Gophers Vs. St. Cloud

By Fiona C. Quick
 
The University of Minnesota Golden Gophers faced off against the Saint Cloud State Huskies Thursday night in the WCHA Final Five play-in game, eeking out a regulation 3-2 victory in the last seconds of the game.  
 
Minnesota opened scoring just 22 seconds into the first period after Evan Kaufmann shot the puck at goaltender Jase Weslosky, the rebound bounced to Derek Peltier who shot back from the point with Tony Lucia in front, deflecting the puck into the net; a very similar play to the last weekend's game-winner against the Mavericks.
 
Coinciding with the start of the game, the Jewish holiday of Purim, began at sundown on Thursday evening.  One of traditional observances of Purim, which marks the salvation of the Jews from the evil Haman, is the giving of charity.  The Gophers did plenty of that to the Huskies on Thursday night donating Saint Cloud numerous power play opportunities through the first two periods.  Head coach Don Lucia said that the penalties were likely a result of some tired legs from the marathon three-game multiple overtime series against Minnesota State, Mankato.  
 
"There were a lot of penalties in the first couple of periods some of them becouse youre a little tired and you're sticking your stick out and getting a little hook here and a tug," said Lucia.
 
The gifts finally paid off for the Huskies as Garrett Raboin capitalized on the man advantage with Ben Gordon in the box for hooking, tying the score at one in the first period.
 
Purim is sometimes called the Jewish Mardi Gras and it was definitely a parade to the penalty box for the Golden Gophers.  Minnesota gave the Huskies two 3-on-5 opportunities and 7 power play opportunities through the first two periods of play but Minnesota's Evan Kaufmann scored a go-ahead goal from the doorstep of the crease in the second period, putback of Blake Wheeler's rebound attempt after Cade Fairchild whistled a shot from the left circle.  
 
But the Huskies weren't done playing the role of the Evil Haman for the Gophers after Tony Mosey beat Alex Kangas on a two-on-one after a turnover at the blueline with less than four minutes to go in the third period.
 
Shortly after the tying goal, however, Saint Cloud took an undisciplined penalty after Nick Oslund ran into Alex Kangas behind the net, drawing a goaltender interference call.  Something that Huskies coach Bob Motzko was visibly upset with following the game.
 
" (It was) uncharacteristic for us, we take a lot of pride to be a very disciplined program.  They were terrible penalties by our guys.  We had things happen to us that we don't normally see.  We shot ourselves in the foot with discipline and that is something that people who follow our program know that we don't do that," said Motzko.
 
Taking the Purim analogy to an absurd extreme, it was Mike Howe who became the Gophers' Mordecei on Thursday.  With less than twenty seconds left on clock, Derek Peltier shot the puck from the point, missed the net but the rebound shot came right to a lurking Mike Howe, who put the puck past the Huskies netmider for the game-winner, sending the record crowd of 19,232 into a frenzy.
 
Said Howe of the goal, "I was kind of hanging off the end of the net trying to get lost, and I knew the puck would be coming.  I was just trying to get open for a rebound and sure enough it came off the back wall and it came right to my stick and I just had to tap it in after that."
 
Howe, a senior, knew that the Gophers were the underdogs and weren't expected to triumph over the Huskies, just as they weren't expected to beat the Mavericks before them.
 
"It showed the character we had in our locker room that we came out and played as well as we did," he said.  "Scoring a big goal like that. . .is pretty special."
 
Coach Don Lucia pointed to the leadership of his seniors for the victory.
 
"I'm real proud of our guys.  They'be been through a lot the last week physically emotionally. To come out and play as well as they did is a real credit to them.  We've lost so many close games all season long all of a sudden now its turned the other way a little bit and that's a credit to our seniors and our team that they've been able to hang in there and find a way to keep playing."
 
Senior Captain Derek Peltier said the seniors had special motivation to secure the win, they didn't want it to end.
 
"It is a Special time for us its our last go around," he said.   "We obviously want to keep this going as long as we can.  We enjoy playing with each other it is fun wearing the 'M' every night so we want to keep this going as long as we can."
 
So just as the Jews staved off their decreee to be wiped out by Haman, the Gophers have staved off yet another elimination in the WCHA playoffs.  But before they engorge themselves on too many hamantaschen in celebration, Minnesota will need to prepare to face the Colorado College Tigers, the WCHA MacNaughton Cup Champions as regular season points winners in Friday's evening's game.  The Gophers need to win in order secure their own fate for an NCAA tournament bid.
 
*************************************
 
Thoughts with Missing Teammate
 
Though Minnesota's victory was sweet, players were thinking of their teammate who couldn't be with them.  Golden Gopher senior Tom Pohl is recovering from surgery to repair a skull fracture and brain bleed after an injury suffered during the game against Minnesota State Mankato on Sunday.  
 
Said fellow senior Mike Howe after the game, "Tommy has been one of the guys all four years he's been here who has dedicated himself completely to the program it was tough seeing a guy like that go down, he's a good guy for us in the locker room.  We kind of rallied around what happened with him as we played.  We wish him a fast recovery and our thoughts and prayers are with him."
 
Don Lucia added "We are disappointed he's not here with us.  He is a program guy, he's not a star player.  He's a star student and a star person and he's been able to fulfull a role we miss him playing fourth line left wing and killing penalties for us and we're disappointed that he can't be a part of this with us this year.  Its not let 'Let's go win one for Tommy" its more lets go work hard like Tommy does and let's keep him (in our thoughts) and keep hoping he can improve on a day-to-day basis."
 
Lucia said during a radio interview that Pohl was expected to be discharged from the hospital within a few days and that the hope was that he may be able to join his teammates, watching an NCAA playoff game.
 
*********************************************
The HotDish?
 
Officials from the Western Collegiate Hockey Association and Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul together with representatives of Minnesota State University and the University of Minnesota Duluth jointly announced plans for an inaugural WCHA State of Minnesota college hockey showcase.  The first event will be held at Xcel Energy Center on November 1st and will feature all four Minnesota WCHA teams including the University of Minnesota, University of Minnesota, Duluth, Minnesota State Mankato and Saint Cloud State University competing in a doubleheader format.  The games will count as regular season WCHA games.
 
Both UMD and MSU will give up home games to host the event at Xcel Energy Center and will split the gate proceeds in a revenue sharing arrangement with the Xcel Energy Center.  The WCHA will retan broadcast and advertising rights for the event.
 
Bob Nielson, athletic director at the University of Minnesota, Duluth believes this is both a beneficial financial and promotional opportunity for the Bulldogs.  
 
"Because of the size of the building there is an opportunity for us, in addition to the financial consideration.  Each of us as schools have thousands of alumni in the Twin Cities area and it is a good opportunity to showcase the WCHA, college hockey and the state of Minnesota and in our case UMD hockey to a lot of our alumni that are in the local Twin Cities area"
 
"It is great exposure opportunity for our institution and a great financial windfall and the short term sacrifice is offset by the longer term financial gain," said Kevin Buisman, Director of Athletics for Minnesota State University.
 
One of the first priorities for the event is a name, it doesn't have one.
 
"Obviously we'd love to have one name like "The Beanpot"," said WCHA Commissioner Bruce McLeod, referring to the storied Boston college hockey tournament.  "My first suggestion was I think "The Hotdish"," he said.  McLeod says they haven't ruled out a promotional contest to name the tournament and he is taking suggestions.
 
The future of the "showcase" is currently up in the air, however, though league officials say they are optimistic schedules can be arranged to accomodate the event.
 
Another obstacle is the financial one for the Gopher program, for whom hockey home dates generate significant revenue at the Mariucci Arena and they are not likely willing to forfeit a home date, even on a rotating basis.  McLeod acknowledged this challenge in organizing the showcase in the first place.
 
 "It has been talked about for years and years.  It is a very difficult thing to organize because for the University of Minnesota it doesn't work out financially very well for them.  
We understand Minnesota's financial situation with the whole thing and there has even been some discussion rotating it between St. Cloud, Duluth and Mankato.  I will tell you that Minnesota has said 'Let's see how we can work this out'.  They don't want to preclude that they can't use a home game for the event.  They have said it is a great event and they want to participate fully so some of the wrinkles we have to work out."
 
MSU and UMD Athletic Directors lead the effort to organize the event when they discovered a quirk in the WCHA schedule had all four teams competing against each other the same weekend.  The Minnesota Wild President Doug Risebrough volunteered the date in the building for the event.
 

One Gopher goalie doing well: Kellen Briggs gets AHL shot

By Fiona C. Quick
 
While the University of Minnesota Golden Gopher Men's Hockey Team gets set to take on the University of Minnesota, Duluth Bulldogs this weekend there will be much focus on the performace of whoever will be between the pipes.  Many Gopher fans would love to have former Gopher Kellen Briggs back minding the nets.  
 
Briggs graduated last year and signed a professional contract with the ECHL Idaho Steelheads and was recently signed to a Professional Tryout with the AHL Rockford IceHogs, the minor league affiliate of the Chicago Blackhawks.  Briggs has continued the consistently steady play he was known for in college into the professional ranks.
 
With the Steelheads, he has been named an ECHL Goalie of the Week, is the leading goaltender in the league and was recently named to the ECHL National Conference All Star Team.
 
Always humble, Briggs gave credit for his All Star nomination to his teammates saying, “My team is really playing well in front of me, and that helps me out a lot. There are a lot of good leaders on that team," he said "they really help the young guys with the transition to pro hockey.”
 
That transition from college is something Briggs admits was challenging; that there are different nuances between the styles of play that took getting used to.
 
“The (pro) game is a little more structured," he said,  "it’s a little more defensive. College hockey can be more run and gun.  Especially with a lot of the Olympic size ice sheets that we played on.  (College Hockey) is very offensive-first so its nice as a goalie to switch to a little more defensive style hockey.”
 
Briggs said that “things happen a little bit quicker (in the pros), pucks get to the net quicker and guys don’t really have a whole lot of time to set up on the half wall and look for the pretty play. You really have to be sharp and really take care of your rebounds.”
 
He seems to be doing a pretty good job of that.  In 17 games with the Steelheads the rookie goalie has a goals against average of 1.97 with a save percentage of .932 with ten wins, tops in the league.
 
The Colorado Springs native attended the Chicago Blackhawks prospect camp last fall but this is his first opportunity to play in the American Hockey League.  In his typical laid-back fashion, Briggs is taking the promotion opportunity in stride.
 
“You just have to keep an open mind and everyday you have to go to practice and go to the rink and try and work hard," he said, "try to make it to the next level.”
 
Rockford Head Coach Mike Haviland certainly has high expectations for the former Gopher.  Said Haviland, "We had him in our prospect camp and he really opened up a lot of eyes. Certainly now that we have had a lot of injuries, we have a need.  He has good credentials coming from Minnesota and then the ECHL. He's a very good athlete and we would like to get an opportunity to get him into a game.”
 
Though he is very excited about his professional career going so well Briggs has nothing but fond memories of playing for Minnesota.  Said the former captain of his years as a Gopher,   “It was unbelievable, we had tons of fans, packed (arenas), it was a lot of fun.”
 
