













Senior defenseman Derik Johnson, a communication major from Bloomington, Minn., will be blogging everything Bulldog men's hockey throughout the second half of the 2014-15 season -- and beyond. You can follow him on Twitter at @djanns6.

April 24, 2015. Now that my season has come to end, I’m extremely excited to finish up school and spend time with my teammates. It is crazy to think that the last four years have come and gone and I’ve already had the chance to play in a few professional games. It’s starting to sink in that I will not be in Duluth next year and it’s a strange feeling. However, I am eager to finally be a traditional college student for a few weeks and enjoy the remainder of the school year.



Personally, this has been the most enjoyable season of my career and all the credit goes to the coaching staff for recruiting unbelievable guys. I’ve learned during my playing career that no matter what the level, your teammates are the key ingredients to a memorable season. I’ve been lucky enough to make some lifelong friends who are some of the most terrific people I’ve ever met. The friends I’ve made have been the best part of being a Bulldog.



This game has been part of my life pretty much since I came into this world and I am very thankful for the experiences it has provided me. Since I was an infant, I've traveled the world over enjoying this great game. When I was 10 weeks old, my parents took me to cheer on my dad at the International Ice Hockey Championships in Bern, Switzerland. When I was 10 years old, they took me to help out in the locker room at the World. Jr. Ice Hockey Championships in the Czech Republic (where my dad was coaching). From what I can remember, those were some cool trips -- but this season, travelling across North America has been some of the most memorable for me. Just this year, I’ve been part of trips to Thunder Bay, Brampton, New Hampshire, Colorado, Nebraska, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, North Dakota, Missouri, and Oklahoma.



Looking back, here are some of my favorite memories from this past year:



Beating UMTC at Mariucci Arena

Beating UMTC at Amsoil Arena

Beating UMTC at Xcel Energy Center

Ending UMTC’s season at the NCAA Tournament

Watching Notre Dame vs. North Carolina football game in South Bend, Ind.

Going on an 8-2 run in the final 10 games leading to the Christmas break

Getting tossed from only one game (-:

Making the NCAA Tournament

Playing against Boston University's Jack Eichel

Having my mom in town for Senior Night at Amsoil Arena

Playing at Ralph Engelstad Arena

Beating North Dakota at Ralph Engelstad Arena

Actually scoring a goal for the first time since my freshman year

Having my dad in attendance for our two games at the North Star Cup

Playing my first pro game

Getting my first paycheck for playing hockey

Having one of the UMD assistant chancellors outbid everyone else for my pink stick at our breast cancer awareness game.

Playing the game I love before family & friends every weekend



Having the opportunity to play hockey for the Bulldogs has meant the world to me. I would like to extend a huge thank you to the UMD staff that has always pushed me to excel on and off the ice. Without people like the Coaches, Suz, Blake, Garns, and Christian Koelling the success of past, present, and future Bulldogs would not be possible. I will forever miss lacing my skates up with my buddies in Amsoil Arena and I will always have very fond memories of my four in Duluth. It has etched a very special place in my heart and I hope it has been as enjoyable for the community, fans, my family and teammates as it has been for me.



April 9, 2015. Today was a travel day for the East Coast Hockey League's Missouri Mavericks and it gives me a chance to write down what I've been doing for the past several days. My first two games down here were in Tulsa, Okla., against an Oiler club that included UMD alumnus T.J. Caig. I was pretty nervous before my pro debut, but not as nervous as I was in Manchester, N.H., two weeks earlier prior to our Northeast Regional semifinal with UMTC. Coach gave me the start in my first professional game, which was pretty cool of him. We lost to the Oilers on Friday but got the win Saturday . Maverick wins are celebrated on the bus with the coach and a couple adult beverages (one of the obvious differences between the pro and college games). This was my first chance to really start to get to know my teammates. When you get to this level, it's surprising how many mutual friends you and your teammates have. My roommate on the road is Lindsay Sparks, who played on the Michigan team that lost to UMD in the 2011 NCAA championship game. The guys have been very nice and I think it helps that there are seven or eight of us who have arrived over the last month or so. The age range of the players is 20-34 and the majority of my teammates are Canadians. We have guys that played collegiately at Michigan, Brown, St. Cloud, Michigan State, Northeastern, Alaska-Anchorage, Northern Michigan, Boston College and Michigan Tech. The rest of the guys played Major Junior in either the OHL, WHL, or QMJHL.



