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Super seniors
As the Huskies make another run at the NCAA playoffs, the fans will thank four of the players who have made Husky men's hockey great
 Media Credit: Christine Johnson/Editor SCSU�s Dean Weasler (clockwise), Mark Hartigan, Lee Brooks and Nate DiCasmirro will play their final regular season game Friday against the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
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 Joe Motzko
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For a number of the players on the SCSU men's hockey team, this weekend's series against Minnesota is just another stop on that long and winding road through the WCHA schedule.
But to the three seniors and the one junior who's not coming back next year, Friday night's showdown at the National Hockey Center will be much more.
It will be the last time the names Nate DiCasmirro, Dean Weasler, Lee Brooks and Mark Hartigan echo off the walls of the NHC and into the ears of the Husky faithful that have become so accustomed to hearing them over the last four years.
Actually, next weekend's playoff series against either Minnesota-Duluth or Michigan Tech, depending on whether the Huskies finish first or second in the league, will be their official grand finale on the ice in St. Cloud. In terms of regular season games however, this is it.
"You couldn't ask for a much better way to end your college hockey career at home," said DiCasmirro. "Playing Minnesota, with so much at stake, it's pretty exciting."
That's just it. The fact that this weekend, and the next three or four to follow, are so important in terms of what this year's version of Huskies amounts to, the four guys getting ready to lace up the skates one final time haven't had much time to let it all digest.
"We were out in Denver and Brooksie said to me 'hey, it's just another rink to say goodbye to,'" DiCasmirro said. "I didn't even think of that when we were out there. We have so much hockey left to play and the games mean so much that it's hard to think, 'Okay, I have this much left' compared to thinking about what we need to do in those games."
What this group does do in the next month or so will go a long way in defining their senior season, but the mark that they have left over the past three years will be indented in Central Minnesota for some time to come.
With an NCAA tournament bid all but assured this year, these seniors will be making their third straight trip to the national ball. They already helped win the first championship in school history (WCHA Final Five last year) and heading into this weekend's series, the team has a record of 97-47-11 in the four years that this group has been in the program.
"Our group was probably one of the best recruiting classes to come here," Brooks said. "If you include Tyler (Arnason) and (Mike) Pudlick into that mix, we had some talent coming in."
Pudlick and Arnason each bolted early for money, as did former defenseman Duvie Westcott. All three would have been among the honorees Friday night at the NHC, a thought that DiCasmirro said had crossed his mind.
"Man, there was supposed to be nine of us," he said. "And then we didn't know if Hartigan was going to go through the pregame stuff, but he is and it will feel a little better having four of us out there instead of just three."
Hartigan isn't listed as a senior, but as a proposition 48 student, he would have needed to be on pace to graduate next spring in order to play next year, which he is not. Regardless of that fact, it is likely that the Hobey Baker front runner will be wearing an NHL sweater next year anyway.
What Hartigan has done in his time on campus has been well documented. The same can be said for DiCasmirro and even Weasler, who has elevated himself into one of the top goaltenders in all of college hockey. But to a guy like Brooks, who has floated anywhere from the second line to watching from the press box or behind the plexiglass at the NHC, these times are a keepsake.
"My emotions are running pretty high this week," said Brooks, who scored both of his goals this year back in October against Michigan Tech. "It's a big weekend, it should be fun."
Calling this Friday and Saturday a "big weekend" could be somewhat of an understatement. In terms of what could go down in the WCHA standings over the next four days, it's pretty safe to say this weekend is bigger than big� it's huge.
The Huskies can claim their first regular season league championship in history, but in order to do so, they need some help from a not so friendly friend. For the first time in a long time, the team will be rooting for North Dakota. The Fighting Sioux host Denver in Grand Forks this weekend and if they can steel a single point from the Pioneers, the Huskies could tie for first with a sweep. If North Dakota splits with Denver, all the Huskies have to do is have a repeat of their last meeting with the Gophers, a win and a tie, to claim the MacNaughton Cup outright.
"I haven't really even thought about being a senior," said Weasler. "It's the least of my worries right now. We have some serious work to do."
In other words, the ride is not yet over.
Around the rink
- Joe Motzko, who suffered a concussion last Saturday night in Denver, will be out of the lineup for this weekend. Head coach Craig Dahl said that Motzko got a little dizzy and light headed riding the stationary bike on Wednesday and that he wouldn't be ready for this weekend.
- Dean Weasler, who was suffering through a flu bug that forced him to come out of last Friday's game and miss Saturday night, said he is feeling much better and will be ready for this weekend's series.
- Doug Meyer hurt his hamstring this week and is questionable for this weekend's series. With Motzko out of the lineup, it is likely Meyer will still play.
Nick Clark can be reached at: [email protected]
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