Not too much ground-breaking info here, but it's the first article of the season
about Gopher hockey, so I'll post it for those who want to read *something*
about college hockey.   -Pam
 
From the Minnesota Daily today:
Headline: Gophers hockey team hits the ice
Publish Date: 10/04/1994
 
Matthew Cross
 
Staff Reporter
 
Minnesotans are known for their love of hockey. Without a
professional team the Gophers are the No. 1 attraction on ice.
 
Gophers coach Doug Woog officially started practice Monday at
Mariucci Arena -- and he wasted little time in making his players
work hard.
 
"There was a lot of shooting at the goaltender," Woog said.
"Everybody had a pretty good workout in terms of skill work, and
that's what we wanted. It was a meaningful day."
 
The Gophers ran numerous shooting and flow and movement drills over a
3 1/2 hour practice session in an attempt to get his players
re-acclimated.
 
The team had been skating together for the past two weeks, so the
focus was on puck handling and shooting.
 
Goaltenders Jeff Callinan and Jeff Moen tried to keep up with the
fast-paced work out. They dove and crawled for much of the practice.
 
Woog was impressed by his first-year class -- a group that entered
the season free of intimidation. They even held their own during
wrestling drill, an exercise that stresses the more physical part of
the game. Players lock arms, almost as if they were fighting, and try
to take the helmet off their opponent.
 
"I didn't sense any guy to be nervous," Woog said. "We've been
skating together, and that helped the younger guys be accepted."
 
Woog foresees a few of the incoming skaters playing a key role on the
team this year -- Edina's Casey Hankinson among them.
 
Hankinson is the younger brother of Ben and Peter Hankinson, who both
starred for past Gophers hockey teams.
 
The Hankinson brothers accounted for 131 goals between them. Woog
expects good things out of the youngest Hankinson as well.
 
"He's a good player, and he's going to have a good career here," Woog
said.
 
Hankinson also has an interest in playing for the Gophers baseball
team this spring.
 
The hockey team had a rigorous summer that included lifting weights
four times a week and running twice weekly.
 
Checco also worked out this summer at the Olympic Festival, where he
skated and kept in shape.
 
"I wasn't ready for it," Checco said of the experience. "I was trying
to stay in shape, and I wasn't focused on being too intense."
 
As for the Gophers, Checco said it was nice to get back on the ice.
"It's a little too soon, but it feels good," he said. "I'm a little
sore, but it's a good sore."
 
The Gophers will have intrasquad scrimmages on Friday and on Oct. 14.
They open the season at Minnesota-Duluth on Oct. 21.
 
Pam Sweeney                            Go Gophers!!!
[log in to unmask]      1993 & 1994 WCHA Playoff Champions!!!
                                  1994 NC$$ PHinal PHour!!!
                                        Ski-U-Mah!!!