=46rom today's (2/20/96) Minnesota Daily, several different items from two
articles...
Topics:
DeBus to start next two games
Playoffs shaping up
Bonin player of the week
U drops in power rankings
Crowley creeps closer
U hopes to land hockey final four in 2000 and 2002
DeBus to start next two games
Jeff Sherry - Staff Reporter
Gophers hockey coach Doug Woog said Monday he plans to start
sophomore goalie Steve DeBus in both games of the team's upcoming weekend
series at Wisconsin.
DeBus and senior goalie Jeff Moen had alternated games all season until
first-place Colorado College came to town two weeks ago. DeBus played both
games against the Tigers, and Moen played both games last weekend against
St. Cloud State. They each won and lost once.
"It's not as if there's a night-and-day difference between them," said Woog,
who was visibly upset with his team during Monday's practice. "But at this
point we feel (playing DeBus) gives us our best chance at winning."
In 19 games DeBus has compiled a 13-4-0 record, with a 2.48 goals-against
average and a .912 save percentage. Moen has a 12-3-2 record, 2.78 GAA and
.885 save percentage in 18 games.
Playoffs shaping up
With the final weekend of the regular season coming up, the WCHA playoff
picture is taking shape.
Two series are set: League-champion Colorado College will host Northern
Michigan, and second-place Minnesota will host ninth-place Alaska-Anchorage.
Denver has locked up third place and should host St. Cloud State, which sits
three points behind Wisconsin in eighth place. With Colorado College going
to the National Hockey Center this weekend, it is not likely that the
Huskies will move up.
The two other series remain unclear. Minnesota-Duluth is tied with North
Dakota for fourth place and would claim the fourth playoff seed by sweeping
last-place Northern Michigan this weekend. The Bulldogs, who split their
four games with the Sioux, would win the tie-breaker because they outscored
UND, 13-12, in those games.
This weekend's biggest series is Michigan Tech at North Dakota. The
sixth-place Huskies, who trail the Sioux by three points, can get home ice
in the first round with a sweep.
Bonin player of the week
The WCHA named Gophers forward Brian Bonin its offensive player of the week
Monday for his four-goal, four-assist performance against St. Cloud State
last weekend. It was the third time he won the award this season.
The honor capped a memorable weekend for Bonin. The senior co-captain scored
three goals and added three assists for a career-high six-point game Friday
night. He also cleared the 200-point mark for his career Friday, making him
the eighth player in team history to do so.
Bonin, who now has 203 points, is still far behind the Gophers' all-time
scorer, John Mayasich. Mayasich put up 298 points in his career from
1951-55.
U drops in power rankings
Minnesota fell out of the top spot in the Midwest Sports Channel power
rankings this week for the first time since the initial rankings came out in
December. Boston University took over first, Colorado College is second and
the Gophers are third.
Crowley creeps closer
Gophers defenseman Mike Crowley is on pace to break two Gophers scoring
records, and one of them could fall this weekend.
Through 34 games this season, the sophomore has 13 goals and 36 assists for
49 points. He needs five points to break Bill Baker's record of 54 points by
a defenseman during the 1978-79 season. Baker needed 44 games for his
record.
Crowley is also on pace to break Todd Richards' 1986-87 record of 43 assists
by a defenseman in a season. Richards needed 49 games for his record.
Crowley also has a chance at the single-season defenseman goal record, which
Randy Skarda set at 19 in 1987-88.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Image]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
=A9The Minnesota Daily
[Image]
SPORTS
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
U hopes to land hockey final four in 2000 and 2002
Scott Bradley - Staff Reporter
The University and the St. Paul Civic Center are teaming up to place a bid
to host the NCAA Division I men's hockey championships for the years 2000
and 2002.
Jeff Schemmel, senior associate director in men's athletics, said the
University's bid will be sent to the NCAA later this week. Schools must send
bids by April 15. The host cities will be announced June 10.
"I think this is good for the University," Schemmel said. "Especially with
our great hockey tradition. We've hosted this three times (at St. Paul) and
each time, it's been a success. And we have no reason to believe that it
won't continue to be."
Because of the University's commitment to host the men's basketball Final
=46our in 2001, Schemmel said the school will not submit a bid for that year=
.
The hockey and basketball tournaments are held on the same weekend.
The University has hosted the hockey championships five times since 1958.
The last three -- in 1989, 1991 and 1994 -- were held at the Civic Center.
Phil Buttafuoco, assistant director of championships for the NCAA said the
Twin Cities have always been a great site for the event.
"The community support of hockey in the Twin Cities has been the primary
reason for holding the championships up there," he said.
On average, Buttafuoco said about 10 schools usually make bids. The NCAA has
already received 15 letters of interest for the upcoming championships.
Buttafuoco, who has worked with the NCAA for seven years, said St. Paul has
always done a great job of hosting the event.
"The location within the amateur hockey community is good," he said. "And
the people at the University and St. Paul who have administered the event
have done good work."
Pam Sweeney
Ski-U-Mah!
HOCKEY-L is for discussion of college ice hockey; send information to
[log in to unmask], The College Hockey Information List.