Most of them come from a land with 10,000 lakes, 10,000 rinks and hundreds of thousands of young players who dream of a golden moment like the one Saturday night for someone who isn’t even a Minnesotan, but is as close now as any foreigner. Pulling the M-emblazoned sweater over their heads, then pushing an … Read more
Grant Potulny is Minnesota’s first out-of-state player in over a decade. That didn’t seem to mean much Saturday night.
Johnny Pohl knows a thing or two about jumping after a big goal. He paid tribute to his brother Mark’s signature move last season by duplicating the “Pohl Vault,” a jump and turn into the Plexiglas. Matt Koalska’s last-minute goal sent the title game into overtime (photo: Pedro Cancel) So Pohl was pumped when he … Read more
Minnesota defenseman Jordan Leopold was named Friday as the winner of the 2002 Hobey Baker Memorial Award, given annually to college hockey’s most outstanding player. Minnesota captain Jordan Leopold is the fourth defenseman to win the Hobey Baker Memorial Award. Leopold was selected over fellow “Hobey Hat Trick” finalists Darren Haydar of New Hampshire and … Read more
After a disappointing overtime loss to Maine in last year’s NCAA East Regional, then-junior Minnesota defenseman Jordan Leopold had a difficult decision to make. The WCHA’s top defensive player of 2000-2001, whose NHL rights are held by the Calgary Flames, could have left school early for a pro career. Minnesota’s Jordan Leopold, the 2002 Hobey … Read more
Minnesota, playing in its first Frozen Four since 1995, was largely nerve-free, even in the face of a Michigan rally late.
Head coach Don Lucia has instilled a sense of unity in Minnesota, one reason the Gophers play for the championship Saturday.
In the pantheon of sports-led societal advances, it’s not quite in the class of Jackie Robinson signing with the Dodgers. But, to many a Gopher fan, the recruitment of North Dakota native Grant Potulny to play at the University of Minnesota required accepting a major change that many fought. Of course, a few more two-goal … Read more
(North Dakota’s) Pride On Ice One of the more remarkable traditions Minnesota has is the near-exclusive use of Minnesota-born talent in the lineup. But when Don Lucia became coach at Minnesota three seasons ago, he recruited the first non-Minnesota player since 1986 by signing Grand Forks, N.D., native Grant Potulny. Potulny, a sophomore, scored the … Read more
The following, in alphabetical order, are capsule profiles of the Hobey Baker “Hat Trick,” the final three candidates for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award, which will be announced Friday in St. Paul, Minn. Mark Hartigan Team: St. Cloud State. Position: Forward. Class: Junior. Height, weight: 6-foot, 200 pounds. Hometown: Fort St. John, British Columbia. Statistics: … Read more
Don Lucia has trouble coming up with high points from a season in which his Minnesota Golden Gophers are 30-8-4, got a first-round bye in the NCAA tournament and have advanced to the Frozen Four. But that’s just fine to the Minnesota coach. He hasn’t found any low points, either. One of the things Lucia … Read more
Minnesota’s seniors have come a long way since a sub-.500 freshman season, as Todd D. Milewski notes.
Denver’s magical season came to a sudden end, but there were no second-guesses.
St. Cloud State went from a season of huge promise, to one of lingering questions.
Like Wisconsin’s Dany Heatley a year ago, Mark Hartigan is going straight from an NCAA loss to Atlanta. Unlike Heatley, he does so as a free agent, not as the No. 2 pick in the draft. Hartigan, a Hobey Baker Award finalist and WCHA Player of the Year, agreed to a one-year deal with the … Read more
The Hobey Baker Committee announced the top three finalists for this year’s Award: Mark Hartigan of St. Cloud, Darren Haydar of UNH and Jordan Leopold of Minnesota.
Colorado College has two classes recruited by Don Lucia, who it now faces with a Frozen Four berth on the line.
From the talk on the USCHO.com message board and around the nation, you’d think the West Regional draw included the Colorado Avalanche or the Red Army alongside the WCHA and the CCHA’s best. After Michigan State’s loss to Michigan last Sunday, first-round byes went to Denver and Minnesota, both of which were among the top … Read more
Wisconsin will turn to alumnus Mike Eaves to succeed Jeff Sauer as its head coach. Eaves joins the Badgers after a stint as head coach of USA Hockey’s National Development Program.
DU netminder Wade Dubielewicz was already a Hobey Baker finalist. Now he’s the WCHA Final Five MVP.