=46rom the Wednesday (2/14/96) Minnesota Daily: U freshman emerges as NHL prospect Matthew Cross - Staff Reporter Gophers forward Erik Rasmussen was sitting in the locker room at Mariucci Arena two hours before last Friday's game against Colorado College swallowing Rolaids like they were popcorn at a movie theater. Antacid: not because he had an upset tummy, but because he was scared out of his mind. "I was so nervous all day," Rasmussen said after the game. "This was nervous to another level." But nobody would have ever known his pregame activity judging by his play on the ice -- so calm and collected. =46irst, he assisted on linemate Brian Bonin's goal in the first period. And in the closing minutes of the third period, Rasmussen got the puck streaking up near the offensive blue line. He went wide-right around Tigers defenseman Calvin Elfring. Colorado College captain Eric Rud closed in on him, but Rasmussen centered the puck and snuck it past Rud -- smooth as silk. Minnesota defenseman Mike Crowley stopped the puck with his skate and backhanded it past goaltender Ryan Bach in the top shelf of the net. That was the game-winner with 2:08 remaining in Friday's 3-2 thriller, which gave the Gophers enough confidence to say they can beat Colorado College again. "I looked back and saw white so I threw the puck that way," Rasmussen said of Crowley's home jersey. "Fortunately Mike was there and put it away." Gophers fans have seen a lot of those kinds of plays from Rasmussen in the past few weeks, as the freshman continues to show why he is on the first line with Bonin. Rasmussen's role is to provide a physical presence, dig the puck out of the corners and keep defensemen off of Bonin. But since winter quarter started, Rasmussen has three goals and 16 assists. Minnesota coach Doug Woog said Rasmussen, who was a one-man show at St. Louis Park High School, has benefitted from working next to a player like Bonin. "This is the first time in his life he's had a chance to play consistently with upper level players," Woog said. "He has to develop the mentality of a goal scorer. Right now he's a playmaker." Indeed, Rasmussen has shown he can set up teammates to score. His season totals include 21 assists and eight goals for 29 points. But nobody ever doubted his ability. Rasmussen, whose father (Don) and uncle (Dale) both played for Minnesota in 1960-61, was the 1995 Minnesota Mr. Hockey winner. He joined former winners Bonin, Nick Checco and Crowley on the Gophers squad. But Rasmussen sees the award as more of a gift to St. Louis Park than a personal accomplishment. "It's a big deal for me, and it's still a great honor to be named along with the other players who have won it," Rasmussen said. "But I think it's bigger for the community. It's good for the kids in a town not noted for hockey to know that it can happen." Rasmussen was also selected to play on the U.S. National Junior team last December and is projected as a potential first-round pick by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau. If he does get picked in the first round, Rasmussen could be offered about $400,000 to go pro right away, but he doesn't see that far down the road right now. "The amount of money it would take to pull me away from school is pretty great," Rasmussen said. "Actually, I haven't really thought about it. If it's a possibility for me I definitely want to pursue it, but I still have a long way to go. I like to play so much that it doesn't matter. "If all goes well, I'd like to stay here and win a national championship. I like school. I like the program here, and I like the way I'm improving as a player." Woog definitely sees the improvements Rasmussen has made since the Dec. 15-16 series at Alaska Anchorage, especially in the freshman's skating ability. However, Woog thinks the 6-foot-2, 191 pound winger should stay at Minnesota. "He did himself a service by not opting for the draft last year," Woog said. "In my opinion, he enhanced his pro draft position by functioning at a high level, and I would expect he would return because he needs more of it." Rasmussen listed three things he feels need improvement before he moves on to the next level: confidence in his shot, his overall strength and his consistency. Still, Woog said Rasmussen has shown already that he is the type of player who could be a big-timer at the professional level because of his desire to improve. "He's just going to get better if he continues to put the same effort in," Woog said. "And if it's fun for him, he shouldn't be leaving. He's a 19-year-old boy, and he's going to go on and make some pretty good money playing hockey." ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- =A9The Minnesota Daily 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.