Hall of Fame

Former Gopher goaltender Kellen Briggs is 4-0-0 with a shutout and a goals-against average of 1.25 in his last four starts for the Ontario Reign.  He became On Wednesday became the eighth different goaltender to appear in a game for the AHL Portland Pirates this season when he was brought up on a PTO agreement; no other team has employed more than five netminders according to the Pirates

Defenseman Alex Goligoski has registered a point in five of seven games (2-3-5) since being reassigned from the Pittsburgh Penguins earlier this month.  Goligoski may be on his way back to the big club following the trade of Ryan Whitney to the Anaheim Ducks freeing up some space on the blueline.

Matt Hendricks has a point in five of his last six outings (2-4-6) for the Lake Erie Monsters, the AHL affiliate of the Colorado Avalanche. Hendricks has missed a large number of games due to an ankle injury playing only 26 games thus far but the assistant captain's return has certainly helped the Monsters' recent surge in the standings.

Stu Bickel has returned to the Iowa Chops lineup after missing a majority of the season with a back injury.  He returned to the Chops' lineup on February 15th and promptly scored an assist after T.J. Trevelyan tipped a rebound off Bickel's shot into the net and tied the game.  Matt Hendricks scored the game-winner in the shootout of the game for the Lake Erie Monsters.  The Chanhassen native and former Gopher was injured in November and has now played a total of 17 games in Iowa this season.

Quick Take:

When the University of Minnesota Golden Gopher Men's Hockey Team takes on the University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs this weekend there is no doubt there will be many "Must-Win" tags attached to the series.  If the Gophers do not win their chances of an NCAA tournament bid will be dismal without a WCHA tournament win.  The team that everyone thought looked so good and was once ranked number one in the country is now in danger of not making the tournament so everyone is asking what happened.

There are many that have put the blame on the illness suffered by Coach Don Lucia, as the timing of the slide of the team was correspondent to his absence from the club.  Others will put it on the number of players lost to the World Junior Championships.  Still more point fingers at the less-than-stellar play of Alex Kangas or the man-games lost to injuries in the middle of the season.  

Some of these were factors in some lost games but Quick Facts believes that the primary factor in the decline of the Golden Gopher hockey team since the beginning of the season has been the difference in how penalties are being called by WCHA officials.  At the start of the season every single stick infraction was called, resulting in a minor penalty.  Every holding call was made, resulting in a man-advantage.  It seemed that at least three quarters of  every game prior to the Holiday break was played by special teams.  And that played into Minnesota's hands because at the beginning of the season Minnesota had one of the most efficient penalty kills, without Alex Kangas having to perform acrobatics.  In addition other teams' power plays were not well prepared and disfunctional at best.  Coupled with the fact that Minnesota's power play units were able to put the puck in the net; that is how Ryan Stoa was able to contribute so many goals so easily at the start of the year.  

It was almost as if Minnesota prepared for specialty teams play so perfectly at the start of the season they were positioned perfectly to take advantage of the early-season crackdown on penalties.  However, once there was relaxing of that and a return to how calls had been made in the past or perhaps players were more used to the more stringent rules and playing more cleanly, the Gophers were back on a more even playing field with the rest of the league and their special teams weren't so special which brought them back to the level of play with the rest of the league.  When that happened the issues like lack of scoring from top players and questionable goaltending became much bigger issues.

Quick Facts believes that goaltending issues were hidden by the special teams play at the start of the year as well as lack of scoring.  Now that veil has been lifted the spotlight is shining brightly and that is what everyone is focusing on trying to find out what changed after Christmas, but maybe nothing has changed at all; maybe now the problems are just now more visible.

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02.20.09 Bus crash update

02.19.09 Former St. Cloud State Huskies Casey Borer (Maple Grove) and Joe Jensen (Minneapolis) were both injured when the Albany River Rats team bus traveling on the Massachusetts Turnpike early this morning crashed and rolled over. Also injured were teammates Jonathan Paiement and Nicholas Blanchard as well as the team's radio announcer John Hennessy. According to the Albany Times Union, Rats President S. Garen Szablewski said the injured team personnel remained at Berkshire Medical Center for treatment. The team was traveling back from Lowell following a game versus the Devils and hit bad weather in the Berkshires when the bus struck a guardrail, coming to rest on its side and partially on the highway according to the Times Union. The injured reportedly suffered severe lacerations. Borer and Jensen are playing for the AHL team under contract with the Carolina Hurricanes.



Look for Jon Francisco, Dan Knapp, and former Gophers Kellen Briggs, PJ Atherton and Mike Howe on a future episode of the ABC television show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition where the Ontario Reign ECHL hockey team goes to the Forever Wild Exotic Animal Sanctuary in Phelan, California to help build a tiger playpen.  The episode will reportedly be airing sometime in April.
 
Nate Hagemo had two goals and two assists in 10 games with the Amarillo Gorillas and was considered one of their top defensemen when he was checked awkwardly into the end boards by Mississippi’s Brad Bonello during a game on December 20th. Hagemo reportedly was on the ice for some time before being assisted to the locker room.  Hagemo suffered neck and back injuries, including a herniated lumbar disc.  He was cleared to play by Amarillo's doctors in mid-January and placed on waivers and immediately claimed by the Tulsa Oilers but failed their physical so the transaction was canceled and he has been sent back to Amarillo until he can be cleared to play.  He has been attempting a comeback this season following trouble with substance abuse and multiple arrests.  Hagemo was told he may not recover from a previous shoulder injury but this new injury does not involve the shoulder.  He is contributing to every off-ice event for the Gorillas, visiting schools and hospitals and helping in the team offices, while working on his rehabilitation hoping to avoid surgery.  
 
