The third and final view from USCHO.. editor Scott Brown speaks in his
WCHA preview.
 
#8 Maine (0-0-0, 0-0-0 HE) at #7 Minnesota (0-0-0, 0-0-0 WCHA)
Friday-Saturday, 7:30-7:00 p.m. CT, Mariucci Arena, Minneapolis, MN
 
The Minnesota Golden Gophers skate into their home opener -- indeed,
their "real" opener -- stinging just a little bit.
 
The Gophers were toppled 3-2 by Michigan at last weekend's U.S. Hockey
Hall of Fame exhibition at Target Center in
Minneapolis. Minnesota ran up a 2-0 lead in the first period, then gave
it back, plus one. After the game, Gopher players and
coaches alike played it cool.
 
"I was happy with the way we played," asserted co-captain Casey
Hankinson, who assisted on the second Gopher goal during
a first-period power play. "We play them again at mid-season, and I
think you'll see a different game."
 
Gopher head coach Doug Woog seconded his captain, noting that the HOF
game is, after all, an exhibition, and that he had
tried some line changes and other moves one might not have seen in a
regular matchup. Meanwhile, Michigan head man Red
Berenson played it to the hilt, even leaving in first-string goaltender
Marty Turco for the full 60 minutes in an all-out attempt to
win.
 
So. Is it that simple -- Michigan was trying real hard and Minnesota
just wasn't?
 
Don't bet on it. Exhibition or not, the Gophers wanted to win,
especially against the team that sent them home from last year's
NCAA West Regional. Blowing a two-goal lead couldn't have helped,
either -- though the decisive goals came against
backups Willy Marvin and Erik Day, and not regular Steve DeBus
(25-12-1, 3.15 GAA, .888 SV% last season), who will be
Maine's target this weekend.
 
Perennial all-star Mike Crowley is gone, but sophomore Dave Spehar
(20-17--37) made his presence felt with a goal less
than a minute into the game, and Hankinson's (17-24--41) assist was
certainly a good start. Also, the Gophers took on
Michigan with the benefit of only five defensemen, as sophomore Ryan
Trebil and freshman Dylan Mills were held out of the
game, punishment for a scuffle earlier in practice.
 
Look for both of those two to play significant roles against the Black
Bears, winners of 12 of their last 13 games in 1996-97.
Sophomore Alfie Michaud (17-8-1, 3.09 GAA, .864 SV%) is the main man in
nets for Maine, who also feature the scoring of
Steve Kariya (19-31--50), Shawn Wansborough (18-21--39) and Cory LaRose
(10-27--37) up front and David Cullen
(5-25--30) from the blue line.
 
(For another look at Maine, see this week's Hockey East preview.)
 
Picks: No one really knows what to expect from the Black Bears, who are
just returning from a spell in the NCAA's
doghouse. Maine played exceptionally well after the mid-season return
of head coach Shawn Walsh, despite (or maybe
because of?) the Bears' postseason ban.
 
Minnesota, for its part, has a game in hand and is anxious to prove
that it doesn't need Crowley, the WCHA Player of the
Year last season, to succeed. Minnesota 4-2, 4-3
 
--
Deron Treadwell - [log in to unmask]
University of Maine