2002–03 Minnesota Golden Gophers men's ice hockey season

The 2002–03 Minnesota Golden Gophers men's ice hockey season was the 82nd season of play for the program and 44th in the WCHA. The Golden Gophers represented the University of Minnesota, played their home games at the Mariucci Arena and were coached by Don Lucia, in his 4th season.

2002–03 Minnesota Golden Gophers
men's ice hockey season
NCAA Division I National Champion
Dodge Holiday Classic, Champion
WCHA Tournament, Champion
NCAA Tournament, Champion
ConferenceT-2nd WCHA
Home iceMariucci Arena
Rankings
USA Today/AHCA2
USCHO.com2
Record
Overall28–8–9[1]
Conference15–6–7
Home14–4–6
Road9–4–3
Neutral5–0–0
Coaches and captains
Head coachDon Lucia
Assistant coachesMike Guentzel
Bob Motzko
Robb Stauber
Captain(s)Grant Potulny
Alternate captain(s)Paul Martin
Nick Anthony
Minnesota Golden Gophers men's ice hockey seasons
« 2001–02 2003–04 »

Season

edit

Fresh off of the program's fourth national title, the first in 23 years, Minnesota entered the season with high hopes. Though the team lost several key players to graduation, including Hobey Baker Award-winner Jordan Leopold, they brought in an impressive collection of young talent. Perhaps the brightest young star that had ever donned the maroon and gold to that point, Thomas Vanek debuted for the team and Gophers would need the highly-regarded Austrian to make up for the lost offensive production of the departed John Pohl and Jeff Taffe.

Though the Gophers were ranked #1 entering the year, that was due mostly to their being the defending champions. The Gophers suffered a setback when Team captain Grant Potulny was injured in the first game against Ohio State. What was initially thought to just be a fractured fibula that would keep him out for 4–6 weeks turned out to include ligament damage that would sideline Potulny for up to 4 months.[2] Without him, the team looked a little out of sorts as the roster sought to soldier on. While Minnesota never looked bad, they weren't able to consistently put together a good stretch of games in the first two months of the season. Part of the problem was that Don Lucia was still trying to find out which one of his two goaltenders deserved to be the starter. Both Travis Weber and Justin Johnson got playing time but neither was able to seize control of the Minnesota cage by mid-November. The goalie rotation continued until Johnson had a rather a poor outing against Colorado College which was followed up by a solid performance by Weber.[3] Afterwards, Weber remained in the cage and strung several good outings together, including a road sweep of long time rival Wisconsin.

While Weber established himself in the cage, the offense too had steadily come along. The Gophers had shown from the start that the team could score but they had trouble with their consistency. With Vanek at the lead, the Gophers steadily improved throughout the fall and turned themselves into one of the best offenses in the country come winter time. While the team sorted through its early-season jitters, their ranking declined. When December rolled around the team had dropped to #10, however, because the NCAA tournament had expanded to 16 teams for that season, they were still in a solid position to earn a berth. The Gophers took no chances, however, and reeled off a series of impressive wins to jump up to 4th by the time January rolled around.

The team was stymied when they began the second half of the season and went winless in three games. They arrested their fall with a win over top-ranked North Dakota and then mostly held serve over the following month and a half. Entering the final few weeks of the season, Minnesota sat 7th in the polls but had a tremendous opportunity to move up with four games against ranked teams. Minnesota went 2–0–2 in those games, which, though they did not see their ranking improve, they were able to finish in a tie for second in the WCHA standings.

Conference tournament

edit

Because they held the tie-breaker, the Gophers received the second seed for the WCHA tournament and got to take on a bad but improving Michigan Tech squad. The Gophers won the first game fairly easily and appeared to be heading to a sweep in the second when Weber suffered an injury to his finger. Johnson was installed for the remainder of the contest and though the Gophers marched on to the semifinals, doing so without their starting goalie was not ideal.[4] Though he was initially expected to be ready for the next game, Weber was unable to play against Minnesota State–Mankato. Seeing their backup needed a hand, Minnesota's offense shelled the Maverick cage, firing 49 shots to MSU's 17. Due to a masterful performance from opposing netminder Jon Volp, however, the two still needed overtime to settle the score. Just less than 4 minutes into the extra session, Vanek scored his 26th goal of the season and sent the Gophers to the championship match.

