HAPPY NEW YEAR!
2010 wasn't particularly wonderful for Gopher revenue sports. The non-rev sports did well as usual, but football was 3-9, basketball was good but another first round exit in an NCAA Tournament that they barely made and hockey finished far below their usual standards.
Well it was not a pretty weekend for #19-Gopher Hockey again as they were hosting Union and Ferris State in the Mariucci Classic. Well, it was a no win weekend. The Gophers lost to #12-Union 2-3 on Friday and then tied #18-Ferris State on Saturday.
One of the assistant coaches at Union is from Duluth and gave the Union fans a bit of insight into Gopher Hockey.
It is still tradition that most of the best high school players in Minnesota go to the University of Minnesota to become a Gopher. The Gophers have had very few non-Minnesotans on their roster in the program’s history, and every time they do go outside the state for a player it is major news. Much like the Yankees, the Gophers are viewed as the ‘evil empire’ by almost everyone that plays them, so it would be very special to have a successful outing against them. As far as what to expect from the Gophers this weekend… They are an excellent skating team and they use the large ice surface to their advantage. They have 19 NHL Draft Picks on their team, so their skill level is very high as well.
Our record now sits at 9-8-3 and 6-6-2 in the WCHA.
- Ugh, the Big Ten stunk on New Year's Day. The Rose Bowl was highly entertaining and competitive but after that is wasn't pretty.
- Jim Delaney classified New Year's Day as "A Very Long Day."
- Robert Bolden is leaving Penn State, looking for more playing time.
- Illinois is off to a fast 2-0 start in Big Ten play, that is a big 2-game hill to climb for the Gophers to overcome though it can be done. Demitri McCamey led the way to a big win over Wisconsin.