I promise, it's NOT another Gophers preview.  It IS, however, the "WCHA
Notebook" by Charley Hallman from today's (10/5/94) St. Paul Pioneer Press and
it contains a short St. Cloud preview and a much more pessimistic view of the
possibility of WCHA games being carried on ESPN.
 
The "Notebook" has items on the WCHA Phinal Phive location and the WCHA coaches'
poll which have already been posted here, so I'll pick up with the rest of the
article.
 
*Huskies favored*
 
In a surprise, St. Cloud State emerged as the favorite in the Grand Forks (N.D.)
Herald's annual poll of WCHA coaches.
 
The Huskies drew five first-place ballots and 134 points, to four first-place
ballots and 132 points for Minnesota.  Others picked for the first division are
defending regular-season champion Colorado College, Northern Michigan and
Denver.
 
St. Cloud State coach Craig Dahl, beginning his eighth season, said he was
surprised his team was picked to finish first.
 
The Huskies, in their ninth year as a Division I school, startled everyone a
year ago when they finished 21-13-4 and were 3-1 in the playoffs before losing
in overtime to Minnesota.
 
"It doesn't make any difference where they pick you," Dahl said.  "We've got to
take this season one weekend at a time."
 
The Huskies have one problem area -- in goal.  Grant Sherven has graduated, and
Neal Cooper, expected to be the starting goalie, is recovering from extensive
injuries (including a broken femur and a broken kneecap) suffered in an auto
accident.
 
Dahl said he plans to go with Brian Leitz, a 6-foot-2 freshman from Lake Villa,
Ill., who played with Sioux City, S.D., of the United States Hockey League last
year.
 
The Huskies return a lot of front-line talent, including potential all-star
Kelly Hultgren of Bloomington who had 14 goals and 37 assists last season, along
with forwards Marc Gagnon and Billy Lund.
 
The Gophers, picked second, will rely on a lot of young players such as freshmen
Ryan Kraft, Mike Crowley and Jason Godbout for scoring.
 
Crowley, of Bloomington, was the coaches' choice for freshman of the year, while
North Dakota's Landon Wilson of Eden Prairie was pegged as most valuable player.
 
*Briefly*
 
*Several coaches, including Rick Comley, Jeff Sauer, Mike Sertich and Doug Woog,
went out of their way to bemoan the loss of John "Gino" Gasparini, the long-time
coach and athletic director at North Dakota.  Gasparini, who led the school to
three national championships, was fired last spring after a run-in with the
school president, who wanted to drop the "Fighting Sioux" nickname.
 
*McLeod said he has contacted ESPN to see if the cable network is interested in
having the WCHA fill in for the NHL if the pros' labor dispute is not settled by
Oct. 15.  An ESPN spokesman said college hockey isn't a high priority for ESPN
right now.
 
*The league has two new coaches:  Dean Blais, the former International Falls and
Gophers star at North Dakota, and former Wisconsin star and Thunder Bay,
Ontario, native George Gwozdecky at Denver.
 
*Comley, a member of the NCAA ice hockey executive committee, said the WCHA
regular-season champion and the winner of the postseason championship are
guaranteed NCAA berths beginning in 1995.  In 1993-94, league champion Colorado
College was beaten in the first round of the playoffs by Michigan Tech and was
not selected for the 12-team NCAA tourney.
 
*There are five Olympic-size ice sheets in the WCHA.  Wisconsin has added a
wider ice sheet and Colorado College will play at the Air Force Academy the next
two years before moving into its new facility.
 
*Apex One will be a sponsor of the WCHA championship for the next three years.
The company will supply uniforms and outer wear to all 10 WCHA teams, beginning
this season.
 
*Dayton-Hudson Corporation will sponsor the 1995 Big Ten tournament Thanksgiving
weekend at the Civic Center.  Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan and Michigan State
will participate.
 
*With the addition of Blais, three of the league's 10 schools have head coaches
who grew up in International Falls.  The others are Don Lucia of Colorado
College and Brush Christiansen of Alaska-Anchorage.
 
Four other WCHA head coaches are Minnesota natives -- Sauer of St. Paul, Woog of
South St. Paul, Dahl of Austin and Sertich of Virginia.
 
*Former Washington High School and Gustavus Adolphus star Jerry Krieger is
returning to the WCHA as an official.  Krieger was a top league official before
leaving because of a job commitment several years ago.
 
 
Pam Sweeney                            Go Gophers!!!
[log in to unmask]      1993 & 1994 WCHA Playoff Champions!!!
                                  1994 NC$$ PHinal PHour!!!
                                        Ski-U-Mah!!!