Minnesota’s
Mariucci Arena has one of the more spacious press boxes in college
hockey and commands a great view of the ice and of both team benches.
Golden Gophers coach Don Lucia might be enjoying that view this
weekend, after undergoing a mid-week surgical procedure.
On Tuesday,
some of Lucia’s cervical vertebrae were fused by doctors
at Fairview-University Medical Center’s Riverside Campus
in Minneapolis. The surgery, performed by spine specialist Dr.
Timothy Garvey, was done in hopes of relieving and preventing
permanent numbness and weakness in Lucia’s right arm and
hand.
“It
was a lingering problem, and Don thought he might be able to wait
until the end of the season, but the problem was getting worse,”
said Gophers assistant coach Bob Motzko.
Minnesota's
Don Lucia, in Buffalo at last year's Frozen Four.
After discussing
his symptoms with Gopher team doctor Robert LaPrade and Dr. Garvey,
the decision was made to go forward with the operation sooner
rather than later. According to the school, Lucia will be restricted
from skating for the next few weeks but is expected to be back
coaching the team prior to their weekend series with St. Cloud
State, and will likely be in the press box for both games. Motzko,
who formerly coached at St. Cloud State, and fellow Gophers assistant
Mike Guentzel will handle things on the bench.
“If
there’s any good time in the season for something like this
to happen, the end of the season is best, because it’s up
to the kids now,” said Motzko. “If we’re going
to play better, it’s up to the captains and the seniors
to step it up.”
After entering
February on a 16-2-2 run, Minnesota is 2-4-0 in its last six and
needs to sweep the Huskies to ensure home ice in the WCHA playoffs.
SEEN
AND HEARD IN THE WCHA
One
Way to Break Out of a Slump
– Denver star forward Connor James had been in a bit of
a scoring slump in February, but the senior broke out of the funk
in a big way last weekend. James had three of his team’s
dozen weekend goals and he added an assist as Denver climbed back
into the race for home ice in the WCHA.
But it was
James’ final goal of the weekend that has folks buzzing.
The Pioneers led 5-3 on Saturday with less than 90 seconds remaining
when Minnesota coach Don Lucia motioned to goalie Justin Johnson
to come to the bench for an extra attacker.
Johnson took
off for the Gophers bench just as James got the puck deep in the
Denver zone and headed up ice. Johnson saw, a bit too late, that
the puck had fallen into enemy hands and began to retreat back
to the net. He only made it to about the hash marks before James
fired.
But instead
of blasting a low shot or trying to deke around the retreating
netminder, James launched one of the more bizarre shots we’ve
seen. From the center ice circle, James flipped a pop-fly puck
high into the air. Johnson made a desperate flail at the puck
with his stick and blocker hand as it sailed overhead, then watched
in horror as the puck dropped into the net.
“It
was an amazing shot,” said Minnesota State Senator and former
Pioneers defenseman David Tomassoni, who was watching on TV. “The
puck was four feet over the goalie’s head, and then it dropped
so it was three feet under the crossbar when it crossed the goal
line.”
It was James’
11th goal of the season, and does not count as an empty-net goal,
as Johnson was still on the ice at the time.
Great Weekend Getaway
Minnesota Duluth at Wisconsin (Fri.-Sat.) In Madison, the series between Wisconsin and Minnesota
Duluth will determine second place in the WCHA. (Yes, UMD
fans, we know that if the Bulldogs sweep and Michigan Tech
wins twice in Grand Forks, UMD would win the MacNaughton
Cup outright. If that scenario came to pass, the trophy
would likely be handed to the Bulldog captains by James
Bond, Happy Gilmore and Andre “Poodle” Lussier.
It’s that far-fetched.) The Badgers are on a roll
(5-0-1 in their last six) while the Bulldogs are licking
their wounds after their 14-game unbeaten streak (and their
realistic shot at the WCHA title) disappeared last weekend.
But the time to build playoff momentum is now, and the place
to do so is at the end of Mifflin Street, where 15,000 red
seats surround a clean white sheet of ice.
While
You’re There: Start on Bascom Hill, and walk the length
of State Street, all the way to the steps of the Wisconsin
State Capitol. Then, after a brief respite, walk all the
way back. Along with getting some great exercise, you’re
guaranteed to see all manner of bustling life and commerce
in the heart of one of America’s great college towns.
And if you get thirsty along the way, it is widely rumored
that beer and other spirits are available for sale in the
area.
Stick
Salute
To North
Dakota goalie Jake Brandt. The guys between the
pipes were supposed to be the weakest link for the Fighting
Sioux, but apparently Brandt didn’t get that e-mail.
Last weekend he held Minnesota Duluth’s formerly high-powered
offense (which had been averaging better than five goals
per game) to just two goals on 51 shots. Everyone knew the
Sioux could win with offense. Apparently, now they can win
with defense too.
Bench
Minor
To
the Bulldog Shop at the DECC. With one
of the biggest crowds of the season on hand last Friday,
the folks that run UMD’s official team merchandise
stand closed up shop less than three minutes into the third
period, leaving countless fans hoping to buy a Bulldog shirt
or hat out of luck. It doesn’t take a PhD in business
or marketing to know that with 5,000 potential customers
on hand, having stuff for sale after the game is a wise
move.
