Headline: U's Fiebelkorn looks to finish on a high note
Publish Date: 02/17/1995
Matthew Cross
<W0I>Staff Reporter
 
With only six regular season games left in the Gophers hockey season,
senior forward Jed Fiebelkorn knows his days of fulfilling his
childhood dream are limited.
 
And nothing weighs more heavily on his mind.
 
``I think about it every day,'' Fiebelkorn said. ``Growing up, I
always wanted to be a Gopher and I never really wanted to go anywhere
else.
 
``This is my last few weeks, and I want to get as much out of it as I
can. This has been the greatest time of my life, and I want to be
able to play as well as I can and not settle for anything less than
that.''
 
And in the last month and a half, Fiebelkorn has gotten the most out
of his situation.
 
After an offensively unproductive first half of the season,
Fiebelkorn had three points, from a goal and two assists, last
weekend against Minnesota-Duluth. He advanced his season total to 10
points and was the team's leading scorer for the weekend.
 
In his four years at Minnesota, Fiebelkorn has only 34 total points,
but he still sees himself as a scorer.
 
The biggest difference for Fiebelkorn right now is in his confidence
and his mental preparation for the games.
 
``I think that I can score now,'' Fiebelkorn said. ``I want to shoot
more, and the coaches have given me a chance to build on something
that's going good. I feel more comfortable now.''
 
Despite his recent scoring success, Fiebelkorn never denies the role
he plays for the Gophers.
 
``My game is definitely the physical play,'' Fiebelkorn admitted.
``I've always loved the physical play and I don't mind it, (but) I've
always believed I could score,'' he said. ``I don't put up the big
numbers, but to pop one in every once in a while is also my role.''
 
Gophers coach Doug Woog sees Fiebelkorn playing a big part in the
success of the team in the postseason.
 
Woog has expressed the importance of the third line (on which
Fiebelkorn plays) producing so the team has a more balanced offensive
attack.
 
``That is an area where we haven't had consistency all year,'' Woog
said. ``They have had too many penalties and too little offense, and
it's essential for them to do well. It helps the confidence of
everybody.''
 
Woog said Fiebelkorn's recent success came from an internal
confidence that he gained from a goal against Yale on Dec. 30.
 
His teammates have rallied behind him ever since.
 
``(Fiebelkorn) has really come to grips with himself,'' Woog said.
``I don't think he's trying to be anybody but himself, and it helps
to have the entire team behind you.''
 
The success of the third line has given the entire team momentum
going into this weekend's key series at Denver.
 
Minnesota is tied for second in the WCHA with the Pioneers and a
sweep by either team could be devastating for the other.
 
For Denver, this weekend series is only the beginning. The Pioneers
are slated to face the top three teams in the league, including a
home-and-home finale with first-place Colorado College.
 
``It's going to be tough, but it's going to be fun,'' Denver winger
Chris Kenady said of their late season schedule. ``We face the top
three teams in the league, and I think it will prepare us for the
playoffs.''
 
Denver coach George Gwozdecky said this weekend's series has all the
intensity of the playoffs.
 
``You could say that for these two teams, the playoffs start this
weekend,'' Gwozdecky said. ``The next few series for us are not a
prelude to the playoffs, but they will be playoff-type games.''
 
To add to the excitement, the Gophers are after revenge from an
earlier meeting with Denver at Mariucci Arena on Dec. 10 and 11 when
the Pioneers embarrassed Minnesota with a sweep.
 
However, Gwozdecky said his team will be just as spiteful because
they haven't done well against the Gophers in recent years.
 
Indeed they haven't, as Minnesota boasts a 16-5-1 record against
Denver in the 1990's.
 
``Revenge may be more on our side,'' Gwozdecky said. ``There's a
tremendous amount of motivation because we have a few players from
Minnesota and in the last four years there's been a number of
failures that we've had against the Gophers.''
 
Despite the revenge factor, Woog said there's a certain optimism in
the Gophers' locker room, and a business-like attitude toward
winning.
 
``If we sweep, it's not relaxing,'' Woog said. ``You've got to be
smart about mental preparation and you've got to keep momentum going.
It's not a drastic change if we split, and losing we don't want to
talk about.''
 
Carol S. White                            BITNET: c-whit@uminn1
University of Minnesota        internet:[log in to unmask]
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