BleedGopher
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per Jess:
Prior to any given Minnesota Gophers hockey series, when you ask the coach and players about their opponent, you are likely to get a few nice words about how they are a formidable foe, but the team in maroon and gold is focused on itself and what it needs to do to be successful.
There is clearly an exception made when Gophers coach Bob Motzko considers facing St. Cloud State – the school where he played college hockey, earned his degree, got his first assistant coaching job and ran the Huskies program for 13 seasons.
“I spent a lifetime there. That place afforded me a whole lot of great opportunities. I’m forever grateful for my time there,” Motzko said following his team’s practice on Thursday, admitting that this week he has heard from more than one skater he recruited to wear the red and black of the Huskies. “It’s been fun. Old players are reaching out to me and giving it to me, but I love it. It means they’re following, which I like.”
With future Gophers schedules up in the air, and no set contract to play the Huskies in the future, there is concern among some fans of both teams that this neighborhood rivalry could go away. Motzko put those fears to rest as best he could, offering assurances that Gophers games versus the five other in-state programs, and a neighbor on the other side of the Red River, will continue.
“Our North Dakota contract’s not done, our Duluth contract’s not done. We’re going to have contracts with both of those schools and then we do have a contract with St. Thomas now,” he said. “We have a problem here. We have a lot of teams that want to play us and we don’t have a lot of dates.”
www.therinklive.com
Go Gophers!!
Prior to any given Minnesota Gophers hockey series, when you ask the coach and players about their opponent, you are likely to get a few nice words about how they are a formidable foe, but the team in maroon and gold is focused on itself and what it needs to do to be successful.
There is clearly an exception made when Gophers coach Bob Motzko considers facing St. Cloud State – the school where he played college hockey, earned his degree, got his first assistant coaching job and ran the Huskies program for 13 seasons.
“I spent a lifetime there. That place afforded me a whole lot of great opportunities. I’m forever grateful for my time there,” Motzko said following his team’s practice on Thursday, admitting that this week he has heard from more than one skater he recruited to wear the red and black of the Huskies. “It’s been fun. Old players are reaching out to me and giving it to me, but I love it. It means they’re following, which I like.”
With future Gophers schedules up in the air, and no set contract to play the Huskies in the future, there is concern among some fans of both teams that this neighborhood rivalry could go away. Motzko put those fears to rest as best he could, offering assurances that Gophers games versus the five other in-state programs, and a neighbor on the other side of the Red River, will continue.
“Our North Dakota contract’s not done, our Duluth contract’s not done. We’re going to have contracts with both of those schools and then we do have a contract with St. Thomas now,” he said. “We have a problem here. We have a lot of teams that want to play us and we don’t have a lot of dates.”
Neighborhood rivalries will live on, pledges Bob Motzko in advance of Gophers-Huskies series
While the future schedule is not set and contracts are not finalized, the Minnesota Gophers are committed to playing the five other D-I programs in the state, and North Dakota, going forward.
Go Gophers!!