This past Tuesday night, I played my first home game and I have to say the fans here in Independence, Mo. (the hometown of former president Harry S. Truman) blew me away. It hasn't been a great season for the Mavericks, yet the place was still packed and rocking -- and the fans were treated to a 5-1 victory over Brampton.



There certainly has been a learning curve for me playing defense at this level. The professional style of play is much different than college. College is so run-and-gun, no-brain hockey. The professional style is much more skilled and cerebral. You have more time with the puck. The puck support from your forwards is much more pronounced than in college. The players possess a higher level of moxie, but also play much more relaxed. As a defenseman, it is key to find balance between holding on to the puck long enough to make better plays and not turning it over. Turnovers at this level end up in your net even quicker than they do in college.



Today we arrived in Brampton, Ontario for the final two games of the season. It is just your average 16-hour ECHL bus ride after we left Independence at 7 p.m. last night. We return on Sunday afternoon and my flight back to Duluth is Monday. I am super excited to get back to school and enjoy my last six weeks at UMD with my teammates and friends!

April 2, 2015. The end of the year is always a weird time of the season and being a senior makes it extra weird. We came up one game short of the Frozen Four in my last year of eligibility. It sucks! There is no other way to put it. That being said, I think everyone can agree we had a successful year. In my 25 years, I've never had this much fun going to the rink and playing hockey. We had a tremendous group of guys who all wanted to compete and win every night. We had a very good team and just came up short against another very good team. Fortunately, I have an opportunity to continue playing and I will touch more on my time in Duluth in a later post when my year is officially over.



Upon our return to Duluth, I started to receive from phone calls from my advisor/agent. I think since I've exhausted my eligibility, I can call him my agent. This afternoon, I arrived in Independence, Mo. and signed my first professional contract with the Missouri Mavericks of the ECHL. The head coach is long-time NHL defenseman Richard Matvichuck, who I can vividly remember watching play for the Dallas Stars as a child. He says I will be in the lineup Friday night in Tulsa, Okla., to play my first professional game.



Last night, Austin Farley, Andy Welinksi and I purchased the video stream package for Justin Crandall's first professional game in Reading, Pa, and watched him pick up two assists. Justin is such a skilled and smart hockey player, so it was awesome to see him have that much success in his first game. Additionally, Adam Krause is headed to Wheeling in the ECHL, which just shows how far we have become as players. We went through the journey that is college hockey together and we were able watch each other grow as players and people, which is such a cool thing.



Tonight I met two of my new teammates, one of which played his NCAA hockey at Michigan State. Tomorrow will be an exciting day. I'm definitely missing my road roommate, Willie Raskob, along with all my teammates. I will check in after the weekend and give you some of my thoughts on my pro debut.

March 26, 2015. Today we had one of the most high-tempo practices we have had during my career here at UMD. Tomorrow is game day and not much needs to be said. I'll share one image that I will keep with me for the rest of my life. These two guys with me (Austin Farley and Andy Welinski) are two of the greatest people I've ever been around. We have had so many great times together. I wanted to get this picture because I know what is at stake. I appreciate our photographer, Brett Groehler, taking this for me. Big day tomorrow. Enjoy the game, it should be a dandy.







March 25, 2015. Today was an exciting day to be around the rink! This morning I was up at 8 to do an interview with Jason Gonzalez of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune before heading to practice at noon . We did some flow drills and then worked on the power play. We also spent time on our penalty kill against a power play unit constructed like the Gophers. Austin Farley thought he was super cool because he was playing (Minnesota forward) Kyle Rau's spot. After practice, we had a light lunch at the rink before leaving for the Duluth airport. The charter plane we took was awesome -- spacious seats and lots of leg room. After we landed, we went to the rink to drop off our equipment. The Northeast Regional is being held at the Verizon Wireless Arena -- the home of the American Hockey League's Manchester Monarchs (the affiliate of the NHL's Los Angeles Kings). The Terriers from Boston University are the top seed and get the Monarch's dressing room. We are the #2 seed, meaning we get the visitor's dressing room, but it is still much nicer than most dressing rooms we visit. I like the nice high benches. About 8 p.m, we checked into the hotel and had players-only dinner. After getting settled in my room, it was nice to finally put my feet up and watch some NBA and SportsCenter with Wilie Raskob. One on the bummers of being on the road is missing out on the NHL package and NHL Network. That's it for today. Tomorrow should be quite eventful as we have practice and ESPN/media interviews.