Briggs reported to Rockford on Tuesday and backed up starter Corey Crawford for the Hogs' 3-1 victory versus the Manchester Monarchs on Wednesday.  Rockford plays a pair of back-to-back games in Des Moines against the Iowa Stars Friday and Saturday evening so despite Crawford's outstanding play, there is a chance Briggs could get his first AHL start in one of those games.

Minnesota's Big Mo: 
Golden Gophers top Air Force 4-3 in
NCAA West Regional

By Fiona C. Quick

"Sometimes being pushed to the wall gives you the momentum necessary to get over it!" – Peter de Jager
 
A Ryan Stoa power play goal late in the third period gave the University of Minnesota Men’s Hockey Team the momentum to overcome a 3-1 deficit to defeat the Air Force Academy Falcons by a score of 4-3 in the NCAA West Regional Semifinal on Saturday afternoon.  The goal, scored after the Falcons had staked a two-goal lead on a two man advantage, gave the Gophers the spark they seemed to have lacked for most of the game.
 
“When we got down a couple goals the thing we talked about in the locker room is just ‘leave it all out there, play with no regrets,” said Mike Vannelli.  “Right after that goal went in we felt the momentum change.  You could really feel it after that goal.”
 
Air Force opened the scoring at 9:55 of the first period on a point blank shot from Jeff Hajner just outside the crease that eked between the post and the skate of Kellen Briggs to give the Falcons an early lead.
 
The Falcons played with an intensive forecheck and aggressive backcheck that put the Gophers on the defensive for most of the first period.  Minnesota put up little resistance at their own blueline and was beaten to the majority of pucks in their end.
  
Head coach Don Lucia said his team showed they were under pressure. “Sometimes when you get a little nervous your legs don’t go and I think that happened a little tonight.”
 
Jay Barriball tied the game for the Gophers at 9:00 of the second on a nice lead out pass from Mike Vannelli.  Bariball skated in on net and unleashed a shot from the left circle that beat goaltender Andrew Volkening through the legs.
   
“I just picked the puck up behind the net and saw Jay streaking through the neutral zone and tried to put it on his tape.  Once you get it to a forward like Jay he just takes it from there.  He scored the goal and that sparked us a little bit,” said Vannelli.
  
The Gophers carried the play through toward the end of the second period but a late penalty to Justin Bostrom for interference put the Gophers on the penalty kill.  Forty seconds into the Falcons’ power play Referee Scott Hansen called Tony Lucia for interference, a questionable call.
  
“I reviewed the tape,” said Lucia.  “I thought he was just finishing his check.”
  
The additional penalty gave Air Force a five-on-three advantage and Andrew Ramsey scored the go-ahead goal with less than 40 seconds left in the period.
 
Minnesota returned in the third to kill the remaining power-play time but Air Force tallied again, the two-goal lead, energizing the predominately pro-Air Force crowd at Pepsi Center, and deflating the numerous Gopher fans who made the trip.
  
The Falcons’ third goal came after a great personal effort by Falcons’ forward Brett Nylander who beat Briggs on a wrap-around goal after gathering his own rebound and beating defender R.J. Anderson behind the net.
 
Lucia was concerned at that point.  “We’re not a real high scoring team, so when we were down 3-1 we were in trouble,” he said.  
  
“We got into some trouble with our puck protection.  We’ve talked about it all year, when the Bad Gophers start turning pucks over we get into problems.  Good Gophers get pucks in deep and protect it and support it.  Sometimes we protect it better, and when we do that’s when we play our best,” said Lucia.
  
The Gophers were not at their best until a key play in the middle of the third period.
 
A cross-checking penalty to Frank Schiavone of Air Force at 10:02 of the third put Minnesota on the power play, where they admittedly hadn’t been very successful of late.  Which is why when Ryan Stoa scored in front of the net on a great pass from Kyle Okposo it was a game-changer for the Gophers.
  
Said Lucia “as the game was going on our players never felt that sense of urgency.  We had to score on (Schiavone’s penalty) there’s no question.  If we had not scored on that,  I don’t think we would have won that game”
  
“I kept telling Ryan Stoa in practice that ‘you haven’t scored in a while you’re going to get an important goal you’re going to get a big goal and that certainly was for him,” he said.
 
The momentum shift was obvious and the Golden Gophers took over the game after Stoa’s goal.  Jim O’Brien scored, deflecting an Erik Johnson slap shot from the point to tie the game at 14:05 of the third.
  
A minute and 20 seconds later Mike Carmen put the Gophers ahead on a flukey goal.  Carmen took a shot in the slot that deflected up and over the net, bounced off the glass back in front of the net, Carmen swatted at it while Mike Flynn was checking a Falcons defenseman in the crease.  The puck trickled in the net, followed by the Air Force player carrying netminder Volkening with him.  After a brief review by the officials, the goal stood and the Gophers had taken the lead 4-3.
  
Air Force head coach Frank Serratore pulled his goalie with more than two minutes left in the third period after the Falcons had secured a face-off in the Gopher end.  Air Force put up great pressure but several key saves by Kellen Briggs and some key clears by Minnesota secured the victory for the Gophers.
 
There is no doubt that the Stoa power play goal was the key play that changed the game for Minnesota.
 
“The goal makes it 3-2 it’s that momentum changer, and we were able to get that momentum and keep attacking and attacking and then scored the next couple of goals relatively soon,” said coach Don Lucia.
 
Mike Vanelli said “hard work is always something that is going to lead to goals and scoring chances.  At the same time momentum had a lot to do with it”
  
“It was huge for us to get that power play goal. Being down 3-1 you’ve got to take advantage of the power plays when you get them.  It sparked our team and got us going and really turned the game around,” said Mike Carmen.
 
Minnesota saved its best hockey for the last ten minutes of the game and were lucky to get the victory from a tough Air Force team.
 
Said Vannelli, “We were fortunate to get a couple breaks there and score a few goals.  It was a tight hockey game all the way throughout.”
  
They will need more than ten minutes and a little luck on Saturday to earn a berth to the Frozen Four.  The Gophers will face WCHA rival North Dakota in the West Regional Final after the Fighting Sioux beat Michigan 8-5 on Friday thanks mostly to their deadly power play and despite the score, and outstanding third period effort by goaltender Philippe Lamoreaux.
  
Lamoreaux was questionable after allowing two goals in the first minute and a half of the game and Michigan netminder Billy Sauer fared no better.  The score was 5-4 at the end of two but the Sioux pulled ahead in the third, scoring twice and adding a late empty net goal with Lamoreaux shutting out the Michigan Wolverine's star offense.  
 
The West Regional Final will be a rematch of the WCHA Final Five Broadmoor Championship game held last week in Saint Paul.

Goli Gone?

By Fiona C. Quick

Chuck Fletcher, Assistant General Manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins will be in attendance at the WCHA Final Five this weekend with scout Chuck Grillo.  They will be intently watching top prospects Alex Goligoski of the Golden Gophers and Bobby Goepfert of the St. Cloud State Huskies, amongst others.
 
The Penguins offered Goligoski a professional contract last summer, but the Gopher defenseman declined the deal and chose to return to the University of Minnesota for his junior season.  He remains one of the Penguins' top rated prospects.
 
"He's played very well this season and at this point he looks to be as talented as any defenseman in hockey," said Fletcher.
 
"We've watched him play several times this season.  We hope he and the Golden Gophers will continue to do well and finish with a National Championship."
 
Despite a decline in his offensive production since the start of the season Fletcher says he and the Penguins have no concerns.
 
"To us he's a skilled defenseman and certain players are going to have segments where they may not have as much production.  His points still measure up well against any defensemen in the NCAA.  We don't have any concerns."
 
When asked whether the Penguins would try and sign Goligoski following this season Fletcher said, "one of our philosophies as an organization is to allow players to develop in the organizations they are in.  We have not pursued him this season, his focus needed to be on hockey, we want to stay out of the way.  But after this season, hopefully after he has won the championship, at the right time, we will discuss things with Alex and his family and see where we are."
 
Though Fletcher did not deny the possibility of signing Goligoski to play with the Penguins during their playoff run this season, he did add that the Penguins currently have seven healthy defenseman with one about to return from injury.
 
"It is within the realm of possibility but the focus will be on making the right decision for the future, for the organization and for Alex."
 
Goligoski isn't the only Golden Gopher impressing the Penguins.  Former Gopher defenseman Todd Richards, whom Fletcher noted still owns some defensive records with the school, is very successful as the first-year head coach of the Penguins' primary affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.  
 
"Todd's done a great job.  He's somebody that has paid his dues in Milwaukee as an assistant and has applied that well with us.  He's a passionate guy, a very detailed coach who has delivered great results," said Fletcher.
 
"He's got the third best team in the league, but the only problem is that we're in third place in the division because the top three teams are all in our division," said Fletcher.
 
Fletcher was impressed that Richards has faced a lot of adversity with a rotating roster due to numerous call-ups to both Pittsburgh and Edmonton, with whom they share the affiliation.  He said that Todd, flanked by assistant coach Dan Bylsma, a former Bowling Green standout, has excelled managing the roster and getting his players on the same page despite the turnover.
 
"He's got a .700 winning percentage.  He's done a very good job."
 
After noting that the Penguins have a mangement staff with a decided Minnesota flavor Fletcher said " (General Manager) Ray Shero and Todd Richards are pretty passionate guys, Grillo too!  It is the State of Hockey right?"

Quick Gopher Feature:

By Fiona C. Quick

The University of Minnesota Men's Gopher hockey team has not been playing hockey like it did during a 20-game unbeaten streak at the start of the season.  That has left many grasping for answers as to why.  A statistical analysis shows there is one primary reason for the slide, Tyler Hirsch being removed from the team.
 
While Quick Facts does not question the decision to remove Hirsch from the team, statistically speaking, it has had a drastic impact on the squad, a negative one.
 
The Golden Gophers held a winning percentage of .810 with Tyler Hirsch in the lineup, now hold a winning percentage of .588 without Hirsch on the roster.  Their total season winning percentage is .702.
 
The biggest impact of Hirsch's departure seems to be on the scoring numbers of Blake Wheeler, Ben Gordon as well as defensemen Mike Vannelli and Alex Goligoski, all of whom were great contributors to the Gopher offense early in the season but have tailed off since December 30th.   Gordon has only two goals since Hirsch left, Wheeler only three.  
 
While Kyle Okposo's goal total may have decreased with the departure of his set-up man, he is still generating points, seeing only a 27% decrease in points since Hirsch left the team.  Okposo's goal and assist totals have just to flip-flopped.  With Hirsch on the team Okposo had 15 goals and eight assists, without Hirsch he has two goals and 12 assists. Without Hirsch's amazing ability to set up a play and find a pass in a seam that few can, Okposo has not scored as many goals, though his assists have now increased.
 
Tyler Hirsch held an average of 1.47 points per game this season with the Gophers. Kyle Okposo, the frequent scoring partner of Hirsch, still holds a 1.12 point per game average, the highest on the team.  
 
