Don Lucia conducted several discussions last week with candidates interested in the Gopher assistant coaching position vacated by Gopher alumnus Mike Guentzel. Amongst those Lucia spoke to are believed to be Scott Bell, Eric Rud, Jon Waibel and possibly another candidate from Florida. Rumored to also be interested in the position are  Troy Ward, Mike Hastings, and Todd Knott.
 
Brett Strot a former Gopher and minor league professional, was formerly the Assistant Coach of the Jacksonville Barracudas of the Southern Professional Hockey League.  Strot left the 'Cudas to join Velocity Sports Performance, an athletic strength and conditioning center in Florida.  The Barracudas announced they are folding this year and it could be that Strot is the interested Florida candidate.  Strot is great friends with goaltending consultant Rob Stauber and likely interested in returning home to Maple Grove and his alma mater.  Strot also has junior coaching experience with the Southern Elite Hockey League (now defunct) and is a defensive specialist.
 
Jon Waibel, who will complete his degree this June, just completed the season as assistant coach of the Chicago Steel where head coach Steve Poapst was named Coach of the Year in the USHL.  It is believed that Poapst may be on the fast track for a professional job in the minor leagues where he would likely take Waibel with him.  Waibel may also pursue other college assistant openings in an effort to gain more coaching experience.  Waibel also works for Octagon Sports.
 
Brock Hooton of the Reading Royals leads the Kelly Cup Playoffs with four game-winning goals and he has 6 goals total in the playoffs.  The Royals and Cincinnati Cyclones are tied at 3 games each in their best of 7 North Division Finals series.  PJ Atherton has two goals and two assists in the playoffs and Charlie Kronschnabel has 3 goals and 5 assists for the Royals.  Brian Schmidt has two goals and an assist and TJ McElroy has four assists for the Cyclones in the playoffs this season.
 
Travis Morin of the South Carolina Stingrays is the second leading scorer in the ECHL Kelly Cup playoffs with 14 points (9g, 5a).
 
Karl Goehring stopped 44 of 45 shots in a 3-1 victory in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals to backstop the Syracuse Crunch to a 2-0 series lead against the Toronto Marlies.  The 44 saves marked the highest total by Goehring all year, including the regular season. Goehring secured his eighth career playoff win in a Crunch uniform, tying him with J.F. Labbe and Mike Fountain for the franchise lead in that category.  Duvie Westcott had an assist and Nate DiCasmirro had an assist for the Crunch.  Chris Harrington returned to the lineup for the Marlies after missing game one with an undisclosed injury suffered in Game 6 of the first round.
 
The Wilkes-Barre Penguins scored in overtime to beat the Philadelphia Phantoms 5-4 to tie the Conference Final at one game each. Alex Goligoski assisted on Kurtis McLean's last minute goal to send the game into the extra session, his second helper of the game, and goaltender John Curry had and assist on a goal as the Pens scored three unanswered goals to tie the game in the third.  Curry made 26 saves on 30 shots for the victory.  Ryan Potulny was named the game's third star scoring the opening goal and adding assist.  Goligoski is the second leading scorer in the Calder Cup playoffs with 11 points thus far.
 
Pennsylvania new State of Hockey?? - Has anyone made the connection that both the Penguins and Flyers and Penguins and Phantoms (their AHL affiliates both based in Pennsylvania) are playing against each other for the Eastern Conference title?  According to the AHL it has been six years since two sets of AHL and NHL affiliates have met each other in playoff series at the same time in both leagues (Toronto/N.Y. Islanders, St. John’s/Bridgeport in 2002).  It will be interesting scheduling because the Phantoms are having to play their games at the Wachovia Center because the Circus is at the Spectrum.  Will make practice ice in the region very tight indeed.  But it certainly bodes well for the future of both franchises and also is a great reflection of two great Minnesota-born General Managers, Holmgren & Shero, who also happen to be managing Team USA as well. The Chicago Wolves, featuring Joe Motzko and Colin Stuart, have a two games to one lead over the Rockford Ice Hogs.
 
That was Bloomington's own Toby Petersen who was amazing in Dallas's Game Six overtime victory agains the San Jose Sharks.  Petersen was also a key component of Edmonton's Stanley Cup Finals run.  No doubt, Petersen would love to see a 1991 rematch against the Pittsburgh Penguins, his former NHL club.  Petersen used to skate a line with Jaromir Jagr and Mario Lemieux.  Petersen has had an up and down career, toiling between great spurts in the NHL and minor leagues, and spent most of this season excelling with the Iowa Stars prior to this recall.  His fresh legs undoubtedly helped in the marathon overtime session but Petersen's feat was even more outstanding when you consider the speedy centerman has suffered from Diabetes since childhood.  Not usually a problem, but maintaining a proper blood sugar level with that kind of energy level expenditure had to be challenging, and he almost won the game for the Stars once!