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BIG TEN CONTENDERS
Minnesota
The Gophers are ranked first in
the country despite losing three
slayers who combined for more
than 35 points last season - Nick
Bjugstad, Erik Haula and Zach Bud-
ish, who have allmoved onto the
NHL.
One question mark for Minneso-
ta will be how to replace 123 points
the trio combined for last year. A
terrific recruiting class is a good
starting point, as Minnesota brings
.f4n seven talented freshmen that will
be expected to play significant roles.
Leading the pack will be Taylor
Cammarata, the Player of the Year
in the United States Hockey League
last season. He should fit nicely into
the Gophers' top two lines, with
classmates Vinni Lettieri and Hud-
son Fasching contributing on lower
lines.
Among the upperclassmen, Sam
Warning is the player to watch thus
far. Warning is on his way to having
,a breakout season, currently lead-
ing the NCAA in scoring with nine
points.
Minnesota is a young team with
legitimate national championship
aspirations. Boasting a talented
recruiting class and established
leaders, the Gophers should be at
the forefront of the Big Ten race.
First Look: February 14 at Minne-
sota, 7 p.m.
Wisconsin
The Badgers return over 80 per-
cent of their scoring from last season
forthesecondyearinarow.Anexpe-
rienced team led by Michael Mersch
is poised to make noise in the top-
heavy Big Ten. Mersch led Wisconsin
and the WCHA with 23 goals a year
ago and looks poised for an even big-
ger senior season. But Wisconsin has
struggled defensivelyearlyinthesea-
son. The Badgers suffered deflating
losses- 8-2toBostonCollegeand7-3
to Boston University - just a week
ago. Those results will evoke some
questions, especially with the likes
of senior captain Frankie Simonelli
and junior Jake McCabe making up
one of the top blue line pairings in
the nation. Amongst many returning
upperclassmen, Wisconsin has just
five true freshmen on the roster. For-
ward Grant Besse looks to make the
most immediate impact after scor-
ing 76 points in his senior season at
Benilde-St. Margaret's High School
en route to winning Minnesota's Mr.
Hockey award.
The Badgers' experience and
senior leadership will be a huge
advantage in the early part of the Big
Ten season. Along with Minnesota,
Wisconsin looks tobe an early favor-
ite to be sitting atop the conference in
April.
First Look: January 31 at Wiscon-
sin, 6:30 p.m.
f9,
Ohio State Michigan State
The Buckeyes made headlines Michigan State's biggest
in the offseason with the unex- strength will be in the crease this
pected firing of head coach Mark season with the return of Jake
Osieki. Hildebrand.
A talented recruiting class that He posted a .928 save percent-
Osieki had planned to bring into age alongside a 2.35 goals-against
Columbus is depleted now, after average last season.
multiple recruits decided to leave The Spartans were extremely
the program. Former Ohio State young last season and still have
assistant Steve Rohlick was hired just five seniors on the team.
to replace Osieki. Youth will be a question, but a
The biggest mystery for the bigger issue will be the lack of
Buckeyes will be how to replace production from the blue line.
All-American goaltender Brady Top defenseman John Draeger
Hjelle. Hjelle held a .935 save is sidelined for at least the first
percentage last season and was month of the season due to offsea-
named to the All-CCHA First son surgeries, while senior Jake
Team. Chelios is still looking for ways to
Ohio State does return 90 have a breakout season.
percent of its scoring from last There are glimmers of hope
season, though, which should for an offense that scored just 87
provide for an easier transition for goals last year with freshman Joe
Rohlik. Ryan Dzingel returns as Cox coming in from the USHL.
the leading goal scorer, finishing Cox scored 20 goals and dished
last season with 38 points and 16 20 assists with the Muskegon
goals. He'll be paired with Tanner Lumberjacks a season ago.
Fritz and Max McCormick on the Michigan State still seems too
Buckeyes' top line. inexperienced and lacks enough
Ohio State's biggest weakness offensive firepower to be a serious
will be its lack of depth. Aside contender by the time spring rolls
from Dzingel's line, it remains to around, but the Spartans always
be seen if the other nine forwards seem to play conference oppo-
can contribute enough to keep the nents tough and won't be an easy
Buckeyes competitive. win for anybody.
First Look: November 29 at Yost First Look: January 24 at Mich-
Ice Arena, 7 p.m. igan State, 6:30 p.m.
