Here's the wrap-up from the Daily:
 
Headline: Rough play hampers U, irks Woog
Publish Date: 01/09/1995
Matthew Cross
Staff Reporter
 
Marquette, Mich. -- The Gophers hockey team knew that they were
heading into a war zone when they battled Northern Michigan at
Lakeview Arena this weekend.
 
And they knew the Wildcats were going to be physical in their
quest for a pair of home victories.
 
They knew it on the plane ride,  they knew it in their hotel and they
definitely knew it on the ice.
 
But for the young Gophers squad, even the most intensive session
of Northern Michigan 1001 couldn't have prepared them for what was
about to happen.
 
Minnesota experienced a style of play that was comparable only to a
World Wrestling Federation cage match -- a style that the Gophers
proved they could not keep up with.
 
After a Friday game that ended in a 2-2 tie and was relatively
peaceful, Northern Michigan's true colors were exposed as they gave
the Gophers a 6-3 beating -- literally.
 
For the first 30 minutes of Saturday's game, there was little hockey
being played, but there was a lot of hard hitting and cheap shots
from both sides.
 
Minnesota coach Doug Woog was not happy.
 
``I'm very (angry). We lost our cool for about two or three minutes,
which is fine. But I personally have a hard time accepting the way
the game was played tonight. I'm not going to criticize the
officials, but the conduct we had to face as players was not
appropriate.''
 
In the second period of Saturday's game, the Gophers set a team
record for the most penalty minutes in a single period, with 46
minutes on 11 penalties.
 
Woog said most of the penalties that were taken, however, were
in retaliation of ``dirty, dirty play.''
 
``I got a little hot there for a while,'' Woog said. ``And I told
(Northern Michigan coach Rick Comley) I don't like it.
 
``They went after (rookie defenseman Mike) Crowley,'' Woog said.
``They went after his head. He's got to play like a big boy, but he
shouldn't have to be part of the glass from late hits or being
punched in the head.''
 
Woog was faced with a dilemma of whether or not to play physical in
the first period on Saturday, and the decision resulted in a battle
royal.
 
``What do you do?'' Woog asked. ``Do you let them just beat you
up? Do you retaliate or just let it get worse?''
 
The Wildcats went into the series hoping to give new life to
their physical game, which was a struggle last month.
 
``We didn't solve everything,'' Northern Michigan coach Rick Comley
said. ``But I think we took a step.''
 
Comley said his team would not make any excuses for their play, and
noted two five-minute major penalties on the Wildcats' centers Jason
Welch and Dean Seymour that were questionable.
 
From a players' perspective, the game was exciting, but at the same
time, their mental approach was slightly slurred.
 
``Some of those guys are 6-2, 6-3, so it's not the greatest to
look back and see those guys in your face,'' said Crowley, who is
5-foot-11 and 173 pounds. ``But it really doesn't change my
game.''
 
Sophomore winger Dan Hendrickson said he enjoyed the physical
play and called it a type of eye-opener.
 
``This was a perfect style of game,'' Hendrickson said after
Satuday's game. ``It's fun to skate around and be that type of team,
but it's also fun to get a gut check every once in a while.''
 
Carol S. White                            BITNET: c-whit@uminn1
University of Minnesota        internet:[log in to unmask]
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