Roseau native & former Bemidji State Beaver Luke Erickson was named ECHL Plus Performer for January after leading the league with +12 for the Alaska Aces. The 26 year old is tied for the team lead with four game-winning goals and is tied for second with 14 goals. He is third on the team with 35 points and tied for fourth with a plus-minus rating of +9. In his second full professional season, Erickson has already surpassed his season bests for assists and points and needs only one goal to tie his season high for goals.
 
Former Gopher Thomas Vanek underwent surgery to repair fractured jaw after taking a Alexander Voloshenkov slap shot to the face in a game against the Ottawa Senators on February 4th & will miss 3-4 weeks for the Buffalo Sabres.  The injury means that Vanek will break his 225-games played streak, the longest on the Sabres.  He has only missed one game since joining the NHL, when he was a healthy scratch in 2006 for a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, a message sent from head coach Lindy Ruff for for the rookie Vanek.  The message was received and Vanek hasn't missed a game since.  The winger was vying for the league lead in goal scoring, at the time of the injury was ranked third in the NHL with 32 goals and was the first in the league this season to reach 20 goals scored.  He became just the second player in NHL history to score four consecutive natural hat tricks this year, when he accomplished the feat in the Sabres 5-0 shutout of the Maple Leafs on February 4th. It was Vanek's 5th career hat trick.


Gino Guyer registered his first career professional hat-trick and first professional four-point game for the Phoenix Roadrunners February 4th in their win over the Utah Grizzlies. Guyer has 10 goals and 23 points in 43 games this season
 
Former St. Cloud State Husky Brock Hooton has 12 assists and 14 points in his last 10 games for the Reading Royals. He was recently returned to the ECHL Royals from a brief stint in Albany with the River Rats.
 
Saturday Feb 7th was Travis Morin Bobblehead night for the South Carolina Stingrays. The Brooklyn Park native Morin leads the team with 52 points and leads the ECHL with 39 assists tied for second with 18 power-play assists while ranking fourth in points in his 43 games.
 
Phil Kessel, who returned from a bout of mononucleosis, played in his 200th NHL career game with the Boston Bruins on February 7th against the Philadelphia Flyers.
 
Alex Goligoski became a victim of a numbers game with the Pittsburgh Penguins.  Because he is on an entry-level contract and doesn't have to clear waivers he was reassigned to the AHL despite leading the NHL Penguins blueliners in goals (6) and points (20) through 44 games.  But with the return of Ryan Whitney and the impending return of Sergei Gonchar the Penguins had too defensemen and needed to make room on the roster.  Goligoski had an assist in his first game with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the AHL, a perfect pass to Jeff Taffe who set up JM Daoust.
 
John Curry recently made 32 saves to win his eighth straight start for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.  The Shorewood native is 15-3 with three shutouts since being reassigned back to the AHL from Pittsburgh on December 13th.  He was named AHL Player of the Week.
 
In addition to being named ECHL Player of the Week Jan. 26-Feb 1, Jimmy Kilpatrick was named ECHL Rookie of Month in January. The native of New Prague, Minn. has a seven-game multiple point streak (8g-10a), a seven-game goal streak (8g) and a seven-game assist streak (10a). He leads the Cyclones and is tied for fifth among ECHL rookies with 21 goals while his 44 points are second on the team and fourth among league rookies. He is tied for second on the team and is third among rookies with eight power-play goals while his three game-winning goals tie him for the team lead and are tied for fifth among rookies.
 
Tim Jackman & Kyle Okposo recently had the pleasure of having their fathers accompany them on the special New York Islanders Dads Road Trip.
 
Coleraine native and former Gopher Ken Gernander already had his hands full as head coach of the Hartford Wolf Pack and contending for the team's 12th consecutive playoff berth, but now he has been assigned the handful known as Sean Avery from the Dallas Stars after the lightning rod of media attention cleared waivers.  The Stars do not have their own AHL affiliate this season, awaiting the completion of the arena in Austin where their new franchise will be located next year.  The Wolf Pack are the AHL affiliate of the NY Rangers and Glen Sather said that accepting Avery was done as a favor to him for his years of service to the Rangers but speculation is that New York would like to add the forward on re-entry waivers if possible and having him in their affiliate and close to Manhattan only fuels that.  Gernander will have to balance the needs of his young players and the distraction that Avery can bring, as well as trying to coach Avery as the sometimes skilled forward he can be.
 
Tyler Hirsch, who started the season with the Elmira Jackals of the ECHL, reports that he is out for the season following knee surgery.
 
Duluth native Ross Carlson recently skated in his 100th career game as a pro on January 18 for the Florida Everblades.  Shortly afterwards he was called up to the AHL to play with the Rochester Americans.
 
Congratulations to former Gopher Joey Martin on his recent engagement to girlfriend Roxanna Lopez, a summer wedding is planned.  Joey recently received his graduate degree from the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management as well.
 
A Swiss newspaper is reporting that former Shattuck and UND skater Brady Murray will be returning to the LA Kings from HC Lugano in 09/10.
 
Wyatt Smith, playing with the San Antonio Rampage, is in the midst of a 13-game, 25-day, 6,500-mile road odyssey because the annual San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo has taken over the AT&T Center, the home rink for the AHL affiliate of the Phoenix Coyotes.
 
Former Gopher Dan Welch was signed by the ECHL Idaho Steelheads on January 29th, joining his cousin Adam on the squad.  Welch returned to the US from Denmark where he had been playing with  in the Danish Elite League.  Unfortunately, a week into his deal with the Steelheads, he has been suspended three games for his actions in a game vs Bakersfield on February 7th.  Early in the second period of the game Welch laid out the Condors' Jay Langager with a big hit. There was no penalty assessed on the play but immediately after Welch's hit, he was then hit by the Condors’ Donny Grover who was given a roughing minor.  The Bakersfield head coach was ejected for leaving the bench to argue with the referee.  The ECHL officials obviously found something questionable about the Hastings' native original hit after reviewing the tape, warranting the suspension. Welch missed Idaho’s game at Stockton (Feb. 9) and will miss Idaho’s games vs. Phoenix (Feb. 13 and 14) as part of his suspension.

