On Tue, 15 Oct 1996, Cliffy Burton wrote:
 
>         I want to pose a question to the list?
>         I wounder what would happen if Jason Botterhill or Mike Greir
> would have walked on at the University of Minnesota. Does the list feel
> that Woog would have cut these players or others of their Skill?
> I have often woundered that and does anyone have a perspective on this?
>
>
>
> HOCKEY-L is for discussion of college ice hockey;  send information to
> [log in to unmask], The College Hockey Information List.
 
Few players who walk on at the U of MN are very successful. Many players
will transfer, but few walk on. The few who do are players who went
unrecruited but think they have a shot and "have a dream" of slipping on
the Maroon & Gold.
 
If I were a player of Grier or Botterhill's caliber, went unrecruited or
found myself in a walk-on situation, I do not believe Minnesota would be
my school of choice. The reputation itself of "Minnesota-only" would be
the first factor in not going there. If I come from outside the state of
Minnesota, I don't think I would want to walk on into a situation such as
this. I do believe that Woog would welcome a player like this, but the
homestate recruitment policy would scare me off before anything else.
 
Back to the recruiting issue, don't be surprised in the next few years if
Woog ventures into Canada or overseas to recruit. The pressure on him to
win a championship grows as each season of disappointment passes by. The
problem with a Minnesota only roster is the size deficiency. Usually, a
Gopher team will have two or three players who approach 6'3", 200 lbs.
and that is in a good year. Look at the players they have now.
Mike Crowley is a great defenseman, yet he is 5'9". In his past two years, he has been the target of vicious hitting by larger
teams. Not dirty hits, but clean, punishing hits. This punishment takes
its toll on a smaller player. Check a Gopher roster listing sometime and
look at the sizes of the players. Dave Spehar, the hopeful replacement
for Brian Bonin, is 5'8" or 5'9". This is not a big team by any means.
There are not many big players coming out. Which is why if Woog can't win
with these players, he may soon go north to find size. But as long as the
Gophers have speed and quickness, Woog will stay instate.
 
Larger teams will continue to punish the small Gophers. It is not a
glaring weakness, but it is a factor which seems to bite them at the
wrong time.
 
There's my $ .02
______________________________________________________________________________
             Nick Jankovich                     [log in to unmask]
                          P R I D E   O N   I C E
               "Gopher fan in Bulldog territory...could get ugly"
______________________________________________________________________________
 
HOCKEY-L is for discussion of college ice hockey;  send information to
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