Ryan Stoa too, has not seen as serious of a decline in his scoring totals since Hirsch was removed from the team, seeing only a 27% decline.  Jay Barriball, the leading scorer this season, has seen just a 25% reduction in his productivity.
 
Blake Wheeler has seen a 54% decrease in points, exceeded only by Mike Vannelli's decrease of 55%, since the departure of Hirsch.  Ben Gordon has seen his scoring decrease 47% since December 30th and Alex Goligoski's scoring has declined 44% in that time.
 
Most of the players with the largest decline in production spent time with Hirsch on the Gopher power play unit, which has been rendered mediocre of late.  All of them are players the coaching staff has expected to help carry the offense of the team.
 
The Saturday match-up against Michigan Tech was likely one of Ben Gordon's & Blake Wheeler's worst performances as Gophers, and it was apparent the coaching staff made that clear to them.  Gordon was seen hugging his mother, reportedly in tears, following the 4-5 loss at the hands of the Huskies.  Coach Don Lucia's quotes to the media, placing blame on his "better players" and it "isn't just the freshman" further points to Gordon, and Wheeler, amongst others, being called out.  
 
One player that had a career game, despite the loss, was Evan Kaufmann, who has actually seen his point total increase 150% since Tyler Hirsch became a former Gopher.
 
Quick Facts did a comparison with Kaufmann, who also missed quite a bit of time due to injury during the downward slide for the Gophers, but his impact is not nearly as great as the loss of Hirsch.  In fact the Gophers' winning percentage with Kaufmann in the lineup is exactly the same as without him in the lineup, .667.  However, those statistics may not reflect his true impact since being moved to the top line with Kyle Okposo and Ryan Stoa.
 
Evan Kaufmann's addition to the first line seems to have stabilized the trio the past two games, thanks, for the most part, to the all out effort of Kaufmann.  Named the WCHA co-offensive player of the week last week with a two-goal Friday and three-goal Saturday he helped his line to a combined 9-point weekend.
 
It was Kaufmann, if Gopher fans recall, who scored the game-winning goal in the WCHA playoffs against Alaska-Anchorage last season, and, in his freshman year, scored the game-winner against Maine in the first round of the 2005 NCAA Regional at Mariucci Arena.  If he keeps this up, Kaufmann may make a bid to steal the "Mr. March" tag from former Gopher Nick Checco.  
 
But try as he might, Kaufmann has yet to make the impact of Hirsch on the players around him.  If last weekend is any indication, he is certainly doing his part to change that trend; to make up for the deficit all by himself.  The problem is, this time of year, the other Gopher players will need to put forth the same kind of effort.  
 
The Gophers need to finally move on from the Tyler Hirsch era and create their own impact, or the season will end much earlier than anticipated.
 

A Wild New Face
Coleraine's Ken Gernander discusses new Wild acquisition Dominic Moore with Quick Facts; provides updates on hometown boys Bryce Lampman, Jake Taylor and himself

By Fiona C. Quick

Center Dominic Moore, acquired by the Wild at the trade deadline, played with Ken Gernander for the Hartford Wolf Pack.  Gernander has since moved on to become the assistant coach of the Wolf Pack.  Quick Facts checked in with the Coleraine native to get his thoughts on Moore, and other topics.
 
When asked what kind of player Moore is Gernander replied: "He's got good speed and he always keeps himself in top shape which enhances his game."  Gernander was impressed with Moore's committment to fitness, saying that it undoubtedly helped with his game.
 
As for Moore's offensive talents Gernander said, "He makes some pretty good plays one-on-one from time to time.  He's got enough of a shot to finish when he's got an opportunity. He's a third-fourth line center type guy, fairly efficient game.  He surprises guys with a good little move and he's got the speed to pull away."
 
Former Gopher Gernander, who was the captain of the Wolf Pack during Moore's tenure thre said the Harvard grad wasn't the most vocal in the dressing room.  "As a teammate he was a pretty quiet guy, kept to himself for the most part, definitely a team player, not a selfish person.  Really intelligent kid, really knows his game and was good at managing his game" said Gernander  
 
When asked about Moore's faceoff prowess Gernander said he wasn't known for that skill with the Wolf Pack. "That may have been something he's developed and worked on."
 
Gernander genuinely liked Moore as a teammate and believes he will be a good acquisition for the Wild.  "He's one of those guys when on a night when your first or second line maybe hasn't produced that night; he's someone from the third line that might surprise you and chip in a goal."
 
No regrets for Taylor despite painful start to career
The Assistant Coach also took the time to provide upates to Quick Facts on two Minnesota players currently in his organization; defensemen Jake Taylor and Bryce Lampmen.
 
Former Gopher Jake Taylor left the University of Minnesota after his freshman season to sign a contract with the New York Rangers.  It hasn't been a smooth transition thanks to Taylor fracturing his orbital bone, twice, and a fracturing his clavicle.
 
"He's had a tough start to a career," said Gernander.  "This is his third professional season and he's undergone his third surgery this year."
 
Taylor is currently on assignment to the Charlotte Checkers of the ECHL but don't rule him out for an AHL return soon, and a possible NHL bid in the future.  
 
"The kid works so hard and he's such a good courageous kid I wouldn't count him out.  He has missed a lot of good development time but we're all very aware of that and people within the organization who know Jake know what he brings and are really impressed with his work ethic.  I think for that reason he's a very good prospect or ours," said Gernander.
 
As for whether Gernander thinks Taylor has any regrets leaving MN early he said "I don't think he regrets his decision at all.  I think he's done quite a bit of growing and learning even given his injury situation."  
 
Bryce Lampman ready to make the jump
Bryce Lampman is another Rangers prospect under the tuteledge of Ken Gernander.  A fourth round draft pick of the NY Rangers Lampman has seen time in ten NHL games during his five-year professional career.  This season with the Pack he has five goals and 11 assists in 46 games but is currently out with an injury sustained after taking a high stick to the eye.
 
Gernander believes that Lampman is about to break through to take a permanent NHL roster spot.
 
"He's right there he's on the cusp.  He's in New York's thoughts when it is time to recall players from Hartford.  He's so close, he's knocking on the door.  Maybe in a different organization he may be playing up, that's how close he is.  Right now New York is pretty secure in their defense, but one injury and they're going to need a player and I think Bryce might fit that bill. NHL-wise he's right there, he's very close."  
 
Gernander said the injury was serious but AHL rules mandate the wearing of protective visors which likely prevented some damage.
 
Describing the injury Gernander said, "he was hit in the eye with a high stick and suffered some bleeding.  They're waiting for that to drain, they're expecting a full recovery but they're just waiting for the swelling and bleeding to go down."
 
Lampman is listed as day-to-day and will be reevaluated soon, but Gernander can't wait to get him back in the lineup.
 
"We're very fortunate to have him in Hartford he's become one of our captains.  He's one of our best puck movers on the point and the power play and so we're hoping for a full recovery from the eye.  The sooner we can get him back in the lineup the better.  
 
From Captain Ken to Coach Ken
Gernander also discussed with Quick Facts how he is doing personally this season. His Hartford Wolf Pack team is in the hunt for the Calder Cup, increasing in momentum with a much better record of late.
 
"We had a real slow start, but we're slowly starting to creep up on some of the teams in front of us in the standings," he said.  Its been a real gratifying season.  We have a lot of first year guys, which was a big reason for our slow start.  But they're great kids, everything we've presented to them they've been very receptive and really worked on it.  They've gotten better; week by week you can see the improvement."
 
The former Gopher played 14 years of professional hockey, establishing many benchmarks. He remains the highest-scoring American-born player (293-331-624) and ranks eighth all-time in AHL games played (973) in AHL history. Gernander is also the Wolf Pack's all-time franchise record-holder in points (347), games-played (599) and playoff games-played (78). Gernander owns the record for most playoff game appearances when he skated in his 121st post-season outing vs. the Lowell Lock Monsters on April 26, 2005, surpassing longtime record holder Fred Glover.
 
Only in his second year behind the bench Gernander said that while he does miss playing he is truly enjoying coaching.
 
"(It was a) real good transition last year.   Its always tough to leave the game you love, but it was a unique situation and a pretty good situation for me both personally and professionally and I've really enjoyed making the switch."
 
When asked if he has aspirations to take over the head coaching job in Hartford Gernander responded diplomatically.    
 
"I have a great relationship with our head coach Jim Schonfeld and he's our general manager.  When he presented me with the job opportunity two years ago,  he expressed, just like the players in our league and that would be on our team, he would like to help me develop as a coach as well.  I think thats quite unique and quite an opportunity for me as well.  I've just been trying to make the most of my situation right now and this is great experience for me.  Just like the guys on our team, I'm learning every day."
 
Gernander doesn't have opportunity to keep up with his alma mater Gophers much these days.  "I've got enough trouble keeping up with my own team," he said.  When updated about their shaky play against Saint Cloud he said, "I hope they get it together."
 
The Hartford Wolk Pack meet the Wilkes Barre/Scranton Penguins this weekend, a big game with playoff implications for both organizations.  The Penguins are coached by Gernander's former Minnesota teammate Todd Richards, who is in his rookie year as a head coach after spending several years as an assistant with the Chicago Wolves.  
 
"He has a really good club," said Gernander of Richards' Baby Pens who are just five points out of first place in the AHL Eastern Conference standings.  
 
Richards was named head coach of the PlanetUSA All Star Team thanks to his outstanding record.
 
"You hear scuttlebutt around the league and everyone in those two organizations has good things to say about him," Gernander added about Richards.
 
Quick Facts hears scuttlebutt too, and the word is that Gernander isn't far from becoming a successful head coach himself.  He certainly sounds like a head coach already.

Minnesota Wild rank 13th in NHL franchise value in annual report

By Fiona C. Quick

The Forbes Magazine annual valuation of NHL franchises has been released based on last season's numbers.  The Minnesota Wild rank 13th on the list of 30 NHL teams, according to Forbes, with a Team Value listed at $163 million, meaning the team is now worth twice the $80 million Bob Naegele and his investment group paid for the franchise in 1999. The value is broken down as $16 million for belonging to the NHL, $62 million for the market, $62 million for the arena and $22 million for Brand Management.   Forbes lists the Wild's annual revenue at $71 million with an operating income (profit) of $4.7 million, Player Expenses of $31 million and gate reciepts that total $35 million.  They list the Wild as having a 79% debt to value ratio. Revenues and operating income are for the 2005-06 season and are the net of revenue sharing.

The Toronto Maple Leafs once again rank at the top of the Forbes Valuation list, with a current value of $332 million. The Leafs are followed by the New York Rangers, Detroit Red Wings, Dallas Stars and Philadelphia Flyers, rounding out the top five teams in the NHL with the highest value according to Forbes.  The Washington Capitals have the lowest value, according to Forbes, at $127 million. The Atlanta Thrashers just miss out on that dubious distinction with a value of $128 million.  

