http://www.daily.umn.edu/~online/daily/11171995/sports/puck17/
 
From today's (11/17/95) Minnesota Daily:
 
> Gophers hope to cool down UMD again
>=20
> Jeff Sherry - Staff Reporter
>=20
> Minnesota-Duluth captain Joe Ciccarello can't point to any specific
> factor responsible for the turnaround of his hockey team since Jan.
> 6.
>=20
> At that time last season, the Bulldogs were coming off a
> seventh-place WCHA finish and had lost to Colorado College, giving
> them a 3-12-2 league record. The young team had lost every
> conference game in over two months.
>=20
> But the following night the Bulldogs pulled out a 6-5 road upset
> over the league-champion Tigers and have yet to look back. Since
> that win at Colorado College, Minnesota-Duluth has posted the
> league's best record (16-6-2), including a 6-2 conference record so
> far this season.
>=20
> And Ciccarello isn't sure why.
>=20
> "I guess our guys have just started believing in themselves," said
> the senior who won the team's Most Improved Player award last
> season. "You can't really pinpoint it on one thing. It's just a
> bunch of guys starting to believe that, 'Hey, we're a pretty good
> team.'"
>=20
> The Bulldogs' emergence has turned the match-up of intra-state
> rivals into an important series involving two of the league's top
> teams. Second-place Minnesota (6-3-1 in the WCHA), leads third-place
> UMD (6-2-0) by one point in the conference standings. But the
> Gophers have played two more games than the Bulldogs.
>=20
> The biggest reasons for the Bulldogs becoming a good team are the
> development of their young talent on offense and solid goaltending
> from senior Taras Lendzyk.
>=20
> The Bulldogs get depth up front from sophomores Mike Peluso and Joe
> Rybar, who lead the team in scoring, and freshman Jason Haakstad,
> who ranks right behind them. The Bulldogs also have experienced
> scorers in second-team All-WCHA selection Brad Federenko and
> Ciccarello.
>=20
> Lendzyk returned against Wisconsin last weekend after missing three
> games due to a pulled groin muscle. In those games he stopped 51 of
> 55 shots allowing four goals.
>=20
> But while UMD has beaten up on everyone else in the WCHA recently,
> the Gophers have made them look like puppies on ice. Minnesota won
> all six games the teams played last season, including four games
> when the Bulldogs were playing their best hockey.
>=20
> On Feb. 10-11, the Bulldogs came to Mariucci Arena having lost only
> one of their previous nine games. The Gophers swept. Then in the
> first round of the WCHA playoffs, UMD came to town winners of four
> straight. The Gophers swept and ended the Bulldogs' season.
>=20
> "They came in rolling both times, just like they are now," Woog
> said. "It's kind of like deja vu. Here we go again. But you never
> know. Sometimes that's how it goes -- you match up well with
> somebody and you're able to beat them."
>=20
> But Ciccarello doesn't believe the past has anything to do with this
> weekend's series. When the Gophers and Bulldogs meet, he said,
> everything else goes right out the window.
>=20
> "For these guys it doesn't matter if you're in last place or first
> place," Ciccarello said. "The competition between the two schools is
> always pretty intense. Our guys are looking forward to it."
>=20
> Snap shots
>=20
> Freshman forward Wyatt Smith will miss his second straight series
> this weekend with a slightly-separated left shoulder.
>=20
> Smith has been practicing with the team in the red cross (no
> contact) jersey all week. Gophers trainer Bob Broxterman said Smith
> will practice in his regular uniform on Monday and should be able to
> play Nov. 24-25 at the College Hockey Showcase in Milwaukee.
>=20
> Woog said with the exception of Smith, all of his other regular
> players will play against the Bulldogs. Senior forward Bobby Dustin,
> who saw his first action of the season against Denver last weekend,
> should play in at least one game again this weekend.
>=20
> The Gophers signed their sixth recruit for the 1996-97 season
> Wednesday when they received a national letter of intent from
> Bloomington Jefferson defenseman Ryan Trebil. Wednesday was the
> final day of the early signing period.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
> =A9The Minnesota Daily
 
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