2002–03 Minnesota Golden Gophers men's ice hockey season

2002–03 Minnesota Golden Gophers
men's ice hockey season
2002–03 Minnesota Golden Gophers; men's ice hockey season
NCAA Division I National Champions; WCHA Tournament Champions; NCAA Championship Game, W 5–1 vs. New Hampshire
Conference	T-2nd WCHA
Home ice	Mariucci Arena
Rankings
USA Today/AHCA	2
USCHO.com	2
Record
Overall	28–8–9
Home	14–4–6
Road	9–4–3
Neutral	5–0–0
Coaches and captains
Head coach	Don Lucia
Captain(s)	Grant Potulny
Alternate captain(s)	Paul Martin; Nick Anthony

The 2002–03 Minnesota Golden Gophers men's ice hockey team represented the University of Minnesota in the 2002–03 NCAA Division I men's hockey season, winning the Western Collegiate Hockey Association tournament championship and the NCAA national championship. The team was coached by Don Lucia and played their home games at Mariucci Arena.

The WCHA tournament championship was Minnesota's twelfth and its first since the 1995–96 season. It was their fifth NCAA national championship and marked the first time the team had won back-to-back national championships.

Before the season

Recruiting

Roster

Goaltenders
#	State	Player	Year	Hometown (Previous School)	Previous Team
31		Travis Weber	Sophomore	Hibbing, MN (Hibbing High School)	USNDT - NAHL
33		Justin Johnson	Sophomore	Ham Lake, MN (Blaine High School)	Lincoln - USHL
34		Dustin Smieja	Freshman	St. Paul, MN (St. Paul Johnson High School)

Defensemen
#	State	Player	Year	Hometown (Previous School)	Previous Team
2		Peter Kennedy	Freshman	Brookfield, Nova Scotia (Cobequid Educational Centre)	Ottawa Jr. Senators - CJHL
3		Chris Harrington	Freshman	St. Cloud, MN (St. Cloud Apollo High School)	Omaha - USHL
4		P.J. Atherton	Freshman	Edina, MN (Edina High School)	Cedar Rapids - USHL
6		Judd Stevens	Sophomore	Wayzata, MN (Wayzata High School)	Green Bay - USHL
10		Paul Martin – A	Junior	Elk River, MN (Elk River High School)
13		Keith Ballard	Sophomore	Baudette, MN (Millard North High School)	Omaha - USHL
19		Matt DeMarchi	Senior	Bemidji, MN (Manly Central High School)	North Iowa - USHL
20		Joey Martin	Junior	Rogers, MN (Buffalo High School)	Omaha - USHL

Forwards
#	State	Player	Year	Hometown (Previous School)	Previous Team
5		Jon Waibel	Junior	Baudette, MN (Pioneer High School)	USNDT - NAHL
7		Gino Guyer	Freshman	Coleraine, MN (Greenway High School)
9		Andy Sertich	Freshman	Coleraine, MN (Greenway High School)
14		Chad Roberg	Senior	Duluth, MN (Duluth East High School)
16		Nick Anthony – A	Senior	Faribault, MN (Shattuck-Saint Mary's)	Twin Cities - USHL
17		Garrett Smaagaard	Sophomore	Eden Prairie, MN (Eden Prairie High School)
18		Grant Potulny – C	Junior	Grand Forks, ND (Red River High School)	Lincoln Stars - USHL
21		Troy Riddle	Junior	Minneapolis, MN (Valley High School)	Des Moines - USHL
23		Tyler Hirsch	Freshman	Bloomington, MN (Shattuck-Saint Mary's)
24		Matt Koalska	Junior	St. Paul, MN (Hill-Murray High School)	Twin Cities - USHL
25		Jerrid Reinholz	Sophomore	Ramsey, MN (Anoka High School)	UMD, Des Moines - USHL
26		Thomas Vanek	Freshman	Graz, Austria (O'Gorman High School)	Sioux Falls - USHL
27		Barry Tallackson	Sophomore	St. Paul, MN (St. Paul Johnson High School)	USNDT - NAHL
28		Brett MacKinnon	Sophomore	Wayzata, MN (Wayzata High School)	Cedar Rapids - USHL
29		Jake Fleming	Sophomore	Osseo, MN (Millard North High School)	Omaha - USHL

