After attitude adjustment, Cepis stepping up his game

Gophers captain Jay Barriball suffered a knee injury during a loss at Minnesota Duluth on Feb. 6.

A big concern on the bus ride home to Minneapolis that night was what to do without the team's leading scorer.

Coach Don Lucia had a heart-to-heart talk with Jacob Cepis. The 5-8, 170-pound senior wasn't meeting expectations.

"He has been a scorer all his life," Lucia said. "We didn't think he was attacking the net or moving his feet and playing as competitive as think he is capable of."

The message was heard, and Cepis has responded. He has a goal in each of the Gophers' past five games going into their final WCHA regular-season series at Bemidji State this weekend.

"I'm the kind of a guy, I don't mind getting yelled at," Cepis said. "That's fine with me. I grew up with it. It's fueled me."

Cepis, in turn, has energized his teammates. Since his goal-a-game streak began, the Gophers are 4-0-1 and are averaging five goals per game.

He is driving to the net more, scoring on rebounds and breakaways.

"He has elevated his game to where he is capable of playing," Lucia said. "He can be a dynamic offensive player. He isn't the biggest guy, but he plays like he is 6-1, 6-2. When he is on his game, size doesn't matter."

Cepis tied for the team lead in goals with Barriball and Mike Hoeffel at 12 and has 17 assists. His 29 points are five more than anyone else on the team.

Cepis went eight games without a goal before his hot streak began. He was floating around on the ice, "Hoping the puck would come to me," he said, "rather than making sure it came to me and going to get it.

"I need to score and I need to get on the board every night. [Lucia] has talked to me about that. When I get on the board, a lot of other guys follow. As individuals we won't beat teams. We have to be a pack of guys."

"The leg is 100 percent," Barriball said. "It is just trying to get the mental aspect back: If you are going to get hit, nothing is going to happen, nothing is going to hurt."

The injury, he admits, scared him.

"I went off and had it checked out by the doctor at UMD," Barriball said. "My parents came down from the stands, and we were thinking long-term. My heart sank and I thought, 'Here we go again.'"

Barriball suffered a season-ending knee injury in practice early last season. The NCAA granted him another season of eligibility based on medical hardship.This knee injury was not as serious.

"I am getting better every day, getting more confident," Barriball said.

Cepis said, in his case, that's partly because of a sense of urgency. His final college season is winding down. The Gophers have to keep winning and likely have to at least reach the WCHA Final Five semifinals to earn an at-large NCAA tournament. They would secure an automatic NCAA bid by winning the Final Five.

"I want to get into the NCAAs and I want our team to go far," Cepis said. "That is what everyone's plan is right now. We want to get to that tournament, we want that journey."