Minnesota 5 - Providence 1
 
Well, this game worked out differently than a lot of people had figured.
 Providence dictated the pace and produced a tempo that could be described as
boring.  What that meant more than anything else was that PC never generated
any offense.  The game was closer than the score, as it was 2-1 after two
periods.  The Gophers dominated pretty much the whole way, though.  While the
shots were mostly even through 2, the quality chances and the bulk of play
were in front of Dan Dennis.
 
Wyatt Smith scored each of Minnesota's first two tallies, doubling his career
goal total.  Bonin hit a pipe after a great move with 5 seconds to go in the
first and Ryan Kraft missed an open net in the last minute of the second
among numerous good chances Minnesota failed to convert.
 
The Gopher player of the game, if not Wyatt smith, would have been Brian
LaFleur.  His name won't show up anywhere on the scoresheet, but he simply
smothered people coming into the zone and snuffed several possible Friar
scoring chances.
 
I was very pleased with how well Minnesota played today.  There was a bit of
sloppiness in the first period, but they really tightened it up after that.
 Providence may have dictated the pace, but the Gophers used it to their
advantage.
 
As an aside, the reffing was pretty good.  After two good pairs looked poor
yesterday, Ammion and Noeth did a good job.  Are these the same two guys that
the ECAC fans keep complaining about?
 
Tomorrow: Michigan
 
J. Michael Jackson
 
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