University of Minnesota Athletics
Players Mentioned
Defense
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Player Profile: Brannon McManus
10/24/2019 4:18:00 PM | Men's Hockey
MINNEAPOLIS -- Junior forward Brannon McManus is Gopher Hockey's active-leading scorer with 39 points (22 goals, 17 assists) in 76 career games entering this weekend's home-and-home series with Minnesota Duluth. GopherSports.com caught up with him to talk about Minnesota's road trip to Colorado earlier this month, not being the only California native on roster this season and his all-time favorite Halloween costume.
Last weekend was your first tests on home ice for the year after opening the 2019-20 season with a split at Colorado College. How excited are you to get back to playing games at 3M Arena at Mariucci?
Yeah, we're really excited to get back out there and see all the fans, hopefully give them a lot to cheer about all season long. It's going to be fun…I think anyone will tell you it's been too long since we got to play on home ice.
Opening the season on the road like we did…what does an extended road trip like that do for a team that has as many young guys on it as the Gophers do this season?
Like coach has been saying…it's just a great opportunity for a lot of team bonding. We left early just for the chance to have everybody together and experience life on the road together. Colorado Springs was a great place to have that opportunity too – I know a lot of the guys just hung out and enjoyed the views, played some games and worked on homework. Having that first road trip come right out of the gate is a great way to kick start the year, and we want to keep building that chemistry all season long.
Before you joined the team, we hadn't had a California native on the roster in a long time…now we have two with Ryan Johnson coming on as a freshman this year. During the offseason, you had a chance to skate with him back home for a bit. What should Gopher fans expect from him this year on the blue line?
I remember watching him growing up back home…even then there was a lot of talk about him and a lot of hype about him. We got connected when he committed here…we actually live 15 minutes away from each other in California. He's a special player, and I can't wait to see what he can do here.
What's it been like for you as a junior to have so many new guys on the team this year?
Being an older guy, it's actually been a lot of fun. It's our turn to take over and be leaders, so we're always being mindful of the example we set for the new guys. Are we doing things the right way – the way we were taught when we were the young guys? This time of year is always fun for the new guys…they're anxious and excited about all these new experiences, so it's kind of fun to have so many of them going through that right now. It sort of brings back those memories and experiences for us.
Since we're in October…what was your favorite Halloween costume growing up?
Being from Cali, I was a Dead Duck. I was a dead Anaheim Duck player...I dressed up like a hockey player and then had the zombie makeup on. I even had a little puck sticking out of my head. I think I was about six years old – my mom went crazy with it, but it was definitely the most memorable Halloween costume I've worn.
Last weekend was your first tests on home ice for the year after opening the 2019-20 season with a split at Colorado College. How excited are you to get back to playing games at 3M Arena at Mariucci?
Yeah, we're really excited to get back out there and see all the fans, hopefully give them a lot to cheer about all season long. It's going to be fun…I think anyone will tell you it's been too long since we got to play on home ice.
Opening the season on the road like we did…what does an extended road trip like that do for a team that has as many young guys on it as the Gophers do this season?
Like coach has been saying…it's just a great opportunity for a lot of team bonding. We left early just for the chance to have everybody together and experience life on the road together. Colorado Springs was a great place to have that opportunity too – I know a lot of the guys just hung out and enjoyed the views, played some games and worked on homework. Having that first road trip come right out of the gate is a great way to kick start the year, and we want to keep building that chemistry all season long.
Before you joined the team, we hadn't had a California native on the roster in a long time…now we have two with Ryan Johnson coming on as a freshman this year. During the offseason, you had a chance to skate with him back home for a bit. What should Gopher fans expect from him this year on the blue line?
I remember watching him growing up back home…even then there was a lot of talk about him and a lot of hype about him. We got connected when he committed here…we actually live 15 minutes away from each other in California. He's a special player, and I can't wait to see what he can do here.
What's it been like for you as a junior to have so many new guys on the team this year?
Being an older guy, it's actually been a lot of fun. It's our turn to take over and be leaders, so we're always being mindful of the example we set for the new guys. Are we doing things the right way – the way we were taught when we were the young guys? This time of year is always fun for the new guys…they're anxious and excited about all these new experiences, so it's kind of fun to have so many of them going through that right now. It sort of brings back those memories and experiences for us.
Since we're in October…what was your favorite Halloween costume growing up?
Being from Cali, I was a Dead Duck. I was a dead Anaheim Duck player...I dressed up like a hockey player and then had the zombie makeup on. I even had a little puck sticking out of my head. I think I was about six years old – my mom went crazy with it, but it was definitely the most memorable Halloween costume I've worn.
Follow Men's Hockey
Men's Hockey Tickets
Experience the excitement and tradition connecting generations of Gopher fans! Create memories for a lifetime with your friends and family while you root for your Golden Gophers. Get Tickets
Support Men's Hockey
Support the University of Minnesota Men's Hockey program. Your support helps our student-athletes succeed athletically, academically, and socially. It takes just seconds to make a monthly or one-time donation. Thank you for your support! Give Now
Gopher Hockey Senior Night
Wednesday, March 11
Coming Home: Danny Hendrickson
Tuesday, March 10
Highlights: Gophers 3, Michigan State 3
Friday, March 06
Highlights: Gophers 2, Michigan 4
Friday, February 27