In The Beginning...
Minnesota enters its 91st season of collegiate hockey with a 1627-928-170 record. The Gophers were 16-14-6 a year ago and had their season end in the first round of the WCHA playoffs after placing fifth in the WCHA regular season with a 13-10-5 record. The Gophers return 19 players from last year’s team (including sophomore transfer Chris Student) and welcome seven freshmen and sophomore transfer Michael Shibrowski into the fold. Minnesota lost four of its top scorers from last season and sophomore Erik Haula (6g-18a) is the team’s leading returning scorer with 24 points.
Seniors Jake Hansen (11 goals) and captain Taylor Matson (10 goals) are the team’s top returning goalscorers. Sophomore Nick Bjugstad ended his freshman year with 16 points in his final 16 games. Senior goaltender Kent Patterson was named All-WCHA Second Team a year ago after recording the second-best save percentage in school history (.920) and the eighth-best goals-againse average (2.49).
Minnesota vs. Sacred Heart
Minnesota and Sacred Heart have never played one another. However, the teams did share a common opponent last year in Union. Sacred Heart fell to Union 9-0 and 7-3 on the road on Oct. 8-9. The Gophers were felled by the No. 12 Dutchmen 3-2 in overtime in the Mariucci Classic on Dec. 31. Minnesota and Sacred Heart have one common opponent this year. Sacred Heart faces Niagara in a home-and-home series on Nov. 26-27. The Gophers host Niagara on Dec. 30 in the Mariucci Classic.
About the Pioneers
Sacred Heart won their lone exhibition game 5-4 last Sunday against Ryerson. In a game that featured 68 penalty minutes, the Pioneers got goals from Matt Gingera, Tye Lewis, Alex Stuart, Eric Delong and Drew George. Gingera is Sacred Heart’s leading scorer. The senior led the Pioneers with 21 goals last year, which is the third most ever in a single season at Sacred Heart. Gingera enters this year with 76 career points (44g-32a). Junior Steven Legatto started 27 games in net last year for the Pioneers. He had an .887 save percentage and 4.67 goals against average for the season, but made 40 or more saves in five games and 30 or more in 19 games. He stopped 21 of 24 shots in two periods against Ryerson. Freshman Andrew Bodnarchuk could also see action between the pipes this weekend. He earned the win against Ryerson after turning aside 10 of 11 shots in the third period.
Welcome Back Mike
There is a new, yet familiar face, on the Gopher bench this season. After three years away, former Minnesota player and assistant coach Mike Guentzel rejoined the Gopher staff on July 13, 2011, as Associate Head Coach. Guentzel, who played defense for Minnesota from 1981-85 and served as an assistant coach for the Gophers from 1994-08, comes back to the Maroon and Gold staff after one year as an assistant coach at Nebraska Omaha during the 2010-11 season. From 2009-10 he was the head coach and general manager of the USHL's Des Moines Buccaneers, and he was an assistant coach at Colorado College from 2008-09. Guentzel helped lead the Gophers to back-to-back national championships, to five NCAA Frozen Fours and to 11 NCAA tournament appearances during his previous tenure as a member of Minnesota’s staff. The Gophers won more than 350 games, four WCHA playoff championships and three regular season championships with Guentzel on the bench. He coached two Hobey Baker Memorial Award winners, 13 All-Americans and 23 eventual National Hockey League players.
New Opponents
Minnesota will face two opponents it has never played against in 2011-12. One of them is Sacred Heart, who the Gophers play this weekend to open the season. Sacred Heart plays in Atlantic Hockey and the Gophers are 6-2-1 all-time against teams from Atlantic Hockey. The other team who Minnesota will face this year that it has never played is Vermont of Hockey East. Vermont comes to Mariucci Arena for games on Oct. 21 and 23. The Maroon and Gold are 80-47-7 all-time against Hockey East opponents. Vermont is the only team in Hockey East that Minnesota has never played.
The Gophs get more than that for a bad game.