What’s Wrong with Gopher Hockey?
March 5, 2010
As the crowd of 14,422 fans exited the Target Center in downtown Minneapolis, a group of elderly Minnesota hockey fans grumbled, “What’s wrong with Gopher hockey?” Veteran Gopher puck fans, accustomed to NCAA Final Four appearances and an occasional championship were bemoaning the current state of hockey affairs at their state university. Hockey on the campus of the University of Minnesota is what basketball is to Duke University. Excellence is expected. Any thing less is scorned.
Wisconsin had just scored a late goal and Minnesota had three goals disallowed as the Badgers triumphed by the score of 3 to 2. The Badgers’ Craig Smith scored his second goal of the game with 4:12 left to break a 2-2 deadlock and give Wisconsin the victory. Minnesota, meanwhile, had an apparent goal disallowed in each period.
Why was the game played at the Target Center? It was the first college hockey game at the unlikely venue since the 2000 Western Collegiate Hockey Association Final Five. Officially, it was announced that a “miscommunication” had prevented the Gophers from home ice at Mariucci Arena. It seems a synchronized ice dancing event had been scheduled for the same date, March 5. It’s ironic in view of the fact that Gopher hockey, once so prominent, had been pushed aside for another ice event. Perhaps it was felt that a synchronized event should take precedence since the hockey team has been less than synchronized for the past three seasons.
Wisconsin, ranked third nationally, had won four of the past five meetings with the Gophers and improved to 22-8-4 overall and 17-7-3 in the WCHA. Minnesota dropped to 16-17-2 overall, and the loss relegated them to have to travel to the unfriendly confines of Ralph Englestad Arena on the campus of the University of North Dakota for a playoff meeting with the hated Sioux. Losing home ice in the playoffs was bad enough for this once-proud program, having to travel to Grand Forks for the opening round of the WCHA playoffs heaped on further indignity.
Minnesota spent much of the opening period shorthanded but got the game’s first goal during a Wisconsin power play when Ryan Flynn broke away from the pack and scored. Flynn picked off a Badgers’ pass in his own zone and wristed a shot from the right faceoff circle for an unassisted goal. Unfazed, Wisconsin scored a pair of power play goals in the period to take a 2-1 lead. The Badgers owned a 13-5 advantage in shots-on-goal during the period and scored on two of their four power plays.
Minnesota nearly had a goal late in the first period when Jacob Cepis raced down the ice and fired a shot that hit off the crossbar and landed on the goal-line. Video replay confirmed that the puck did not cross the line.
Replay was a major factor in the second period as well when Mike Hoeffel had an apparent goal disallowed three minutes into the stanza. However, a lengthy review found that Hoeffel was in the crease and the officials took the goal away.
In the third period, Nick Larson tied the game by tipping in on a long shot from the point by Kevin Wehrs. Nico Sacchetti also assisted the play. The Gophers thought they had taken the lead a short time later when they scored a goal, but the officials ruled they had blown the whistle before the puck crossed the line.
Smith picked up his game-winner with an assist from Blake Geoffrion, grandson of the fabled Bernie “Boom-Boom” Geoffrion, in the closing minutes. Wisconsin was two-for-five on the power play, while Minnesota did not score in six chances.
In the rematch on Sunday at Mariucci Arena, the Gophers defeated the Badgers, 6-1. With nothing to play for, since the WCHA playoff match-ups had previously been decided, the Badgers put out a half-hearted effort, and Minnesota took advantage. Linemates Mike Carman and Tony Lucia each scored two goals. Wisconsin will have home ice against Alaska-Anchorage in the best-of-three series. Meanwhile, the Gophers will face their biggest challenge this season, trying to win two of three from North Dakota.
A close look at the rosters of the two teams might reveal on why, this season, Wisconsin wins and Minnesota loses. The Gophers have 20 current players, all Minnesota natives, who have been drafted by NHL teams, including four first-round picks. Wisconsin has 11 NHL draftees. However, the Badgers have 14 former players who have played in at least one NHL game this season. Minnesota has 13.
What do we learn from this? Maybe the NHL guesses wrong when estimating the future abilities of Gopher hockey players. The margin is too close to tell. Nevertheless the trend continues, as evident by the 20-to-11 disparity in players currently on the Gopher and Badger rosters. The nagging question remains: Are Minnesota-born players overrated? Or is Gopher coach Don Lucia failing to get the best out of his squad?
The answer could be placed elsewhere. Lucia and his predecessor Doug Woog have been reluctant to go outside of state borders for recruits. Another look at the Wisconsin roster reveals that six natives of Canada, including Smith and ace goalie Scott Gudmandson, are on coach Mike Eaves’ squad.
Perhaps there is nothing wrong with the Minnesota program that a half-dozen Canadian players can’t cure.
Gopher Droppings: After Friday’s game, Big Ten Network hockey analyst Allie Lucia was assigned to interview her father, Don Lucia on television. Looking uncomfortable while trying to maintain a professional appearance, both probably wished they were somewhere else.
Friday’s game at the Target Center easily drew more spectators than can be accommodated at Maricucci Arena, indicating an interest in the team the University apparently denied when it limited the amount of seats available on campus at the suggestion of a now-disgraced marketing analyst. What’s wrong with this picture?