Season standings

Note: PTS = Points; GP = Games Played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GF = Goals For; GA = Goals Against

2002–03 Western Collegiate Hockey Association standings v t e
	Conference							Overall
	GP	W	L	T	PTS	GF	GA	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA
#5 Colorado College†	28	19	4	5	43	125	70	42	30	7	5	190	103
#2 Minnesota*	28	15	6	7	37	106	81	45	28	8	9	189	122
#11 Minnesota State-Mankato	28	15	6	7	37	116	104	41	20	11	10	155	144
#13 North Dakota	28	14	9	5	33	103	82	43	26	12	5	172	120
#14 Minnesota-Duluth	28	14	10	4	32	95	80	42	22	15	5	153	119
St. Cloud State	28	12	11	5	29	96	85	38	17	16	5	124	118
Denver	28	11	11	6	28	95	85	41	21	14	6	152	102
Wisconsin	28	7	14	4	18	61	101	40	13	23	4	93	134
Michigan Tech	28	7	18	3	17	77	116	38	10	24	4	109	154
Alaska-Anchorage	28	0	22	6	6	41	111	36	1	28	7	57	143
Championship: Minnesota † indicates conference regular season champion * indicates conference tournament champion Final rankings: USA Today/American Hockey Magazine Poll Top 15 Poll

