Gophers coach Don Lucia recently said he has a lot of confidence in his team's new captain for next season, forward Taylor Matson.

"He will be a terrific captain," Lucia said. "As hard as he works, and as talented as he is, he will set a standard. Other players will have to keep up with him.

"He has lived his life the right way."

Unfortunately, Matson has has trouble staying healthy. He suffered a knee injury as a freshman, an ankle injury as a sophomore and an undisclosed lower body injury as a junior.

"He is the epitome of what you want, the poster child for a captain," Lucia said, "but he has never plays in a playoff game in three years."

Asked about when and how many assistant captains there will be this season, Lucia said they won/t be named until the fall then reconsidered his answer.

"Taylor is pretty good, who says we even have to have them," Lucia said.

Hmmm, was Lucia joking or serious? Hard to tell. He sounded serious on the phone.

The assistant captains at the start of last season were seniors Alex Kangas, a goalie, and Mike Hoeffel, a forward. Then, a few weeks into the season, junior Aaron Ness was given an "A" for his jersey as the third assistant captain.

Taylor Matson career stats:

Gms G A Pts =/-

junior 33 10 3 13 -3

sophomore 19 2 3 5 +5

freshman 13 1 0 1 -7

Totals 65 13 6 19 -5