Penn State
Former Minnesota transfer for-
ward Max Gardiner leads the Nit-
tany Lions into their inaugural
season as a varsity program. Gar-
diner led Penn State with 19 assists
a year ago, four of which came on
game-winning goals.
Providing some backup for Gar-
diner will be the Nittany Lions'
returning goal scorers, sophomore
forwards David Glen and Casey
Bailey. Glen and Bailey netted 14
and 16 goals respectively in the
2012-13 campaign.
What Penn State is severely lack-
ing, though, is a star on the blue
line. Head coach Guy Gadowsky
does return eight defensemen that
played at least 10 games last sea-
son, so experience won't be of grave
concern.
Between the pipes, the Nittany
Lions are still deciding on which
goaltender will earn the start-
ing job. Both sophomore Matthew
Skoff and freshman Eamon McAd-
am played in last weekend's losses
at Air Force. Skoff boasted a .921
save percentage last season in 17
games.
The Nittany Lions did pick up
wins over Michigan State and Ohio
State last season, but remain a wild-
card in the competitive Big Ten.
First Look: February 7 at Penn
State, 6:30 p.m.
COPP
From Page 7B
the first round of the
NCAA Tournament, but also
lost one of their strongest
offensive weapons, Chris
Brown, to the NHL.
Michigan coach Red
Berenson and the rest of the
coaching staff had briefly
talked with Andrew, but
still no scholarship on the
table. offers from Nebraska-
',"Omaha, Western Michigan
and Miami Ohio came in,
but many schools hadn't seen
enough of him since they
recruit during the football
season.
"You go through a lot of
doubts, wondering if you're
going to be able to play col-
lege hockey," Andy said about
his son.
But after Brown's depar-
ture, Andrew went from an
afterthought to an important
recruit for the coaching staff.
Michigan coach Red Beren-
son and assistant coaches
Billy Powers and Brian Wise-
man invited Andrew in for a
visit that same month.
This was it, the opportu-
nity to play for the team he'd
grown up watching. He made
one more visit, but by then,
Andrew was being spoiled.
At the end, Andrew and his
father walked with Berenson
out to the car while Andrew
smiled the entire time. He
committed that night..
"I'm sure he wanted us
to want him, too," Berenson
said. "He wanted this to be
a good fit. And I think it's
worked out better than any-
one could have ever imag-
ined."
With 1:07 remaining in the
Central Collegiate Hockey
Association championship,
Notre Dame's Jeff Costello
flung the puck near center ice
into an empty net past a div-
ing Steve Racine, and with it,
Andrew Copp watched his
team make history. After 22
consecutive NCCA Tourna-
ment berths, he would have
his name associated with
breaking "The Streak."
This wasn't what Andrew
had in mind when he set foot
in Yost. The Streak started
before he was born and
would end on his rookie cam-
paign, no matter howhard he
worked.
This memory haunts him.
They haunt everyone on that
team.
Months later, Andr6w is
with his family at the Pru-
dential Center in New Jersey.
He's waited three rounds of
the NHL Draft to hear his
name called in the fourth
round by the Winnipeg Jets.
A smile filled his face
at that moment and four
months later, it's still there
when he describes the story.
"It was indescribable, real-
ly," Andy said.
But for now, Andrew is
beginning his sophomore
year at Michigan, where the
jersey he pulls over his head
is emblazoned with the 'A.'
It's Oct. 9, the Wolverines'
season opener against Boston
College, and Andrew skates
out onto the ice with the
same drive that he did under
his father's tutelage and the
same passion he had from the
beginning.
"The Victors" echoes
throughout the cavernous
roof of Yost as Andrew skates
out to the circle to take the
first faceoff of the year. He
yells out to his teammates,
piles on the net just before
the face off with everyone.
He's back in his element
now asa leader.
"He is me and (senior for-
ward) Derek's (DeBlois)gate-
way into the lower classes,"
said senior defenseman Mac
Bennett. "He is the guy who
is close to the freshmen, he is
close to the guys in his class,
and he's done a tremendous
job.
"Andrew is a very easy kid
to be around. There's a rea-
son he's a captain."
A month ago, Andrew vis-
ited his alma mater for a foot-
ball game. Watching from the
stands this time, Andrew has
his phone out, sending texts
to Arthur on the offense's
miscue or where the defense
is exposed. He talks with
former teammates after the
game or calls up his coach
from time to time.
It's been three years and
he's wearing skates instead of
cleats, but Andrew Copp still
won't give up on his team.
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