This article from the Minnesota Daily is about Derek Herlofsky. There's also an item tacked onto the end of the article that contains some of the coaches' rumblings about hockey leaving the NC$$. -Pam Headline: Gophers know their conqueror Publish Date: 04/03/1995 Mark Miller Staff Reporter Providence, R.I. -- The Gophers' 7-3 semifinal loss to eventual national champion Boston University Thursday night was a familiar sight in a couple respects. Not only did the Terriers bounce Minnesota out of the NCAA hockey championships for the second straight year, but BU goalie Derek Herlofsky saw a lot of familiar faces. And it wasn't from playing the Gophers two years in a row. The Terriers goaltender and many of the Gophers are far from being enemies. ``I know most of them,'' Herlofsky said. ``I'm pretty good friends with (Brian) Bonin, (Nick) Checco and (Mike) Crowley from workouts in the summer,'' he said. ``I'm pretty good friends with Dan Woog and David Larson too. We got pretty close when we played for the (St. Paul) Vulcans.'' The ties are not just hockey-related. It's a matter of roots. Herlofsky grew up in Minneapolis and played his high school hockey at Minneapolis Edison. Despite not getting the nod to start in the championship game because of a rotation with teammate Tom Noble, the victory over Minnesota was a milestone for Herlofsky. It gave him 50 career wins, a statistic that was in the back of the goalie's mind as the year went on. ``In the beginning of the season, it was a goal, and I thought about it some during the season,'' Herlofsky said. ``But I didn't think about the 50th win until after the game was over.'' Along with the accomplishment, Herlofsky summarized his career at BU. ``I've been to the NCAAs all four years I've been here, and we've been to the final four three of the four years. I've had a lot of success,'' Herlofsky said. ``What more could you ask (for)?'' That question might be answered after the BU goalie's college career ends. Herlofsky's NHL draft rights belong to the Dallas Stars. Perhaps the only request Herlofsky could make is that his parents could see their son play more. ``They don't get to see me much, so playing against Minnesota, it gave a lot of my family and friends the chance to watch me,'' Herlofsky said. At the Terriers senior's home in Minneapolis on Thursday, the family and friends had divided loyalties. ``My brother had a bunch of people over, and it was half Boston fans and half Minnesota fans,'' he said. Coaches speak out Coaches discussed the status of college hockey last Wednesday. The issues ranged from the game's exposure, how big the hockey voice is from a national perspective and whether it could be expanded. Michigan coach Red Berenson spoke out on how the NCAA championships were covered. Berenson, a Michigan alumnus and former NHL star, felt the media could pay more attention to the event because so many college players go on to play in the National Hockey League. The Wolverine coach took a swipe at The Hockey News, which did not send a reporter to Providence. ``They had some guy in Chicago call me and ask me questions. I can't believe it. Thank you people for showing up,'' Berenson said to the gathering of reporters. Maine coach Shawn Walsh felt college hockey could stand some form of autonomy. ``We need a federation to guide our sport,'' Walsh said. ``We're under the umbrella of the NCAA, but we have people representing our sport and voting that have never seen a game.'' Walsh, along with Berenson, said with roller hockey and in-line skating's popularity, he would like to see expansion the game's expansion. But he conceded the presence of gender equity, which has caused some schools to drop certain sports. ``There are more kids playing roller hockey in South Carolina right now,'' Walsh said. ``Could you imagine if we had North Carolina and Duke playing hockey, what a great rivalry that would be? It's a delicate issue, but to use a hockey term, we need to stick-handle around some of the road blocks,'' he said. Pam Sweeney Go Gophers!!! 1995 NC$$ Phinal Phour!!!