Bjugstad making presence felt in Vermont

Junior center Nick Bjugstad, who was battling flu symptoms this week, didn't look very sick on Friday against Vermont.

The 6-6 first-line center had a goal and an assist, a game-high seven shots on net and three of the Gophers' four penalties in their 5-1 rout of the Catamounts.

The goal was his team-leading seventh of the season. He has four assists for 11 points, third on the team behind Erik Haula (15) and Kyle Rau (12). The Gophers are now 4-0 against nonconference opponents and have four more of those games left. They play Vermont a second time Saturday night, face Air Force and Boston College in their holiday tournament and finish with Notre Dame.

So the non-league competition gets tougher.

Bjugey's penalties -- all minors, one per period -- were for hooking, interference and hitting from behind. He only had two penalties going into this game.

ETC.

* Names the three stars of the game were Bjugstad, Rau and Zach Budish. All three had one goal and one assist on Friday. Those three have been on the top line at times this season, but they were not on Friday. Budish was on the second line, centered by Haula.

* Second and third in shots on goal behind Bjugey were Ambroz with five and defenseman Mark Alt with four.

* The Gophers scored their first and second goals of the game only 3:13 apart late in the opening period. Their fourth and fifth goals came 2:26 apart late in the second.

* Gophers coach Don Lucia singled out freshman wing A.J. Michaelson for praise. Michaelson, who was not permitted to attend a Wild development camp this summer, was a plus-two and had an assist. The Gophers told A.J. he had to attend to his schoolwork rather than be at the X; he was taking classes at the U.

Michaelson's assist was his first career point. Gophers goalie Adam Wilcox also got his first point on an assist.

* The Gophers really dominated only one period in shots. They outshot Vermont 17-5 in the second. In the first, Vermont had a 12-11 edge, in the third the Gophers outshot the Catamounts 7-6.

* Haula was named an alternate captain before the game.

* Wilcox has given up only six goals in the Gophers' five-game unbeaten streak (3-0-2). They are 8-2-2 overall.

BIGGEST STUNNER

No. 3 New Hampshire took a 4-0 lead at 10:02 of the second period at Colorado College, but the Tigers scored the next four goals to tie the game and that's the way it finished, 4-4.

Ian Young's four-on-four goal, his first of the season, started the rally at 13:11 of the second. Defenseman Mike Boivin's sixth goal ay 17:14 cut the Wildcat's lead to 4-2 going into the third.