U men’s puck: Potulny named assistant coach
Posted on July 18th, 2009 – 2:19 AMBy Roman Augustoviz
Guess Grant Potulny doesn’t have to find a paying job anymore. He has one.
He was going to be a volunteer assistant coach this season with the Gophers. But he was in the right place at the right time. With Mike Hastings’ sudden departure to the University of Nebraska-Omaha, an opening for a coach materialized.
Hastings was a proven winner, with 14 seasons under his belt in the USHL at Omaha. He is the league’s all-time winningest coach. Potulny? He is an M-man all right. He played on the U’s national championship teams in 2002 and ‘03. But can he coach?
No one really knows for sure. Potulny was playing minor league hockey until injuries forced him to consider a career change. Don Lucia must obviously think he can. Still it’s a bit of a risk.
The Gophers have had two subpar seasons in a row. Fans will start howling if the team is not better this year especially since it lost only Ryan Stoa as an early departure. There willl be six seniors on the roster, injured Taylor Matson, who played only 13 games last season because of knee surgery, is back. Jacob Cepis, a dynamic forward from Bowling Green, joins the team at midseason, and the freshman class is talented. And sophomore center Jordan Schroeder is already being touted as a Hobey Baker candidate.
So the ingredients seem to be there to have a team that can at least challenge for a WCHA title. Fans should not expect anything less.
There’s some presssure on Lucia, and his assistants John Hill and, fairly or unfairly, Potulny, to get results.
UMD HAPPY WITH SCOTT
Scott Sandelin, whose UMD team won the Final Five, has signed a two-year contract extension that runs through the 2011-12 season.
Rumors were hot and heavy he could be fired in this offseason until the ‘Dogs got hot in the WCHA playoffs and reached the title game of the NCAA West Regional.