Three of the last four NHL expansion teams rank in to bottom of NHL valuations, the Blue Jackets rank 26th ($139 million), the Nashville Predators ($134 million) and the Atlanta Thrashers ($128 million).  The only recent expansion team to rank in the top half of the NHL in value according to Forbes is the Minnesota Wild.  Nashville, Columbus and Atlanta all suffered despite having amongst the best arena deals in the league, all in brand new buildings.

Last year's Stanley Cup playoff finalists saw the greatest increase in value with the Anaheim Ducks and Buffalo Sabres topping the list with a two-year value increase of 45%.  They were closely followed by the Carolina Hurricanes who saw their 2-year value increase 44% and the Edmonton Oilers who saw thier value increase 40%.  Sidney Crosby no doubt had an effect on Pittsburgh, who, despite ranking 28th in total value in the NHL, saw their two-year value increase 31%, but revenue sharing can also be a reason.

As evidenced by their first home game without a sellout in almost their entire tenure in Colorado, the Avalanche's honeymoon appears to be over in Denver.  The Avs had the the second-to-the-last worst revenue decrease, losing 11% of their franchise value over the last two years, according to the Forbes calculations.  Only the New York Islanders' value decreased more, losing 12%.  The Islanders also rank the lowest in Operating Income with a deficit income of -$9.2 million, $5 million lower than any other NHL team, but only because teams in New York are not eligible for revenue sharing under the new agreement.  Had they received money from revenue sharing, the Islanders would have ended in the black by about $2 million.

Thanks in part to the new Collective Bargaining Agreement capping player salaries at 54% of revenue, the average value of an NHL franchise rose to $180 million with an operating profit of $4.2 million according to the Forbes story.  Prior to the lockout an average team was worth $163 million with an operating revenue of $3.2 million.

Media market size seems to have an affect on the values of NHL franchises.  Considering that, according to Forbes, each team received only $2 million from the NHL's television rights deal with Comcast's Versus network and the advertising revenue sharing deal with GE's NBC netted virtually nothing, teams that generate their own television revenue seemed to have done the best.  The Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers, Detroit Red Wings and Philadelphia Flyers all rank in the top five and all have very lucrative television deals. The Minnesota Wild, though in the top twenty media markets, do not receive a great deal of revenue from their television contracts with FSN North and KSTC, but the presence also boosts their brand management bottom line.  

The Chicago Blackhawks, in contrast, have seen their once loyal fan base completely descimated by their poor performance on the ice, and the Hawks' complete lack of media presence due to owner Bill Wirtz' refusal to broadcast home games. The Hawks have seen their value drop from amongst the top in the NHL to only 12th place at $168 million, a drop of 6% over the last two years and has steadily decreased since a high of $218 million in 2002.  Forbes estimates that the Hawks are undervalued by tens of millions because of shoddy management.  Wirtz bought the team for $1 million in 1954.  

Forbes also named the Wild as having the best Fan Experience, following the lead of ESPN The Magazine and Sports Illustrated who also said the building has the best atmosphere. Forbes named the Fan Experience at Xcel Energy Center as the best in its feature "Building the Ultimate NHL Team", taking elements from each team an Ultimate NHL club should have.  In the feature Nashville was named for best arena deal; Boston's TD Banknorth was named for best naming rights deal that pays them $5 million a year; Toronto for best media rights deal that pays $20 million annually; New York City was named the ultimate location because you can charge so much for tickets and luxury add-ins, and its New York; Colorado Avalanche fans were named the ultimate for their record sellout streak (though it is now over); the Buffalo Sabres players were named the ultimate (though they won't be able to afford to keep them past this season); Ottawa's John Muckler was named the best General Manager to have for an NHL team because his wins-to-player cost ratio has averaged 146 over the last three years; Michael Ilitch was named the best owner for an ultimate team for keeping his average ticket price to only $43 and putting a competitive team on the ice; and not surprisingly, AOL honcho Ted Leonsis gets props for his Washington Capitals' website.

Considering the lockout, and inflation of ticket prices, the Wild's valuation can be considered excellent, despite the debt load carried by the club.  A doubling of an investment is good by any calculations. 

All figures and facts taken from the Forbes Magazine report.


Coming soon: an evaluation of NHL jersey sales!

Student Athletes and their use of Social Network websites has consequences

By Fiona C. Quick

Last year KMSP TV had interns log onto Facebook.com and access private profiles of some Minnesota Men's Hockey players, revealing photographs depicting underage players with alcohol in their hands.  
 
At North Carolina's Christian Elon University pictures of baseball players at a party were displayed on a Facebook.com profile.  The players were shown drinking and wearing women's underwear, not exactly a pious pose.  
 
Louisiana State University officials came across a the MySpace profiles of two members of the women's swim team that contained derogatory comments about their coaches.  The players were kicked off the team.
 
The use of social networking, online communities like MySpace.com, Facebook.com and Xanga.com has skyrocketed in the past two years.  And that use includes student athletes.  It is a new phenomenon and school policies are scrambling to keep up.
 
At recent NCAA Student Athlete Advisory Committee meetings players were advised to use discretion when posting statements and pictures on the community sites but it was recommended that schools should not restrict or prohibit the use of the sites by student athletes.
 
Some schools have done just that, Kent State University announced that all their student athletes would be banned from posting on Facebook.com and MySpace.com.  Colorado has banned students from using the community sites at school laboratories. Loyola University threatened to revoke scholarships for student athletes who did not remove profiles. Florida State has also forced student athletes to shut down their Facebook.com sites.
 
To avoid any confusion North Carolina State has posted their social networking policy on their compliance website at http://www7.acs.ncsu.edu/gopack/compliance.htm, a policy they adapted from those instituted at Wichita State University, UC Riverside and Northern Kentucky University.
 
While Civil Libertarians are up in arms about any restriction of free speech there is another aspect to posting private information in a public space that some student athletes tend to forget.  By having profiles on these community websites the threat isn't always just to a student's reputation, some student athletes have had personal information contained on their sites used to find them for unwanted communication by predators, stalkers, gamblers, opponents' fans, and even sports agents.  All of which can cause a player much more harm than embarassment.
 
With all the recent controversies about student athletes and their use of social networking sites like MySpace.com and Facebook.com, Quick Facts decided to ask the Athletic Director Joel Maturi what policies the University of Minnesota has in place regarding student athletes' use of the sites.  
 
"As a Department we have spoken about this issue often but have not prohibited [profiles]" said Maturi.  "Coaches and administration (including me) have spoken to the student-athletes about the sites, the dangers and consequences", he added.
 
Maturi also said that Minnesota coaches do monitor the sites for player profiles and signs of team rule violations and some coaches, like hockey coach Don Lucia, have additional policies and consequences in place should they find anything posted that would reflect poorly on the school, player or program.
 
Players on the hockey team have been told that they need to be smart and responsible when using the networks and there have been no violations known since the guidelines were defined.
 
Though there is a notable increase in the popularity of networking sites like Facebook.com and MySpace.com amongst college students, most student athletes are likely to be much more careful in posting their profiles, if they post one at all, given recent history.  The warnings have been sounded and it does appear they are listening, but only time will tell when or if we hear of another incident involving a college athlete's profile getting them or the school into hot water.

A Wild Salary Situation

Quick Facts has projected the Wild team salary (not including signing bonuses) to be at least $42 million next season.  Below is a grid of players projected to start in the NHL and other possible candidates, and their estimated salaries*
 


* Salaries of Derek Boogaard, Pascal Dupuis, Matt Foy and Josh Harding estimated based on what their qualifying offers would be. Some salaries calculated based on their annual average, the figure applied to the annual salary cap.
 

AHL to require face shields

By Fiona C. Quick

While the National Hockey League did not hold firm to claims it would institute a mandatory visor rule under the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, its primary development league has.  All players in the American Hockey League, including those on assignment from NHL clubs, will be required to wear facial protection.  According to reports there will be no "grandfathering" of the rule.  The AHL Board of Governors voted to approve the rule change at their meetings in Hilton Head South Carolina this week.  The rule will go into affect this fall.
 
"This is a very significant and progressive step in the evolution of our league,” said AHL President and COO Dave Andrews. “The safety of our world-class athletes remains a top priority, and after lengthy discussions with the Professional Hockey Players’ Association and medical experts, there is no doubt in our minds that this is necessary and the right thing to do.”
 
The ECHL was the first minor league to require visors, passing the new rule in January of 2003 for implementation the following season, and it has been in place in that league for three years.  The Central Hockey League and United Hockey League also now require players to wear shields.
 
Jordan Smith, a rookie player with the Portland Pirates was struck in the eye by a puck during last season, and lost his eye as a result.  Smith was a top prospect of the Anaheim Ducks.  While several other players have had reconstructive facial surgery or have had vision affected due to eye injuries in the American Hockey League, it is the Smith injury this past season that is considered the catalyst for finally enacting a mandatory visor rule.  In the National Hockey League last year there were several eye and face injuries in just the first weeks of the season. Mats Sundin was struck by a puck on opening night and Mike Ricci, Raffi Torres, Kris Draper and Tomas Holmstrom all missed time due to facial injuries just at the beginning of the season.
 
Protective face equipment is mandatory in high school, juniors and college, with most leagues for younger players requiring a full cage.  The ECHL began the trend toward implementing the mandatory use of shields at the minor league professional level, and if with the AHL adopting the rule this year, that leaves only the National Hockey League remaining as the last holdout.  That may also change this summer if the NHLPA meetings produce a consensus for the "grandfathering" a mandatory rule into their league, requiring all new players in the league to wear visors but allowing players already in the league to make the choice.  
 
Only time will tell whether the use of protective face shields will be accepted the way helmets now are, but there are several players in the ECHL who can tell you their careers, and their eyes, have been saved by the mandatory use of the shield; there were no signifigant eye injuries in the league at all last year.  
 
(Source: American Hockey League)

Ryan Goes Pro with Philly
Potulny signs with Flyers, will just practice and not play

By Fiona C. Quick

Ryan Potulny has signed a two-year contract reportedly worth $1.6 million with the Philadelphia Flyers.  By signing with the Flyers, Potulny cannot be reassigned to their minor league affiliate Phantoms because he was not on the clear-day roster, a stipulation in the Collective Bargaining Agreement.  Potulny will practice with the Flyers but according to Assistant General Manager Paul Holmgren will not play with the Flyers this season.  The Flyers have a maximum roster already, with two healthy forwards sitting each game.  Potulny is in a similar situation to that of Zach Parise in '03, when he signed and skated with the Devils after North Dakota was out of the playoffs, but he never suited up for a game.  
 
Potulny could still be signed to an Amateur Tryout Agreement with the Flyers' AHL affiliate Phantoms and play with them for the remainder of the year, but it is unlikely as they too have an abundance of players.  Potulny will be brought into training camp next fall to vye for a spot on the Flyers' roster.
 
At least Potulny will have an opportunity to be reunited with former Gopher teammate Barry Tallackson who is playing with the New Jersey Devils, the Flyers' Saturday night opponent.
 
The Minnesota Wild were reportedly waiting to see what offer the Flyers would tender to Potulny before making theirs to Danny Irmen.  Irmen's signing with the Wild is expected today.