Ben Gordon has six assists and nne points in his last six games for the Lake Erie Monsters of the AHL.
 
Former Bemidji State Beaver Matt Pope, a rookie with the Bakersfield Condors, has a three-game point streak (2g-4a) and 11 points (4g-7a) in his last nine games.
 
Rob Daum, who was terminated as head coach of the Wild's affiliate Houston Aeros, has been hired by the Edmonton Oilers to replace Jeff Truitt to coach their AHL affiliate Springfield Falcons.  He will be leading players like Ryan Potulny and Taylor Chorney for the remainder of the season. Daum was hired after coaching several seasons in Canadian college hockey after Aeros' coach Todd McClellan left for the Detroit Red Wings.  McClellan is now the head coach of the San Jose Sharks and the Aeros are coached by Minnesota native Kevin Constantine.  Daum became an assistant to Craig Oilers head coach after leaving the Wild organization, and has been an Oilers scout the last few seasons.
 
Mark Parrish is finding himself in familiar territory, in the press box, after suffering a bout of the flu, the Bloomington native is fighting to return to the Dallas Stars lineup and has been a repeated healthy scratch.


 
Quick Speculation:
 
Look for longtime University of Minnesota Golden Gopher Men's Hockey Team Equipment man Henry Broadfoot to announce his retirement following this season.
 
With rumors of Tom Renney's job as the head coach of the NY Rangers possibly being in jeopardy don't be surprised if you hear Ken Gernander's name being mentioned.  Gernander is the head coach of the Rangers' top AHL affiliate in Hartford.  He is in his second year as head coach of the franchise but spent two years as an assistant and 12 years a professional and remains the highest-scoring American-born player in the history of the American Hockey League.  The Wolf Pack are on pace for their 12th consecutive playoff berth and Gernander is leading the Pack on a late season surge.  They are currently in second place in their Division and will likely contend of for the Division title.  He will especially get great marks if he can control the circus that is Sean Avery while he is assigned to the Wolf Pack. While Gernander may not be considered as a head coach of the Rangers immediately he could be tapped as an assistant if there is a house-clearing, especially if Jim Shoenfeld, one of Gernander's biggest supporters, is given the nod as bench boss in NY.


 
Quick Quotes:
 
"That stuff's great. It's always great to meet the people who are coming to the games, to put some faces to the mob of screaming people."
- PJ Atherton on taking part in Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (Press-Enterprise)

“I have to have the right attitude,”
-Alex Goligoski on being sent down to the AHL (Times-Leader).
 
"He doesn’t belong here,”
-Jeff Taffe on Goligoski being reassigned to Wilkes-Barre (Times-Leader)
 
"The only reason is numbers. The No. 1 thing with young kids is you want them to play. But there's no doubt he belongs in the NHL"
-coach Michel Therrien on Alex Goligoski's demotion. (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
 
"Obviously a player with Dan’s talents are hard to find this time of year, so he’ll be a great addition to our roster. With our recent call ups and injuries, he’ll add to our depth as we move down the stretch"
- Idaho Steelheads Head Coach Derek Laxdal on signing Dan Welch (idahosteelheads.com)
 

02.03.09 - You heard it as exclusive breaking news on Quick Facts last Friday, now the Hamilton Bulldogs have made it official and announced the signing of Minnesota native Andrew Conboy. The former Michigan State University player has been ruled ineligible to play until February 11th due to his actions in his last NCAA game with the Spartans.

01.29.09 - You saw it as breaking news Quick Facts Twitter feed this morning, but the DEG Metro Stars have made it official with a release on their website.  Former Gopher Mike Vannelli has decided to come back to hockey and has signed with the Dusseldorf for the remainder of the season.  He will join fellow Gophers and former teammates Evan Kauffmann and Chris Harrington on the team. The defenseman left the game last year after a few training camp stops and playing two games for Wheeling of the ECHL. Vannelli has decided to play again and arrived in Germany on Wednesday.  He is considered a depth defenseman for the playoff run for the Metro Stars.
 


Former Gopher John Pohl was released from his contract with HC Lugano in the Swiss Nationalliga A.  The team released the information in an announcement on their website.  Saying they considered the move essential for achieving the objectives of sport in the decisive stage of the season and for the good of the team.  They wished Pohl well in his future endeavors.  Pohl had been a repeated healthy scratch in favour of other import players like former Wild defensemen Petteri Nummelin and forward Randy Robitaille as well as Shattuck standout Brady Murray.  Several possible trade rumors sending him to other Swiss teams earlier in the season never came to fruition.  The head coach of Lugano recently left the team without notice. Pohl left Lugano with 3 goals, 23 assists in 22 games played with the team.  Pohl immediately signed with the Frölunda Indians in the Swedish Elitserien where he is coached by former North Star Ulf Dahlen and playing with former Wild prospective goalie Johan Holmqvist.  In a unique twist of fate his first game with the Indians was against former Gopher Nick Angell's team HV71's.  Pohl scored the first goal of the game for the Indians and also scored the game winner in overtime.  Pohl will wear sweater number 27 until they can get number 67 ready for him.   
 
Nick Angell, unfortunately did not play in the game against Pohl, and will miss the next two weeks with a shoulder injury after taking a check from behind while playing against Lulea.  Angell has 4 goals & 8 assists in 33 games and 34 PIMs for HV71 and the team is currently tied for second in league standings with Linköpings HC in first.
 
