Six of Stoa's 12 goals in 2006-07 came on the power
play. Among Gopher players, only Jay Barriball and
Ben Gordon (seven each) had more.
Key Statistics: After
a 25-point rookie season, Stoa had similar numbers during
his sophomore campaign. He notched a dozen goals and
a dozen assists to help the Golden Gophers repeat as
WCHA regular-season champs and capture the league’s
playoff title. His power-play goal versus Air Force
in the NCAA playoffs started Minnesota’s third-period
rally.
What He Does: In the
first half of last season, Stoa and his linemates did
an excellent job of filling the offensive holes left
by the early departures of players like Ryan Potulny,
Phil Kessel, and Dan Irmen the previous spring. Paired
with Tyler Hirsch and Kyle Okposo, Stoa’s unit
was clearly the team’s primary source of offense.
That changed over the holidays when Hirsch was dismissed
from the team, but Stoa and Okposo continued to produce
in other ways, playing a regular shift as well as killing
penalties, running the power play, and playing a shutdown
role against the opponents’ top line late in the
season.
The Bigger Picture: In
his two seasons of college hockey, Stoa has been used
in every role by Minnesota coach Don Lucia. So there’s
nothing new in terms of special teams, scoring, or checking
that will be on his plate in 2007-08, but the coach
admits he’d like to see a more consistent offensive
presence from Stoa. The plea for consistency is a familiar
refrain for the player. “Every coach I’ve
had since high school has put that on repeat,”
Stoa said. “I’ve always felt that if you’re
getting chances, you’re doing something right.”
Golden Gophers coach Don Lucia
on Stoa: “Ryan is a quiet leader who
works hard on the weight room and on the ice. He’s
good around the net because he's big and strong, but
there’s not one particular thing you look at and
can say 'that's Ryan's role.'"
