Posted on November 21st, 2008 – 4:30 PM
By Roman Augustoviz
I bumped into Gophers freshman forward Joey Miller last weekend, before the first Michigan Tech game on Saturday afternoon. He was in a suit, getting ready to watch the U-Tech game in the Mariucci press box.
My first question for him had to be if he was planning to watch Wayzata play Rosemount that night in the Class 5A football state semifinals. Dumb question.
Sure he was. “I am pretty excited,” said Miller, a former Wayzata running back. “It should be fun. I know a lot of them. My cousin is actually the running back Kevin Knight.
“He is wearing my number [No. 26] and everything,” Miller said. “It kind of worked out nice. They have like a three running back rotation, but he gets a good amount of time.”
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Posted on November 21st, 2008 – 3:06 PM
By Roman Augustoviz
Gophers captain Ryan Stoa is not worried about the atmosphere at Magness Arena in Denver tonight. “It’s going to be no worse than St. Cloud or Wisconsin or anything like that,” Stoa said. “It might be a little bigger game come the end of the year because both teams are going to be there.”
It’s bigger because this weekend is the only time these two teams, among the preseason WCHA favorites, play each other.
The team seems to be loose enough. Kevin Gorg, the FSN broadcaster, said on KFAN this morning that he was on the team’s flight to the Mile High City and somebody played a gag on assistant captain Ryan Flynn.
They announced over the loudspeaker he was engaged, Gorg said, when it was not true. Ha, ha.
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Posted on November 20th, 2008 – 10:27 PM
By Roman Augustoviz
There are two major hockey polls, one conducted by U.S. College Hockey Online or uscho.com for short and the other by USA Today/USA Magazine.
Both polls look pretty much alike most weeks.
So Gophers coach Don Lucia got me thinking on Wednesday when he said: “We are either the firth or sixth team to be No. 1,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of improvements to do as a hockey team.”
Have their really been that many No. 1 teams already? Actually, the Gophers are the fourth No. 1 team in the uscho.com national ratings this season.
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Posted on November 20th, 2008 – 9:24 PM
By Roman Augustoviz
Gophers coach Don Lucia said this is a big series at Denver this weekend.
“Denver is a real good team and we didn’t have much success against them last year,” Lucia said. “If we want to be a team toward the top of the standings at the end of the year, they are a team we have to have more success with.
“This is the only two times we see them all year long. They have only loss one game at home [they are 6-1-1 at Magness Arena] and it’s less than ideal they got swept last weekend [by St. Cloud State] because you know they will have a burr under their saddle all week getting ready for our weekend.”
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Posted on November 20th, 2008 – 6:25 PM
By Roman Augustoviz
Freshman Jordan Schroeder, the Gophers’ first-line center, leads all rookies in scorng with 14 points on four goals and 10 assists. He is also a good go-to guy on all things hockey.
Is this a big weekend for the U in Denver? “Every weekend is a big weekend, trying to get some points and getting ahead of teams in the WCHA,” Schroeder said. “Obviously Denver – they are a good team every year. Last year they proved they are one of the top teams in the WCHA. It is going to be a good weekend and it’s going to be tough, but we have to be ready.”
He said the U coaches told the players they have to be in the proper mindset. “They told us. ‘Let’s have a good practice and have a good week, starting now [Tuesday]. Let’s focus for 1-1/2 hours or however long we are out there and let’s work hard.”
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Posted on November 19th, 2008 – 6:51 PM
By Roman Augustoviz
The U of M released the names of six new recruits who signed letters of intent last week. Five are from Minnesota, one from Wisconsin. Four play in the USHL.
The signees were the six players who were expected to sign. All of them were written about last week in the daily newspaper on Wednesday when the signing period began.
“We have six new guys,” Gophers coach Don Lucia said. “I think we have a good blend of size, speed. They bring a little different element, all of them. How that ends up playing out next fall, who is here and who is not, we are not real sure yet.
“We are waiting to see how their years go in junior hockey. And we will wait to see what happens with our roster.
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Posted on November 19th, 2008 – 12:18 PM
By Roman Augustoviz
Today is the last day of the early signing period in men’s hockey and this afternoon the Gophers are expected to release the names of who they signed.
Expect no surprises. The six names that have been out there have signed. They are forward Zach Budish of Edina and defenseman Nick Leddy of Eden Prairie. They are the two high school kids. Budish, unfortunately, is expected to miss this hockey season after ACL knee surgery last week.
The other signees, all playing in the USHL, are defenseman Seth Helgeson of Sioux City, forward Josh Birkholz and defenseman Nate Condon of Fargo and forward Jake Youso of Des Moines.
How good is this group? Pretty darn good. Budish, Leddy, Helgeson and Birkholz are all rated as “A” prospects by the NHL’s Central Scouting Bureau, meaning they could be taken in the first or second round of the NHL draft in June.
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Posted on November 18th, 2008 – 12:24 PM
By Roman Augustoviz
Gophers wing Jay Barriball became tired of the question last season. He never said so, but you could tell it in his face.
Everyone kept asking him what was wrong. How could he go from 20 goals and a team-high 43 points as a freshman to six goals and 21 points as a sophomore on a team that badly needed goals?
The junior wing talked about that recently at a Blue Line luncheon last week and his fast start this season. He has four goals and seven assists for 11 points in 10 games, a pace similar to two years ago.
His linemates, Ryan Stoa (9-7-16) and Jordan Schroeder (4-10-14), also are on fire.
“Stoa and Schroeder are two of the most skilled players I have ever played with,” Barriball said. “And it is really easy to play with them. It makes it fun to go to practice every day. It makes it fun to play.
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Posted on November 17th, 2008 – 10:05 PM
By Roman Augustoviz
Sophomore goalie Alex Kangas of the Gophers said getting his first shutout on Sunday – Minnesota beat Michigan Tech 3-0 – gives him more confidence going into the next game.
“It should give our defense some confidence as well,” Kangas said. “Hopefully we can carry it into the next weekend because we are playing a good team in Denver.”
Kangas had 38 saves against Michigan Tech to earn his first shutout after 11 one-goal games in just one and one-quarter seasons.
“He always shows up,” junior captain Ryan Stoa said of Kangas, “and night in and night out he is probably our best player out here. He keeps us in all the games.”
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Posted on November 13th, 2008 – 2:50 PM
By Roman Augustoviz
There were about 70 people at Jax Cafe in Nordeast today for the first Blue Line Club luncheon of the season.
The group met in a downstairs room, appropriately sized for the crowd. The turnout, said moderator Frank Mazzocco of FSN, was good considering these luncheons were dropped last season.
But the Gophers are 5-0-3 and there are some people out there who want to talk hockey.
During this noon hour, coach Don Lucia, junior wing Jay Barriball and former U star Larry Olimb took turns speaking.
The highlights:
Lucia strongly indicated junior captain Ryan Stoa might turn pro after this season.
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