Blake Wheeler said he was responsible for the Boston Bruins' recent loss to the St. Louis Blues.  The Bruins held a late third period lead over the Blues but with the goalie pulled the Blues were able to mount a shocking comeback and win the game.  Wheeler missed an empty net goal, sailing the puck wide of the net that would have sealed the game.  He reportedly sat dejected next to his locker following the game telling the Boston Globe "I lost the game for us," said Wheeler,  "the open net.  It's any hockey player's worst nightmare come true."    The former Gopher has 13 goals and 16 assists this season with Boston.  He began the season living with former Minnesota teammate Phil Kessel who is on injured reserve after contracting mononucleosis.  Thankfully Wheeler is no longer roommates with Kessel so there is no danger of the Calder Trophy contender coming down with the illness as well.  Wheeler has played every game with the Bruins so far this year and is second in rookie scoring in the NHL.  Wheeler was named the MVP of the YoungStars game at the NHL All Star festivities in Montreal after scoring four goals and an assist for the Rookies as they topped the Sophomores 9-5.
 
Evan Kaufmann recently signed a two-year contract extension with the Düsseldorfer Eislauf Gemeinschaft Metro Stars in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga.  Kaufmann signed with the team under a German passport this summer and plays with fellow Gopher Chris Harrington & Minnesotan Andy Hedlund.  
 
The DEG Metro Stars lost in a Shootout to the Kassel Huskies in a game that featured six Minnesotans and four former Gophers on Sunday.  Andy Hedlund & Evan Kaufmann each had an assist on the Stars' second goal. Ryan Kraft had an assist on the Huskies third goal. At the end of the game in overtime things got a little heated and former Gopher goalie Adam Hauser was assessed 25 minutes in penalties and was ejected from the game for hitting a Metro Stars player repeatedly in the head with his blocker. Kraft got into the melee and was also given 10 PIMs and sent off the ice.  In the shootout Kaufmann failed to score on the 16-year old replacement goalie for the Huskies and Kassel won the game.
 
Bryan Schmidt has signed a two-year contract extension with the Kassel Huskies.  The defenseman from Bloomington has nine goals and eleven assists this season.
 
Fridley's Josh Langfeld has 18 goals 11 assists, and a +2 rating in 38 games with the Frankfurt Lions this season.  In his last game his goal helped Frankfurt top Adler Mannheim 5-3.
 
Dan Bjornlie is the 4th leading scorer in the Erste Bank Eishockey Liga in Austria scoring 13 goals and 42 assists in 46 games for the Vienna Capitals.  Bjornlie's teammate Aaron Fox, the EBEL leading scorer the past two years, missed the majority of the season with a severe hand injury suffered in training camp, but he returned the first weekend in January, scoring in his first game for the Capitals. He has 2 goals and 4 assists already in the 9 games he has played so far this season.
 
Troy Riddle has helped EC Graz 99s to their first playoff berth since the 2003/04 season with his 10 goals and 13 assists in 48 games for Graz.
 
Kellen Briggs made his first appearance in net for the ECHL Ontario Reign, stopping 37 of the 40 shots he faced in the win over the Bakersfield Condors.  The Reign and Condors donned the jerseys of their NHL affiliates with the Rein auctioning off their LA Kings themed sweaters to benefit the San Antonio Community Hospital.  Reign captain Jon Francisco's jersey brought in $4,100.
 
Tim Jackman, currently playing for the New York Islanders, will have his father join him on a road trip organized by the team soon. Jackman, who has been up and down between the Islanders and Bridgeport Sound Tigers a few times this season is likely with the Islanders to stay due to multiple injury issues in New York and Jackman's solid play and physicality.  He has 2 goals and 2 assists with 76 PIMs in 34 games with the Islanders this year.
 
Florida Everblades forward Kevin Baker  will become the all-time single season record holder for the Florida Everblades with his next power play goal. He's currently tied for the top spot in power play goals in one season with 14, which is also held by former Gopher Reggie Berg (2007-08), Joe Blaznek (2002-03) and Tim Ferguson (1998-99).
 
Paul Martin, All Star Zach Parise, Jamie Langenbrunner and the rest of the New Jersey Devils did a little team bonding in Vancouver with an outing to a local Curling club.  
 
South St. Paul High School alumnus Warren Miller will have his hockey jersey number 16 retired in a pre-game ceremony before the Packers-Simley boys hockey game at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 12, at Wakota Arena. Miller was a first-team all-state hockey player for the Packers in 1972 and earned all-conference honors three times during his prep career. After high school graduation, Miller attended the University of Minnesota, where he played on two national championship teams in 1974 and 1976. (MN Sun)
 
Former Gopher Peter Kennedy will be wearing a cast on his left thumb for another few weeks after breaking it.  When that is removed he will have surgery to repair a damaged elbow.  After surgically repaired hips while playing at Minnesota, Kennedy is may well be on his way to becoming bionic.  The defenseman from Canada is playing with Jake Riddle in Tulsa, Oklahoma with the CHL Oilers.  
 
Rosemont's Andrew Conboy is at the center of a terrible on-ice incident that occured between the Michigan State Spartans and Michigan Wolverines over the weekend.  Michigan player Steve Kampfer had recently returned to playing after recovering from a brutal attack at the hands of a Wolverine football player.  With 53 seconds remaining in the Wolverines' victory over the Spartans at Michigan's home rink at Yost Arena Conboy reportedly clotheslined Kampfer and sucker-punched him from behind.  When Kampfer was motionless on the ice, Tropp took a two handed slash at the supine player's neck/head.  Video of the brutality is similar to that shown by Todd Bertuzzi on Steve Moore or Chris Simon on any of his victims, and this was during a college hockey game.  Both players were assessed double game misconduct penalties which carry automatic suspensuons but CCHA officials are reviewing the incident for futher discipline and Michigan State University head coach Tim Conley may also face supplemental discipline as well.  
 
