Deron Treadwell wrote:
 
> (from USCHO http://uscollegehockey.com -- front page story)
>
> Black Bears Stifle Gophers, 6-1
>
>                                          October 17, 1997
>                                           by Scott Brown
>
> Minneapolis, MN -- There were fireworks beforehand, and Goldy the
> Gopher rappeled down from the Mariucci Arena
> scoreboard, but on the ice it was the Maine Black Bears who put on the
> show Friday night, outshooting and outskating the
> Golden Gophers for a 6-1 victory in the regular-season opener for both
> teams.
>
> Although Minnesota was the team with a game in hand -- an exhibition
> loss to Michigan last weekend -- Maine showed none
> of the rust one might expect of a team coming off a seven-month layoff.
> Indeed, the big, physical Black Bears also proved to
> be the smooth, sharp Bears, frequently outrunning the Gopher defensemen
> and outhustling the Gopher forwards to the puck.
>
> "We didn't work hard," said a downcast Minnesota co-captain, Ryan
> Kraft. "We didn't forecheck very well, we didn't play
> defense very well. We just made really, really dumb decisions all over
> the ice."
>
> "The score is not the game," asserted Maine head coach Shawn Walsh.
> "That was not a 6-1 game. That was a very close
> game, and we converted and they didn't."
>
> Fourth-line center Ben Guite was the catalyst, with the first Maine
> goal and two assists; meanwhile, his rookie linemate,
> Matthias Trattnig, added the backbreaking fourth goal in the second
> period while assisting on Guite's tally as well.
>
> "We don't really have a fourth line," said Walsh. "We play all four
> lines.
>
> Early on, Maine broke through first. In the Minnesota zone, a quick
> crossing pass from Trattnig -- a native of Graz, Austria,
> Arnold Schwarzenegger's hometown -- hopped through the Gopher defense
> onto the stick of Guite, who rattled it in off the left
> post for a 1-0 Black Bear lead at 2:24.
>
> The first Minnesota shot on goal didn't come for over six minutes, as
> the Maine defense forechecked religiously and the Maine
> offense held the Gopher zone for considerable stretches. The Gophers'
> first power play -- courtesy of a hold by 6-foot-4
> Maine defenseman Robert Ek -- wasn't much better, although Minnesota
> quadrupled its shot total with three during the
> man-advantage.
>
> A comparatively docile ten minutes followed, with Maine racking up
> shots but not goals, and the Gophers able to muster little
> in return. The squads traded goals in the final three minutes of the
> period. First, a two-on-one rush by Ryan Kraft and Dave
> Spehar gave Minnesota possession in the Maine end. Kraft retrieved the
> puck at the blue line, spun away from a Maine
> defender and fed a wide-open Bill Kohn, whose high slapshot tied it up.
>
> Moments later, the Black Bears regained the lead on a turnover to the
> left of Steve DeBus which allowed Guite to drizzle the
> puck to linemate Dan Kerluke. Kerluke's wrister found a soft spot in
> DeBus' armor, beating the Gopher goaltender straight
> through the five-hole.
>
> "If there was a big goal, it was Kurluke's," said Walsh.
>
> Shots after the period were 17-8 Maine, reflecting the Black Bears'
> dominance, and the start of the second featured more of
> the same. A full-bore offensive rush again put the puck in the hands of
> Guite, whose pass was converted by a cutting Tuomo
> Jaaskelainen into a third Maine goal.
>
> The Gophers put on a mini-run for the next few minutes, capped off by
> their second power play of the game, but could not
> score. A penalty to UM's Ryan Trebil ended the charge, returning
> Minnesota to the role of defender.
>
> Then, with four minutes remaining in the second and Minnesota's Ben
> Clymer off for roughing, Trattnig effectively closed the
> door on the Gophers with an outstanding individual effort in which he
> fought off a Minnesota defenseman and sticked Steve
> Kariya's cross-ice pass by DeBus, all while falling face-first onto the
> ice.
>
> Minnesota had more chances -- a doorstep sweep attempt by Kraft and
> several slappers from near and far -- but Alfie
> Michaud proved equal to every one, making 16 saves in the second period
> alone en route to a workmanlike game total of 31.
>
> In the third, Minnesota's Reggie Berg earned a five-minute major and a
> game misconduct for checking from behind, which
> Maine turned in a fifth goal (by Scott Parmentier on a nice three-man
> play with Kerluke and Kariya as theh Mariucci faithful
> streamed for the exits). A sixth (shorthanded, by Bobby Stewart) capped
> off the evening.
>
> "Our guys realize we're here for two nights, not just one," said Walsh.
> "There's far too much respect from us to the Minnesota
> Golden Gophers for us to let down tomorrow. We'll play as hard as we
> can."
>
> "Tomorrow we're going to have to screw our heads on right and go and
> play hockey," said Kraft.
>
> The Black Bears (1-0-0, 0-0-0 Hockey East) and the Gophers (0-1-0,
> 0-0-0 WCHA) meet again Saturday night at Mariucci
> Arena to wrap up the series.
>
> --
> Deron Treadwell - [log in to unmask]
> University of Maine
 
 Deron:
 
We have a copy of the game and Cory Larose not Ben Guite was the player who
got the assist on the Tuomo Jas goal. There were similar inaccuracies in
last year's reporting over the net as well and should be verified prior to
distribution through this medium :-).
 
Wes Larose