Regular season

#	Date	Opponent^#	Rank^#	Site	Score	Goaltender	Record	Points
1	October 12*^†	vs. #15 Ohio State	#1	Xcel Energy Center • St. Paul, MN	7–2	Weber	1–0–0	—
2	October 18*	@ #3 New Hampshire	#1	Whittemore Center Arena • Durham, NH	5–5 (OT)	Johnson	1–0–1	—
3	October 19*	@ #3 New Hampshire	#1	Whittemore Center Arena • Durham, NH	1–3	Weber	1–1–1	—
4	October 25	@ Michigan Tech	#2	John J. MacInnes Student Ice Arena • Houghton, MI	5–4	Weber / Johnson	2–1–1	2
5	October 26	@ Michigan Tech	#2	John J. MacInnes Student Ice Arena • Houghton, MI	3–3 (OT)	Johnson	2–1–2	3
6	November 1*	Alabama-Huntsville	#4	Mariucci Arena • Minneapolis, MN	12–1	Weber	3–1–2	—
7	November 2*	Alabama-Huntsville	#4	Mariucci Arena • Minneapolis, MN	4–2	Johnson	4–1–2	—
8	November 8	@ Minnesota State	#3	Alltel Center • Mankato, MN	2–3	Weber	4–2–2	3
9	November 9	@ Minnesota State	#3	Alltel Center • Mankato, MN	7–4	Johnson	5–2–2	5
10	November 15	#7 Colorado College	#8	Mariucci Arena • Minneapolis, MN	3–7	Johnson	5–3–2	5
11	November 16	#7 Colorado College	#8	Mariucci Arena • Minneapolis, MN	2–2 (OT)	Weber	5–3–3	6
12	November 22	Michigan Tech	#9	Mariucci Arena • Minneapolis, MN	4–2	Weber	6–3–3	8
13	November 23	Michigan Tech	#9	Mariucci Arena • Minneapolis, MN	2–1	Weber	7–3–3	10
14	November 29*^‡	Michigan State	#9	Mariucci Arena • Minneapolis, MN	5–5 (OT)	Weber	7–3–4	—
15	December 1*^‡	#8 Michigan	#9	Mariucci Arena • Minneapolis, MN	1–3	Weber	7–4–4	—
16	December 6	@ Wisconsin	#10	Kohl Center • Madison, WI	3–0	Weber	8–4–4	12
17	December 7	@ Wisconsin	#10	Kohl Center • Madison, WI	3–2	Weber	9–4–4	14
18	December 9*	Team Italy (exh.)		Mariucci Arena • Minneapolis, MN	4–2	Weber	9–4–4	—
19	December 27*^$	Yale	#7	Mariucci Arena • Minneapolis, MN	7–3	Weber	10–4–4	—
20	December 28*^$	#6 Boston College	#7	Mariucci Arena • Minneapolis, MN	2–1 (OT)	Weber	11–4–4	—
21	January 3	St. Cloud State	#4	Mariucci Arena • Minneapolis, MN	3–4	Weber	11–5–4	14
22	January 4	@ St. Cloud State	#4	National Hockey Center • St. Cloud, MN	3–3 (OT)	Weber	11–5–5	15
23	January 10	#1 North Dakota	#7	Mariucci Arena • Minneapolis, MN	2–4	Weber	11–6–5	15
24	January 11	#1 North Dakota	#7	Mariucci Arena • Minneapolis, MN	6–3	Weber	12–6–5	17
25	January 17*	U.S. Under-18 Team (exh.)		Mariucci Arena • Minneapolis, MN	6–0	Johnson	12–6–5	—
26	January 24	Minnesota State	#8	Mariucci Arena • Minneapolis, MN	2–2 (OT)	Weber	12–6–6	18
27	January 25	Minnesota State	#8	Mariucci Arena • Minneapolis, MN	4–4 (OT)	Weber	12–6–7	19
28	January 31	@ Alaska Anchorage	#7	Sullivan Arena • Anchorage, AK	4–0	Weber	13–6–7	21
29	February 1	@ Alaska Anchorage	#7	Sullivan Arena • Anchorage, AK	4–1	Johnson	14–6–7	23
30	February 7	@ #1 Colorado College	#7	World Arena • Colorado Springs, CO	2–6	Weber	14–7–7	23
31	February 8	@ #1 Colorado College	#7	World Arena • Colorado Springs, CO	3–2	Johnson	15–7–7	25
32	February 14	Wisconsin	#7	Mariucci Arena • Minneapolis, MN	5–2	Weber	16–7–7	27
33	February 15	Wisconsin	#7	Mariucci Arena • Minneapolis, MN	8–1	Johnson	17–7–7	29
34	February 21	@ Minnesota-Duluth	#6	Duluth Entertainment Convention Center • Duluth, MN	5–4	Weber	18–7–7	31
35	February 22	@ Minnesota-Duluth	#6	Duluth Entertainment Convention Center • Duluth, MN	4–5 (OT)	Johnson	18–8–7	31
36	February 28	#13 Denver	#7	Mariucci Arena • Minneapolis, MN	3–3 (OT)	Weber	18–8–8	32
37	March 1	#13 Denver	#7	Mariucci Arena • Minneapolis, MN	8–5	Weber	19–8–8	34
38	March 7	@ #2 St. Cloud State	#6	National Hockey Center • St. Cloud, MN	5–3	Weber	20–8–8	36
39	March 8	#2 St. Cloud State	#6	Mariucci Arena • Minneapolis, MN	1–1 (OT)	Weber	20–8–9	37
*Non-Conference Game. ^†Hall of Fame Game. ^‡College Hockey Showcase. ^$Dodge Holiday Classic. ^#Rankings from USA Today/American Hockey Coaches Association poll released prior to games.

Postseason

WCHA Playoffs

#	Date	Opponent^#	Rank^#	Site	Score	Goaltender	Record
1	March 14*	Michigan Tech	#6	Mariucci Arena • Minneapolis, MN	3–1	Weber	21–8–9
2	March 15*	Michigan Tech	#6	Mariucci Arena • Minneapolis, MN	5–2	Weber / Johnson	22–8–9
3	March 21^‡	vs. #9 Minnesota State	#5	Xcel Energy Center • St. Paul, MN	3–2 (OT)	Johnson	23–8–9
4	March 22^$	vs. #1 Colorado College	#5	Xcel Energy Center • St. Paul, MN	4–2	Johnson	24–8–9
*WCHA First-Round (best of three). ^‡WCHA Final Five Semifinal. ^$WCHA Final Five Championship. ^#Rankings from USA Today/American Hockey Coaches Association poll released prior to games.

