Other Meta: Men's D-I

Hockey East Semifinals Notebook

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Age vs. Experience The first semifinal featured two teams with two different strengths. New Hampshire relies on an experienced core of players, three of which — goaltender Mike Ayers, and forwards Colin Hemingway and Lanny Gare — landed on the Hockey East All-Star Team. Massachusetts’ strength lies in underclassmen, showcased by freshman Stephen Werner, a … Read more

Bracketology, Hockey-Style: March 10

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With the expansion of the NCAA tournament to 16 teams this year, even knowledgeable people around college hockey have been thrown into confusion about the new seeding process. And since the NCAA has publicized its new guidelines for seeding, here is a second peek — “bracketology”-style — at what the NCAA tournament would look like … Read more

Championships Cabinet Confirms Regional Site Choices

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The NCAA Championships and Competition Cabinet has approved the choices of the Men’s Division I Ice Hockey Committee to have Providence, R.I. and Minneapolis, Minn. host NCAA regionals in 2003. “We selected cities that have a tradition of hosting successful events,” said Jack McDonald, outgoing committee chairman and Quinnipiac athletic director. “We are very excited … Read more

Championship Notebook

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Heartstoppers With less than a minute remaining in regulation, Minnesota goalie Adam Hauser was pulled for an extra skater and Minnesota got the game-tying goal from Matt Koalska. That marked the second straight year that a goal was scored with an extra man on the ice in the championship. Last year, North Dakota scored two … Read more

Showdown In St. Paul: Minnesota

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A few hours before they played in their first Frozen Four, members of the 2002 Minnesota team watched a video that tied their purpose this weekend at the Xcel Energy Center to another, larger one. As much as the Golden Gophers are playing for those that skate on the ice now, they’re also playing Saturday … Read more

The Unwritten Rule

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There are plenty of unwritten rules in sports. You don’t bunt in baseball to break up a no-hitter. You don’t walk across a player’s putting line in golf. You don’t hoist a three-pointer in basketball with a 20-point lead in the final minutes. Football teams know that there’s no need for a Hail Mary instead … Read more

No Storybook Ending

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If you have a grandson who is very dear to you and he’s an athlete, there are few thrills greater than watching him compete for a national championship. So when Chris Heisten’s grandfather settled into his seat at the Xcel Energy Center to watch Maine take on top-seeded New Hampshire on Thursday, it was with … Read more

Frozen ‘4’

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It was a Frozen ‘4’ indeed for Minnesota, for which numerology just might have played a part in an NCAA title win.

Commentary: It’s Their Time

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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

Showdown In St. Paul: Maine

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Dreams simply don’t come true enough in real life. The movies write great scripts, but everyone knows fantasy, storybook endings are reserved for Hollywood. Certainly St. Paul, Minn., is not the stage where one would expect one of these Hollywood-like segments to be filmed. But if I were a producer, I might want to hop … Read more

Favorite Son

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Grant Potulny is Minnesota’s first out-of-state player in over a decade. That didn’t seem to mean much Saturday night.

The Leap

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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

Leo Leads The Way

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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

Come Together

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Head coach Don Lucia has instilled a sense of unity in Minnesota, one reason the Gophers play for the championship Saturday.