Colorado College was all that stood between Minnesota and a conference title. The top-seeded Tigers were the favorites to win but it was the Gophers who got off to a blazing start. Potulny had a hand in all three of Minnesota's goals in the first period to build a huge lead. The Tigers fought back with two power play goals in the second half of the game along with 38 shots but Johnson held the fort and enabled the Gophers to skate away with a 4–2 win.[5]

NCAA tournament

edit

Because they were hosting one of the four regionals, Minnesota was going to be placed in the West bracket. The WCHA championship helped Minnesota earn one of the #1 seeds and an advantageous match for the first round. Additionally, because two of the teams seeded 4th were also members of the WCHA, Minnesota was assigned to play Mercyhurst. While the Lakers won their conference tournament, they weren't considered much of a threat to the Gophers. With the return of Weber between the pipes and Potulny netting a hat-trick, Minnesota proved those sentiments correct with a resounding 9–2 victory.

Minnesota's second game was expected to be a much closer affair as they were taking on #6 Ferris State. The Bulldogs were led by Hobey Baker finalist Chris Kunitz and gave the Gophers a demonstration of his abilities when he scored twice in the first period. Fortunately for Minnesota, they scored five times in the opening frame and cruised to a 7–4 victory.

The national semifinal saw Minnesota fight and law back from the brink of disaster. Facing off against #4 Michigan, the Gophers were badly outplayed in the first period and found themselves down by a goal. A Jed Ortmeyer score after the mid-way point of the game put the Wolverines up by two and had Minnesota staring into the void. Troy Riddle cut the lead in half on a rebound from Vanek before the end of the second while a marker less than two minutes into the third from Gino Guyer tied the score. Chris Harrington took two separate minor penalties afterwards but the Minnesota penalty kill held and kept the game knotted at 2-all. Overtime was required and both teams found it difficult to get the puck on the goal. In almost 9 minutes only 5 shots were recorded but it was the last one from Vanek that counted and sent Minnesota to the championship game.

The final game of the year came against New Hampshire in a rematch from earlier in the season. Minnesota carried the balance of play but Mike Ayers put up a strong performance in goal for the Wildcats and kept his team in the game. After two periods, Minnesota was leading on the shot clock 30–16 but the teams remained tied with one goal apiece. As time went on, it was just one mistake that separated Minnesota from disaster but, as he had most of the season, Thomas Vanek stepped in as the hero. Just past the 8-minute mark, Vanek broke the tie and then assisted on a second goal just 3 minutes later. After a power play goal from Barry Tallackson, Minnesota suddenly had a commanding 3-goal lead. New Hampshire desperately tried to tie the game but they had been outmatched on the ice all night. Pulling their goalie only allowed the Gophers to score a 5th goal and ensure the team a national championship.[6] Minnesota was the first team in over 30 years to defend their national title.

Departures

edit
Player Position Nationality Cause
Nick Angell Defenseman   United States Graduation (signed with Milwaukee Admirals)
Adam Hauser Goaltender   United States Graduation (signed with Providence Bruins)
Jordan Leopold Defenseman   United States Graduation (signed with Calgary Flames)
Mark Nenovich Defenseman   United States Graduation (retired)
Pat O'Leary Forward   United States Graduation (signed with Quad City Mallards)
John Pohl Forward   United States Graduation (signed with St. Louis Blues)
Jeff Taffe Forward   United States Graduation (signed with Phoenix Coyotes)
Erik Wendell Forward   United States Graduation (signed with Rockford IceHogs)

Recruiting

edit
Player Position Nationality Age Notes
P. J. Atherton Defenseman   United States 20 Edina, MN; selected 170th overall in 2002
Gino Guyer Forward   United States 18 Coleraine, MN
Chris Harrington Forward   United States 20 St. Cloud, MN
Tyler Hirsch Forward   United States 18 Bloomington, MN
Peter Kennedy Defenseman   Canada 18 Brookfield, NS
Andy Sertich Defenseman   United States 19 Coleraine, MN; selected 136th overall in 2002
Dustin Smieja Goaltender   United States 18 Saint Paul, MN
Thomas Vanek Forward   Austria 18 Baden bei Wien, AUT

Roster

edit

April 15, 2003.[7]

