Hoeffel stayed to help Gopher seniors finish with a bang

Senior left winger Mike Hoeffel says the Gophers have a couple proven scorers in Jay Barriball, Jacob Cepis and himself. "Hopefully we can get somebody back in the 20-goal column or maybe more," Hoeffel said. "That would be great."

Last season Hoeffel led the Gophers with 14 goals and was third in points with 24.

"I am ready to take on that [goal-scoring] responsibility and role if things work out as planned," Hoeffel said.

Seven of his goals last season -- or half -- came on power plays, one shorthanded. Three were game-winners.

Hoeffel, whose Gophers play Nebraska Omaha on Friday and Saturday at Mariucci in their first two WCHA games, said he considered turning pro this summer but decided against it. The New Jersey Devils drafted him in the second round of the 2007 NHL draft. He was the 57th pick overall.

He did not attend the Devils' camp this summer because of a conflict with a university class.

So why did he stay another year at the U? "My heart was here in Minnesota," Hoeffel said. "Obviously, it is part of the development process, being here, growing as a man and being an [assistant] captain of this team.

The race to the NHL, Hoeffel said, is is a marathon and not a sprint. "I want to make sure when I get there, when I get to that point, I am ready," said Hoeffel, 6-2, 205 pounds.

He said the Gophers expanded roster -- there are 16 forwards -- has improved the competition level.

"Definitely in practice guys are going to be busting their tail every single day just to get a spot in that lineup," he said. "And when those guys get that opportunity in the lineup, they are going to try to make the most of it [to] keep that spot.

Hoeffel had a goal and three assists as the Gophers swept UMass 5-3, 5-4 last weekend. Linemate Jay Barriball, the senior captain, had four goals and one assist.

"Our senior class is great," Hoeffel said. "You look across and see Alex {Kangas], he is a very proven and successful goaltender. That's huge, just having a good goalie behind you.

"Our season class is going to be a big part of us having success this year."

More on Cepis: "He is a little jitterbug out there. Having him around for the whole year will definitely help us no doubt about it." Hoeffel said. "He is a proven scorer and just like Jay, he is a good playmaker, too. They are similar players."

Cepis, after transferring from Bowling Green in January 2008, had to sit out a year before being eligible for the second semester in 2009-10.

In the 21 games Cepis did play last season, he had seven goals and 12 assists for 19 points, the fifth most on the team.

GOALIE TALK

On his goals: "The only goal that matters is the national championship. Obviously, it is easy to talk about it but we have to work our tails off and hopefully we can get to that goal. If we an get to that goal, then the individual goals will take care of themselves."