Barriball happy with team's improved play Saturday

Jay Barriball, the Gophers captain, often serves as the team spokesperson after games. Reporters often want to talk to him anyway because he is doing so well. On Saturday he scored his ninth goal in 10 games in Minnesota's 3-3 tie with Wisconsin.

Last season the Gophers did not have a 20-goal scorer for the first time in years. This season Barriball is on a pace to score 30-some.

"We took a step tonight," Barriball said after the tie. "We've got to focus on the things we have done good. There is still a lot of time left to improve and keep getting better. That is what we are going to have to do. I feel like we have the guys to do it and everybody's attitude is where it needs to be."

Gophers coach Don Lucia called his team's play puzzling after it lost 6-0 on Friday.

Barriball was asked what the difference was between the two efforts. "That is something we have to figure out," he said. "It is unacceptable to play like that.

"We've got to figure out why we are coming out so flat some nights and some days we are coming out and playing real well. We are going to need to be a lot more consistent with the way we play."

* Defenseman Cade Fairchild set up Barriball's latest goal. Fairchild was rushing the puck up the left side and was in the circle when he passed backward it back to Barriball. He was high in the center of the ice, above the circles.

"I picked the left half of the net. I tried to get her on net. Somebody was there kind of screening a little bit. Usually when you hit the net, good things happen."

Goalie Kent Patterson had the second assist on Barriball's goal which came on a power play and put the Gophers ahead 3-2 with 1:13 left in the second period.

Barriball said leading the team in scoring was not his primary goal this season. "The first thing I was hoping for was for us to have a little better record 10 games into it," he said. "But obviously that is my job. I've got to score goals, I've got to get points. If you are on the power play on the first couple lines, that's what you've got to do.

"I've got to keep working hard to keep doing it."

Barriball said he did not play well Friday. "I couldn't get things going [Friday] night," he said. "We started out the game with three penalties and you are killing those penalties. It is tough sometimes to get into those games. Wisconsin did a good job of not giving our line, really, many looks. But as the top line we have to find a way to get on the scoresheet every night.

Barriball is tied for the national lead in goal with nine. Senior forward Carter Camper of Michigan has nine goals, too, and 15 assists for 24 points. Camper has to be the early favorite for the Hobey Baker Award.

Barriball has the most power-play goals of anyone with five. Six players have four, including Wisconsin's Jordy Murray who scored one of them Saturday.

The Gophers power play is 9 for 38 for 23.7 percent, 11th best in Division I hockey.

* Patterson has the second best winning percentage among D-I goalies at .900. He is 4-0-1.

HANSEN A FORCE SATURDAY

But Hansen returned to the game late in second period, wearing jersey No. 32 instead of his usual No. 21. The joke I made in my mind and out loud in press box was Gophers has slipped a "ringer" into one-sided 6-0 loss to Wisconsin. More educated guess was Hansen had blood on his own jersey and didn't have a backup No. 21.

At any rate, he was back in lineup Saturday and played real well. He was a plus-1 with two shots on goal and two blocked shots. The Don singled him out for praise.