No. S/P/C Player Class Pos Height Weight DoB Hometown Previous team NHL rights
2   Peter Kennedy Freshman D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 194 lb (88 kg) 1984-05-24 Brookfield, Nova Scotia Ottawa Jr. Senators (CJHL)
3   Chris Harrington Freshman D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 183 lb (83 kg) 1982-05-07 St. Cloud, Minnesota Omaha Lancers (USHL)
4   P. J. Atherton Freshman D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1982-08-16 Edina, Minnesota Cedar Rapids Roughriders (USHL) TBL, 170th overall 2002
5   Jon Waibel Junior F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1982-05-19 Baudette, Minnesota USNTDP (USHL) ANA, 153rd overall 2000
6   Judd Stevens Sophomore D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 203 lb (92 kg) 1983-04-09 Wayzata, Minnesota Green Bay Gamblers (USHL)
7   Gino Guyer Freshman F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 192 lb (87 kg) 1983-10-14 Coleraine, Minnesota Lincoln Stars (USHL)
9   Andy Sertich Freshman D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 183 lb (83 kg) 1983-05-06 Coleraine, Minnesota Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL) PIT, 136th overall 2002
10   Paul Martin (A) Junior D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1981-06-20 Minneapolis, Minnesota Elk River High School (MN-HS) NJD, 62nd overall 2000
11   Dan Welch Junior F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 181 lb (82 kg) 1981-02-23 Hastings, Minnesota Omaha Lancers (USHL) LAK, 193rd overall 2000
13   Keith Ballard Sophomore D 5' 11" (1.8 m) 199 lb (90 kg) 1982-11-26 Baudette, Minnesota Omaha Lancers (USHL) BUF, 11th overall 2002
14   Chad Roberg Junior F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 174 lb (79 kg) 1980-10-25 Duluth, Minnesota East High School (MN-HS)
15   Mike Erickson Sophomore F 6' 3" (1.91 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1983-04-12 Elk River, Minnesota Des Moines Buccaneers (USHL)
16   Nick Anthony (A) Senior F 5' 0" (1.52 m) 181 lb (82 kg) 1979-01-30 Faribault, Minnesota Twin City Vulcans (USHL)
17   Garrett Smaagaard Sophomore F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 188 lb (85 kg) 1982-08-13 Eden Prairie, Minnesota Eden Prairie High School (MN-HS)
18   Grant Potulny (C) Junior F 6' 3" (1.91 m) 204 lb (93 kg) 1980-03-04 Grand Forks, North Dakota Lincoln Stars (USHL) OTT, 157th overall 2000
19   Matt DeMarchi Senior D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1981-05-04 Bemidji, Minnesota North Iowa Huskies (USHL) NJD, 57th overall 2000
20   Joey Martin Junior D 6' 3" (1.91 m) 203 lb (92 kg) 1981-07-17 Buffalo, Minnesota Omaha Lancers (USHL) CHI, 193rd overall 2000
21   Troy Riddle Junior F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1981-08-24 Minneapolis, Minnesota Des Moines Buccaneers (USHL) STL, 129th overall 2000
23   Tyler Hirsch Freshman F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 174 lb (79 kg) 1984-01-04 Bloomington, Minnesota Shattuck-Saint Mary's (MSHSL)
24   Matt Koalska Sophomore F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1980-05-16 Saint Paul, Minnesota Twin City Vulcans (USHL) NSH, 154th overall 2000
25   Jerrid Reinholz Sophomore (RS) F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 189 lb (86 kg) 1979-07-15 Ramsey, Minnesota Minnesota–Duluth (WCHA)
26   Thomas Vanek Freshman F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 214 lb (97 kg) 1984-01-19 Baden bei Wien, Austria Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL)
27   Barry Tallackson Sophomore F 6' 5" (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1983-04-14 Grafton, North Dakota USNTDP (USHL) NJD, 53rd overall 2002
28   Brett MacKinnon Sophomore F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1981-01-02 Wayzata, Minnesota Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (USHL)
29   Jake Fleming Sophomore F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 166 lb (75 kg) 1982-08-28 Osseo, Minnesota Omaha Lancers (USHL)
31   Travis Weber Sophomore G 5' 11" (1.8 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1983-05-26 Hibbing, Minnesota USNTDP (USHL)
32   Dustin Smieja Freshman G 6' 4" (1.93 m) 192 lb (87 kg) 1984-07-14 Saint Paul, Minnesota
33   Justin Johnson Sophomore G 5' 10" (1.78 m) 183 lb (83 kg) 1980-09-22 Ham Lake, Minnesota Lincoln Stars (USHL)

