'Tis the season for holiday tournaments and Minnesota hosts its big event, the Mariucci Classic, this weekend. Here's the schedule:
The Gophers will get a chance to avenge their 2012 Frozen Four loss to the Eagles.
Saturday
4:00 p.m.: No. 1 Boston College vs. Alabama-Huntsville
7:00 p.m.: No. 4 Minnesota vs. Air Force
Sunday
4:00 p.m.: Air Force vs. Alabama-Huntsville
7:00 p.m.: No. 4 Minnesota vs. No. 1 Boston College
Scouting the Falcons: Air Force is a remarkable college hockey program and a lot of the credit goes to longtime head coach Frank Serratore, father of Gopher forward Tom. Now in his 20th season at the beautiful Academy campus north of Colorado Springs, Serratore will coach his 723rd game as a college hockey coach when the Falcons and Gophers cross sticks Saturday night.
The cadets capped a three-point weekend before the Christmas break with a 2-2 tie at Bentley. They're unbeaten in three following a four-game losing jag. Junior forward Kyle DeLaurell has the hot hand after becoming the 43rd Falcon to hit the 100-point standard earlier this month. Junior Tony Thomas (5-8-13) and sophomore Chad Demers (5-7-12) top the scoring list.
This is only the third time Minnesota (11-3-3) and Air Force (5-7-3) have played. The Gophers own the mini-series, 1-0-1.
Unusual coaching environment: Serratore has really done a remarkable job at Air Force, given the unusual nature of his student athletes. They are, after all, among the elite young men in the nation, selected for one of the country's three military academies following sterling high school careers and rigorous entrance requirements. Further, almost every one had to be appointed to the Academy by a United States Senator.
All of which means that recruiting an Air Force hockey player is a decidedly more challenging task than usual. Whereas most Division I coaches troll the junior and high school ranks for top talent and then pursue them in an extremely competitive recruiting environment, coaches at the Air Force Academy -- not to mention those at Annapolis and West Point -- must first discover whether the players they seek even WANT to be military officers. Then they have to qualify and be appointed.
Few issues with discipline, however!
Minnesota connections: The Falcons are loaded with Minnesotans. Eleven players are from the North Star State, not to mention Serratore and assistant coach Andy Berg (Stillwater). Captain John Kruse's (Eden Prairie) parents hosted the team for a pasta dinner Thursday night.
North Country coaches: Gophers head coach Don Lucia and Serratore grew up only seven miles apart in northern Minnesota: Lucia in Grand Rapids, Serratore in Coleraine.
The Eagles Fly: Then there's Boston College. The Gophers' Sunday night opponent will open the Classic Saturday afternoon against Alabama-Huntsville (3-14-1). The Eagles (11-2-1 overall, 9-2-1 in Hockey East) were rated No. 1 in the preseason polls and they've been perched atop the pile ever since.
The Eagles are paced by junior winger Johnny Gaudreau (11-12-23) who tore up Hockey East in November, winning the league's Player of the Month honor with 7-7-14. Conveniently for the Gophers, Gaudreau won't be in Minneapolis this weekend. Like Gophers defenseman Mike Reilly, he's with Team USA at the World Junior Championships in Russia. Goalie Parker Milner (11-2-1) has carried the mail all year, posting a 2.20 GAA and .923 saves percentage.
Sunday's tilt will be something of a revenge match for Minnesota, which was ousted by BC in the NCAA tournament last spring.
Winning their own? Minnesota has won 12 of the 21 Mariucci Classics but not recently. The Gophers last won their own holiday event during the 2008-2009 season. Earlier, they polished off nine straight Classic championships between 1999 and 2006.
Join Kevin Gorg and me, along with our jolly crew of elves, for complete play-by-play coverage of the Gophers-Air Force and Gophers-Boston College games on FOX Sports North!
