=46rom the 10/20/95 Minnesota Daily:
 
Jeff Sherry - Staff Reporter
 
It's still early in the season."
 
"Every game is worth two points."
 
"Defense wins games."
 
They're all cliches, and Gophers hockey coach Doug Woog uses every one.
 
But not this week. As much as he'd like to, he just can't. This weekend is
different for Minnesota.
 
On Saturday and Sunday the Gophers get to see how they stack up against
Colorado College, the only team considered a threat to their WCHA title
hopes. They get to prove to the league they are worthy of all the praise
they have received.
 
In the preseason WCHA coaches' poll, Minnesota received six first-place
votes, and Colorado College got the other four. Woog was one of the coaches
who picked the Tigers to repeat as league champions.
 
So while he usually doesn't like to say one series is more important than
another, the four potential points the Gophers can earn with two wins this
weekend force him to do otherwise.
 
"That's always the standard expression," Woog said. "Four points are four
points. None of them are any more important than the others, but they've got
a very good team. These games are a little more important because I don't
know who else in the league is going to beat them."
 
In fact, Woog has so much respect for this year's Colorado College team he
contradicted another one of his theories by selecting the Tigers over the
Gophers.
 
When asked which he would rather have on a team, a strong defense or a
strong offense, Woog said a strong defense. Yet despite having arguably the
best defensive corps in the country on his team, Woog said the Tigers'
offensive punch should make Colorado College the league favorite.
 
"I honestly think the biggest difference between our teams is their ability
to create offensive chances and finish them," Woog said. "They've got about
95 percent of their offense back from last year, and they were awful good
last year."
 
Colorado College's offense was awesome last year. The Tigers placed three
players among the league's top five scorers, and they all returned. And only
a week into this season, four Tigers are already ranked among the league's
top five scorers.
 
Jay McNeill, a finalist for last year's Hobey Baker Award, is the team's
biggest name, but fellow seniors Colin Schmidt and Peter Geronazzo scored
more points last year. Preseason rookie of the year Brian Swanson, who
scored five points last weekend, has also shown he can put the puck in the
net.
 
But Colorado College does have a weakness -- its defense. The Tigers
graduated half of their defensemen and are replacing them with three
freshmen. Until their defense develops, the Tigers will rely heavily on
their offense and goaltending, which is something they would rather not do.
 
"We don't want to get into a shootout with anybody," said McNeill, whose
team lost the NCAA West Regional Final to Minnesota, 5-2, in March. "The
Gophers showed us that last year. In a one-game series defense will win that
game more often than blowing someone out."
 
Other factors will also play into this weekend's series. The Gophers catch a
bit of a break, because Chad Remackel, the league's ninth-leading scorer
last year, is serving a 10-game suspension, which the team imposed for
disciplinary reasons.
 
But Colorado College has a huge advantage by playing in Colorado Springs.
The Tigers have an 11- game unbeaten streak (10-0-1) at home and are used to
playing in high altitudes. Minnesota defenseman Mike Crowley said the
Gophers will make quick substitutions to combat the thin air. But playing
sound defense will be their biggest key this weekend.
 
"The last game we played against them, our whole team played good
defensively, which led to our offensive opportunities," Crowley said. "We're
going to have to do it against them again this year."
 
That's something Woog will say all season, regardless of who the Gophers are
playing. He knows defense will be the driving force behind his team. And if
Minnesota is still considered the WCHA's team to beat after this weekend,
its ability to shut down the Tigers' offense will be the main reason.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
=A9The Minnesota Daily
 
Pam Sweeney
Go Gophers!
Nastier, Bigger, Faster in '95-'96!
 
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