Season standings

edit

Note: PTS = Points; GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against

Conference Overall
GP W L T PTS GF GA GP W L T GF GA
#5 Colorado College 28 19 4 5 43 125 70 42 30 7 5 190 103
#2 Minnesota* 28 15 6 7 37 106 81 45 28 8 9 189 122
#11 Minnesota State-Mankato 28 15 6 7 37 116 104 41 20 11 10 155 144
#13 North Dakota 28 14 9 5 33 103 82 43 26 12 5 172 120
#14 Minnesota-Duluth 28 14 10 4 32 95 80 42 22 15 5 153 119
St. Cloud State 28 12 11 5 29 96 85 38 17 16 5 124 118
Denver 28 11 11 6 28 95 85 41 21 14 6 152 102
Wisconsin 28 7 14 4 18 61 101 40 13 23 4 93 134
Michigan Tech 28 7 18 3 17 77 116 38 10 24 4 109 154
Alaska-Anchorage 28 0 22 6 6 41 111 36 1 28 7 57 143
Championship: Minnesota
indicates conference regular season champion
* indicates conference tournament champion
Final rankings: USA Today/American Hockey Magazine Poll Top 15 Poll

Schedule and results

edit
Date Time Opponent# Rank# Site TV Decision Result Attendance Record
Regular season
October 12 7:05 PM vs. #15 Ohio State* #1 Xcel Energy CenterSaint Paul, Minnesota (US Hockey Hall of Fame game)   Weber W 7–2  15,204 1–0–0
October 18 6:10 PM at #3 New Hampshire* #1 Whittemore CenterDurham, New Hampshire   Johnson T 5–5 OT 6,501 1–0–1
October 19 6:10 PM at #3 New Hampshire* #1 Whittemore CenterDurham, New Hampshire   Weber L 1–3  6,501 1–1–1
October 25 6:05 PM at Michigan Tech #2 MacInnes Student Ice ArenaHoughton, Michigan   Johnson W 5–4  2,344 2–1–1 (1–0–0)
October 26 6:35 PM at Michigan Tech #2 MacInnes Student Ice ArenaHoughton, Michigan   Johnson T 3–3 OT 2,701 2–1–2 (1–0–1)
November 1 7:05 PM vs. Alabama–Huntsville* #4 3M Arena at MariucciMinneapolis, Minnesota   Weber W 12–1  10,058 3–1–2
November 2 7:05 PM vs. Alabama–Huntsville* #4 3M Arena at MariucciMinneapolis, Minnesota   Johnson W 4–2  10,031 4–1–2
November 8 7:35 PM at Minnesota State–Mankato #3 Midwest Wireless Civic CenterMankato, Minnesota   Weber L 2–3  4,683 4–2–2 (1–1–1)
November 9 7:05 PM at Minnesota State–Mankato #3 Midwest Wireless Civic CenterMankato, Minnesota   Johnson W 7–4  5,084 5–2–2 (2–1–1)
November 16 7:05 PM vs. #7 Colorado College #8 Mariucci ArenaMinneapolis, Minnesota   Johnson L 3–7  10,119 5–3–2 (2–2–1)
November 17 7:05 PM vs. #7 Colorado College #8 Mariucci ArenaMinneapolis, Minnesota   Weber T 2–2 OT 10,129 5–3–3 (2–2–2)
November 22 7:05 PM vs. Michigan Tech #9 Mariucci ArenaMinneapolis, Minnesota   Weber W 4–2  10,031 6–3–3 (3–2–2)
November 23 7:05 PM vs. Michigan Tech #9 Mariucci ArenaMinneapolis, Minnesota   Weber W 2–1  10,089 7–3–3 (4–2–2)
College Hockey Showcase
November 29 7:05 PM vs. Michigan State* #9 Mariucci ArenaMinneapolis, Minnesota (College Hockey Showcase game 1)   Weber T 5–5 OT 10,153 7–3–4
December 1 2:05 PM vs. #8 Michigan* #9 Mariucci ArenaMinneapolis, Minnesota (College Hockey Showcase game 2)   Weber L 1–3  10,036 7–4–4
December 6 7:05 PM at Wisconsin #10 Kohl CenterMadison, Wisconsin (Rivalry)   Weber W 3–0  11,845 8–4–4 (5–2–2)
December 7 7:06 PM at Wisconsin #10 Kohl CenterMadison, Wisconsin (Rivalry)   Weber W 3–2  13,715 9–4–4 (6–2–2)
December 9 7:05 PM vs. Team Italy* #10 Mariucci ArenaMinneapolis, Minnesota (Exhibition)   Johnson W 4–2  9,455
Dodge Holiday Classic
December 27 7:05 PM vs. Yale* #7 Mariucci ArenaMinneapolis, Minnesota (Dodge Holiday Classic semifinal)   Weber W 7–3  10,058 10–4–4
December 28 7:05 PM vs. #6 Boston College* #7 Mariucci ArenaMinneapolis, Minnesota (Dodge Holiday Classic championship)   Weber W 2–1 OT 10,058 11–4–4