March 24, 2015. Today was a longer day at the rink for most of the guys. I arrived early to do a guest appearance on the "Bark and Bite". I interviewed my good friend and defensive partner Andy Welinski and I asked him some rapid-fire questions. This was followed by some soft tissue work from Amanda (our student athletic trainer) and then practice. During practice, we worked on the power play, which for me entails penalty killing and not getting hit by Welinski's shot. Coach also had us scrimmage 5-on-5 for some conditioning and to get some game rhythm. I really appreciated this because we have not played for 10 days and this helps get the timing and flow of real game back. After practice we had a meeting with assistant coach Jason Herter about Minnesota's No. 1-ranked power play -- this lasted about 30 minutes. I did an interview with Matt Wellens of the Duluth News-Tribune about the outstanding play of Kaz (goaltender Kasimir Kaskisuo). Undeniably, he has been the backbone of our team this year and an absolute joy to play in front of. Next, was yoga with Trista. This is a weekly ritual for our team and it's only enjoyed by the more flexible guys. Before calling it a night, I took a sauna and a shower and headed for home. Crazy to think we are headed to the NCAA Tournament tomorrow. It's to be a memorable couple of days.

We had a big split on the road at Denver.

I celebrated my 25 th birthday (Feb. 1), which I do get some grief for from my teammates and opponents. I just feel fortunate that I am able to play this great game a quarter century into life. I really do not feel like I am 25 years old because I truly believe that this game and playing on a college team keeps you young.

birthday (Feb. 1), which I do get some grief for from my teammates and opponents. I just feel fortunate that I am able to play this great game a quarter century into life. I really do not feel like I am 25 years old because I truly believe that this game and playing on a college team keeps you young. Over this last weekend we took care of business and were able to sweep Northern Michigan in front of a great crowd on Saturday at Amsoil Arena.

http://www.theplayerstribune.com/why-we-fight/ This is an article written by Montreal Canadiens forward Brandon Prust. It shows a different perspective on what it is like to be a fighter in the NHL. I give him a lot of credit for putting himself out there by writing this piece and being brutally honest about his career as a fighter.



http://www.hometownhockey.com/news/bob-cole/ This is a very cool video about long time Hockey Night In Canada play-by-play voice Bob Cole. Like I touched on in an earlier post, hockey is what was watched in my house my entire life - we really didn't watch the news, movies, or TV shows. We watched hockey. It was very cool of Rodgers Hometown Hockey to do a segment on one of the legends in hockey broadcasting. Bob Cole has been calling hockey games for 46 years and he is 81 years old. His voice is something that is ingrained in my mind and will always be synonymous with watching hockey.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQpwVIVXq1w While growing up in Scottsdale, Az., there wasn't a year that I didn't spend my birthday weekend at TPC Scottsdale. It was originally called the Phoenix Open, FBR Open and now the Waste Management Open. The 16 th hole at TPC Scottsdale is a short par 3 and was made famous by Tiger Woods in 1997. The hole is an absolute spectacle, and should be on every sports fan's bucket list. This video above brought back some great memories of playing hooky and spending the day at golf course.



http://www.si.com/nhl/2015/02/09/arizona-starte-sun-devils-college-ice-hockey-ncaa Most of you probably already know that Arizona State University is heading to Division 1 in men's ice hockey. This is an article that will be in the next issue of Sports Illustrated and provides a "recruiting letter" that could be sent out. Being in my fourth year of college hockey in a cold climate and being a resident of Arizona for 12 years, I definitely had a few laughs while reading this.



A combined non-conference record of 51-25-4

A .662 winning percentage in non-conference play (No. 1 in the country -- Hockey East is distant second at 60-42-9 for a .581 winning percentage)

Seven teams in the top 25 of the critical PairWise rankings and five in the top 11 spots.

