COLLEGE HOCKEY WRITER RANDY JOHNSON @RJstrib
Q You get to make one game that was canceled due to COVID-19 actually get played. Which one is it, and why? — Eric Vegoe (@evegoe)
A Well, I can’t pick the entire 15 games in the NCAA tournament, so I’ll have to pare it down. Another game or two between North Dakota and Minnesota Duluth would’ve been a treat, and it would’ve been interesting to see if the Gophers ended their eight-game winless streak at Penn State in the Big Ten semifinals. The game I most wanted to see was Minnesota State Mankato’s first-round NCAA tournament contest. The Mavericks are 0-6 all-time in the Division I tournament, and the past two years they fell 3-2 in overtime to eventual champion Minnesota Duluth and 6-3 to Providence in Providence after leading 3-0 in the first period.
Q Any chance that Mariucci will be renovated to alter rink size? — Jack Putz (@jackputz24) A It’s a case of when, not if, it will happen. The university has long-term plans to reduce the size of the ice sheet at 3M Arena at Mariucci to a hybrid size of 200 feet by 92.5 feet, which splits the difference between its current Olympic size (200 by 100) and the NHL size (200 by 85). The project is in the fundraising stages, and no specific date for construction has been set.
Q You get to make one game that was canceled due to COVID-19 actually get played. Which one is it, and why? — Eric Vegoe (@evegoe)
A Well, I can’t pick the entire 15 games in the NCAA tournament, so I’ll have to pare it down. Another game or two between North Dakota and Minnesota Duluth would’ve been a treat, and it would’ve been interesting to see if the Gophers ended their eight-game winless streak at Penn State in the Big Ten semifinals. The game I most wanted to see was Minnesota State Mankato’s first-round NCAA tournament contest. The Mavericks are 0-6 all-time in the Division I tournament, and the past two years they fell 3-2 in overtime to eventual champion Minnesota Duluth and 6-3 to Providence in Providence after leading 3-0 in the first period.
Q Any chance that Mariucci will be renovated to alter rink size? — Jack Putz (@jackputz24) A It’s a case of when, not if, it will happen. The university has long-term plans to reduce the size of the ice sheet at 3M Arena at Mariucci to a hybrid size of 200 feet by 92.5 feet, which splits the difference between its current Olympic size (200 by 100) and the NHL size (200 by 85). The project is in the fundraising stages, and no specific date for construction has been set.