January 3 7:05 PM vs. St. Cloud State #4 Mariucci ArenaMinneapolis, Minnesota (Rivalry)   Weber L 3–4  10,117 11–5–4 (6–3–2)
January 4 7:05 PM at St. Cloud State #4 National Hockey CenterSt. Cloud, Minnesota (Rivalry)   Weber T 3–3 OT 6,685 11–5–5 (6–3–3)
January 10 7:05 PM vs. #1 North Dakota #7 Mariucci ArenaMinneapolis, Minnesota (Rivalry)   Weber L 2–4  10,095 11–6–5 (6–4–3)
January 11 7:05 PM vs. #1 North Dakota #7 Mariucci ArenaMinneapolis, Minnesota (Rivalry)   Weber W 6–3  10,160 12–6–5 (7–4–3)
January 17 7:05 PM at USNTDP #7 Mariucci ArenaMinneapolis, Minnesota (Exhibition)   Johnson W 6–0  9,588
January 24 7:05 PM vs. Minnesota State–Mankato #8 Mariucci ArenaMinneapolis, Minnesota   Weber T 2–2 OT 10,060 12–6–6 (7–4–4)
January 25 7:05 PM vs. Minnesota State–Mankato #8 Mariucci ArenaMinneapolis, Minnesota   Weber T 4–4 OT 10,037 12–6–7 (7–4–5)
January 31 10:05 PM at Alaska–Anchorage #7 Sullivan ArenaAnchorage, Alaska   Weber W 4–0  3,767 13–6–7 (8–4–5)
February 1 10:05 PM at Alaska–Anchorage #7 Sullivan ArenaAnchorage, Alaska   Johnson W 4–1  3,942 14–6–7 (9–4–5)
February 7 8:35 PM at #1 Colorado College #7 Colorado Springs World ArenaColorado Springs, Colorado   Weber L 2–6  7,428 14–7–7 (9–5–5)
February 8 8:05 PM at #1 Colorado College #7 Colorado Springs World ArenaColorado Springs, Colorado   Johnson W 3–2  7,604 15–7–7 (10–5–5)
February 15 7:05 PM vs. Wisconsin #7 Mariucci ArenaMinneapolis, Minnesota (Rivalry)   Weber W 5–2  10,015 16–7–7 (11–5–5)
February 15 7:05 PM vs. Wisconsin #7 Mariucci ArenaMinneapolis, Minnesota (Rivalry)   Johnson W 8–1  10,150 17–7–7 (12–5–5)
February 21 7:05 PM at Minnesota–Duluth #6 Duluth Entertainment Convention CenterDuluth, Minnesota (Rivalry)   Weber W 5–4  5,409 18–7–7 (13–5–5)
February 22 7:05 PM at Minnesota–Duluth #6 Duluth Entertainment Convention CenterDuluth, Minnesota (Rivalry)   Johnson L 4–5 OT 5,409 18–8–7 (13–6–5)
February 28 7:05 PM vs. #13 Denver #7 Mariucci ArenaMinneapolis, Minnesota   Weber T 3–3 OT 10,006 18–8–8 (13–6–6)
March 1 7:05 PM vs. #13 Denver #7 Mariucci ArenaMinneapolis, Minnesota   Weber W 8–5  10,015 19–8–8 (14–6–6)
March 7 7:11 PM at #2 St. Cloud State #6 National Hockey CenterSt. Cloud, Minnesota (Rivalry)   Weber W 5–3  6,685 20–8–8 (15–6–6)
March 8 7:11 PM at #2 St. Cloud State #6 Mariucci ArenaMinneapolis, Minnesota (Rivalry)   Weber T 1–1 OT 10,218 20–8–9 (15–6–7)
WCHA Tournament
March 14 7:05 PM vs. Michigan Tech* #6 Mariucci ArenaMinneapolis, Minnesota (WCHA first round game 1)   Weber W 3–1  9,897 21–8–9
March 15 7:05 PM vs. Michigan Tech* #6 Mariucci ArenaMinneapolis, Minnesota (WCHA first round game 1)   Johnson W 5–2  9,945 22–8–9
Minnesota Won Series 2-0
March 21 7:08 PM vs. #9 Minnesota State–Mankato* #5 Xcel Energy CenterSaint Paul, Minnesota (WCHA semifinal)   Johnson W 3–2 OT 17,012 23–8–9
March 22 7:08 PM vs. #1 Colorado College* #5 Xcel Energy CenterSaint Paul, Minnesota (WCHA championship)   Johnson W 4–2  16,668 24–8–9
NCAA Tournament
March 28 7:35 PM vs. Mercyhurst* #4 Mariucci ArenaMinneapolis, Minnesota (NCAA West Regional semifinal)   Weber W 9–2  9,554 25–8–9
March 29 4:05 PM vs. #6 Ferris State* #4 Mariucci ArenaMinneapolis, Minnesota (NCAA West Regional final)   Johnson W 7–4  9,622 26–8–9
April 10 6:08 PM vs. #4 Michigan* #2 HSBC ArenaBuffalo, New York (NCAA National semifinal)   Weber W 3–2 OT 18,702 27–8–9
April 12 6:02 PM vs. #3 New Hampshire* #2 HSBC ArenaBuffalo, New York (NCAA National championship) ESPN Weber W 5–1  18,759 28–8–9
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Central Time.
Source:[8]