Quick Quotes:
“I had a chance to play with (new teammates) in a couple summers camps a couple years ago so I know them a little bit. It’s fun for me to have some of the younger guys here, and I can relate to them a little better. Carter already came up and asked me to hang out, so maybe he can show me the ropes a little bit. It’s nice to have those guys here. I’m just taking it day-by-day right now and trying to keep up with these guys and get used to the speed.”

- Ryan Potulny on taking part in his first practice with the Flyers.
 
“I don’t really know. He’s going to stay with us, and as he gets some more practices under his belt and gets some rest…he finished a long season and it was a tough finish. As he moves along into next week we’ll take a hard look at him. One day out there, I’ve got to tell you, he looks like a very smart, skilled player. You can’t have enough of those. He looks like a very smart, coachable player.  The puck follows him around the rink. You don’t score 40 goals in college by accident and have the numbers he’s had. He has a gift around the net, and we saw some of that in practice today. If he looks like he can help us, there’s no hesitation on our part putting him in.”

- Flyers Head Coach Ken Hitchcock on his plan for Ryan Potulny.

Deadline Deals
Quick Facts breaks down the NHL trade deadline deals:

By Fiona C. Quick

The Minnesota Wild trade Willie Mitchell and a 2007 second round pick to Dallas for Martin Skoula and Shawn Belle: Shawn Belle was the 30th pick of the first round of the NHL Entry draft, taken by the St. Louis Blues in 2003.  He's a bit of a project, having spent 5 years with the Tri City Americans prior to joining the Iowa Stars this year.  He's been a scorer in the past, but has tailed off in his rookie year in the pros, though Iowa is a pretty poor team too.  The best part is he will be the first black player under contract with the Wild, Richard Park being the only minority the team has had in the past.  Belle's father is a native of Barbados and he actually picked up the game late in Edmonton. He has a 90 mph slap shot, was pretty highly touted as a draft pick, the Blues even trading up to get him early.  He's 6'2" and 211 pounds and is an excellent skater (he won the Bobby Orr fastest skater award at the CHL Prospects Game in 2003). 

He's also known for his good conditioning.  He won the 2005 Gold Medal and 2004 Silver Medal playing for Team Canada at the World Junior Championships.  He's got great upside but the knock on him in the past has been his hockey sense, sacrificing defense for the sake of offense, but Lemaire has a knack of fixing that pretty quickly with his players.  It will be nice to see a diverse player on the ice at the X that isn't in a visiting uniform.  But he likely won't end up with the Wild until next season, finishing the year with Houston instead.  Belle is signed under his entry level contract for two more seasons, making $680k next year and $850k the following year, with the Wild also likely picking up some portion of his close to $1 million signing bonus (usually split over two years).  Belle makes $62k at the AHL level meaning he won't have to clear waivers unless he plays more than 10 games with the Wild. 
 
Word on the street is that Willie turned down a 4-year deal for close to an average of $3 million a year so the Wild decided to ship him to Dallas rather than lose him for nothing this summer.  There are a few blueliners in Houston that will be ready to step up next year as well, and the acquisition of Skoula made Mitchell expendable since they didn't want to pay him $3 million +. 
 
Skoula is Czech, which may help Kuba feel more at home. they're obviously planning on keeping him.  The 6-foot-2, 194-pound blueliner was a first-round choice by Colorado in 1998 and played in every playoff game in 2001 when the Avalanche won the Stanley Cup. He played for Colorado and Anaheim in 2003-04 and in the Czech Republic during the lockout.   He has had several injuries recently and never fit well in Dallas.  Skoula has one year remaining on the contract he signed with the Stars last summer making only $1.5 million, which looks much better with the Wild's year-ending Salary Cap.  In fact they will likely finish second only to the Washington Capitals with the lowest payroll in the league.
 
Former Wild defenseman Sean O'Donnell was traded from Phoenix to Anaheim: He will be closer to his actress wife in Los Angeles and Phoenix has plenty of talented young defensemen to take his place.
 
Former St. Cloud State Husky Tyler Arnason was traded to the Ottawa Senators for former UND Sioux standout Brandon Bochenski and a second round pick: Two players with Minnesota connections traded for each other.
 
Mark Parrish was traded to the Los Angeles Kings from the New York Islanders: Parrish finally gets to play in the Western Conference, and for a contender.

QUICK FACTS FEATURE
The Hills Are Alive
With the Sounds of Slapshots:
Darby Hendrickson enjoying hockey in Austria

By Fiona C. Quick

As well as being the birthplace of Mozart and the filming location of the movie musical "The Sound of Music", Salzburg, Austria is also home to the Red Bulls Salzburg Hockey Club, and is now the winter home of Minnesota's Darby Hendrickson.
 
Rather than accept a two-way contract to return to the National Hockey League, former Gopher and Minnesota Wild star Hendrickson signed to play with Salzburg and he's enjoying the experience, firmly convinced he made the right decision.
 
"I enjoyed the time in the NHL but to sign a two way deal at this stage of career, with the new CBA, and to be sent up and down or wherever, forget it." said Hendrickson.  "I'll take the experience here and the time with my family in a heartbeat."
 
Because the Austrian league is small and teams are in close proximity Hendrickson has very little time away from his wife, Dana, and three children Mason (4), Addison (3), and Beckett (6 months), who moved to Austria with Darby.
 
Said the former hometown hockey hero "I have had more quality time with my wife and three kids than I've ever had in my career  Our furthest trip is about three hours away so we're home after every away game."
On the ice Hendrickson approached the jump across the pond with an open mind and has been pleasantly surprised with the level of play in the Austrian league. 
 
"There are definitely adjustments from the NHL, but that was to be expected.  The level of play here is better than I thought it would be.  Most teams here have quality professionals with many players who have either spent time in the NHL or AHL," he said.
 
Though despite the higher level of competition Hendrickson was surprised that one negative aspect of the NHL had made it to European rinks.
 
Said Hendrickson "One thing that surprised me, especially with the bigger rinks here, is the amount of hooking and holding.  You would think there would be more open ice skating but the obstruction is here and not called like the NHL is now (being called)."
When Salzburg acquired former NHL goaltender Arturs Irbe to man the nets the team started rising in the league rankings and Hendrickson also found a familiar soul.
 
"Arturs Irbe has been great for our team.  He's got experience, he's a positive leader, and an unbelievably hard worker on and off the ice."  Added Hendrickson  "For a guy who is 39, he's amazing."
 
Irbe and Hendrickson shared a friendship with the late Sergei Zholtok and became acquainted only at his funeral. 
 
"I've enjoyed time talking with Arturs about Sergei and past memories.  I don't know what it is about these Latvian guys, but I've enjoyed my time with them."
 
Though Irbe has been granted leave to compete in the Olympics in Turin, where he was the flag bearer for Latvia, the Red Bulls are still vying for first place in the Nationaliga.  Hendrickson recently returned from a groin injury he suffered in November. 
 
Said Hendrickson, "it's feeling better and it is nice to be back on the ice"
 
The speedy forward has nine goals and ten assists in 31 games with Salzburg this year and is so pleased with his experience in Austria he recently exercised an option in his contract to play with the team again next year. 
 
Hendrickson says Red Bulls Salzburg is a strong team with a good future and some extra benefits too.
 
"As much Red Bull as you can drink!"
 
The Richfield native has enjoyed this new chapter in his hockey career and hasn't looked back much since crossing the pond.
 
"All in all Salzburg has been fun; its a beautiful city. My family is enjoying Austria very much," said Hendrickson.
 
"The experiences here with my family, the culture, and the game will be fun to look back on."
 
"No regrets," added Hendrickson.

QUICK FACTS FEATURE
Fairchild's Commitment No Surprise
He will leave to play for the National Development team

By Fiona C. Quick

When Duluth's Cade Fairchild gave his verbal commitment to the University of Minnesota last week it came as no surprise to his former coach Mike Randolph.  Randolph, head coach of the Duluth East Greyhounds, is thrilled for his former player.
 
"I'm happy for Cade. I'm also happy for the Gophers because they have a dandy. I'm (also) happy for all the Duluth fans who would like to watch Cade's progress," said Randolph.   "It was h ard on a lot of his fans when he went to the Development Program; they lost touch on his progress."
 
The Gophers showed interest in Fairchild last March and tendered him a full scholarship during his visit to the University following the State Tournament.  Fairchild waited to make his final committment to Minnesota because he said, "I wanted to look around, to make sure I was making the right decision. But I always wanted to be a Gopher."
 
Obviously proud to have coached Fairchild in Duluth, calling him a special player, Randolph has high praise for the future Gopher defenseman's selflesness with the puck. "Cade is one of those players who would rather get an assist than a goal. Many times he passes up shots to set up his teamates."
 
Randolph has no doubt that Fairchild will find great success with the Gophers; he has great expectations for the former Greyhound. 
 
"He's the type of player who will quarterback the Gopher power play," said Randolph. "He will be a player like Mike Crowley, Paul Martin, and Keith Ballard. He will be a player who will keep Gopher fans at the edge of their seats every time he's on the ice," said Randolph.   "It's a perfect fit because Lucia will let him use his assets."
 
Fairchild said that the the Gopher's history of producing great defensemen and Coach Lucia's reliance on them in his system was a reinforcement of his decision to accept the scholarship tender.  "They let their defensemen play offense," he said.  "Leopold, Ballard. . .they were all offensive (players)."
 
The future Gopher defensemen said he is misses Duluth but is very happy with his decision to leave school to play for the National Development team in Ann Arbor.  "I'm getting more used to it now."  Though he could have gone to th e Gophers' weekend series against the Badgers Fairchild chose to go back to Duluth.  He admits to some homesickness but said, " I keep in touch with friends with cell phones and email."
 
He has no regrets over his choice to leave home, however, because he knows it will help his game.  "Hockeywise it is fabulous," said Fairchild.  "The training has never been better.  It has helped me improve and become a better player."
 
The former Greyhound is excited to play for the Gophers.  "Everyone grows up wanting to be a Gopher and I am grateful for that opportunity," said Fairchild.
 
Randolph's expectations of Fairchild don't end with the Gophers, however.  He foresees a notable hockey career in Fairchild's future. 
 
"If he gets stronger and continues to improve his defense without taking away from his offense, he will play i n the NHL, especially the way the game has changed at that level," predicted Randolph.  "He's a pro type defensemen now."
 
Fairchild will join the University of Minnesota Men's Hockey Team in the fall of 2007, following another year with the US National Development Team.  Mike Randolph, and his Duluth friends and family will be watching him with pride every step of the way.  
 
Gopher fans will be watching too, waiting to see if Fairchild will be the next great defenseman to don the Maroon & Gold.

Jaskowiak

By Fiona C. Quick

Nick Jaskowiak transferred from Benilde St-Margaret's to eastern private school, Salisbury Prep, for his senior season.  Jaskowiak said he made the move "because I truly felt that this would be an excellent opportunity to prepare myself, both in hockey and academics for college."
 
Jaskowiak has ruled out giving up his eligibility to play in the Canadian Hockey League.   "I feel that the college route would be most beneficial for me as compared to major junior," he said.
 
