> Defenseman Chris McAlpine, the team's other co-captain, said, "We're
> just trying to get into shape right now and next week we've got a
> game."
>
> And a game against one of the WCHA's top teams, for that matter. But
> the Gophers insist they'll be ready.
>
   After years of sitting in the middle of the league, you don't know how
nice it is to hear this said of the MTU program again!  Altho Coach Bob
Mancini didn't like the preseason rating.  At the blueline Club Super supper
a week ago, he said the rating ment that the underdog role was gone and now
they have to expect that every team will be on top of its game to play us, not  looking past us as may have happened in the past years.
 
Kinda the opposite of what Bri said about maine being rated 4th:
 
>Bearing that in mind, maybe Maine should be happy that people are
>writing them off. Maybe teams will overlook them and not appreciate
>how good they really are.
 
    Bob Gilreath