Highly Touted Men's Hockey Freshman To Make Debut This Weekend

Fully recovered from an ankle sprain, freshman forward Geoff Irwin is scheduled to play in his first collegiate game Friday against Alaska-Anchorage

by Dan Myers
Issue date: 11/9/06 Section: Mens Sports

Ask Minnesota State men's hockey coach Troy Jutting if he is pleased with the early production of his freshman class and you will get a fast answer from the seventh-year head coach. Nick Canzanello has earned a boatload of playing time on the blue line, Trevor Bruess has been one of MSU's most consistent forwards and Zach Harrison plays steady hockey on both ends of the rink.

One thing that hasn't come in bunches, however, is goal scoring. Kael Mouillierat leads first-year players with two goals, while Bruess, Jerad Stewart and James Gaulrapp each have one. But that's it. Of nine freshman on the roster, only those four have found the net through the first month of the season.

Enter Geoff Irwin.

Irwin - a freshman from Victoria, B.C. - has a knack for finding the net. Last season, he scored 31 goals in 57 games for Burnaby of the British Columbia Hockey League. Throw in 51 assists, and Irwin finished first on the team and third in the league in scoring.

"He shoots the puck as well as anyone on our team," Jutting said. "He's got a great release, it's quick. He brings it."

Fortunately for the Mavericks, scoring hasn't been a problem this year. With a proven core of veteran defenders, Jutting's main pre-season concern was MSU's ability to score goals. But Mick Berge already has six tallies, Joel Hanson and Jon Kalinski have three apiece and Travis Morin has added 13 points.

Now fully recovered from the sprained ankle which limited him to little practice and no games so far this season, Irwin looks to add his name among the team's top goal producers.

"It feels good to get back out there with the guys," Irwin said. "Hopefully I can put the puck in the net. That's what I was brought here to do."

Morin - one of the Mavericks' two captains - is already impressed with the first-year player.

"He's got some pretty good skills," Morin said. "He is a hard-nosed guy, mature and has a physical aspect that I think we might be lacking a little bit."

Watching has been the toughest part for Irwin thus far. The 21-year old freshman - considered veteran for most college programs - has been itching to get on the ice this season. But Jutting has been cautious with Irwin, saying he wanted him to be 100 percent before putting him on the ice. Probably not a bad idea for someone who says speed is a big part of his game.

"We have a ton of it already, but I'd like to bring some more," Irwin said. "It's been hard to watch, especially when things haven't gone our way. You're not sure whether you can help out or not. You just want to get an opportunity to go out there and show what you can do."

Irwin will get thrown right into the fire this weekend as the Mavericks host conference foe Alaska-Anchorage Friday and Saturday at Midwest Wireless Civic Center. But opening his collegiate career against a team in the WCHA, college hockey's best conference, doesn't worry him too much.

"It's gonna be pretty tough, that's what I've been told," Irwin said. "It's going to be fast and it's going to be an adjustment, but the only way to adjust is by going out there and playing in it."

Dan Myers is the Reporter Sports Editor