Gopher goalie Alex Kangas named MVP on Saturday
Goaltender Alex Kangas was rewarded for his record-setting season as just the third freshman in University of Minnesota men's hockey history to earn the team's Most Valuable Player award at Saturday's team awards banquet at Mariucci Arena.
Kangas joins forward Thomas Vanek in 2002-03 and goaltender Murray McLachlan in 1967-68 as the only first-year team MVP's in Gopher history. The team has awarded an MVP, named after former player and coach John Mariucci, since 1955-56.
Kangas was also named the team's Frank Pond Rookie of the Year and Tom Mohr Playoff MVP after setting single-season school records with a 1.98 goals against average and .930 save percentage. Vanek also captured all three of the awards during his freshman year, while McLachlan went on to be the team's only three-time MVP.
Kangas, a Rochester native, was the MVP of the WCHA Final Five and started the last 21 games of the season. Kangas ranked sixth nationally in goals against and seventh in save percentage, including second among all freshman goalies in the country.
The other team awards were dominated by the team's senior class with five seniors receiving individual honors. Senior goaltender Brent Solei received the team's Mike Crupi Most Determined Player award for the second consecutive year, while senior forward Tom Pohl was a repeat selection for the Donald Clark Community Service Award.
Senior forward Mike Howe was named the Dr. V. George Nagobads Unsung Hero and senior captain and defenseman Derek Peltier earned the Elwin Romnes Leadership and Sportsmanship Award. Senior forward Evan Kaufmann received the John Mayasich Outstanding Student-Athlete Award.
Solei, a Coon Rapids native, has been traditionally the team's hardest working player over his four seasons and made the most of his only career start against Wayne State on Jan. 4 with 28 saves. Including exhibitions, he was 4-0 for his career for a 1.20 goals against average.
Pohl, a Red Wing native, had the best season of his four-year career with the Gophers, playing in 34 games. He scored the game-tying goal this year against Air Force and totaled 15 points in 73 career games. He was a WCHA scholar athlete and all-academic team selection.
Howe ranked third on the team in scoring with 21 points and scored one of the team's most dramatic goals of the year with 12.7 seconds left to beat his hometown St. Cloud State squad in the WCHA Final Five. He also had a goal and an assist in the NCAA tournament game against Boston College and finished his career with 67 points in 157 career games.
Peltier, a Plymouth native, played in 172 consecutive games to end his career, missing only the second game of his freshman year. He was the team's highest-scoring defenseman this year with four goals and 17 assists for 21 points. In his career, he totaled 72 points.
Kaufmann, a Plymouth native, totaled 19 points while playing in every game this season to finish his career with 62 points in 147 games played. An accounting major, he was a WCHA all-academic team selection for the third straight year and a WCHA scholar athlete.
Former Gopher standouts Justin Johnson, Mike Vannelli, Judd Stevens and Grant Potulny presented the individual awards.
Posted by: Mike Isola on May 03, 2008 at 3:04 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink
Wild's Marian Gaborik has surgery Friday morning
Minnesota Wild President and General Manager Doug Risebrough yesterday afternoon (Friday) announced that right wing Marian Gaborik underwent successful minor arthroscopic surgery on his right hip joint that morning at the Steadman Hawkins Clinic in Vail, Colorado.
The Wild sent Gaborik to Dr. Marc J. Philippon, one of the world's leading orthopaedic hip surgeons, who performed the surgery to repair a torn labrum and to relieve some impingement in Gaborik's right hip.
After a post-season examination and consultation with team doctors, the Wild and Gaborik decided immediate surgery would provide relief and ensure he is ready for the start of training camp.
He will remain in Colorado for his initial rehabilitation and is expected to return to the Twin Cities in one to two weeks to continue his treatment.
Posted by: Mike Isola on May 03, 2008 at 8:37 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink
Colts WR Harrison being investigated in shooting
News sources are looking into a report Friday by radio station WIP that Indianapolis Colts wide reciever Marvin Harrison is being investigated in a North Philadelphia shooting.
Police are declining to comment on the radio report that Harrison is being investigated regarding a shooting outside a bar Tuesday.
Harrison has not been arrested or charged.
The radio station, citing anonymous sources, is reporting the alleged shooting victim argued with Harrison at Playmakers bar. The victim left and headed to his car, Harrison followed and gunfire broke out, the station reported. The victim was shot in the hand and did not identify the shooter, according to the radio station.
NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said the league is aware of the report and is "looking into it."
Posted by: Mike Isola on May 02, 2008 at 4:23 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink
Lou Holtz among those elected to College Football Hall of Fame
Lou Holtz, Billy Cannon and Troy Aikman were among 15 former players and coaches elected Thursday to the College Football Hall of Fame.
"When I first heard I was going into the Hall of Fame, I went "Wow! Wow! How'd this happen?" Holtz said during a National Football Foundation news conference.
Holtz coached six schools to 249 victories in a career that spanned more than 35 years. He won a national title with Notre Dame in 1988. He was the Minnesota Gophers head coach for two seasons. After leading the Gophers to a 6-5 record in 1985, he left for Notre Dame prior to the Independence Bowl.
Cannon played tailback and defensive back for LSU from 1957-59, winning the Heisman Trophy his senior year. This is the second time he's been elected to the Hall of Fame. In the early 1980s, he was voted in - but the invitation was rescinded after he was arrested on federal counterfeiting charges.
Cannon pleaded guilty and was sentenced to five years in prison in 1983. He served 2οΎ½. He's been working as a dentist at the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola for the past 13 years.
Cannon told The Associated Press in a phone interview Thursday he was "tickled and happy" to be voted into the Hall again.
The other 11 players chosen by the NFF's selection committee were Virginia offensive tackle Jim Dombrowski; Northwestern linebacker Pat Fitzgerald; Florida linebacker Wilber Marshall; Washington State running back Ruben Mayes; Arizona State guard Randall McDaniel; Syracuse quarterback Don McPherson; Wyoming tight end Jay Novacek; Texas Tech split end Dave Parks; Florida State nose guard Ron Simmons; Oklahoma State running back Thurman Thomas, and Army quarterback Arnold Tucker.
Aikman started his college career at Oklahoma, then transferred to UCLA. After two stellar seasons (1987-88) with the Bruins, he was drafted first overall by the Dallas Cowboys.
Fitzgerald was a two-time winner of the Bednarik Award as the national defensive player of the year in 1995-96 and is entering his third season as coach at Northwestern.
The latest class will be inducted at the NFF banquet in New York in December and enshrined in the summer of 2009 at the Hall of Fame in South Bend, Ind.
Posted by: Mike Isola on May 01, 2008 at 3:41 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink
Dennis Rodman arrested for hitting woman
Former NBA star Dennis Rodman was arrested for allegedly hitting a woman at a Century City hotel.
He was arrested Wednesday night after officers answered a report of a domestic dispute, police said. The woman sustained injuries to her arm, police added.
The 46-year-old former rebounding champion was jailed for investigation of felony domestic violence and freed on $50,000 bail early Thursday.
Rodman manager Darren Prince said that his client grabbed the woman's arm - leaving a bruise - after the pair drank too much and argued. Prince said Rodman's drinking has escalated because of a divorce and he plans to enter rehab.
Posted by: Mike Isola on May 01, 2008 at 3:35 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink
