BOBBY
GOEPFERT
St. Cloud State
Jr. | G | Kings Park, N.Y.
Goepfert
has already seen action at the National Hockey Center,
as a visiting Providence Friar.
Key
Statistics: As a freshman and sophomore at Providence,
Geopfert faced St. Cloud State three times, going 0-3 and
surrendering a dozen goals. When his Friar days came to an
abrupt halt (he was dismissed from the team at the end of
the 2003-04 season) and he was looking for a new hockey home,
Goepfert apparently figured, “if you can’t beat
‘em, join ‘em.”
What
He Does: While preparing Team USA for the 2003 World
Junior Championships, coach Lou Vairo was all set to go with
Maine’s Jimmy Howard between the pipes. Vairo was impressed
and somewhat surprised to see Goepfert outplay Howard and
become the top netminder en route to fourth place finish in
Halifax. This year Goepfert comes to the WCHA determined to
turn around a St. Cloud State team beset by offensive and
defensive inconsistency over the past two seasons.
The
Bigger Picture: A year away from game action, and
a move from the East Coast to central Minnesota, has the former
USHL most valuable player feeling a little different as he
enters his first season as a Husky. “I felt like an
up-and-coming guy for a long time, and now I feel like the
grizzled veteran,” says Goepfert, who calls himself
a “22-year-old journeyman.” “This is my
time to establish myself as one of the top goalies in the
country and help get this program back on the right track.”
Having felt the wrath of St. Cloud State’s rabid student
fans a few times while visiting the National Hockey Center
during his Providence days, Goepfert is pumped about the idea
of hearing encouragement, instead of unprintables, from the
Husky Dog Pound this winter.
USA Hockey's Lou Vairo on Goepfert: “He’s
confident, but never brash, and you don’t have to deal
with worrying about his state of mind. Bobby is extremely
well-liked by his teammates, and he’s especially good
down low.”
