I got this from the Daily's web server:
http://www.daily.umn.edu/~online/daily/10031995/sports/puck03/
-Pam
 
Reprinted (with permission) from Tuesday's (10/3/95) Minnesota Daily:
 
Goalies finally get chance to shine
Jeff Sherry - Staff Reporter
Last year the Gophers hockey team rode its stifling defense and Jeff
Callinan's stubborn goaltending all the way to the NCAA Final Four.
 
Along the way Callinan and the defense racked up some impressive
statistics. The goalie's average of 2.78 goals allowed per game led the
WCHA. The Gophers also led the league in penalty-killing efficiency. By all
accounts, it was a true team effort.
 
But this season the Gophers must continue without Callinan, who has since
graduated. And while they do return the entire defense, coach Doug Woog
must find a way to replace the departed goalie if he wants his team to make
its third straight appearance at the final four.
 
Woog plans on doing that by using the same team approach as last year but
with a new twist: team goaltending.
 
The Gophers will open their season with Jeff Moen and Steve DeBus
alternating games in the net. They have starkly different backgrounds, but
Woog is confident they can provide equally strong play for Minnesota.
 
"We're looking at those two goaltenders as really being ready to play,"
Woog said. "They've both been looking pretty solid in practice so far, and
I think both of them are capable of being pretty good. You always want two
solid goalies, and we've got that this year."
 
Moen is a familiar face to Gophers hockey fans. The senior from Roseville
has seen action in each of his previous three years at the University,
including six games last year.
 
Moen is also familiar with what it's like to alternate games in goal. He
shared time with Callinan throughout the 1993-94 season, playing in 20
games and posting a 3.33 goals against average.
 
But when Callinan emerged early last season and claimed the starting
position, it shook Moen's confidence. His goals-against average ballooned
to 4.41, and he posted a 2-3 record.
 
Since then Moen has worked on improving himself, both mentally and
physically, with hopes of making the most of his second chance with the
Gophers.
"I think I'm better than I was two years ago," Moen said. "I've gotten a
little stronger and I've also gotten a little quicker.
 
"And being a senior helps. During my three years here, I've been through a
lot of good times and a lot of tough times, and now I know how to deal with
things better. I've definitely gotten stronger mentally."
 
DeBus also knows a thing or two about mental toughness. The 22-year-old
sophomore, is actually 15 months older than Moen, but he has never played a
minute of college hockey.
 
After not receiving any offers from college teams following his senior year
at Rochester (Minn.) Mayo High School in 1991, DeBus played two seasons
with the Rochester Mustangs of the United States Hockey League.
 
The Gophers finally asked him to join their team before the 1993-94 season.
DeBus practiced with the Gophers, but he could not compete because his
academic record did not satisfy the NCAA's Proposition 48 guidelines.
 
"To me it was kind of a technicality," said DeBus, who was short one math
credit when he came to the University. "My ACT scores were fine and my GPA
was fine, I just didn't meet their set criteria."
 
The hard times continued for DeBus last year as well. After making himself
academically eligible his freshman year, he was forced to take a redshirt
season because Callinan and Moen had already earned the two goalie spots on
the roster.
"The last two years have been awful," DeBus said. "Nobody wants to take
time off. It's like if you're working for a newspaper and the editors say,
'We're going to let you practice your writing, but we're not going to
publish any of your work.' How much fun is that? It sucks.
 
"When you're sitting in the stands, just watching, you want to be out there
so bad. You really don't feel like part of the team at all."
 
DeBus said he expects to be a little rusty at first, considering he hasn't
played in a real game for two years. But he thinks he'll adjust quickly and
be ready to compete for the starting job.
 
=46or now, Woog plans on alternating the goaltenders well into the season.
And while he won't make any projections concerning a possible favorite,
Woog said he wouldn't rule out the possibility of either Moen or DeBus
eventually taking over the starting role.
 
That suits both goaltenders just fine. Each player enjoys the friendly
competition the other provides and would love to become the team's go-to
guy.
"If one of us gets hot toward the end of the season, I think that person
should see some more action," DeBus said. "Of course, it's up to the
coaches. But if Jeff Moen is playing superb hockey, and the coaches decided
to play me and I played lousy, I'd feel real bad.
 
"Sometimes I think it's better to go with one guy -- especially if the team
develops confidence in that person. But I've got no problems sharing time.
I'm sure we're both going to play well."
 
=A9The Minnesota Daily
 
Pam Sweeney
Go Gophers!
Nastier, Bigger, Faster in '95-'96!
 
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