Erik quoted the article from the Minnesota Daily about an impromptu hockey
game between the Minnesota and Ohio State baseball teams during their
rainout delay at the Big Ten Championships Sunday:
 
>Although they appeared seasoned after the event, the Armstrong High
>School (Plymouth, Minn.) duo of Vandersall and Mark Merila dominated
>the game. The juniors combined for six goals and three assists.
>
>"We thought we'd go out with a two-one-two fore-check because we
>didn't think they'd handle the puck well," said Merila, an
>all-conference hockey standout at Armstrong. "The wings went in first
>to force the puck."
>
>
 
In the Daily this week, (Wednesday, I think) it mentions that Merila
is considering going out for hockey next year.   That would give the
Gophers an interesting collections of mulit-sport athletes, with
scholarship golf red-shirt Andy Brink, who played forward this year, and
Junior winger Jeff Nielsen, who decided to play for the JV golf team this
year and ended up being the #3 golfer on the varsity.
 
Apparently Merila was recruited to play hockey by several division one
schools, including BC and Notre Dame, if I recall.  He will probably
be drafted this summer to play baseball, though, so it's doubtful he'll be
back at Minnesota for either sport.
 
Pam Sweeney
Go Gophers!!!
1993 WCHA Playoff Champions!!!