March 28, 2003

By JOHN GILBERT

MINNEAPOLIS, MN. - In January, Gino Guyer was a freshman who had played well in spots, Barry Tallackson was a big sophomore with boundless potential but no goals, and Grant Potulny was the captain just coming back from a broken ankle in the first game of the season. That unlikely threesome make up a line that has crystallized Minnesota's offense in the last month and turned in a record-breaking outburst Friday night in a 9-2 romp over Mercyhurst in the NCAA West Regional hockey tournament semifinals at Mariucci Arena.

Potulny scored three goals to reach 15 for the season, in only his 20th game, prompting numerous members of the crowd of 9,554 to toss hats onto the ice when his hat trick was completed at 1:05 of the third period. Guyer assisted on the first four Minnesota goals, then added his fifth assist on Potulny's third goal, and his five assists set a record for an NCAA regional game, and tied the overall NCAA tournament record, while also setting a University of Minnesota record. Tallackson, not to be forgotten, added a goal -- his seventh -- and two assists.

The victory thrusts Minnesota (25-8-9) into today's 4 p.m. West Regional championship against Ferris State for a berth in the Frozen Four and a chance to go to Buffalo, N.Y. to defend the national championship they won last April at Xcel Energy Center.

Mercyhurst (22-13-2), one of the recipients of an automatic berth as the conference winner of the fledgling MAAC, was the victim as the Gophers scored three times in the first period, five more in the second, and led 9-0 before the Lakers from Pennsylvania scored a couple of meaningless power-play goals in the third period, long after Minnesota coach Don Lucia had slowed down his sizzling line by playing his third and fourth lines a lot. But the damage was done.

"Mercyhurst got our 'A' game tonight," said Lucia, whose Gophers outshot Mercyhurst 56-19.

Mercyhurst coach Rick Gotkin was asked at what point he sensed things weren't going favorably. "I tried to call a time out in warm-ups, but they wouldn't let me," he said. "We didn't play our best. The question is, would it have made a difference if we had played our best? At this point, the University of Minnesota is just better than Mercyhurst. I'm OK with that. This was another part of the learning process. We're playing with the big boys, and we knew if we didn't play well, it could be ugly.and if we DID play well, it could be ugly."

Gotkin added that he hoped his team might be able to support freshman goaltender Andy Franck and keep the Gophers off the scoreboard in the early going. No chance.

Guyer played catch with Tallackson up the right side before relaying a pass across the goal-mouth to Potulny at 1:15, on the line's first shift of the game. On its next turn, Guyer muscled his way out of the right corner, kept the puck protected until he got behind the net, then slid a pass out to Keith Ballard, who scored at 4:33. Potulny rushed himself up the right side, ducking around the last defender and cutting to the net, where he surprised Franck with a quick shot, high to the short side, at 14:59.

"Mercyhurst got our 'A' game tonight." Minnesota coach Don Lucia

"The guys have been very supportive," said Guyer, a freshman who played high school hockey at Greenway of Coleraine last season. "Playing with Barry and Grant makes my job a lot easier."

Guyer blocked the puck free in the neutral zone to open the second period, spotting Tallackson for a pass at the Mercyhurst blue line, and Tallackson cut to his right and scored with a 40-foot slapshot at 1:40.

Then some Gopher teammates got a turn with the offense. Thomas Vanek skated end to end, maintained his balance as he cut from the left side to the right circle, and snapped a shot into the upper left corner at 4:10. It was the 27th goal of a banner season for the WCHA's freshman of the year. Fifty-seven seconds later, defenseman Paul Martin skated up the right side, pulled up and flipped a shot at the net, aiming for a rebound chance. Instead, the puck squirted through Franck's pads and it was 6-0. Twenty-seven seconds of scoreless hockey followed, then Jon Waibel took a short pass from Jake Fleming and cruised to the net alone from the left circle, scoring for a 7-0 lead.

That gave the other three forward lines a goal apiece, and the three goals in 1:24 settled the issue for sure. Ballard notched his second of the night at 13:57 on a rebound, and Potulny cashed in Tallackson's feed from behind the net to open the third.

David Wrigley and Scott Reynolds got Mercyhurst's goals to ruin Travis Weber 's shutout.

"We let up in the third and made some mental mistakes," said Gopher defenseman Keith Ballard. "We can't let ourselves slip."

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