(W1) Minnesota vs. (NE1) New Hampshire

edit
April 12[9] Minnesota 5 – 1 New Hampshire HSBC Arena Recap
Scoring summary[10]
Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score
1st MIN Matt DeMarchi (8) Smaagaard 10:58 1–0 MIN
UNH Sean Collins (22) – PP Martz and Aikins 19:41 1–1
2nd None
3rd MIN Thomas Vanek (31) – GW Koalska 48:14 2–1 MIN
MIN Jon Waibel (9) Vanek 51:25 3–1 MIN
MIN Barry Tallackson (8) – PP Guyer and Harrington 53:34 4–1 MIN
MIN Barry Tallackson (9) – EN Potulny 58:31 5–1 MIN
Penalty summary
Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM
1st UNH Colin Hemingway Charging 8:57 2:00
MIN Keith Ballard Roughing 11:35 2:00
UNH Justin Aikins Hooking 13:12 2:00
MIN Garrett Smaagaard Hitting after the Whistle 18:01 2:00
2nd UNH Patrick Foley Charging 22:33 2:00
MIN Thomas Vanek Cross-Checking 23:10 2:00
UNH Brian Yandle Interference 35:27 2:00
MIN Judd Stevens Obstruction Holding 38:39 2:00
3rd MIN Jon Waibel Hooking 48:59 2:00
UNH Nathan Martz Roughing 51:43 2:00
UNH Tim Horst Hooking 58:46 2:00
MIN Jake Fleming Slashing 58:46 2:00

Scoring statistics

edit
Name Position Games Goals Assists Points PIM
Thomas Vanek LW/RW 45 31 31 62 60
Troy Riddle C 45 26 25 51 50
Keith Ballard D 45 12 29 41 78
Matt Koalska C 41 9 31 40 26
Paul Martin D 45 9 30 39 32
Gino Guyer C 41 13 16 29 10
Tyler Hirsch F 43 9 15 24 30
Grant Potulny C 23 15 8 23 12
Barry Tallackson RW 32 9 14 23 18
Jake Fleming F 41 10 9 19 36
Chris Harrington D 45 4 14 18 60
Jon Waibel F 40 9 8 17 18
Matt DeMarchi D 44 8 9 17 130
Andy Sertich D 44 5 8 13 12
Jerrid Reinholz C 33 3 10 13 4
Dan Welch W 18 5 5 10 12
Judd Stevens D 44 3 6 9 12
Garrett Smaagaard F 21 2 7 9 4
Joey Martin D 24 3 4 7 16
Nick Anthony F 34 1 4 5 12
P. J. Atherton D 20 2 2 4 20
Brett MacKinnon D 16 1 3 4 10
Mike Erikson RW 16 0 2 2 4
Peter Kennedy D 10 0 1 1 6
Justin Johnson G 14 0 1 1 0
Travis Weber G 34 0 1 1 0
Bench - - - - - 14
Total 189 293 482 686