NCAA Playoffs

#	Date	Opponent^#	Rank^#	Site	Score	Goaltender	Record
1	March 28*	Mercyhurst	#4	Mariucci Arena • Minneapolis, MN	9–2	Weber	25–8–9
2	March 29^†	#6 Ferris State	#4	Mariucci Arena • Minneapolis, MN	7–4	Johnson / Weber	26–8–9
3	April 10^‡	vs. #4 Michigan	#2	HSBC Arena • Buffalo, NY	3–2 (OT)	Weber	27–8–9
4	April 12^$	vs. #3 New Hampshire	#2	HSBC Arena • Buffalo, NY	5–1	Weber	28–8–9
*NCAA First-Round (West Regional). ^†NCAA Quarterfinal (West Regional). ^‡NCAA Semifinal (Frozen Four). ^$NCAA Championship (Frozen Four). ^#Rankings from USA Today/American Hockey Coaches Association poll released prior to games.

Season Stats

Scoring Leaders

Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty Minutes

Player	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
Thomas Vanek	45	31	31	62	60
Troy Riddle	45	26	26	52	50
Keith Ballard	45	12	29	41	78
Matt Koalska	41	9	31	40	26
Paul Martin	45	9	30	39	32

Goaltending

Note: GP = Games Played; TOI = Time On Ice (minutes); W = Wins; L = Losses; GA = Goals Against; SO = Shutouts; Sv% = Save Percentage; GAA = Goals Against Average

Player	GP	TOI	W	L	SO	Sv%	GAA
Travis Weber	34	1994	18	6	7	.902	2.50
Justin Johnson	14	765	10	2	2	.885	2.90

Awards and records

Records

Milestones

References

^ 2006–07 Minnesota Men's Hockey Yearbook. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletics. 2006.

[06-07_media_guide-1] 2006–07 Minnesota Men's Hockey Yearbook. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletics. 2006.

[1]

v t e Minnesota Golden Gophers men's ice hockey
Playing venues	St. Paul Hippodrome (1923–1934) St. Paul Auditorium (1932–1950) (occasionally) Minneapolis Arena (1925–1950) (primary arena) Williams Arena (1950–93) 3M Arena at Mariucci (1993–present)
Head coaches	I. D. MacDonald (1921–23) Emil Iverson (1923–30) Frank Pond (1930–35) Larry Armstrong (1935–47) Doc Romnes (1947–52) John Mariucci (1952–55, 1956–66) Marsh Ryman (1955–56) Glen Sonmor (1966–71) Ken Yackel (1971–72) Herb Brooks (1972–79) Brad Buetow (1979–85) Doug Woog (1985–99) Mike Guentzel (1996) Don Lucia (1999–2018) Bob Motzko (2018–present)
Seasons	1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24
Conference affiliations	WCHA (1951–1958, 1959–2013) Big Ten (1958–1981, 2013–present)
Rivalries and trophy games	Minnesota Duluth North Dakota St. Cloud State Wisconsin Mariucci-Bessone Trophy with Michigan State Mariucci-Renfrew Trophy with Michigan
Culture & lore	Mariucci Classic North Star College Cup
All-time leaders	Statistical leaders John Mayasich (298 Points) John Mayasich (144 Goals) Kellen Briggs (84 Wins)
National championships	1974 1976 1979 2002 2003
Runner-Up Finishes	1953 1954 1971 1975 1981 1989 2014
Frozen Four appearances	1953 1954 1961 1971 1974 1975 1976 1979 1981 1983 1986 1987 1988 1989 1994 1995 2002 2003 2005 2012 2014 2022 2023
NCAA Tournament appearances	1953 1954 1961 1971 1974 1975 1976 1979 1980 1981 1983 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2012 2013 2014 2015 2017 2021 2022 2023 2024
Conference Tournament titles	WCHA 1961 1971 1974 1975 1976 1979 1980 1981 1993 1994 1996 2003 2004 2007
Notable players	Aaron Broten Neal Broten Kellen Briggs Mike Crowley Tim Harrer Jordan Leopold John Mayasich Pat Micheletti Todd Richards Robb Stauber
Hobey Baker Award winners	Neal Broten (1981) Robb Stauber (1988) Brian Bonin (1996) Jordan Leopold (2002)
University of Minnesota Minneapolis, MN