Though he has yet to make a final decision the young defenseman is leaning toward accepting an offer from an East Coast college.  He has had interest from Harvard, Boston University, Boston College, New Hampshire and Maine.  However, Jaskowiak hasn't completely ruled out returning home to pursue his college career.
 
"I still have options in the Mi dwest including Minnesota, North Dakota, Wisconsin, and Collorado College."
 
Whatever he decides college hockey will be getting another great Minnesota player.

Thankful Replacement:
Joey Martin returns to pro hockey for Thanksgiving Weekend

By Fiona C. Quick

Jake Riddle's Augusta Lynx hockey team found themselves very short staffed Thanksgiving weekend when nine Canadian players were ruled ineligible to play by Immigration officials.  Riddle told the ECHL team to call his friend and his older brother Troy's former Gopher teammate, Joey Martin, as a temporary replacement.
 
Martin signed a tryout deal and joined the Lynx on Thursday for a three-game swing. 
 
"It was a good time; we won two of three," said Martin of the experience.
 
"I started on Sunday.  I was on the power play, the PK.  I was on the ice at the end of the game; every situation.  I even blocked three shots. It was pretty hilarious," laughed Martin, who was a role player with the Gophers.  "Coach said, 'You're as good as anybody else I've got right now', so he threw me out there."
 
When asked to evaluate his performance after a six-month layoff Martin said, "No points and no PIMs in three games, but a +1, so I wasn't too bad."
 
Martin was known as pretty good heavyweight fighter in the ECHL last year, but when he took a flying elbow across the face from former NHL goon Peter Worrell during a game Martin just skated away.  "I was having none of that!" he said.  "I'm not stupid."
 
When asked whether playing again gave him the itch to return to competitive professional hockey full time Martin was quick to respond.   "Not a chance," he said.  "I was pretty glad it was three days.  When we played in Gwinnet I thought to myself, 'God this life is boring'," said Martin.  "It was fun to play but its not the lifestyle I want." 
 
Martin returned to the Twin Cities on Sunday afternoon in time to catch the Big & Rich concert in St. Paul and will return behind the bench for the St. Olaf hockey team for the remainder of the season. 
 
He hasn't ruled out returning to hockey for short replacements sints like this again, but Martin says his professional hockey life is over.  "This weekend really allowed me to put it behind me.  I'm done," he said.
 
That doesn't mean he doesn't have an eye on the future.  Martin will take his GMAT exams this December and plans to attend graduate school at either the University of Minnesota or St. Thomas next year. 
 
Not bad for a replacement player.

QUICK FACTS Q & A with Fiona Quick
Catching up with Grant
Courtesy of the Ottawa Senators

Quick Facts:  How is camp going for you so far?
Grant Poltunly:  “It’s going great for my first NHL camp. It’s good to see how you stack up and see how you can get closer to the level these guys
are at.”
 
QF:  What are you hoping to accomplish here?
GP:  “You try and get points in scrimmages and it would be nice to play in a pre-season game.”
 
QF: You signed Josh Olson, is he primarily a depth player for Houston?
GP:  To start, yes.  I’d seen him way back in his earlier days.  He's a great big man, and people when they see a big guy think he must be a killer, but he’s not a physical player.  He's a great big man with good hands and good hockey sense.  He's not real aggressive and he's not real quick.  Clearly hes going to start in Houston, if we can get him playing regularly with these new rules, and you can’t obstruct or hook someone in the offensive zone, and he gets a little quicker, he’s going to be hard to stop so that’ s why he kind of intruiged us.
 
QF:  Are you expecting to play in an exhibition game?
GP: “In pro hockey, you never know.
 
QF: What has been the biggest adjustment for you?
GP:  “The transition was made easy because we had eight or nine of these guys in Bingo last year. The awe factor is gone.”
 
QF: What do you think of the new rules?
GP:“I love them. It brings me back to my days in Minnesota where you can fly through the neutral zone. It’ll be interesting to see how the defence reacts.”
 
 

QUICK FACTS Q & A
Scouting Wild Minnnesotans
Quick Facts speaks with Wild Director of Scouting Tommy Thompson

By Fiona C. Quick

Quick Facts:  What is it about Erik Westrum that the Wild liked so much to acquire him in a trade?
Tommy Thompson:  Our organization likes his style of play, I like his style of play.  He’s a feisty hardworking two-way player.  He can check he can provide energy; he’s got enough skill to play and he can really battle for one of those open center positions. 
 
QF:  What does he need to overcome to stick in the NHL; what does he need to work on?
TT:  In this day and age you’re going to look at Westrum and say 'he’s a well conditioned athlete but he’s not particularly big.'  When you play that style of hockey it wears on you.  He’s not real big, he's not real fast, he's not a real dynamic offensive player.  He’ll be given nothing, he’ll have to earn it.  But think he’s got the chance to be good, real good.  We like him.
 
QF: You signed Josh Olson, is he primarily a depth player for Houston?
TT:  To start, yes.  I’d seen him way back in his earlier days.  He's a great big man, and people when they see a big guy think he must be a killer, but he’s not a physical player.  He's a great big man with good hands and good hockey sense.  He's not real aggressive and he's not real quick.  Clearly hes going to start in Houston, if we can get him playing regularly with these new rules, and you can’t obstruct or hook someone in the offensive zone, and he gets a little quicker, he’s going to be hard to stop so that’ s why he kind of intruiged us.
 
QF:  If can't hurt with fan relations that you now have two Minnesota players signed.
TT: Once we get those guys then we kind of take advantage of that.  I think its kind of an insult to them if I say 'that’s a token Minnesotan.' We bring him in because of his hockey attributes.
 
QF: Tell me about Danny Irmen?
TT:  Here’s a question: here’s a river, here's Fargo on one side with 85% of the population and Moorehead on the other with 15%. Name me a hockey player out of Fargo.  I told Danny Irmen he could be the first good athlete out of Fargo since Roger Maris
 
QF: Does he remind you of anyone? 
TT: In a way, and he may be a way better player, but Mike Keane,  a reliable hard-nosed two-way guy.
 
QF: What are the chances that the Wild will sign him before his senior year at Minnesota?  What does he need to do to be ready for the NHL?
TT: He just has to keep on doing what he’s doing, keep getting better.   He’s in good development there now; one more year we’ll see.  He’s there this year.  I think he may be ready.  He’s my favorite, he’s a pitbull.
 
 

QUICK FACTS EXCLUSIVE
Gopher Center Kaufmann injured, has surgery

By Fiona C. Quick

Gopher center Evan Kaufmann suffered a freak accident on a boat last week, severing the tendon of his big toe on his right foot.  After being brought immediately to North Memorial Medical Center he underwent surgery to repair the tendon.  Kaufmann will be in a cast for approximately eight weeks.  The injury is not likely career threatening and Kaufmann fully expects to be in the Gopher lineup this season.
 
Kaufmann, who lives in Tonka Bay, was on a boat with friends on Lake Minnetonka Saturday July 16th helping with an anchor when he slipped on a wet seat.  His foot slipped into a metal bracket supporting a seat, causing a severe laceration of his foot.
 
“For some reason, I don’t know, I must have had a lot of adrenaline, but the pain wasn’t too bad when I cut it, but I it bled a lot,” said Kaufmann.  “On the boat I knew I did something bad,” he said describing his injury.  “I used a towel to try and stop the bleeding but before I could do that my toe kind of shot up toward the sky and I couldn’t control it.  Right away I thought something bad had happened and it was serious.”
 
With the boat in the middle of the lake at the time of the accident his friends hurriedly returned him to shore where he was rushed to North Memorial, a Level I Trauma Center with a renowned Institute for Athletic Medicine. 
 
Once it was determined surgery was necessary, the procedure to repair the severed flexor tendon was performed by Dr. Jonathan P. Asp, a board certified orthopedic surgeon at North Memorial.  Asp graduated from Harvard Medical School and performed his orthopedic residency at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester and specializes in sports medicine and adult reconstructive surgery.
 
For a few days following the surgery Kaufmann admitted to not being himself due to the anesthesia and pain.  But the sophomore center knew he had to contact Gopher Head Coach Don Lucia, a conversation he didn’t eagerly anticipate.  On Tuesday he finally made the calls.
 
“I was a little worried; it was a little scary,” said Kaufmann of informing his coach. “Once the pain went down I contacted out trainer and talked to him.”  Kaufman then left a message for Lucia on his cell phone; somewhat dreading what would come next.    When Coach Lucia returned the call Kaufman said “he was very understanding, he wasn’t angry.  He understood it was an accident.” “He was just concerned that I remain patient,” said a relieved Kaufmann.  “He was focused on me getting better.”

"I haven't spoken to Evan since he talked to his doctors, but we're hoping he'll be ready to start the season," said Coach Lucia.  "We still have two and a half months before we start practicing hopefully he can start on time."
 
Kaufman was a walk-on freshman with the Gophers last season, earning a regular role in the lineup with his creativity and determination.  In 29 games played with the University last year he scored seven goals and eight assists, several were timely points.  It was Kaufmann that was the hero this past spring, scoring the overtime game-winning goal against Maine to advance Minnesota to the West Regional final against Cornell.
 
Dr. Asp has told Kaufmann he cannot perform any physical activity for a few weeks in order to allow the tendon repair to take hold properly.  Tendons do not regenerate; all they can do is scar and tend to heal slowly because of poor vascularization.  Because the great toe bears a large amount of weight Kaufmann will be restricted in even walking on the foot until sufficient healing has taken place.  It will be a slow process but the speedy forward said his doctors did expect him to make a full recovery. 
 
“It will be a long process.  It was an unfortunate accident but I have to be patient,” said a hopeful Kaufman.  “I have to wait until the doctor gives me the green light to start rehabbing so I can work really hard on getting myself ready.  They think I’ll be ready before the season starts,” said Kaufmann.
 
He saw doctors last Thursday and will hopefully have his half cast removed this Thursday.  Doctors will evaluate his healing and check for complications like infection and he may get a full plaster cast at that time.  In four weeks Dr. Asp will determine whether Kaufmann can be fitted with a walking cast.
 
The feisty sophomore is disappointed to be slowed in his development and training for the upcoming season but remains optimistic.
 
“Right when I knew I needed surgery I was pretty upset. A lot of different scenarios went running through my mind.  The last thing you think will keep you out of hockey is your big toe,” said Kaufman.  “But everything is going to be fine once I get through the healing process. I just have to work really hard and I’m determined to get myself ready for the season.”

Gophers add size to blueline:
Fischer commits to Gophers

By Fiona C. Quick

Apple Valley defenseman David Fischer has accepted a scholarship offer to attend the University of Minnesota.  He did so on Wednesday afternoon when Coach Don Lucia made a visit to the Fischer home.  Fischer will compete in this fall's Upper Midwest High School Elite League and finish his senior year at Apple Valley High School.  The coaching staff will evaluate Fischer's development following this season, especially whether he gains more muscle mass and strength, to determine whether he will join the Gophers in 2006 or whether he will play a year in juniors and begin play at Minnesota in 2007. 
He is 6'3" but a relative light 177 pounds so will need to bulk up in order to compete effectively at the collegiate level. Fischer suffered a bout of Mononucleosis this spring that slowed his conditioning efforts.
 
