From today's Minnesota Daily:
Headline: Border battle is war for Gophers
Publish Date: 01/07/1994
David Jackson
Staff Reporter
The border battle never seemed so big. Wisconsin comes to town this
weekend, and their visit comes at a crucial time for the Gophers.
Minnesota is in sixth place in the WCHA, and is entering a nine-week
stretch of nothing but conference games. They begin with the 12-5-1
Badgers, co-leaders in the conference and the nation's second-ranked
team in the
College Hockey USA coaches poll. The two teams play Saturday at
Mariucci Arena and Sunday at Target Center, with both games starting
at 2:05 p.m.
The Gophers are six points behind the Badgers and this series can
push the Gophers toward where they want to be in the standings.
``If we sweep, we jump to the top of the conference and if we get
swept we spend the rest of the season looking up at everyone else,''
forward Jeff Nielsen said.
Emotion plays a big part in every Badger-Gopher series. For the
seniors, it's a final chance to play their rival in front of a home
crowd. For the freshmen, it's an introduction to one of the fiercest
rivalries in college hockey.
``Any time we drop the puck with Minnesota, it's going to be an
intense series no matter where it is,'' Badger coach Jeff Sauer said.
Part of the emotion stems from the Badgers having 13 Minnesotans on
their roster. But Sauer said he didn't think this would be a factor.
``The team I have is a very mature team,'' Sauer said. ``The guys
from Minnesota have gotten used to playing against the school they
grew up with.''
And it's not as if all the Badgers had to make a radical shift in
allegiances when they put on the cardinal and white uniforms.
``It's a conception that all kids in Minnesota want to play for the
Gophers,'' said Badger forward Chris Tucker, a graduate of
Bloomington Jefferson. ``Kids definitely enjoy watching their games,
but it's nice to have both schools nearby and have the option.''
The Gophers are playing their best hockey of the season, coming off a
double-overtime loss to No. 3 Lake Superior State in the Mariucci
Classic finals. That's important, because Minnesota is facing a
veteran Badger team with 10 seniors. They didn't suffer the key
personnel losses of the WCHA's other teams. No underclassmen left for
Team USA, and only one, Dan Plante, signed with a pro team.
As a result, team depth has enabled them to overcome injuries to key
personnel and remain near the top of the conference.
``That's the difference between the two teams,'' Gopher coach Doug
Woog said. ``They won despite the injuries and we didn't. They have
the offensive depth, at least three good forward lines.''
And behind them are a tough group of defenseman and two capable
goalies in Jim Carey, last season's WCHA rookie of the year, and
freshman Kirk Daubenspeck.
``The goalies are pushing each other. Jimmy doesn't have the stats he
had last year, but he has helped us get in first place and that's
where we want to be,'' Sauer said.
So the team that uses the emotion of the rivalry to its advantage
could come out ahead.
``Last year we needed to get back into the race and we went down
there and played two solid games,'' defenseman Chris McAlpine said.
``That's what you've got to do against a team like them.''
Nielsen added, ``It's the Badgers and you hate to lose and so do
they. So I think the teams will prepare a little extra and you'll see
that in the play.''
The series was never as even as last year. Wisconsin earned a win and
a tie at Minneapolis and the Gophers did the same at Madison. Then,
in the WCHA semifinals, Nielsen scored at 11:29 of overtime, ramming
in a loose puck with his back to the net, giving the Gophers a 3-2
win.
Minnesota went on to win the tournament and get an automatic bid to
the NCAA playoffs.
``That was big for me personally,'' Nielsen said. ``But it seems like
every series with them is big. At this point, you'd have to say every
weekend is big.''
Pam Sweeney Go Gophers!!!
[log in to unmask] 1993 WCHA Playoff Champions!!!
[log in to unmask] Ski-U-Mah!!!
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