Minnesota native's chance to play for Golden Gophers could make an impact locally

WASILLA — Jake Parenteau’s only local connection may be his two years with the Wasilla-based Alaska Avalanche Junior A hockey squad, but his recent commitment with the University of Minnesota certainly has a significant local impact.

As Alaska head coach Dave Boitz said, “It’s every kid in Canada’s dream to grow up and win a Stanley Cup. It’s every kid from Minnesota’s dream to grow up and play for the Gophers,”

Now this promising local organization can be credited with sending a player to one of college hockey’s most storied programs.

Other programs may have, at least temporarily, climbed above Minnesota on the Division I college hockey ladder, but for most — especially those who live in the land of 10,000 lakes — Minnesota is still the Notre Dame of hockey. The Gophers have 32 NCAA tournament appearances, 19 trips to the Frozen Four, 14 conference championships and five national titles. The Gophers have gone since 2003 without a national title, but that hasn’t tarnished their maroon and gold image. Just like Notre Dame in football, Minnesota is always one of the first, if not the first, programs that comes to mind when you think college hockey.

That’s why Parenteau’s commitment to Minnesota is historic for the Avalanche organization. It’s the biggest in franchise history. The only thing that comes close is Matt Friese’s decision to go to UAA, and that’s because Friese is a local boy who landed a full-ride before his 18th birthday.

In the five-year tenure of the franchise, the Avs have sprinkled a few players across the college hockey landscape. Tyler Currier (UAA) and Jason Cohen (American International), members of the 2008-09 squad, are skating at the Division I level this season. Jeff Dimmen, a defenseman who spent two seasons in Wasilla, is an assistant captain at the University of Maine. But he singed with Maine after being traded to the St. Louis Bandits. Adam Kraus, a member of the 2006-07 team, is a junior reserve goalie at Boston University, the defending national champions. Another goalie, Andrew Volkening (2005-06) is a stud at Air Force.

Alaska has sent its fair share of players to the Division III level, and there are a few former Avs currently playing on DI ice. But until this week, the likes of Denver, North Dakota, Michigan State or Minnesota had not coming calling for an Alaska player.

But now Alaska can boast ties with programs such as Boston and Minnesota. From a recruiting standpoint, that helps solidify the legitimacy of the program. The Avs have already made franchise history this year, breaking the program mark for wins in the season. By continuing to place players in top Division I programs, recruiting will continue to improve. Better recruiting means more wins. More wins means more butts in the seats. More fans lead to a solid financial foundation for the program, and the continued opportunity for local fans to catch quality hockey live.

Jake Parenteau may be a native of Minnesota, but by earning the chance to play for his hometown Gophers, Parenteau has done his part to secure the future the future of junior hockey and Wasilla.

Jeremiah Bartz (sports@frontiersman.com) is the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor. For more J’s World and the J’s World Sports Blog, see www.frontiersman.com/sports. For more on Parenteau's future with the Gophers, see the Friday edition of the Frontiersman.