(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