U's Frazee goes pro; Roseau star signs on

A day after confirming the loss of one player, the Gophers men's hockey team signed another, Roseau defenseman Aaron Ness, for next season.

Leaving is junior goalie Jeff Frazee. He recently signed with the New Jersey Devils, who had taken him with the No. 38 pick in the 2005 NHL draft.

"Jeff went through his ups and downs," Gophers coach Don Lucia said. "He had his low moments and he had his ups, too."

One of those low moments came on Jan. 12 at St. Cloud State when the Huskies scored early from the neutral zone on Frazee and almost scored an even longer goal in the closing seconds of the first period. An offsides call spared Minnesota.

Frazee, who at the start of the season was expected to be the No. 1 goalie, was replaced for the start of the second period by freshman Alex Kangas. Frazee did not play another minute the rest of the season.

"He grew and matured as a person," Lucia said of Frazee. "And as difficult a position he was in, he handled it with class and dignity. He was a terrific teammate and very supportive, where some players would have been disruptive."

Kangas thrived after becoming the regular goalie. He set team records with a 1.98 goals-against average and a .930 save percentage.

Lucia said that with Kangas back, he understands Frazee's decision. "He is young, only 20, he needs to play," Lucia said. "It's hard to argue with that."

Frazee had a 6-7-0 record this season with a 2.93 goals-against average and an .890 save percentage.

Now the Gophers will have to recruit two goalies for next season, one on scholarship to back up Kangas, another as a walk-on to replace senior Brent Solei, the practice goalie for four seasons.

Lucia said he is excited about receiving Ness' faxed national letter of intent.

"He is obviously a real promising player," Lucia said. "He played in an elite program for a terrific coach, and he learned how to win at Roseau.

"He is a dynamic offensive player. He's strongest with the puck on his stick. He is like the basketball player who can throw no-look passes. You always have to be ready. He has a chance to be real special."

Ness had 28 goals and 44 assists for the Rams this season and was named Mr. Hockey. He completed his junior and senior academic years this school year, so he could sign early.

Currently, he is playing for the U.S. team in the under-18 world championships in Kazan, Russia.

He is the ninth player to sign with the Gophers for next season. Lucia expects to sign one or two more.