Goff: Gophers hockey: 3 keys to a successful season

BleedGopher

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per Goff:

With the regular-season approaching, here are 3 keys for the Gophers to be successful this season.

1. Penalty kill

The Gophers need to clean up their penalty kill from last season. Last year’s team killed off just 77 percent of opponent’s power plays. That figure was the last in the Big Ten and the sixth-worst in all of Division-I.

Eric Shierhorn is a solid goaltender but he was hung out to dry on too many occasions. There were freshmen that played on the penalty kill last year and hopefully for the Gophers that unit has matured over the offseason and can be better in 2016-17.

2. Immediate impact from the freshmen

Last season’s freshman class played in significant roles for the Gophers and this year is no different. Minnesota added six-freshmen to their lineup: three forwards and three defensemen; all of them hailing from the State of Hockey. Keep an eye out for Rem Pitlick, who was the USA Hockey Junior Player of the Year and the USHL Player of the Year in 2016. Pitlick led the USHL in scoring last year with 46 goals, 43 assists. His 89 points set a team record for the Muskegon Lumberjacks and his 46 goals were third-most all-time in the USHL Tier 1 era.

3. Improve home record

In the past, Mariucci Arena has provided the Gophers with an undeniable home-ice advantage. From 2012-15, Minnesota owned a home record of 46-7-7. Last season, the Gophers were 10-9 at Mariucci. Attendance was down last year but for a building that has typically been dominant for the Gophers, last year’s figure was not good enough. Especially for a crowd that, “likes to get weird.”

The Gophers open their regular season this weekend against Alaska-Anchorage on Friday and Alaska-Fairbanks on Sunday.

http://www.1500espn.com/gophers-2/2016/10/gophers-hockey-3-keys-successful-season/

Go Gophers!!
 




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