Contents:
Gophers recruits to add speed and strength  {Woog's comments on signees}
LaFleur relieved after goal
Mrs. Woog makes the call  {starting second line, pulling goalie}
 
http://www.daily.umn.edu/~online/daily/11141995/sports/puck14/
 
> Gophers recruits to add speed and strength
>
> Jeff Sherry - Staff Reporter
>                                                             [Image]
> The five recruits who signed with the Gophers hockey team
> over the weekend will bring a combination of size, speed and
> experience with them to Minnesota.
>
> The Gophers signed two forwards, two defensemen and a goaltender.
> They are:
>
> Dave Spehar, Forward, Duluth East -- Spehar, who led the state in
> scoring last year, also led his team to the state championship. In
> 58 games he racked up 58 goals and 44 assists, including three
> consecutive hat tricks in the state tournament. He shoots
> right-handed.
>
> "He's the one guy we really hope to be a big goal-scorer," Gophers
> coach Doug Woog said. "He's got great explosive speed. He's only
> 5-8, but he can play."
>
> Rico Pagel, Forward, Minnetonka -- Pagel is a crafty center who
> played on the U.S. Select 16 team over the summer. The all-metro
> selection is 5 feet 11 inches tall and still growing.
>
> "He's a centerman's center who knows how to play the game," Woog
> said. "He's got good hockey sense and should be able to play on the
> power-play and penalty-kill units."
>
> Mike Lyons, Defenseman, St. Paul Johnson -- Lyons, a second-team
> all-state selection last year, is a physical multi-sport athlete who
> starts at fullback on his school's football team. Last season the
> 6-0, 195-pounder led his hockey team in blocked shots.
>
> "He's a rugged, good all-around defenseman," Woog said. "He can play
> some offense but we'll keep him back as a true defenseman. He's
> really a large kid."
>
> Ben Clymer, Defenseman, Bloomington Jefferson -- Clymer, 6-foot-1,
> 195-pounds, was a first-team all-state selection last year. He
> played with Pagel on the U.S. Select 16 team. He is widely
> considered the best high school defenseman in the state this year.
>
> "He's got a lot of attributes," Woog said. "In him I think we have
> one of the best ones in the whole country. He's going to help right
> away."
>
> Eric Day, Goaltender, Des Moines Buccaneers, USHL -- Day is
> currently playing his second season in the United States Hockey
> League. He was considered one of the best goalies in the state as a
> junior at Elk River two years ago but decided to play his senior
> year with Des Moines.
>
> "He's an extremely hard worker and very aggressive," Woog said. "Des
> Moines is struggling this year, so he's going to get quite a bit of
> work. He should be seasoned by the time he gets here."
>
> Woog said he would like to sign one more recruit, preferably a
> defenseman, before the early signing period ends this week. He also
> said he was looking for a forward who shoots right-handed. Dan
> Hendrickson and Mike Anderson are the Gophers' only two regular
> right-handed-shooting forwards who will return next season.
>
> One possibility for the Gophers' last spot is Bloomington Jefferson
> defenseman Ryan Trebil, the younger brother of Gophers senior Dan
> Trebil. The younger Trebil was in the Minnesota locker room after
> Saturday's game.
>
> LaFleur relieved after goal
>
> Junior defenseman Brian LaFleur scored the first goal of his Gophers
> career Sunday. He said that while he was glad to see his 83-game
> scoreless streak end, he really didn't let the streak get to him.
>
> "Sometimes guys will go six games without a goal," LaFleur said.
> "We'll be sitting around and they'll say, 'Man, it's been six games
> without a goal out there.' Then I'd say, 'Yeah? It's been a couple
> years for me.' Then we'd all laugh about it."
>
> Mrs. Woog makes the call
>
> Woog gave the Gophers a new look at the beginning of Sunday's game
> by starting the second line of center Reggie Berg, Ryan Kraft and
> Dave Larson on offense with Greg Zwakman and Jason Godbout on
> defense.
>
> "I wasn't trying to send any messages," Woog said. "My wife said to
> me a couple weeks ago, 'How come you always start the same lines?'
> So it was more me wanting to give the guys a chance to walk up and
> be introduced. It was kind of fun."
>
> Woog said he got another idea Sunday during his morning jog.
>
> "The next time we have a pulled goalie, I'm going to put a player in
> there, have him stay in the goal and retrieve pucks and throw them
> back up there," Woog said Sunday.
>
> "I can't pull the goalie without it going in the net. I don't care
> where or what game it is. The only time we ever scored was with a
> hiccup left at North Dakota last year. Otherwise, it's been death
> for our net."
>
> The Gophers have given up an empty-net goal in two of their three
> losses this year. Their last goal with a pulled goalie was Nov. 11,
> 1994, when Bonin scored with one second left at North Dakota to earn
> a 4-4 tie.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
> =A9The Minnesota Daily
 
Pam Sweeney
Go Gophers!
Nastier, Bigger, Faster in '95-'96!
 
HOCKEY-L is for discussion of college ice hockey;  send information to
[log in to unmask], The College Hockey Information List.