Although the University is closed today, the Minnesota Daily still had some
articles in their gopher server that were meant to be published today, including
this one on the hockey team's weekend.
 
Headline: TECH.STO
Publish Date: 01/18/1994
 
David Jackson
 
Staff Reporter
 
On a night when the hockey wasn't very pretty, the Gophers went back
to the chalkboard and came up with a beauty of a play.
 
Brian Bonin scored the tie-breaking goal 1:08 into the third period,
and the Gophers made it stand up, beating Michigan Tech 2-1 Saturday
to complete a weekend sweep and move into a tie for fourth place in
the WCHA.
 
Bonin's power-play goal came on a play the Gophers designed recently,
and implemented in practice this past week. When Bobby Dustin slid
the puck to Chris McAlpine at the right point, a Husky player went
out to challenge the possible shot. But McAlpine quickly fed the puck
to Bonin deep in the zone. Bonin caught the pass at the goal line to
the right of the net, took two strides toward the net and deposited
the puck in the far side, beating goalie Luciano Caravaggio.
 
"(The play) was something we'd been working on all week, and finally,
it worked," Bonin said.
 
Michigan Tech forced a slow tempo with an aggressive style, which
often brought hitting after the whistle. The game featured 29
penalties, 20 of which were coincidental. Minnesota had just four
power plays to Tech's two.
 
"It's hard for us to play this type of game, because it doesn't open
up," Gopher coach Doug Woog said. "I asked the officials after the
second period how they thought the game was going. They said it was a
pretty ugly game, and I told them it would stay that way until they
started calling what they saw and stopped calling penalties two at a
time."
 
Still, it was a fairly simple formula that brought the Gophers
victory. They got goals from their top two goal scorers, Jeff Nielsen
and Bonin, and a solid game from goalie Jeff Moen. And they protected
the one-goal lead with sound defense and smart puck control in the
third period. The Huskies were unable to pull Caravaggio late in the
game, because the Gophers controlled the puck and repeatedly dumped
it into the Tech zone.
 
"I can't remember a better last minute," Moen said. "The guys were
working their butts off to keep the puck at that end. I don't think
it crossed the red line in the last minute."
 
While the Gophers' second goal was perfectly diagrammed, their first
could probably be attributed to a lucky bounce. Tony Bianchi
attempted a centering pass to Nielsen at the blue line. Nielsen was
covered, but the puck hit the defenseman's skate and bounced right to
Nielsen, who was now a step ahead. The senior turned the breakaway
opportunity into a goal when he shot the puck through Caravaggio's
pads.
 
Randy Stevens tied the game for Tech late in the second period,
taking a pass from Kyle Peterson and skating behind the net to the
left side. Stevens lifted a forehand shot that found the
upper-right-hand corner of the net.
 
While the level of play gradually improved Saturday, Friday's game
started out with exciting play and then slowed almost to a halt.
 
Joe Dziedzic and Bonin scored first-period goals as the Gophers got
18 shots in the first 20 minutes. Husky goalie Jamie Ram played an
outstanding period, making 16 saves. Dziedzic's goal came on a
rebound in the goalmouth, and Bonin scored on a 50-foot screen shot
that Ram never saw.
 
"I was actually looking to pass," Bonin said. "But all I saw was a
defenseman, and he covered up the whole net for me, so I shot it."
 
Nick Checco's second period goal made it 3-0. The freshman took a
pass from his former high school teammate Dan Trebil at center ice
and fought through the check of Eric Jensen. Checco never really shot
the puck, but released it in time to beat a sliding Ram to the stick
side. Pat Mikesch scored Tech's goal in the third period, but the
Gophers held the Huskies off, weathering a late flurry by the
visitors after Ram was pulled.
 
"I've learned in this league that when you're on the road, it's the
home team's show," Tech coach Bob Mancini said. "You've got to find a
way to beat them. It's especially true at Minnesota. It always has
been."
 
Gopher notes: Defenseman Mike McAlpine suffered a separated shoulder
in the second period of Saturday's game. Minnesota's defense is now
only five-deep, with Charlie Wasley on the bench following Thursday's
arthroscopic knee surgery.
 
Chris McAlpine earned a dubious distinction in the Minnesota record
books Saturday, breaking Ben Hankinson's record for career penalties
with his 183rd.
 
 
 
Pam Sweeney                            Go Gophers!!!
[log in to unmask]         1993 WCHA Playoff Champions!!!
[log in to unmask]              Ski-U-Mah!!!