This was our first day of practice for our week leading up to the NCAA Tournament. Upon arrival, we were notified we will leave for Manchester Wednesday afternoon following practice. Some of us jumped on the ice early with goaltending coach Brant Nicklin to do a little shooting on our goalies. These guys were working on some positioning fundamentals, something they usually do before practice on most Mondays and Wednesdays. Right from the start of practice it was apparent that coaching staff wanted our team to work on finishing around the net. These types of drills for the defensemen are not exactly what we would call fun. Defensemen appreciate drills that are game-like situations, but we understand that this is an important element of hockey, so we embrace our role of being glorified odd-man pylons. Doing so against some of our offensivley-gifted forwards can make one feel average at best. The forwards worked on finishing around the net and, most importantly, getting pucks to the net, which is an important recipe to scoring goals at all levels. Next, we worked on some specific things that we look for in our opponent while playing 5-on-5 in the defensive zone. This makes the defensemen quite happy -- as I stated before we like having game-like situations. Playing defense in practice can sometimes be a thankless job, but as anyone who has played it can attest, it's something you have be dilligent about. It's important that you push your teammates and that means spending some practice time without the puck. In my opinion, practice today was sharp, especially for a Monday.I'll be honest, I haven't really wanted to blog the past two weeks because of a few things. It has been difficult for our hockey team to play our best because we have been missing key players due to injury, illness, and suspension. We have had at least one defensemen and sometimes two, playing forward and, needless to say, we needed the break last weekend. I know this is not an excuse for not getting home ice in the playoffs or losing in the first round and not making it to the NCHC Frozen Faceoff in Minneapolis, but it has been a challenging time for our team. But last week, we practiced with 15 forwards and eight defensemen for the first time since Christmas. Now, after a weekend off, we are feeling rested and excited because we are off to the big dance.This morning we gathered at the rink to watch ESPNU announce the NCAA Tournament pairings. We drew UMTC in the first round of the Northeast Regional in Manchester, N.H. It will be extremely exciting to be a part of the NCAA Tournament for the 2time in my career. This is an experience of a lifetime, and all that separates you and making history for your program is four games.The excitement at the rink on Monday will be sky high as we are going to face our biggest rival on the biggest stage in college hockey. This week will be full of preparation on the ice and in the video room. The good news about this match up: we have met four times already this season. I'd have to imagine that this will be the first time non-conference opponents have met five times one season in the history of NCAA hockeyMy previous posts have been a little longer and posted sporadically, but this week I will be checking in everyday recapping what we are doing to prepare for the big game.Last Saturday was Senior Night and it may just have been the last home series ever for Adam Krause, Justin Crandall, Alex Fons, and myself which was pretty emotional. There is a chance we could be home for the NCHC playoffs, but just the thought that it could be the final time we play at Amsoil was a tough deal. That being said, I'd rather not be sappy or reminiscent about my time here right now because we have so much hockey left to play.I thought I would take a stab at ranking the top three defensemen in our conference and what makes them so successful. I have to admit there are a few guys on our team who really appreciate the play of other players in our league. After bouncing some ideas off of some teammates the last week, here is what I came up with.Top 3 NCHC DefensemenJoey is one of the most unique defensemen we face because of his offensive ability. He is a player that we must always be aware of on the ice due to his great skating which makes him a threat with and without the puck. Joey was a teammate of mine for two seasons in Penticton (BCHL) and the last year we played together he recorded 92 points in 67 games which broke Duncan Keith's single season defenseman point record. If I were to pick one defenseman from our league to run my power play, he would be my guy. He obviously has a great shot, passing ability, and skating, but what makes him so dangerous is his ability to process the game at such a high level. His elite awareness on the ice is what made Edmonton select him as an overage player in the 5round of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. College recruiters, junior league coaches and NHL scouts have all said he was undersized and doesn't defend well enough for the next level but I believe his defensive game has become well rounded and couple it with his amazing offensive gifts I'd bet on him to be a future NHLer. Also, this may rub some USA Hockey people the wrong way but Joey should be talked about in the same conversation as Jack Eichel for The Hobey Baker.I have had the chance to partner with Andy for the majority of my senior season and it has been a treat, to say the least. Andy is an extremely smart player and he earns No. 2 on my list because of his strong play at both ends of the