Erik Haula, the Gophers' second line center, has to be a little frustrated right now. He had a game-high eight shots on net on Sunday in the Gophers' 1-0 victory over Canisius and couldn't score.

Haula has three goals this season on a team-leading 23 shots in five games. (That's not counting his six shots, no goals in an exhibition tie on Friday). That's a .130 scoring percentage. He is scoring on one of eight shots approximately. He scored one goal each night when the Gophers swept Michigan State on the opening weekend of the season and has one goal in the past three games.

Actually, that scoring percentage is almost identical to last season's. As a sophomore he had 20 goals -- second on the team to Nick Bjugstad's 25 -- and scored at a .132 clip, which was the fourth best on the team

His hot scoring  start and finish last season were big reasons the Gophers won the MacNaughton Cup and reached the Frozen Four.

Second on the team in shots against the Golden Griffins was Kyle Rau, with seven and the game's only goal. Bjugstad, who centers the first line, had five shots on goal and was the Gophers' best face-off man, winning 14 of 22 draws.

Bjugstad has three goals on 15 shots (.200), Rau two on 18 (.111).

Haula and Travis Boyd, the third-line center, were so-so on draws: Haula was 7-7, Boyd 9-8. As a team, the Gophers won 37 face-offs, lost 32.

ETC.

* Canisius blocked 14 shots, the Gophers nine. ... D-man Justin Holl led the U with three blocks. Ouch.

* The three stars of the game were: 1. Kyle Rau, 2. Adam Wilcox and 3. Tony Capobianco. ... Somebody must have reversed the order on these, right? Capobianco getting third star after stopping 41 shots? Either there was a mistake or this is clearly being a homer.

Capobianco had 13 saves in the first period, 14 in the second and 14 in the third, a steady diet of rubber. He stopped nine shots on two 'U' power plays. ... Yes, Gophers goalie Adam Wilcox had a shutout, but he only made 20 saves, one on two power plays. ... Shots were 42-20 in the Gophers' favor.

* Attendance Sunday was 7,876. And Rau's goal, 12 seconds in, will teach anyone who arrived late not to again.

* There were only four penalties in the game, two on each team. The Gophers had one for too many men on the ice and Nate Condon had the other for tripping in the third period.

 

 

 

Â