Andrew Conboy's brother Tim, who is a member of the Carolina Hurricanes organization is no stranger to controversey or penalties, having accumulated almost 800 PIMs since turning professional following his 2003-04 season at St. Cloud State University, including and 8-game suspension for leaving the bench for an altercation while he was with the Albany River Rats. He was also involved in a biting incident with known pest and not-so-clean player himself Steve Downie.  Despite Tim's physicality, he was awarded the Captaincy for Albany this season.
 
Cold Hands lost to Concorde USA 2-3 in the Open Division of the US Pond Hockey Championships. Cold Hands featured Pat O'Leary, Erik Wendell and Ben Tharp who all played at the University of Minnesota as well as former UMD Bulldog Darren Nauss, Brett Peterson & Dave Barry.  Concorde USA featured former Edina and area friends Sam Cornelieus, who played at Notre Dame, Billy Hengen of St. Cloud State, Jeff Yurecko who played at North Dakota and Peter Fitzgerald, Justin Kapsen and Geoff Kragness.  Cold Hands had upset Wright Homes Almost-40 who had won the tournament twice before to make the final but it was a goal with less than four minutes remaining that gave Concorde the coveted Golden Shovel.
 

 
Quick Quotes:
 
He knows what is expected of him and he comes in as a breath of fresh air. He is a clever player who will contribute to excellence in the offensive zone. He is also a good skateer and is as always working hard. He will contribute a lot"
- Frölunda Indians head coach Ulf Dahlen on John Pohl (frolundaIndians.com)
 
"I got to know Thomas Vanek from the Sabres. He’s Austrian so we spoke German to each other. That was very cool. The weekend so far has already become one of the highlights of my career"
- Islanders defenseman Mark Streit on his All Star experience (islanderspointblank.com)
 
“I’ve been hearing about my size since I started playing hockey. You don’t have to be 6-4 to be a good hockey player.”
-Aaron Ness (islanderspointblank.com)
 
He's an honest player who's doing the right things with passion and commitment. I don't know if there's a player in the league who I would trade him for. If another GM came to me with a good offer, I'd have to say, 'Thanks, but no thanks.'"
- current Gopher Assistant coach and former Omaha Lancers Head Coach Mike Hastings on Andrew Conboy when Conboy was a Lancer (Omaha World-Herald)
 

Congratulations to former Gopher Gino Guyer and Laura Cloutier on their recent engagement.  The couple has been together two and a half years and Gino popped the question in Las Vegas just before Christmas.  The couple is reportedly thinking of a wedding sometime in the summer of 2010.  Though Laura is a St. Cloud State University alumna, no worries about a mixed marriage says Gino, as both her parents went to the University of Minnesota.  Guyer is playing for the Phoenix Roadrunners of the ECHL where he has five goals and six assists in 28 games so far this season.
 
Travis Morin has been named to his second consecutive ECHL All Star Game and will be a starter for the American Conference Travis Morin has a seven-game point streak (2g-11a).  The former MSU Maverick has 10 goals and 33 assists in 33 games with the South Carolina Stingrays.
 
The ECHL hockey team the Fresno Falcons has shut down operations leaving goaltender Joe Fallon of Bemidji without a team and former Wild defenseman Brad Brown also a free agent.  Brown is currently on a tryout with the Quad City Flames of the AHL. Fallon was recalled to the Rockford Ice Hogs and then reassigned to the Gwinnett Gladiators who are the new affiliate of the Ice Hogs.  In order to make room for all the new assignees the Gladiators made some roster moves, including trading Preston Briggs, brother of former Gopher Kellen Briggs, to Stockton.
 
Dan Bjornlie is rumored to be joining the Deutche Eishockey Liga next season.  Bjornlie ranks at the top of the Erste Bank Eishockey Liga playing with the Vienna Capitals with 12 assists and 32 points, ranking 5th in scoring.  He is reportedly to sign with ERC Ingolstadt according to Eishockey News.
 
Jake Taylor, who has a goal and three assists on the year, suffered a knee injury and has been out of the Springfield Falcons' lineup for several games, but is expected back shortly.  Taylor Chorney is contributing on the blueline as a rookie with two goals and 7 assists but is struggling with a -21 +/- rating.  The Falcons have also just signed former Wild draft pick left wing Patrick Bordeleau. Ryan Potulny is the leading scorer on the Falcons.
 
Bemidji's Joe Motzko had netted a goal in 7 straight (7-2-8) and 12 of 13 games (12-6-18) for the Chicago Wolves. He shares second in the AHL with 23 goals and leads the club and shares 13th in the league with 36 points in 37 outings this season. The 28-year-old forward also ranks first on the team and holds second in the league with 10 power-play markers and has tallied nine points (7G, 2A) in his last eight games.  His 7-game streak matched the longest goal-scoring streak in the AHL this season. This marks the third straight season Motzko has been named to the PlanetUSA All-Star team.
 
Joining Motzko on the PlanetUSA All Star Team will be former Gophers Jeff Frazee of the Lowell Devils, Ryan Potulny of the Springfield Falcons, and Jeff Taffe of the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins.  Frazee has compiled a 10-6-2 record with a 2.31 goals against average and is the league leader with a .932 save percentage. Loaned to Lowell by New Jersey on November 3, Frazee opened his AHL season by going 6-1-1 and setting a club record with six consecutive wins. Potulny currently leads the Falcons in scoring with 17 goals and 14 assists for 31 points in 34 games this season. The former Gopher also leads Springfield in goals and multi-point games with nine.  Potulny was recently named the game's top star when he scored one goal in regulation and two more markers in the shootout on January 2, 2009 in a 3-2 Falcons' victory over the Manchester Monarchs.

