University of Minnesota Athletics
Hockey Season Opens Sunday With Exhibition Tilt
9/30/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Hockey
Minnesota vs. British Columbia
Sunday, Oct. 4 - 4 p.m.
Mariucci Arena
Despite playing just one day after opening official practice, Minnesota tangles with the University of British Columbia in an exhibition contest at Mariucci Arena for the second straight year. The Gophers won last year's matchup 3-1 and finished the year 17-13-7 overall. The Gophers return 20 letterwinners from last year's squad and bring back 81.4 percent of their offense. Minnesota has won 11 straight exhibition games.
Tickets
Tickets are available in advance by calling 612-624-8080 or by calling 1-800-UGOPHER. They are also available at the door.
Last Time Out
Minnesota concluded the 2008-09 season with a 2-1 loss to Minnesota Duluth in the play-in game of the WCHA Final Five. Cade Fairchild scored the Gophers' goal and Minnesota outshot its in-state rival 40-30, but Bulldogs' goaltender Alex Stalock made 39 saves in Minnesota Duluth's first win on the way to the Final Five title and an NCAA regional final appearance. Kent Patterson made 19 saves in relief of starter Alex Kangas, who was ill and removed after one period.
Series History
The teams' only previous meeting was last year when the Gophers posted a 3-1 win. Minnesota owned a 44-16 advantage in shots and got a first period goal from Ryan Flynn and second period tallies from R.J. Anderson and Patrick White. Mike Carman had two assists and Tyler Ruel scored British Columbia's goal shorthanded late in the second period. Alex Kangas had 10 saves and Kent Patterson stopped five shots while splitting time in goal. Minnesota has won 11 straight exhibition games since a 7-5 loss to Valerenga on Dec. 15, 1999 in Don Lucia's first season. The Gophers are playing an exhibition game for the 21st straight season.
About the Thunderbirds
British Columbia split a season opening series against Northern Alberta Institute of Technology and plays on Saturday at Minnesota Duluth. The Thunderbirds also played an exhibition game against the Calgary Flames' AHL affiliate, Abbotsford Heat, on Wednesday. British Columbia lost its opening game to NAIT 5-3 on Sept. 19, but bounced back for a 7-3 victory on Sept. 20. Scott Wasden had a hat trick and an assist in the Thunderbirds' victory. The University of British Columbia is located in Vancouver and its home arena, the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre, will be the primary venue for women's ice hockey during the 2010 Winter Olympics. Two of the Thunderbirds' players, Tyler Ruel and Jordan Inglis, also played against the Gophers in 2007-08 while playing at Wayne State.
Preseason Picks
Minnesota is picked for fourth in the WCHA preseason polls by both the media and the coaches. The Gophers are also ranked sixth nationally in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine polls. Denver is predicted to take the WCHA title, while Miami (Ohio) in the nation's top-ranked team in the preseason.
Schroeder Tabbed
Gophers' sophomore forward Jordan Schroeder has been named the WCHA preseason Player of the Year by both the coaches and the media. Schroeder shared the selection by the coaches with St. Cloud State's Ryan Lasch. Schroeder ranked third nationally in assists and points per game in 2008-09 and was the WCHA Rookie of the Year. He earned National Rookie of the Year honors by Inside College Hockey and College Hockey News last season and was the only freshman to rank among the nation's top 40 scorers. Schroeder's 45 points marked the 10th-highest single-season total by a freshman in Minnesota history and his 32 assists ranked sixth in a single season by a freshman.
Into the Fire
The Gophers jump right into the thick of their WCHA season with eight straight league games to open the regular season, including series with each of the three times picked ahead of them in the WCHA preseason poll. It is the second straight year Minnesota has opened with WCHA competition after sweeping St. Cloud State to open last year en route to a 4-0-2 start in six season-opening conference games.
Keeping Score
The Gophers return 10 of their top 11 scorers from the 2008-09 squad and bring back 81.4 percent of their scoring. Minnesota returns all but 60 of its 322 points from last year and 46 of those points came from the team's leading scorer, Ryan Stoa, who left for the National Hockey League after his junior year.
Dynamite Defense
Defensively, the Gophers return all but one player from a unit that allowed just 2.84 goals per game last season. Junior Cade Fairchild earned third-team All-American honors from Inside College Hockey last season after ranking third in the country in scoring among defensemen with 33 points in 35 games. Sophomore Aaron Ness added 17 points and senior David Fischer contributed 13 points a year ago.
Prowess in the Pipes
Junior Alex Kangas returns in goal after posting a 2.79 goals against average and .901 save percentage in 2008-09. Kangas had shutouts in two of his last three games last season, which does not include the WCHA Final Five play-in game when he left with an illness after the first period. Kangas has been outstanding during the postseason in his first two years with a 1.49 goals against average and .951 save percentage in 10 career postseason games.
Speaking Special
Special teams were a key component of the 2008-09 Gophers' squad as Minnesota ranked second in the country with success on 54.7 percent of their combined special teams situations. The Gophers led the WCHA and ranked fourth nationally on the penalty kill at 88.8 percent. They were second in the WCHA and eighth nationally on the power play at 20.1 percent.
A Time to Kill
Minnesota's penalty killing unit set a single-season school record with its 88.8 percent success rate, surpassing the previous mark of 88.5 percent in 2000-01. The Gophers led the nation in penalty killing for much of the season after allowing just seven power play goals over the season's first 18 games.
