To me, 2 differences in Sunday afternoon's game: >SPECIAL TEAMS >============= > PWR PLAY PEN KILL > -------- -------- >Minn 1-6 (17%) 2-5 (40%) >Mich 3-5 (60%) 5-6 (83%) Ouch. and... 2) Marty Turco. He doesn't come up with those outstanding saves (Casey's reaction, dropping to his knees, was priceless) it is a very different game. 3-1 at the end of the first period and I think Minnesota wins this one. All in all though, I thought it was one of the closest-ly played hockey games I've seen. It was like a heavy-weight fight, very toe-to-toe with few real good opportunities to put it away. Much credit to Michigan, they really turned it up in the third period, and definitely won this game for themselves. They will be tough to beat, especially if Turco stays tough. Bonin's final pipe: Skarda flashbacks. So the season... I too thought that this might be *the one*. Again. I had high hopes at the beginning of the season, but I really got excited in January; it wasn't that they were beating everyone (although that certainly was part of it), it was how well the younger players were playing, and how deep the Gophers were. Sigh. The bad part of all this, of course, is now the "Woog's gotta get Canadians" argument is going to start up again. I would not exchange the last 11 years for a few championships and players from outside MN, honestly. It's not that I think it makes us "better" than other teams, or that other teams couldn't do it, I just think that it does make the Gophers special, and it does make the success they have had, and they have had a helluva lot of success by *anyone's* standards, that much more special. 'Nuff said. Next year. I dunno. I'm excited about the frosh, Spehar especially of course. And I am interested to see who's going to step up into the leadership role (McHugh last year, Bonin this year primarily). Crowley seems to be the most likely candidate. Offensively, I wonder who the first line center is going to be: my guesses would be Ras or Berg. I'm drifting now, so I'll sum up. Next year's concerns are going to be defense, losing a lot this year, and leadership (11 seniors). If this was DeBus' worst year, then the next two years should be enjoyable. Rasmussen and Berg have to potential to be outstanding. Anyway, my final wish is for Bonin to win the Hobey, he deserves it (not claiming he's alone in that), and it would be nice to see him leave Minnesota with that, since he doesn't leave with a WCHA season or NCAA championship. Lastly, I'm still looking forward to next weekend, should be some excellant hockey. Coming in I felt that 5 teams had a real, real good chance at winning it all and 3 of them are still in it (LSSU, MN). Vermont, for me, was a totally unknown quantity (and they beat LSSU so they must be good). Andrew Golla Andrew W. Golla <<[log in to unmask]>> or <<[log in to unmask]>> home page: http://www.winternet.com/~agolla/ HOCKEY-L is for discussion of college ice hockey; send information to [log in to unmask], The College Hockey Information List.