Jeff Taffe, 27, is tied for second in the AHL with 41 points (16+25) in 31 games this season, and has set new personal bests for assists (25) and points (41) in a season. He was selected to play in the 2008 ALL-Star Classic in Binghamton, but was unable to participate when he was playing with the parent Pittsburgh Penguins. He also represented Springfield at the 2003 All Star game. Recently Taffe tied the WBS Penguins' record by picking up four assists in the team's 4-0 win at Philadelphia on December 26, and recorded his 100th AHL goal on December 27 vs. Bridgeport. He was named the Reebok AHL Player of the week for the period ending December 28, after recording nine points (2+7) in three games, including back-to-back four-point games against the Philadelphia Phantoms (0+4 on December 26) and the Bridgeport Sound Tigers (2+2 on December 27).   The AHL All Star Game will be held Monday, January 26th in Worcester, Mass and will be televised on the NHL Network.
 
Blake Wheeler and Phil Kessel may be getting all the attention on the surging Boston Bruins' team but Rochester's Mark Stuart is a stalwart on the B's blueline helping solidify their power-play.   Stuart has played against his brother Colin this season, who is in the Atlanta Thrashers' system going up and down between Milwaukee and the parent club. Stuart writes a regular blog for The Hockey News and in his recent installment speaks of spending time with the family during Christmas. Stuart speaks about the annual Bruins event where they shop for toys and gifts for area shelters and charities.  Stuart said he purchased games like Connect Four and Sorry because those were his favorites.  No word on whether he ever repeated the famous line from the Connect Four commercial to his sister Cristin Stuart, a 4-year standout with the Boston College Eagles, "Pretty Sneaky Sis."
 
Matt DeMarchi has 5 goals and 13 assists in 29 games with AS Asiago in the Italian Elite League.  He also has 54 Penalty Minutes, second on the team behind Trevor Johnson.
 
Former St. Cloud State Husky Brock Hooton has a 3-game point streak (3g-4a) and 9 points (4g-5a) in his last five games for Reading Royals
 
Evan Kaufmann has racked up 24 points (8 goals, 16 assists) for the DEG Metro Stars.  He is the leading rookie in the league with a German passport. He was recently featured in a story in the local newspaper which spoke about how he was able to secure his deal with Dusseldorf after a player, after Robert Dietrich left to sign in the NHL.   The team is hoping to sign the former Gopher to a multi-year contract extension.
 
Tim Hambly went on a little scoring streak with a point in three of four games for Rockford at the start of the year (1-3-4).
 
Former Wild play-by-play man Mike Goldberg substituted for Dave Strader on Phoenix Coyotes versus Colorado Avalanche broadcast with Strader being called to do the NHL Winter Classic because Mike Emerick came down with a severe case of laryngitis.  Goldberg lives in the area.
 
Former Wild draft pick Jake Riddle, younger brother of Troy Riddle, has 5 goals & 3 assists for CHL Tulsa Oilers since returning from Grade II tear of his MCL. In a story in the Tulsa World Riddle talks about playing through the pain but how the team's trainer has helped him and how he was lucky it wasn't a bigger injury.   Riddle's teammate, former Gopher Peter Kennedy has suffered a dislocated and broken thumb and will find out on Monday whether he will need surgery.  
 
Gopher fans may remember that Kennedy missed the majority of two seasons with Minnesota due to torn hip labrum injuries and he underwent two separate hip surgeries similar to what Marian Gaborik is undergoing, conducted by University of Minnesota physicians.  When QuickFacts asked Kennedy about his experience with the surgeries he said "The more I am around hockey the more I am hearing about them causing problems; especially when they are being misdiagnosed  as a pulled groin, hernia, etc."  Kennedy said, based on his experience and knowledge, that he thought most of them are just wear and tear injuries to the labrum (the lining of the femur and hip bone) because it takes the majority of the impact and stress because the bones are so strong.  He added " that when labrum tears and starts to give you pain, it sends a message to the brain to completely shut down all the muscles around it to protect it- but of course this makes it worse."  Kennedy said his experience with his hip injuries was difficult and recovery from the surgeries took years,  "mine still gives me problems all the time with pain, plus less flexibility and strength," he said.
 
John Pohl played in the Spengler Cup with the Swiss team HC Davos on loan from HC Lugano.  He helped Davos beat the Canadian team in a shootout, the only player to score after he beat Canadian goalie Travis Scott with a nifty backhand move. Also playing in the Spengler Cup for Canada were his Lugano teammates Hnat Domenichelli, Stacey Roest and Randy Robitaille.  Pohl returned to play with Lugano on Sunday scoring two assists, one on a Petteri Nummelin goal, the other helping Hnat Domenichelli but Lugano dropped the game 7-4 to EV Zug.  Pohl has 3 goals and 21 assists in 21 games with Lugano.
 
Erik Westrum is miving back up the scoring charts after returning from a hamstring injury.  He scored a goal and an assist to help Ambri top the SCL Tigers 4-1 Sunday.  Westrum has 18 goals and 11 assists in 21 games.  He ranks 13th in the league in PIMs with 71.
 
Former Wild defenseman Petteri Nummelin is the fourth leading scorer in the Swiss NLA scoring 17 goals and 32 assists in 34 games. He is followed closely by former Wild forward Stacey Roest in 5th.  Roest has 14 goals and 34 assists in 34 games for the Lakers.
 
Former Wild defenseman Travis Roche ranks 8th in Penalty minutes in the Swiss NHL with 77 PIMs for SC Bern but is tied for fourth in +/- with a +18.  Duluth native Sean Hill is 14th in the league with 68 PIMs for Biel Bienne.
 
