MINNEAPOLIS — Before the Minnesota men's hockey team hosts Denver on Saturday at Mariucci Arena, the Gophers will honor their senior class in what should be a rather brief ceremony — the Gophers have just one senior on this year's roster to introduce.
Defenseman Seth Helgeson is the lone senior on a junior-laden Gophers roster. This Saturday he will be joined on the ice by his parents, Mark and Marcia, when he's honored on Senior Night.
"It'll probably be the fastest one in history," Helgeson joked Wednesday. "It is kind of odd. My freshman year there was only four of us and now there's one. It's going to be a little odd, but the flower budget's going to be down. We're probably only going to take 30 seconds, so it's not going to be such a distraction for the guys. That'll be kind of nice."
Helgeson, a native of Faribault, Minn., was a freshman during the 2009-10 season. He was joined by fellow freshmen Nick Leddy, Josh Birkholz and Zach Budish. Leddy left early for the NHL and is now a member of the Chicago Blackhawks. Birkholz left the program as a sophomore.
And Budish is still on the Gophers but is a redshirt junior after a knee injury limited him to just seven games during the 2010-11 season.
"I'm trying to tell everyone, make Zach Budish come out there with me. Get his parents out there as well (to make it) a little comfy for my parents," Helgeson said.
Throughout his career, Helgeson hasn't put up huge numbers on the stat sheet. His career high in goals (5), assists (9) and points (14) all came last season as a junior. Through 32 games of his senior season, Helgeson has just three assists and has yet to score a goal.
But Gophers head coach Don Lucia said Helgeson does plenty of other things that don't show up on the stat sheet but are still valuable.
"He's just a guy that's kind of an anchor back there and does his job quietly," Lucia said. "He's not the type of player that's going to get a lot of notoriety because of the way he plays. He's a guy that's going to block a shot or defend or be out there in the last minute of a game when we're ahead by a goal to protect it. For Seth, when you don't notice him, that's when he's at his best."
Helgeson is one of a seemingly rare breed in college hockey — the senior who sticks around for four years. In this day and age, many players leave school early to make the jump to the pros.
For Helgeson, a fourth-round draft pick of the New Jersey Devils, that thought never crossed his mind.
"I love it here so much, I could stay for another four years," he said. "It's nice being here for all four years. We've had a great group of guys the past four years, too. I can't say I would take anything back. It's just been awesome."
Lucia caught up in basketball buzz: On Tuesday night, the Minnesota men's basketball team was the talk of the college basketball world when the Gophers upset No. 1 Indiana at Williams Arena. One day later, even the school's hockey coach couldn't help but talk about the performance put on by Tubby Smith's team.
"It was a good win, it was good for their program and it was good for the school," Lucia said. "Like the commentator said, when you have 70-year-olds rushing the court, it's a great thing."
Lucia said some of his players were at Williams Arena to take in the game. Junior forward Nick Bjugstad posted a picture on Twitter of the court after fans stormed it following the win.
"That's all part of being a student here and student-athlete is cheering on some of the other sports as well," Lucia said. "When they have a big win, I know our guys know the women's hockey players well and a lot of the other athletes. You're always happy when you have a big win like that on campus. It's good for everybody."
It was the first time the Gophers basketball team beat a No. 1 team since 1989. Lucia's squad — which itself has been ranked No. 1 this year — has already knocked off the top-ranked team this year when it beat Boston College in convincing 8-1 fashion in late December.
Lucia and Smith both know that a win against the top-ranked team is nice, but it's still just one game.
"One week you're the toast of town and the next weekend they're shoveling dirt on you," Lucia said. "That's just kind of the way it works."
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