MINNEAPOLIS -- It’s almost starting to feel like the
Minnesota men’s hockey team is back in the WCHA.
After a home series last weekend against Minnesota State,
the Gophers now prepare to host Minnesota Duluth this weekend. Then it’s
Wisconsin coming to town next Friday and Saturday. Three weekends, three teams
formerly in the WCHA.
Of course, the Gophers and Badgers are now in the Big Ten
Conference, but these three weeks elicit a bit of nostalgia for college hockey
fans who already miss Minnesota’s old conference.
“In many ways, it will still feel like we’re playing WCHA
teams because they’re teams we play each and every year,” said Gophers coach
Don Lucia.
This weekend’s games against Minnesota Duluth will also help
the Gophers carry on another in-state rivalry. The Gophers already played
Bemidji State and Minnesota State, and they have a game scheduled against St.
Cloud State later this year in the North Star College Cup. But the games
between the Gophers and Bulldogs seem to be a part of Minnesota’s more
underrated rivalries.
Sure, there are the natural rivals of Wisconsin and North
Dakota. However, Minnesota and UMD have established a solid rivalry of their
own over the years, bolstered by the fact that the Bulldogs won a national
championship in 2011.
“I think any time you play your in-state teams, there’s a
rivalry involved,” Lucia said. “That’s something we talk about when the year
begins. We want to have success in our own state. We feel good winning the
first four (against Bemidji State and Minnesota State).”
Since leaving the WCHA after last season, Minnesota Duluth
has joined the new National Collegiate Hockey Conference, along with many other
holdovers from the WCHA. Through 10 games, the Bulldogs are 5-4-1 overall and
2-2 in conference play.
Minnesota Duluth does have a few impressive wins on its
resume so far, including one over North Dakota and a 4-1 victory over Notre
Dame -- one Lucia saw in person a few weeks ago as he was there to watch his
son, Mario, play for the Irish.
“It’s always been a rivalry with Duluth,” said Gophers
junior Seth Ambroz. “Obviously, yeah, sometimes it does get (overlooked) when
we play Wisconsin and North Dakota, those types of teams. But it’s a big
instate rivalry. … They’re always ready to play us. We’re always ready to play
them. It should be a good series. They always give us their best, so it should
be fun to watch.”
No goalie controversy for Minnesota: Senior goalie Michael
Shibrowski made his first start in over a year last Saturday and earned a
shutout in the Gophers’ 3-0 win over the Mavericks. Despite his solid outing,
there’s no question that sophomore Adam Wilcox will resume his role as the
team’s everyday goalie this weekend.
“I’ll tell you what, it’s nice to have Mike come in and play
as well as he did,” Lucia said. “It gives his teammates confidence, his coaches
confidence. … We don’t need him to play every night, but he needs to play a
handful of games this year. He did a great job in his first one.”
Shibrowski stopped all 25 shots he faced to earn his first
career shutout. After the game, his teammates surrounded him at the net,
clearly happy for their senior goalie who doesn’t get many chances to play.
Even several days later, it was clear that Shibrowski’s
teammates have plenty of respect for him.
“He’s probably our ultimate team guy,” Ambroz said. “He’s
always working. He deserved it. He deserved a chance, and he got it. It’s great
to see. A lot of people don’t even see Shibrowski as much, obviously with
Wilcox in net, but he’s just such a good goaltender, too. It’s nice to have two
reliable goalies. He deserved his outcome.”
Men’s team in awe of women’s hockey team’s streak: The
Gophers women’s hockey team recently had a record-setting 62-game winning
streak snapped this past weekend in a loss to North Dakota. That type of run is
something the men’s team has trouble fathoming.
“That almost doesn’t seem realistic,” Ambroz said. “It’s
impressive. Sixty-two wins in a row, they (had) girls on the team that (hadn’t)
lost a game yet. That’s incredible. It’s good for them and good for their
program. I’m sure they’ll start another streak right now and go from there.
That’s got to be one fun thing to be a part of.”
The women’s team, led by head coach Brad Frost, plays their
games at Ridder Arena, which is right next door to Mariucci Arena, home of the
men’s team. For the last several weeks, the University of Minnesota has boasted
the top-ranked teams in both men’s and women’s hockey.
Lucia’s squad has insisted it doesn’t put too much stock
into the rankings, especially this early in the season But having two No. 1
teams on campus has been a boost for Minnesota’s hockey programs -- and their
fans.