 
Quick Quotes:
 
"Kaufmann is young and has a lot of potential. We would love to keep him.  It makes sense to sign a young, German player with his qualities to a long term contract“, DEG MetroStars manager Lance Nethery on Evan Kaufmann (Dusseldorf newspaper)


Quick Speculation:
 
There is a rumor out of Switzerland that a trade may occur to make room at Ambri Piotta, shipping Nick Naumenko elsewhere, possibly making way for John Pohl to be moved from HC Lugano to join Erik Westrum.  Pohl has reportedly received a contract offer from Lugano to remain with the team for two years but has not been playing as many games this season due to the number of other imports on the team.  Each team is limited to the number of imports they are allowed to play each game.
 
 
 
Quick Take:
 
A recent story in the Star Tribune by David La Vaque posed a question about whether college coaches should encourage high school players who are multi-sport athletes to avoid playing other sports.  That is the biggest bunch of baloney Quick Facts has ever heard. It is specifically because these players have had the experience of playing more than one sport and have excelled at them that has allowed them to become well-rounded hockey players.  Players that are one-sport athletes are the ones that lose out on high school experiences and are the ones that burn out too quickly and become one-dimentional.  They are also the players who tend to accelerate their hockey experiences, making college only a stepping stone to a professional career.
 
The question was posed because Zach Budish of Edina was injured playing football during the playoffs and his draft stock is likely to be affected an his status for the incoming freshman class for the University of Minnesota is impacted. That may be true, but his draft stock could just as likely had been affected by an injury suffered while playing hockey just as Mike Hoeffel's was when he blew out a knee playing for the US National Development Team. Hoeffel could have stayed at home in high school playing hockey and another sport but chose the extended hockey schedule of the USNDT instead and suffered the severe knee injury, just like Budish did while choosing the different path staying home and playing football.  
 
Injuries are part and parcel of the risks involved in playing sports, any sport, but to suggest that a coach, let alone Don Lucia or any college coach should influence a high school player to choose a different path just so he or she can somehow "protect" that player as an asset for their team is the most ludicrous suggestion ever to be made.  Some of the best hockey players to come out of Minnesota are all multiple sport athletes; Paul Martin, Neal Broten, Keith Ballard, Jordan Leopold and Blake Wheeler all played football, baseball, or another sport other than hockey and excelled at them.
 
Players should be encouraged to diversify and become well-rounded athletes in as many sports as they enjoy.  It is a shame that a player's stock in the NHL Entry Draft has to be affected by an injury but it could have just as likely been affected by an injury in any sport that player participated in, whether that is football or hockey is irrelevant.  
 
As Erik Johnson proved earlier this year, an injury can occur doing something as innocuous as getting out of a golf cart.  Budish will overcome the setback and any scout worth their salt will be able to identify his true worth and talent regardless of the injury, because multiple sport athletes make for better hockey players.  To suggest coaches should enourage players to stop participating in other sports to protect "their" assets is absolutely irresponsible to the players and the game of hockey.
 

Quick Take II:
 
There has been a lot of media frenzy surrounding the recent announcement of University of Minnesota Men's hockey coach Don Lucia's health.  Quick Facts has always had a policy of not "chasing" personal health-related stories.  If the people involved wish to make a statement or speak to Quick Facts themselves about the issue, then that information will be conveyed and their stories will be told with great care, but just as we have done in the past with others with health-related problems, Quick Facts will not be attempting to contact Coach Lucia, his family members or others regarding this private health issue nor will Quick Facts do that for any such "story" in the future.  
 
Quick Facts does wish Don Lucia and his family the best in the diagnosis and for a full recovery soon.

12.05.08

John Curry got in his first NHL game in relief of Danny Sabourin and thanks to a natural hat trick from Evgeni Malkin earned the 5-4 victory. The next game against the Sabres he was tapped for his first official NHL start.  The Shorewood native faced Drew Stafford, Paul Gaustad and Thomas Vanek, all three who helped to give the rookie goalie his first NHL loss but but it came down to a late third period rally and second goal by Gaustad to beat the former BU star.  Curry made 28 saves on 32 shots in his debut start. (AP Photo)
 
The last time Erik Westrum faced HC Lugano he had an unbelievable night scoring 6 points.  But last weekend was another story as former Wild forward Hnat Domenichelli had 2 goals and an assist, Brady Murray had three assists, and John Pohl got an assist on Petteri Nummelin's goal as HC Lugano beat Westrum's HC Ambri-Piotta 6-1.  Westrum had an assist on his club's only goal but tacked on 25 minutes in penalties in the last 3 minutes of the game.
 
Former Wild center Stacy Roest is the third leading scorer in the Swiss NLA with 11 goals and 27 assists for the Lakers, Former Wild defenseman Petteri Nummelin is 6th with 12 goals and 25 assists.  Hnat Domenichelli is 8th with 19 goals, 14 assists.  Erik Westrum has a total of 16 goals, 8 assists in 17 games for Ambri.  He returned from a torn MCL injury three weeks ago. John Pohl has 3 goals and 17 assists in 15 games for Lugano.
 
It wasn't technically a trade but it ended up being a Gopher for Gopher swap between the Lightning's Norfolk Admirals and Phoenix Coyotes' San Antonio Rampage affiliates.  First the Coyotes re-acquired Wyatt Smith, who was on a two-way deal with the Bolts on assignment to the Admirals.  Smith was originally drafted by the Coyotes in 1997 and started his NHL career there.  Because Smith was expected to spend some time in San Antonio the Rampage needed to make room so sent Grant Potulny, who was on an AHL contract with the club since returning from Germany.  So Smith goes to Phoenix/San Antonio and Potulny goes to Norfolk Admirals but they technically weren't traded for each other.  The former Gopher captain Potulny has four points (2-2-4) in five games for Norfolk since the acquisition on Nov. 26.  Smith helped the Rampage end a franchise high 17-game winless streak, 13-game losing streak and 9-game home losing streak with an assist in the Rampage's 3-0 victory versus the Syracuse Crunch.
 
