NCAA: Kessel Magness

Phil Kessel leads all NCAA rookies in scoring with 21 points (8-13) after 14 games, but was held in check during a recent weekend soiree at Magness Arena against the two-time defending champion Denver Pioneers. Correspondent Christa Moore took in the two-game set and provides notes on Kessel and fellow Gophers in Blake Wheeler, Kris Chucko, Alex Goligoski, Danny Irmen, Ryan Stoa and Jeff Frazee.

Phil Kessel (2006), C

Hard to say if it was the smaller ice surface or new linemates or the target on his back, but Kessel faced the harsh realities of playing in the WCHA against the worthiest of opponents in the two-time defending champs .. looked a bit out of his comfort zone, though still fared well enough .. played pesky and wasn't intimidated in the slightest against bigger, older competition .. likes to dart out from behind the net and surprise the goalie .. fit nicely on Ryan Potulny's wing for power plays .. Kessel's line was responsible for giving up a goal in Friday's tilt, the result of being too fancy and ignoring defensive duties .. superstitious guy - has to be the 'last man off the ice' after warm ups .. took a bad penalty late in a tied game when he needlessly tugged down an opponent right as the Pioneers were building momentum .. his defensive work and transition game both need work, especially when faced against a strong team .. when he sees a scoring opportunity, he tends to lose focus on what the best play might be and can get selfish with the puck (14-8-13-21).

Blake Wheeler (Phx), RW

A split personality on most shifts .. teases with exceptional natural abilities, however can also frustrate with his refusal to throw that massive body around .. seemed most comfortable on Stoa's line, excelling in a finesse role but appeared a bit lost without Stoa to help carry the physical duties .. Wheeler will throw a big check on one shift and then attempt a half-hearted, ineffective check on the next .. flashy open-ice skater with tricky moves .. pivots well .. possesses a flowing style to his skating and is able to weave past defenders .. however he still gets easily knocked off the puck in a crowd and tends to shy away from traffic areas and post-whistle scrums .. nevertheless, consistently pursued the puck aggressively all weekend even though he still has a bad habit of giving up after some failed attacks .. overreacted to one hit and stopped skating which left his team shorthanded and a goal was scored on the ensuing rush .. coach Don Lucia didn't punish him though as he was out for the next shift .. dynamic in short spurts - tuned it up late in Friday's game with a nice blocked shot and also combined with Stoa to create a good scoring chance (14-4-6-10).

Kris Chucko (Cgy), RW

Showed sign of things to come with the first big hit of the weekend just 12 seconds into the opener and built his way up to an impressive finish .. solid throughout the weekend, but really elevated his game midway through the third period on Saturday, carrying his club to a crucial win .. finally scored his first goal of the season - a game-tying, shorthanded individual rush that saw him drive to the net with authority and still get a shot off with an opponent draped on his back ...his second goal, the game-winner, completely deflated the Pioneers as the Gophers dominated the rest of the game .. skates with determination and consistently finished his checks .. seemingly enjoys banging bodies more than actually having the puck .. morphed into a one-man wrecking crew and threatened to score on every shift after scoring his second goal (14-2-6-8).

Alex Goligoski (Pit) D

The most consistent player over the weekend series .. listing him on the 'third line' on the opening lineup card may have been a decoy or motivational tool .. seemingly never left the ice .. played a solid game in every zone and in all situations .. committed a few errors such as the odd stray pass but those were easily overlooked in the big picture .. shows a real knack for showering pucks towards the net which paid off with a goal on the power play .. never shy about blasting the puck on goal .. often hesitant to pinch down too low, but shows excellent timing when he does .. turned in the defensive highlight of the weekend when he came back to overtake one of the fastest skaters in the NCAA on Saturday and made a spectacular poke check, likely saving a goal (14-2-10-12).

Dan Irmen (Min), RW

Out of the lineup for most of the season due to injury, Irmen made his presence felt with a big hit on the opening shift of his first game back .. continued the physical play through Friday's game and seemed to be getting back to form, however the adrenaline wore off the second night as he wasn't as energetic nor punishing .. displayed impressive acceleration on one play to create a breakaway for himself .. his intense puck pursuit was also instrumental in Mike Howe's goal on Friday night .. quickly developed some nice chemistry with Kessel as the pair skated up ice like synchronized swimmers, on one occasion serving up a perfect centering pass to Kessel from the boards (5-2-2-4).

Ryan Stoa (Col), LW

An imposing presence paired with another towering winger in Blake Wheeler .. skating is above-average considering his size, showed no laboring or clumsiness of any kind .. good upper-body strength allows him to deal out jarring hits and weather hard checks like a horse brushing off a fly .. played a decent game on Saturday with new linemates however didn't show the same chemistry as he did on Friday .. saw some time on the second penalty-killing unit where he utilized his size effectively in front of the net .. not all that noticeable at times, but has a knack for appearing out of nowhere as he did one occasion materializing to steal a puck and blast a shot at goal .. a subtle player who does little things that may go unnoticed - such as a well-timed bump that forced an opponent offside (14-2-0-2).

Jeff Frazee (NJ), G

A hyperactive, unconventional goalie who manages to put a lot of effort into even the simplest save .. played the second game of the series and earned a 4-3 decision .. likes to make the routine look flashy, especially with his glove .. expands a great deal of energy making saves .. quirky superstitious routines are nearly more entertaining than his game-time performances .. scrambles, flops, does snow angels - anything to stop the puck .. protects the bottom of the net extremely well, but often leaves the top shelf wide open .. an oddly fast skater for a goalie as he escaped the ice rapidly for an extra attacker .. hard to judge if he is just quirky or simply immature .. engaged in some dramatic antics after goals were scored or after whistles went .. another time, he shot the puck directly at the opposing goal after the Pioneers had scored .. also tried to draw a penalty by exaggerating a slight brush by an opponent .. gets over-enthusiastic directing traffic and often seemed focused on everything but making saves .. prefers staying deep in the net, a habit that nearly cost him as he failed to come out and properly challenge a shooter who had slipped unaware from the penalty box .. nevertheless, he did manage to string together a series of nice frantic saves after letting in his first goal and seemed to get himself back in the game mentally after that point (6GP, 3-0-2, 2.66, .903)