PUCKS
TO PICK UP AFTER PRACTICE
• Hockey
fans in Colorado’s largest city have headed home disappointed
from a lot of home games this season. Remember how Denver
couldn’t win at home a month or so ago? The Pioneers have
won their last four home games, but started the season with a
0-6-1 mark in WCHA games at Magness Arena. Well, just in time
for the NHL playoff push, it appears that the home ice woes have
moved a few miles north on I-25. After getting shut out by the
Lightning earlier this week and tying Vancouver Wednesday, the Avalanche are 0-4-3-1 in their
last eight games at the Pepsi Center.
• Congratulations
to 1984 Hobey winner Tom Kurvers for making a return of sorts
to the NHL. When the Coyotes made a coaching change last week,
the former Minnesota Duluth star defenseman was
named an assistant coach on new skipper Rick Bowness’ staff
in Phoenix. Kurvers, who has been a Coyotes scout for the past
six years, played 11 seasons in the NHL with the Canadiens, Canucks,
Maple Leafs, Devils, Sabres, Mighty Ducks and Islanders. He won
a Stanley Cup in 1986 with Montreal.
• On
the final weekend of the WCHA’s regular season, Colorado
College faces Denver in a home-and-home
series, St. Cloud State visits Minnesota
for two and Michigan Tech visits North
Dakota for two. The first round of the WCHA playoffs
could be a virtual repeat if the proper scenario comes to pass.
Loyal INCH reader Joe from St. Cloud points out that if the Pioneers,
Gophers and Sioux all sweep this weekend, the first round of the
playoffs would have CC visiting Denver, St. Cloud State visiting
Minnesota and Michigan Tech playing at North Dakota. One wonders
if Tech coach Jamie Russell and his charges relish the thought
of making that 20-hour round-trip bus ride between Houghton and
Grand Forks two weekends in a row.
• In theory, the Fighting Sioux need a win over Michigan Tech this weekend to get their hands on the MacNaughton Cup. In reality, team officials have had possession of the big silver chalice since Sunday. WCHA officials had brought the Cup to Duluth last weekend to have on hand in case Minnesota Duluth swept that weekend series and clinched the title. Instead, North Dakota won twice and moved to the brink of clinching. WCHA commissioner Bruce McLeod was in Duluth last weekend and wasn’t interested in paying to have the Cup shipped to Grand Forks (to have on hand this weekend for the Sioux to hoist if they somehow manage to beat Tech once). So McLeod gave North Dakota the crate containing the Cup and had them haul it back west. However, Blais refused to allow the crate on the team bus until the Siuox had won it fair and square, so equpiment manager Mike Shepp put the Cup in the back of his pickup truck and drove it back to Grand Forks himself. They’ve promised not to open the crate until one of this weekend’s games ends with a Sioux victory, which would give North Dakota its fifth WCHA title in the past eight years.
• Alaska
Anchorage heads into a season-ending homes series with
Alaska Fairbanks on a eight-game losing streak. But there are
signs of optimism on the horizon as the Seawolves hope to be a
formidable first-round playoff opponent (UAA is likely to visit
Wisconsin or Minnesota Duluth in
the playoffs). While there was little offense during last weekend’s
3-1 and 3-0 losses to the Badgers, the Seawolves held Wisconsin
to less than 30 shots on both nights. It was the first time this
season that UAA has held a WCHA opponent to 30 shots or less on
consecutive nights.
• As
(bad) luck would have it, this season’s home-and-home series
between Minnesota State, Mankato and Nebraska-Omaha
features one of the WCHA’s worst teams versus one of the
CCHA’s worst teams. But there’s a decent rivalry brewing
between these sets of Mavericks, who have closed the last three
regular seasons with a home-and-home series. With UNO playing
in a large market, in a new building before large crowds, and
with Omaha being geographically much closer to Mankato, Denver
and Colorado Springs than it is to Marquette, Ann Arbor and Oxford,
one wonders how often the WCHA higher-ups ponder the thought of
adding an 11th league member.
• Congratulations
are due to former Wisconsin star and current
Badgers women’s hockey coach Mark Johnson on recently being
named the 2004 recipient of the Vince Lombardi Award of Excellence.
The award is presented annually to a person that the Lombardi
Charitable Funds feels “has made a ‘Hall of Fame’
contribution to a sport, profession, business or community in
a manner that exemplifies the highest qualities of leadership,
positive influence and an appreciation of God, country, family
and self – not only to the sport, profession or business
involved – but to the men, women and children whose lives
are enhanced by striving to emulate those standards.” Past
recipients of the award include Hank Aaron, John Wooden, Bart
Starr, Don Shula, Jack Nicklaus, General H. Norman Schwarzkopf,
Dan Jansen, Bob Hope and President George H.W. Bush.
A variety
of sources were utilized in the compilation of this report.
Next week's WCHA Notebook will feature a look at the regular
season in review, plus the first-round matchups.
