Nico Sacchetti, after a disappointing sophomore year, is hoping for a breakthrough year.
"My freshman year I came in and didn't get a whole lot of playing time, which I kind of expect as a freshman," Sacchetti said. "Last year was a season I really expected myself to take off offensively and it just didn't happen."
He played in 38 of the team's 39 games but only had four goals and 11 assists for 15 points that were spead out well. He scored in 13 different games over 12 separate weekends.
"So I worked really hard this summer," Sacchetti said, "and I am hoping that maybe the breakout year just took a year off or something. I mean I worked hard this [off]season and it feels good to get a goal the first weekend."
He scored the game-winning goal at 3:41 of the third period last Saturday as the Gophers beat UMass 5-4. His goal made the score 5-3.
EMPHASIS ON FITNESS
In his final two seasons at Virginia High School, Sacchetti had 164 points in 52 games, or better than three points per game. As a high school senior, he played for the Omaha Lancers of the USHL in 2007-08. That season he had 10 goals and 14 assists in 56 games.
"Everything is different, obviously," said Sacchetti, asked about his two four-goal seasons as a Gophers freshman and sophomore. "In high school, you can't even compare it to this. Goalies are 10 times better, the defensemen are 10 times better. And the forwards we are playing against come back so much harder. Every play you got someone backchecking you. Everything factors into it. Everything is faster and everyone is stronger and everyone is better at this level."