Grant's brother Ryan Potulny leads the Springfield Falcons in goal scoring tallying his 11th last Wednesday.  Potulny also has 7 assists.  Quick Facts wouldn't be surprised to see Potulny get a recall to the struggling Oilers should they have roster room with injuries.
 
TJ McElroy was reassigned from the Miwaukee Admirals to the Cincinnati Cyclones.  He had two assists with the Ads in seven games.  McElroy has two goals, three assists in 4 games with the Clones, along with his 24 PIMs.
 
Former Gopher Phil Kessel in midst of 9-game point streak with 6 goals 5 assists and teammate Blake Wheeler has a goal in both of last two wins for Bruins, helping to key success for Boston who was the league's winningest team in November.  Wheeler's success despite playing off wing and with limited ice time has sparked conversations about him and the Calder Trophy. Wheeler is second among NHL rookies with eight goals. A recent story in the Boston Globe contained rave reviews from his coach but the Bruins are being careful with the former Breck star, wanting to ensure he doesn't reach burnout having never played a full 80 game slate before.
 
Former Wild prospect Ryan Jones, sent to Nashville in the Zidlicky deal, has four points (2-2-4) in his first five games with the Milwaukee Admirals since being reassigned by Predators.  Jones had a solid plus/minus with the Preds but was reassigned in some roster shuffling.  He is on a one-year entry level contract signed originally by the Wild.
 
Former Gopher Kris Chucko has tallied a goal in four of his last five games with the Quad Cities Flames (5-3-8).  Chucko is one of the leading scorers on the team with an outstanding point total, 10 goals and 11 assists in 23 games this season, but his +/- is still suffering.
 
Nick Angell is averaging 20 minutes of ice time a night with HV71 in the Swedish Elite League.  He has 4 goals, 5 assists in 18 games with the 71s since joining the team in October. HV71 recently lost to Ben Eaves' Blues Espoo 6-0 in Champions League play on a questionable call to rest three star players for the club.  The Champions League playoffs will be broadcast on UniversalSports.com starting December 10th.  Eaves has 3 goals and 11 assists in 12 games with Espoo this season.
 
Defenseman Michael Sauer picked up his second goal of the season for the game-winner in an overtime victory for the Hartford Wolf Pack over the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.
 
Marty Sertich posted a goal and an assist in a recent Lake Erie Monsters win over the Toronto Marlies, his second multiple-point game of the season.  Sertich has 4 goals and 3 assists in 14 games this season. Teammate Derek Peltier has a goal and 6 assists with the Monsters this year.
 
Nate Hagemo was released by the Elmira Jackals, with whom he played four games but has since signed with the CHL Amarillo Gorillas.  Hagemo has a goal and two assists in three games for the club thus far.
 
Matt DeMarchi has 2 goals and 9 assists in 18 games for Asiago HC in the Italian League so far this season.  He also has 32 penalty minutes.
 
Joe Cullen is fourth in team scoring for Cortina in the Italian League.  The Moorhead native has 8 goals and 11 assists in 17 games in Serie A.
 
Matt Koalska is still on target to finish his degree from the University of Minnesota this spring.  He has joined the Minutemen, which presents the annual Mr. Hockey awards every year.  Koalska is looking into starting a foundation to help fund research and services for the heart disease that caused him to retire from the game.  
 
Dan Bjornlie is ranked 12th in scoring in the Erste Bank Eishockey Liga in Austria.  He has 8 goals and 21 assists in 26 games with the Vienna Capitals.  
 
Troy Riddle has picked up the scoring pace with EC Graz and now has 7 goals 11 assists in 18 games with the hometown club of former teammate Thomas Vanek.  Riddle also has 50 PIMs with Graz.
 
Riddle's brother Jake signed with the Tulsa Oilers after being dismissed from the Hull Stingrays of the British Elite league.  He has 6 goals and 2 assists in 12 games thus far, and only 25 PIMs.  Riddle plays with former Gopher Peter Kennedy on the Oklahoma team.
 
Defenseman Bryan Nathe is the third leading scorer on the Wichita Thunder with 3 goals and 9 assits in 17 games.  That ranks him 12th in the league amongst defensemen.
 
Mike Howe has been place on injured reserve with the Ontario Reign while Jon Francisco has been reactivated off IR. Francisco had two assists and scored the game-winning goal with 5:49 remaining to beat the Salmon Kings 3-2.

Rochester native Andy Canzanello has a goal and 10 assists for the Straubig Tigers in the DEL.  He is playing with former Wild center Eric Chouinard, who leads the club in scoring with 9 goals and 13 assists.
 
The Minnesota Wild has expanded their communications strategy to include a presence on Twitter.  You can follow them @mnwild.  A formal announcement is due next week.  Xcel Energy Center also has their own Twitter presence @XEC. Perhaps they read the recent Quick Facts feature on hockey and Twitter prompting the launch.  
 
Team USA for the World Junior Championships to be held in Ontario later this month includes six Minnesotans:  Danny Kristo, Ryan McDonagh, Jim O'Brien, Jordan Schroeder, Mike Hoeffel and Cade Fairchild.  Head coach Ron Rolston said that there had been "a noticible spike" amongst the talent coming out of Minnesota in the last few years, which has contributed to the number of players from the state dominating the Junior roster.  Rolson called Schroeder "one of the best players in all aspects of the game."  He called Fairchild a great puck-moving defenseman and recognized Mike Hoeffel's comeback from a knee injury to have a solid start to the season with the Gophers. Rolston said that O'Brien has matured and "grown into his body" to become a better player than he was with the Gophers.  Of Ryan McDonagh Rolston s