S Minnesota Tourney Preview

EXPRESS’ ROOKIE SEASON GOES
DEEP INTO OVERTIME

By Grant McGinnis, Southern Minnesota Express

Like any dramatic hockey game, the first season of Southern Minnesota Express has had three distinct periods - a slow first, a solid second, and an amazing third - but it is overtime that really matters to the Express now.

For the first-year NAHL franchise, a Cinderella-like trip to the Robertson Cup tournament has made for a long extra period. Although the Express managed to win their first NAHL game -- a 2-1 victory at Springfield, IL -- the rest of their opening period was pretty shaky. The Express struggled to a 3-6-1 start that culminated with a winless week at the NAHL Showcase in October where they lost four times, including a defeat by the Texas team they will meet Wednesday night at the Ice Zone.

There were signs of promise however, in the offensive prowess of leading scorer Sean Murphy (Owatonna, MN), the skills of eventual MVP Jason Wiley (Bloomington, MN), and the tough love demonstrated by import Chris Barth (Brandon, Manitoba).

Immediately following the Showcase, Express coach Pat Cullen scoured the country for a goaltender who could provide Southern Minnesota was some much-needed confidence. Enter 17-year-old Nick Hopper, a second-year junior from Culver City, CA, who was looking for more playing time than he was receiving in the USHL. The acquisition of Hopper paid immediate dividends, as he backstopped Southern Minnesota to a 14-2-3 run and into the thick of the Central Division race.

While Hopper's addition was a turning point for the new franchise, picking up Stu Bickel (Chanhassen, MN) and Joe Welch (Hastings, MN) from the USHL would prove invaluable in the long run.

Southern Minnesota's hot streak fizzled with a five-game skid immediately following the Christmas break, a swoon that ended with an embarrassing 7-1 defeat at the hands of another Robertson Cup participant, the Bozeman Icedogs.

Then came period three -- a stretch run that saw Southern Minnesota post an 18-3-1 record to clinch the Central Division, finish 35-17-6 on the season, and win playoff series over Minnesota (3-2) and Fargo-Moorhead (4-0).

Because of prior commitments at their Owatonna home, the Express have played 22 straight road games.

Captain Jeff Carlson (Richfield, MN) has emerged as one of the NAHL's premier defenders. Forwards Ryan Guentzel (Woodbury, MN), Jamie Ruff (Rochester, MN) and Mike Montgomery (Lino Lakes, MN) have blossomed into consistent two-way performers.

In the playoffs, however, it has been 20-year-old twins from Owatonna, James and Joel Gaulrapp (pictured at left), who have been the heart and soul of the hockey club. Their tireless effort, physical style, and timely goals have been huge.

Ironically, it is backup goalie Eric Largen (Fairbanks, AK), not Hopper, who enters the tournament with the hot hand.

"It is just an amazing feeling," said James Gaulrapp, who scored and set up consecutive overtime winners in round two. "This team has just got something special. We just wanted to keep on playing and now we have had three more weeks together."

"We had three goals when we started this season," Cullen said. "The first was to win our division. The second was to advance to the national tournament. Now we want to win the whole thing. I don't want to sound arrogant, but when we sat down at Christmas, we thought we could accomplish great things with this group.

“They just don't want to go home yet."