[11]

Goaltending statistics

edit
Name Games Minutes Wins Losses Ties Goals Against Saves Shut Outs SV % GAA
Travis Weber 34 1993 18 6 7 83 761 2 .902 2.50
Justin Johnson 14 764 10 2 2 37 285 0 .885 2.90
Empty Net - 3 - - - 2 - - - -
Total 45 2761 28 8 9 122 1046 2 .896 2.65

Awards and honors

edit
Honor Player Ref
Thomas Vanek NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player [12]
Paul Martin AHCA West Second Team All-American [13]
Travis Weber NCAA All-Tournament Team [14]
Paul Martin
Matt DeMarchi
Thomas Vanek
Thomas Vanek WCHA Rookie of the Year [15]
Grant Potulny WCHA Most Valuable Player in Tournament [15]
Paul Martin All-WCHA First Team [16]
Keith Ballard All-WCHA Second Team [16]
Thomas Vanek
Troy Riddle All-WCHA Third Team [16]
Chris Harrington WCHA All-Rookie Team [17]
Thomas Vanek
Grant Potulny WCHA All-Tournament Team [18]
Keith Ballard
Justin Johnson

Players drafted into the NHL

edit

[19]

= NHL All-Star team = NHL All-Star[20] = NHL All-Star[20] and NHL All-Star team = Did not play in the NHL
Round Pick Player NHL team
1 5 Thomas Vanek Buffalo Sabres
3 78 Danny Irmen Minnesota Wild
3 87 Ryan Potulny Philadelphia Flyers
4 136 Mike Vannelli Atlanta Thrashers
5 165 Gino Guyer Dallas Stars

† incoming freshman

References

edit
  1. ^ 2006–07 Minnesota Men's Hockey Yearbook. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletics. 2006.
  2. ^ "Potulny Injury More Severe Than Thought". USCHO. October 18, 2002. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
  3. ^ "Saturday, November 16, 2002". College Hockey Stats. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
  4. ^ "This Week in the WCHA: March 19, 2003". USCHO. March 19, 2003. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
  5. ^ "Saturday, March 22, 2003". College Hockey Stats. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
  6. ^ "2003 U of M Frozen Four Highlight". YouTube. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
  7. ^ "Univ. of Minnesota". Elite Prospects. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
  8. ^ "Minnesota Men's Hockey 2018-19 Media Guide" (PDF). Minnesota Golden Gophers. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 2, 2019. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
  9. ^ "Minnesota 5, New Hampshire 1". USCHO.com. April 12, 2002. Retrieved June 16, 2013.
  10. ^ "Minnesota 5, New Hampshire 1". CollegeHockeyStats.net. April 12, 2003. Retrieved May 7, 2018.
  11. ^ "Minnesota 2002-2003 Skater Stats". Elite Prospects. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  12. ^ "NCAA Division I Awards". College Hockey Historical Archives. Retrieved June 11, 2013.
  13. ^ "Men's Ice Hockey Award Winners" (PDF). NCAA.org. Retrieved June 11, 2013.
  14. ^ "NCAA Frozen Four Records" (PDF). NCAA.org. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 17, 2012. Retrieved June 19, 2013.
  15. ^ a b "WCHA Awards". College Hockey Historical Archives. Retrieved May 16, 2013.
  16. ^ a b c "WCHA All-Teams". College Hockey Historical Archives. Retrieved May 16, 2013.
  17. ^ "Hockey East All-Rookie Teams". College Hockey Historical Archives. May 16, 2013.
  18. ^ "2009-10 WCHA Yearbook 129-144" (PDF). WCHA. Retrieved June 1, 2014.
  19. ^ "2003 NHL Entry Draft". Hockey DB. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
  20. ^ a b Players are identified as an All-Star if they were selected for the All-Star game at any time in their career.
edit