U men’s hockey: A long wait to play New Hampshire again
Posted on November 6th, 2008 – 5:23 PMBy Roman Augustoviz
Gophers coach Don Lucia said his team’s weekend series with New Hampshire is important when it comes to the end of the season.
“We already know that New Hampshire is going to be in the NCAA tournament at the end,” Lucia said. “So again, it is a measuring stick. We are going to play a team that they are going to show us some weaknesses in our own team this weekend. Which is good, that will help us get ready for Michigan Tech the following week.”
The UNH Wildcats are 4-1-2 and rated No. 5 in the major national polls, just one spot behind the Gophers. They are the two-time defending Hockey East champions and have appeared in 14 NCAA tournaments in coach Dick Umile’s 18 seasons.
New Hampshire is on the Gophers’ schedule this season because Minnesota went out there in 2002. “This is a long payback,” Lucia said. “It was a home and home. We went out there first in ‘02, and they just haven’t returned the games yet until now. They have been ducking us all this time.
“I kept giving Dick grief. Let’s see, you are going to CC to play, you are going to North Dakota to play, when is our return trip? Some of it has to do with your home and away nonconference [games]. When you can fit in a road schedule. They draw well. They play a lot of home games, too.”
MORE LUCIA
* On freshmen contributing: “Obviously somebody like Jordan [Schroeder] is ahead of the game. He is not an ordinary freshman. The young defensemen are getting better every week. They are contributing. Jordan is playing probably the most front and center role of the freshmen. And the other guys are able to go under the wing of some of the older guys and play with them, which takes the pressure off.”
* On Schroeder scoring his first two goals last Saturday: “It’s not easy to score. When you play good teams, we play UNH this weekend, they average 1.5 goals against. For an offensive standpoint, it is not easy to get more than three goals a night in college hockey anymore.
Lucia said he noticed Schroeder as an eighth-grader in the Class 1A state tournament when he played for St. Thomas Academy. “When he was in the state tournament in eighth grade, doing well, that told you a lot right there,” Lucia said. “And then obviously to see another great year as a ninth-grader and then he went to Ann Arbor [Mich.].”
Schroeder committed early, Lucia said, but couldn’t quite remember when. “I don’t know if he was in the ninth grade or at the end of ninth. It was a while ago. … You don’t really know [how a player will develop]. You hope that they keep improving, you hope that they stay motivated. But a lot of things can happen over the next few years. But Jordan is obviously a special player.
“Jordan is not the biggest guy, but he is a thick kid. He is physically strong. It’s not like he is 150 pounds or anything like that, he is 180 pounds so physically he is strong enough to handle it.
“He has a bright future. And he has his head on straight. He comes from a great family.”
* On Phil Kessel’s brother, Blake, a defensemen for N.H.: “He’s a good player. I remember when he came to Model Camp. He improved a lot from then, going to play in the USHL. He was one of the top defensemen in the USHL a year ago. He had a great year at Waterloo last year. He was great on the power play.” … Lucia said the Gophers did not try to recruit him, however.
LAST WORD ON SHOWCASE
* St. Cloud State coach Bob Motzko: “If we are in, we would like it to grow from our standpoint for our fans and our alumni, but you have to have a starting point.”
The WCHA Minnesota Hockey Showcase last Saturday at the X drew slightly over 10,000.
* UMD coach Scott Sandelin after his team beat St. Cloud State 5-1 in the first showcase: I think it is a great experience for the guys. I think it is a great event.”