ice. His powerful lateral skating makes him one of the hardest defenders to play against in the NCHC. His skating, size, and reach all make him incredibly durable while still being an elite defender. The other thing that separates Andy from most D1 blueliners is his ability to shoot the puck. He shoots the puck like a NHL defenseman. He has an incredibly quick release and has the ability to power it through goaltenders. I must admit that he takes it easy on the penalty kill guys in practice and for that we thank him. The last thing I will touch on is his knowledge of the game. Andy is a guy who understands how the game needs to be played and he's an excellent communicator on the ice. He is our leader on our backend and being his partner, I can attest there's always a two-way conversation before every faceoff and during every play. Anyone who knows this game can attest being a good defenseman is truly a tandem effort and I must say I have yet to have a partner quite like him.For the last player I chose to have Andy Welinski tell about Jordan Schmaltz. Andy is also a communication major and was a teammate of Schmaltz in Green Bay and together they won a Clark Cup (USHL Championship). I thought it would be more fitting for him to talk about his good friend and ex-teammate and I appreciating for taking time for contributing to my list. I hope you enjoy what he has to say."He is one of the most versatile players that I have played with. While I was playing for the Green Bay Gamblers, we acquired Jordan in a midseason, multi-player trade from the Sioux City Musketeers. He has the hands of a goal-scoring forward, and moves the puck consistently well. When he stepped in at Green Bay, it was easy to see that he belonged in the drive'rs seat running the power play from the blue line. After Green Bay, he moved on to North Dakota and continued to do the same things with his game. Not only does he make the simple plays well, but he can see and make plays in the offensive zone that not many d-men can make. He is not an overly physical player, but often he does not need to be. He is a smart player everywhere on the ice and rarely will you see him out of position because of the way he can skate. He may not have the top-end speed of players like Joey Laleggia (Denver) or Mike Reilly (UMTC) but he moves laterally in a very comparable fashion."Another week is in the books and it has been pretty wild. There's been a fair amount of school work for me and some emotional days at the rink. Last weekend, we split on home ice against St. Cloud. I scored my second career goal - and first in 93 games -- last Friday night, which was quite a relief. The best part of this goal was that each of my roommates, Austin Farley and Tony Cameranesi, got assists. My first collegiate goal came in only my third game as a Bulldog and as time went on, I wasn't sure if I would get another one. It still hasn't completely hit me that I only have one or two home series (depending on our NCHC playoff situation) left in my Bulldog career. With the ups and downs at the rink, I make it my personal goal to have as much fun as possible, have love for the game and love for my teammates.Lately, it's been a challenge for us to play 120 minutes of hockey each weekend. Our conference is extremely difficult and the players we compete against are some of the best in the country. It is tough to sustain pressure for an entire weekend, but it is something that we continue to strive for late in the season. As much as we were upset about our performance on Saturday, we know St. Cloud has a very talented team with the likes of great sniper Jonny Brodzinski and talented playmakers like David Morley, Joey Benik and Kalle Kosilla. They also were the league regular season champions last year. I think sometimes we place too much value on how teams started the year or where they sit in the Pairwise. As I touched on in an earlier post, our league is extremely, extremley, competitive and we need to learn to take things in stride and stay even keeled. We are still in an unbelievably good position to make a run at the conference championship and earn a berth in the 16-team NCAA tournament field. These were our two goals as a team and they are in plain sight.Next weekend we are off to Oxford, Ohio to play Miami University, another very talented team that is ranked 6th in the Pairwise. They may boast the most talented offense in the nation and will be a tall task for our team. There will be serious emphasis on defending and managing the puck better than we did last weekend. Oxford is a great road trip -- it has a fun campus to visit and I get to see a good buddy who plays there.Here are a few a few more cool things I have recently read/watched ...In this article, written by San Jose Sharks center Logan Couture about some of the best players at his position (center). It is super interesting to hear his commentary on what it is like to play against them and what makes them so effective. Plus, he shows some awesome highlights of these centermen at their best. (I also posted an article from theplayerstribune.com last week-The Players Tribune was founded by Derek Jeter and only has articles written by the athletes themselves). This was such an awesome idea. I'd prefer to read something from the athlete himself instead of a secondary source.This is an edit that was sent to me by @iceygfx, you can check them out on Instagram. Thought it was pretty cool.Dallas Stars forwards Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin pull one of the most epic Valentines Day pranks of all