Fischer was offered a chance to play for the US Development Team in Ann Arbor this year, but as a forward, so he declined that option choosing to remain a defenseman.  He was also heavily recruited by Mike Eaves and the University of Wisconsin.  Fischer and his father made an unofficial visit to Madison prior to Wednesday and David did receive a scholarship offer to play for the Badgers.  But, according to his father, David has been a Gopher fan his whole life and he wanted to wait and hear what Minnesota had to say.  Joe Fischer said that when Coach Lucia te ndered the 'generous' offer on Wednesday "David knew in his heart he wanted to be a Gopher; he accepted on the spot."  David Fischer then had the difficult task of contacting Coach Eaves and Coach Osiecki at Wisconsin to inform them of his decision to become a Gopher and decline their offer, which he did on Thursday.
 
Fischer has been a highly sought-after defensive recruit for at least two years and was pursued by Denver, Colorado College, North Dakota, Duluth, Mankato, Quinnipiac, and Princeton in addition to the Gophers and Badgers.  The Gophers have made numerous visits to watch Apple Valley High School games and have scouted Fischer's performance in the Elite League.  They will closely monitor his progress over the coming season and will make a decision on which year he will join the team after evaluating his develop ment and his strength. 
 
Fischer follows in the footsteps of other such highly sought-after Minnesota-born defensive recruits like Paul Martin, Keith Ballard and Jordan Leopold.  Whichever season the highly skilled defenseman dons the Maroon & Gold he will be a welcome addition to the Minnesota blueline.

PHANTOM MENACE:
Edina's Ben Stafford plays for
Calder Cup Chamionship

By Fiona C. Quick

The last professional hockey of the spring is being played in the American Hockey League and a capacity crowd is expected Friday night at Philadelphia's Wachovia Center to cheer on the Philadelphia Phantoms in their quest to win the Calder Cup.  The Phantoms are up 3-0 on the Chicago Wolves in the best-of-seven-series with each game being decided by only one goal.
 
"It's pretty neat. It's exciting any time you can play for a championship," said Minnesota native Paul Holmgren, the Assistant Manager of the Flyers who runs the Phantoms. 
 
Phantoms forward Ben Stafford hasn't played for a Championship since winning the Minnesota State High School title with Edina eight years ago.  "This is a different animal than the Minnesota High School tourney," he said.  "This has definitely been special.  There are a lot more ups and downs and you rely on each other more in [a playoff series]," Stafford said. 
 
Stafford, known as a scoring winger, has been moved into a checking role for the Phantoms. "I've stepped into a situation where the team needs me.  I enjoy doing it, especially in the playoffs, because team defense is so important." 
 
Though his parents were unlikely to be able to fly to Philadelphia to watch the game in person Stafford said he knew they would be listening to the webcast of the game.  He is hoping the Phantoms can win just one more game to claim the Calder Cup and he is looking forward to returning home to Minnesota a Champion once again. "I'd like to have bragging rights," he jokingly said.
 
(Some information and quotes from Canadian Press)
 
Watch Quick Facts later this week for more exclusive interviews with Ben Stafford and Paul Holmgren following their Calder Cup Championship Friday night and Celebration Monday night.

2005 FROZEN FOUR
Gophers defeat Cornell to advance
to Frozen Four

By Fiona C. Quick

"Fairy tales are more than true - not because they tell us dragons exist, but because they tell us dragons can be beaten."
- G. K. Chesterton

Once upon a time, at the start of the 2004-2005 University of Minnesota Men’s Hockey season, the Gophers were considered underdogs, at best, to have a winning season, let alone, earn a bid to the NCAA playoffs. When they earned the number one seed some still considered them long-shots.

The Golden Gophers had never lost a playoff game in the new Mariucci Arena going into Sunday’s NCAA West Regional Final against Cornell University, a legendary 25-0 record. In order to preserve that record they were going to have to beat the Big Red Dragon and their Hobey Baker Award candidate goaltender David McKee.

They did just that when Barry Tallackson scored in overtime to give the Gophers the 2-1 victory and the storybook ending in Mariucci Arena that the team, the seniors especially, wanted.

"I think this team got sold out at the beginning of the year, I think guys took it personally and used it as motivation," said Senior Forward Garrett Smaagaard.

"To get (to the Frozen Four) three out of four years is pretty special," said Tallackson.

Cornell scored first, a shorthanded goal, an ominous sign. Cornell was undefeated this eason when scoring first (20-0-2). It was only Cornell’s fifth shot of the game and came off an odd man rush after Mike Vanelli missed a shot on the powerplay and was caught deep in the Big Red zone.

Cornell transitioned quickly skating into the Gopher end. Derek Peltier was the lone man back and he failed to take the pass, allowing Daniel Pegoraro to saucer the puck across the crease to Mitch Carefoot, who beat a sliding Briggs for the goal.

But the Gophers answered back quickly with Andy Sertich backhanding a pass from behind the net from senior Garrett Smaagaard, evening the score at 1 goal each.

The Gophers withstood the increased pressure and stifling defense as Cornell played continually better as the game wore on.

"We stayed on our feet all night and stayed strong, but they had a great hockey team." said Cornell Head Coach Mike Schafer. "Minnesota has great players and they made a great play to win the game at the end."

The Gophers knew when they reached overtime that they still had a chance to win; after all they had been in the same position less than twenty-four hours before.

Freshman Evan Kaufmann was the hero on Saturday, on Sunday it was Senior Barry Tallackson. "Fortunately when it comes to the playoffs, points just come to me," said a humble Tallackson.

Coach Don Lucia credited the level of play in the WCHA for helping his team solve both Maine and Cornell this weekend.

"The one thing about our league is that you have to work so hard game in and game out," he said. When you play that many good teams you understand how difficult it is (to get here). All those games really helped prepare us for this time of year and are one of the reasons we have been successful."
He also said that Tournament MVP Kellen Briggs played an important role in earning the trip to the NCAA Frozen Four.

"Over the years, no one gets more maligned than the Gopher Goalie," he said. "To give up one goal in two games I think that kind of says it all. We needed him. We knew these were going to be low-scoring games. You don’t have to be the best goalie all year long, but you have to be the best goalie this time of year."

The Gophers wrote the fairy tale ending to their season in Mariucci Arena with two solid victories in the West Regional to earn a berth to the Frozen Four. They beat two of the best goaltenders in the country and some of their own demons too.

"I’m happy for our kids," said Lucia. "I’ve been around this long enough to know that you can have a great team and not get there so you’d better enjoy it every time you get that opportunity to go."

The Gophers have a week and a half to enjoy their victories this weekend. But their story isn’t over yet, they still have a ‘happily ever after’ ending to work for, and it starts on April 7th in Columbus, Ohio against the tournament’s other Cinderella, the University of North Dakota.

2005 FROZEN FOUR
Gophers down Maine in the 1st round

By Fiona C. Quick

While the University of Minnesota Golden Gopher Men’s Hockey Team was looking for a fairy tale weekend on their home ice of Mariucci Arena they probably didn’t really think that they’d have to slay a giant to achieve that. But that’s what they did in beating goaltender Jimmy Howard and the Maine Black Bears 1-0 in overtime on Saturday in the NCAA West Regional Semifinal Game.

While the Gophers had faced scoring demons before this season, Howard was playing so well it was beginning to look like another ‘Grimm’ game for the Gophers. But it was Evan Kaufman, the walk-on freshman from Plymouth who became the giant killer, shooting the puck into the heart of the Black Bear net just 1:46 into the overtime session to give the Gophers the victory.
"He just put an excellent shot on me," said Howard after the game.

In some fairy tales the hero gets an important clue to the vulnerability of the giant. Though he didn’t get the starting nod in net, senior goaltender Justin Johnson played that role in the Gopher victory. A key discussion with Evan Kaufman during a television timeout proved fateful.

"We’d been firing glove all game and basically he said the way to score on this guy is ‘you’ve got to go somewhere other than his glove’," said Kaufman. "He told me if I get shots, to try and aim blocker side."

Which is exactly what Kaufman did when he received a perfect pass from Garrett Smaagard from behind the Maine net less than two minutes into the extra session, giving the Gophers the 1-0 victory.

While the battle wasn’t necessarily epic, it was well fought. Shots on goal were even at 11 after the first period, with both defenses playing solidly and giving their goaltenders support.

Through the second and third periods Minnesota moved ahead in shots by virtue of several power plays. But the Gophers couldn’t solve Howard even with a man-advantage.

Head Coach Don Lucia said that the power play, whose first unity two players from the first unit, as the only part of the Gopher’s game where he could find fault.

The power play, he said, was "I thought, the only thing that wasn’t very good. For us it really showed not having Goligoski & Hirsch.You saw a lot of freshmen on the power play and they were a little gittery."

Kellen Briggs was tapped by Lucia to start in goal for the Gophers and he provided a stellar effort in the shutout win. That ties him with Adam Hauser for the all-time Gopher record of eight shutouts.

Said Briggs of his effort, "I didn’t have to make a whole bunch of extraordinary saves."

Briggs credited his defense for helping him earn the victory. "They played very well," he said. "I can’t even remember a rebound shot right now. They kept the guys to the outside; not a lot of shots in the slot. That’s what it takes a total team effort; your defensemen coming up big."

Kaufman’s goal was set up by a nifty feed from behind the net by the senior role player Garrett Smaagaard. When asked if he had thoughts that Kaufman wouldn’t score Smaagaard admitted, "I had a little doubt." But, he added "I knew he was wide open in front, he had enough time to pick a corner. He can score goals, he’s out there for a reason."

Coach Don Lucia agreed. "It was great for Evan Kaufman who worked his way into the lineup (this season)."

Lucia also singled out two of his defensemen for their work. "Mike Vanelli was outstanding tonight and I thought P.J. (Atherton) came in and gave us a great game."

The Minnesota coach also gave credit to Howard saying "Detroit needs to sign him now!"

So the first chapter of the fairy tale weekend the Gophers are attempting to write in the friendly confines of Mariucci Arena went as hoped. Evan Kaufman was the dragonslayer Saturday. Minnesota will need to defeat the Cornell Big Red monster, which came back from two goals down to defeat the Ohio State Buckeyes 3-2 in the later game, to finish the storybook with a happy ending.
‘Once Upon A Time’ starts again Sunday at 2:30 pm.

GOPHERS SENIORS
Gopher Hockey Class of 2005 writes final chapter, hoping for fairy tale ending

By Fiona C. Quick

Orson Welles once said, "If you want a happy ending that depends, of course, on where you stop your story."

The Golden Gopher Hockey senior class of 2005, Justin Johnson, Judd Stevens, Garrett Smaagaard, Barry Tallackson, Jake Fleming and Jarrid Reinholz, earned the opportunity to play one more weekend at Mariucci Arena as hosts with the number one seed for the NCAA West Regional Playoffs.
They are all hoping to write a storybook ending for their careers as Golden Gophers; to win their last games in their own building to earn a chance to play in the NCAA Frozen Four in Columbus, Ohio; hoping that their story doesn’t stop this weekend.

