Alan Harder wrote:
>- --RANK-- 09-Oct-96 Total -----RANGE----- Ttl #1
>New 96end Pts Hi Avg Mode LowVts
>
> 3 7 Minnesota 272 1 ---- 3 ---- 24 2
>
>I have read that Minnesota is incredibly deep and strong. It
>surprises me that they only got two first place votes.
I was surprised to see them that high. They have only 13 returning letter
winners from a team that didn't make the Phinal Phour last year. (They
lost to the eventual national champs 'cause of "the lacrosse goal") They
lost one of their goalies, a Hobey Baker winner forward, and 3 regular
defensemen. (Also two "part-time" defensemen: Andy Brink and Jay Moser).
They're going to need to depend on Steve Debus in net at the start of the
year while the D settle into the college game. Fortunately Mike Crowley
came back, but after him, the returning defense is Brian LaFleur, Jason
Godbout, Billy Kohn, and maybe Brett Abrahamson (who saw action at forward
last year). A couple of those guys are going to have to step up AND
freshmen Ben Clymer, Ryan Trebil, and Mike Lyons are going to have to make
a quick adjustment to WCHA hockey.
Then again, the Gophers had three regular senior D last year because they
faced this same situation four years ago. After 2 early pro signings, they
had Travis Richards, Chris McAlpine and Eric Means and then a bunch of
freshmen on D. Wasley, Zwakman, and Dan Trebil had a real trial by fire.
And theirs are the skates Clymer, Ryan Trebil and Lyons have to fill this
year. So we know it can be done...
I think this also means Dave Spehar is going to have to learn to be an
all-around forward awful fast, because they aren't exactly going to want to
do a lot of free-wheeling with a rookie defense back there. Also, the
Gophers start out the season with BU, CC, Duluth, Wisconsin, and North
Dakota. And they'll face Michigan and MSU at Thanksgiving. Probably not
the teams Doug Woog might have chosen to cut the teeth of all these young
players. {insert your own joke about hockey players and teeth here}
So others can read and decide for themselves, I guess I might as well make
the first Gopher Hockey article URLs post of the year. I've contacted the
Minnesota Daily about permission to repost their articles but haven't heard
back yet, so I'll only post URL's for now.
U hockey might be lost in Woods
http://www.daily.umn.edu/daily/1996/10/10/sports/puck10/
High expectations come with territory for Spehar
http://www.daily.umn.edu/~online/daily/1996/10/03/sports/puck02/index.html
And the Star-Tribune articles: (BTW for Pointcast users: the Strib is now
available as a channel on Pointcast if you have the very latest version...)
Goalie DeBus is Gophers' go-to guy this season
http://www.startribune.com/cgi-bin/article/rootEval.cgi?currentStory=45021972
Crowley, Rasmussen happy to return to Gopher hockey team
http://www.startribune.com/cgi-bin/article/rootEval.cgi?currentStory=45020516
Spehar opens Gopher hockey career amid high expectations
http://www.startribune.com/cgi-bin/article/rootEval.cgi?currentStory=45017658
Woog optimistic as Gophers open hockey practice
http://www.startribune.com/cgi-bin/article/rootEval.cgi?currentStory=45017148
Pam Sweeney
Go Gophers!!!
HOCKEY-L is for discussion of college ice hockey; send information to
[log in to unmask], The College Hockey Information List.
|