time on Canadian Sportscentre. My mom would kill me!Since I last wrote...I want to change it up a bit and show you some things I have recently read and watched. I hope you find the links as interesting as I did. I am a big fan of sports and I believe social media has been a great tool for some untold stories to get to a larger audience.. The last North Star College Cup of my career started off as one to forget. We were looking to go St. Paul and bounce back after what turned out to be an up-and-down month. Friday we played an extremely structured and well-coached Bemidji State team. We were flat, but we also have to give their team credit for playing a better game. Losing 4-0 Friday was tough on the four seniors in our dressing room being that his was our last chance to play for the North Star College Cup trophy. That evening we held a players-only meeting. We know how special our group is and the older guys wanted to make sure we had every player on board to make a push for a league title, and more importantly, a berth into the NCAA Tournament. A few hours after our meeting, we watched the end of the UMTC-Mankato game and found out we would be playing the Gophers for the fourth time this season. This seemed to be the right opponent at the right time for us. UMTC has fallen quite a bit in the Pairwise ranks since the beginning of the year, but this is a team that gets the attention of everyone in our dressing room being the long-time rival that they are and bolstering 15 NHL draft picks.Matt McNeely played great in goal against the Gophers and our captain Adam Krause scored two of the biggest goals of the year for our hockey club. This win sealed 3place in the North Star Cup and gave us a 3-1 record on the year against the rodents. But more importantly, it was a step in the right direction heading into more league play.Personally, last weekend was particularly special because both of my parents were able to make it to St. Paul for the tournament. My parents are incredible people who always support and motivate me, even when they are 2,000 miles away. My dad is not able to watch me play in person very often because of his job with the San Jose Sharks and I never take for granted when he is able to be there. Winning the game on Saturday was a very proud moment for me and I am so grateful that my dad was there to watch us beat UMTC which was something he was able to do so many times as well during his career at UMD.Now it is back to the NCHC, the toughest conference in the nation. For anyone questioning that comment, take a look at these facts:Every weekend in our league is a battle and being able to deal with travel is just part of the job. This weekend we are off to Denver, and in my opinion, one of the coolest cities we visit. I grew up playing youth hockey in Arizona and we would play 10-15 games a year in Colorado. My family also spent Christmas in Telluride, Colo. for 10 years. As cool as Denver is, playing in altitude is definitely a challenge! If you would like to relate to the experience, next time you head to play some pond hockey bring a straw and breathe through that for the entire game.I'll leave you with a little taste of what it is like to travel with the Bulldogs -- at least the G-rated version.Thursday, 6:45 a.m. - Report to Amsoil to load the bus and head to the Twin Cities. Eat breakfast sandwiches and a French press coffee. It's easy to see who is a morning person. Had to tie Austin Farley's tie again. Ugh. Come on dude you're 21.7:00-9:30 a.m.- Bus to Twin Cities. Most of the guys are snoozing, but Tony Cameranesi is always reading on his iPad. Farley has his baby blue Beats on and is working on a speech. No movie. I'm listening to the new Foo Fighters record for the 1,000time, writing this, and sorting through some school work. It's weird not having Hoagie (Dale Haagenson) around.11:40 a.m - Flight. St. Cloud is also on our flight heading to play Colorado College. Nice to catch up with some guys that I played junior hockey with in Penticton, along with the Husky seniors who I have gotten to know on the ice. Joey Benik is one of my favorite guys from my Penticton days. He is one of the purest goal scorers I've ever played with and just an all-around great guy to hang out with.For flights we wear suit and tie. Ill give my two cents on our best and worst dressed.Best Dressed: Brenden Kotyk and Adam KrauseWorst Dressed: Jared Thomas and Matt McNeely2:00 p.m. Check into hotel. My roommate this year is Willie Raskob. Only 5 years between us. He loves his mom.4:15 p.m. Practice at Magness Arena on the Denver campus. It's always interesting to see who can handle the puck the best after a day of travel. Danny Molenaar is always good for a laugh or two.6:00 p.m. Team Dinner8:30 pm. Watch Anaheim vs. (who else) San JoseMy name is Derik Johnson, a senior defenseman with the UMD Bulldogs and I will be doing a little writing here during the second half of the season. So far, we have experienced some success, and we are currently 5in the Pairwise rankings and 7in the USCHO.com poll. We have positioned ourselves nicely for a postseason run, but as I've learn from experience, you are only as good as your last weekend (which for us wasn't great). Ahead of us is a great chance to bounce back at the North Star College Cup. This tournament includes all of the five Minnesota NCAA I hockey-playing schools (with one the five rotating out each year). Last January, we lost in the championship to Minnesota in a shootout. It was such a great experience and it is a date that is circled in our dressing room.