Lucia wanted Leddy hit to be teaching moment

Greg Shepherd, the WCHA supervisor of officials, confirmed on Wednesday that Alaska Anchorage forward Jade Portwood should have received a penalty, Gophers coach Don Lucia said.

Lucia was referring to Portwood's shoulder hit to Nick Leddy's head in last weekend's first game of the Gophers-AA series. Leddy, a freshman defenseman, suffered a broken jaw.

"That doesn't change the fact that [Leddy] was injured on the play," Lucia said. "Whether the referee calls a penalty or not, you still have the injury.

"The important thing for me as we move forward, we are all in the education business, and you want to learn from that and hope [the videotape] was sent to some of the other leagues and it was talked about.

"And they are going to re-emphasize this zero tolerance on hits to the head. When you look at what is happening, there have been some shots in the NHL and now you look at the studies, what is happening in the NFL with brain injuries and all that, we have to continue to try to preach respect for your opponent, respect for other players. That it doesn't matter if they are in a vulnerable position or not, it does not give you the liberty to deliver a blow to the head.

"This is a hit we do not want to see in our game."

HOEFFEL TALK

That's when they turn 20, he said, matching the age of some of the players coming into the league from the USHL.

"They show their stuff," Woog said. "You see more guys making plays, going to the net. They start scoring, the confidence comes. If you have a high hockey IQ, it starts to show."

One player he said his is noticeably better is Gophers junior winger Mike Hoeffel, Woog said.

"I definitely think he is doing his thing," Woog said. "He has missed a night or two, but he has had one or two good games every weekend. ... And when there are little altercations involving Jordan [Schroeder] or [Jay] Barriball, he is right there."

In the interests of full disclosure, Hoeffel has worked at the Doug Woog summer camp in Brainerd in recent years.

* Hoeffel was a second-round pick of the New Jersey Devils in 2007. He went to their prospects camp this past August. ""They took the prospects to a Yankees game and they sat in the suites," said Tom Hoeffel, Mike's father.

Mike Hoeffel said his plans are to return to the Gophers.

"He loves playing at the U," his father said. "New Jersey is a really nice organization. They don't pressure him. They trust his college coaches and they come out to watch him."

BADGERS' ODD D-MEN

Wisconsin assistant coach Mark Osiecki handles the defensemen for the Badgers. He has come up with some odd pairings, but they seem to work.

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