Quick Facts took the opportunity to speak with the outgoing seniors and Coach Lucia about this class, this weekend’s games, and the players’ feelings on playing at home in what could be the final games of their careers. Below is their story.


The reality of the senior Gophers playing their last games in their home building is just beginning to set in for most of them.
"It is weird to think that no matter what, these will the last hockey games we play here," said goaltender Justin Johnson.

Captain Judd Stevens said, "It’s kind of been setting in the last couple of days that we’re getting closer and closer. This is going to be it, so you want to go out and play with your best effort. It’s kind of a scary feeling that it’s coming to an end."

Said an almost wistful Barry Tallackson, "It feels a little strange. I’ve been here for four years. It went by just like that, basically a snap of your fingers," he said. "It’s going to be a tough time leaving here but hopefully we can end it with a good sweep."


The seniors hope to create one more weekend of memories on their home ice but reflected on what playing at Mariucci meant to them; their favorite recollections of playing here.
"Ever since I was a little kid you always looked up at Minnesota and to get a chance to finally get out there and finally play here, it is pretty exciting," said Jarrid Reinholz.

Said Jake Fleming "It’s been great to play in this building in front of Minnesota fans, its just a great place to play."

"Everything about the history, the environment, the fans, everything about it, the program as a whole it’s just something special," added Garrett Smaagard.
Justin Johnson said, "Your first game is always special to look back on. Every game tends to blur together. There were many nights where there was great atmosphere here."

Judd Stevens had one special moment of his time at Mariucci that still stands out for him. It was his first ever game in the building, and the team was in the locker room after warm ups. "I was so excited I forgot to put my jersey back on. I put on my helmet, my gloves, I had my stick. I was so fired up to go out there, got ready to walk to the door and Leo looks at me and says ‘hey, take a couple breaths, go get your jersey and lets go.’ I will never forget that."

Stevens was the captain of the Gopher squad this year and took the helm in the majority of leadership duties for the team, saying he leaned heavily on examples set by Jordan Leopold and especially Grant Potulny in that role. But the entire senior class shouldered leadership responsibility this year. The importance of their roles in the NCAA Regional Playoffs is not lost on them.
"As much as we don’t want to say, ‘Hey this is our last game here,’ to try to get the guys to play for us like that, its pretty much understood amongst the whole team that everyone wants to go out at home on top," said Johnson.

Garrett Smaagard said "The guys in this class have all played in big games and we’ve won big games which is important at this time of year. No one is guaranteed to come back into this situation."

Tallackson added "Everybody in the locker room knows when the last game for the seniors is. You want to help your team win. We’ve got a little bit more experience we just need to come in and play our game and do all the things that got us here."

Said Jake Fleming, "I think the seniors are going to have a lot of emotion and we’re going to be pretty vocal this weekend. We’re going to have to be leaders there are a lot of guys who haven’t been to the Frozen Four. The older guys who are here need to lead by example and we need to carry the load. Let the younger guys relax and follow that lead."

Coach Don Lucia has called out his seniors before this season and he did so again in the week leading up to the NCAA Regional Playoffs.

"I think that this time of year you need your seniors to play well, that’s the bottom line. You’ve got Smaagaard, Reinholz, Tallackson, if they don’t score, you’re not going to have as good a chance."

After what he deemed a lackadaisical start to practice on Thursday Lucia gathered the team to center ice and gave them a verbal thrashing. He especially singled out the seniors to take charge.

Despite the verbal jabs in practice Lucia does seem to have a genuine affection for this class, admitting that they don’t necessarily get the credit they deserve for their contributions to the Gophers Men’s Hockey program.

"This is a group of guys who didn’t receive a lot of accolades but most of them have been role players who have stepped up at different times and parts of the season and had an impact. They’ve been good kids, and I think they’re all going to graduate this spring," he said, "which is most important."

For Justin Johnson and Garrett Smaagaard the end of this season holds special importance as both are available to contribute more than in years past.
For Johnson he stepped in to replace Kellen Briggs as the starting goalie when Briggs was injured. He admits that being able to fill that role, and be successful, has made his last months as a Gopher more special.

"It’s made it a lot more special," he said. "If Kel’ wouldn’t have been hurt I could have been done a month and a half ago, be on the sidelines and everything. No matter what happens this weekend its been a nice, nice run, a nice way to end it."

Smaagaard was unable to play in the West Regional last season after being hurt late in the year. He knows that contributing on the ice this year, his last with the Maroon & Gold, is important.

"This is where I wanted to be at the end of the year," said Smaagaard. "I wanted to be healthy and I wanted to be ready to play and I wanted to be in the NCAA tournament, and it’s all seemed to happen so far, so I’m very happy.

He added, ‘Actually I played my last high school game in this building. Hopefully I don’t play my last college game here."

The seniors are genuinely grateful for this last opportunity to play in the friendly confines of Mariucci Arena. They leave the Gopher program with a lasting legacy regardless of the outcome of this weekend’s games. They have earned two NCAA Championships, four consecutive NCAA playoff appearances and two WCHA Final Five Championships to their name. They have written legend and their story will be retold for years to come. But they hope their story doesn’t end yet.
"Hopefully we can win two more games and continue our season," said Fleming. "That would make it a little more special."
"You have a lot of memories here, a lot of great games a lot of great times with the guys. There are a lot of memories at this at this rink and to go out, hopefully, to win two games to cruise to the Frozen Four would be something else," added Tallackson.

"At the beginning of this year if you would have said that we would have gotten the number one seed at Mariucci in the NCAA tournament, I don’t think anyone would probably have believed you. Looking back at the full season in general we definitely achieved some of the goals we wanted to but we’re not done yet. We still have some games to win," said Smaagard.

Minnesota’s seniors still have two more games to play, some more pages to write for that fairy tale ending to four phenomenal years of Golden Gopher Hockey. That last chapter starts on Saturday against Maine and they are hoping for ‘happily ever after."

From Gopher to Griffin:
Travis Richards Comes Home As a Pro

By Fiona C. Quick

Travis Richards is ‘Mr. Griffin’.  The former Robbinsdale Armstrong Falcon and Gopher defenseman joined the Grand Rapids Griffins franchise in their inaugural season in the International Hockey League in 1996.  He is the face of the team that the community and fans recognize the most. 
 
He has been voted an AHL All Star starter by fans, has been a team captain, has been named a finalist for Defensemen of the Year, leads his team in numerous records and statistical categories and has consistently been one of the top players on the Griffins and in the AHL. 
 
“He’s probably one of the top defensive defensemen in the league. He’s an outstanding penalty killer and a great team guy,” said his Griffins coach Greg Ireland.
 
On Monday March 7th Former Gopher defenseman Travis Richards returned to the Twin Cities for the first time as a professional hockey player when his Grand Rapids Griffins faced the Houston Aeros at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul.   
 
Unfortunately Richards was injured and was unable to play in the game, but he was excited to be home nonetheless.  “I just met my parents for dinner.  It’s nice.  I wish I was playing though.  I’ve never really been hurt in eleven, almost twelve years so this is hard,” he said.
 
Richards suffered a back injury in January and has not played since.  He is undergoing regular treatment and was scheduled to see an orthopedic surgeon the week following the game in Saint Paul for further evaluation.
 
He desperately wants to return to the ice.  “The trainers say give it time and hopefully (it will get better).  I’m starting to get frustrated, it doesn’t look good (to come back this year), but who knows.  I have to be patient,” said Richards.
 
Even hurt Richards is still part of the team.  He has stepped behind the bench while injured, to help new head Coach Greg Ireland with evaluation of the players and their performance.  But, he said, he isn’t a coach. 
 
“I don’t coach much.  It’s bizarre, I still feel like I’m part of the team.  I’m there to cheerlead.  I don’t really say much to the guys, but I’ll talk to the coaches about what I see and what I think can be improved.” 
 
“Having him around and his leadership (are important),” said coach Ireland.  “When he was out of the lineup that was lost to us. We felt maybe bringing him back in the locker room (would help).  It’s hard for a player when he’s not in the lineup to jump in and say a lot.  Now that he’s grabbed another role and he’s excelled with it, he feels like he’s a part of it,” Ireland said.
 
Drafted by the Minnesota North Stars in 1988 out of Robbinsdale Armstrong High school, Richards’s hometown rink was New Hope Arena.  He went on to a stellar career with his brother Todd at the University of Minnesota and playing with the US Olympic Team in the 1994 Olympic games remains amongst his greatest hockey moments.
 
Richards is still a die-hard Gopher, checking scores and watching game replays when available.  He follows the Gophers hockey team’s progress “all the time,” he said.  
 
“We have a guy from Michigan Tech on our team.  When we got back to the hotel and the (recent) game replay was on TV I called him to tell him to watch, we were killing them!” boasted Richards.
 
“There are Michigan State guys, Blake Sloan from Michigan.  Guys from big name schools, we’re always going at it.  There’ll definitely be bets come playoff time,” he said.
 
Richards now makes his home in Michigan where he lives with his wife Angie, son Riley and daughters Ellie & Katie.  Asked whether his children are following in their father’s hockey footsteps Richards beams, especially when talking about the love his oldest daughter has for hockey.
 
“My three year old, that’s all she talks about.  She carries a stick around all day.  She loves it,” said the proud dad.
 
Richards’ brother Todd is now an assistant coach with the AHL Milwaukee Admirals.  The two have started their own hockey school in Grand Rapids.
“I never attended a hockey school until I was 16, with USA Hockey.  Things are different now though.  We just started last summer with 100 kids.  Hopefully this will get bigger.”
 
At 34, Richards is one of the elder statesmen of the Griffins, the development team of the Detroit Red Wings, a role he has happily embraced.  “I used to go on the road to go out, now it’s a chance to sleep,” he joked. 
 
“There’s so much respect for him from young guys, they look up to him quite a bit not only for what he’s done, but how he played.   He leads by example,” said Coach Ireland. “Now that he can step up and teach young guys a few things, I think that goes a long way.”
 
Ask anyone in Grand Rapids to name a player on the Griffins and nine times out of ten they will name Richards.  He is the name and face of the franchise and he is thrilled to be a part of the organization.
 
“To me, the people we’ve met there (are great).  I couldn’t be happier.  Its fantastic,” said the Assistant Captain.  “When I go to the rink, everyone says hi; I know every security guard.  It’s a great family.”
 
While some of his former Gopher teammates have retired from professional hockey, Richards has no intention of leaving the game any time soon. 
 
“I just love it,” he said.  “No matter how bad it gets, I think I’ll play as long as I can.” 
 
Richards is an icon in Grand Rapids but he’s still the kid from Crystal who is honored to just be playing the game he loves.
 
“When I feel like, ‘Oh jeez, what am I doing?’  I think of getting up at 8:30 in the morning and coming home at 6:00 and seeing how that goes," said Richards 
 
"I’m smart enough to know that my worst day in hockey is better than my best day of a real job."