The University has yet to comment on the matter and Lofquist is still listed as an active member of the team’s roster on the University’s website. Head Coach Don Lucia didn’t address the situation on his weekly radio show on Monday night.
The Somerset, Wis. native played in 35 of the team’s 37 games as a freshman last season, scoring one goal and adding on four assists. This season, a foot injury sidelined him early on, but with the injury to freshman Nick Leddy, Lofquist was forced back into the lineup and has played in three games. Most recently he was replaced last Saturday against Wisconsin by senior Brian Schack.
Lofquist committed to the Gophers at a very young age and came to Minnesota from the U.S. Development Program in Ann Arbor, Mich. He did okay last season as a fifth or sixth defenseman on a non-NCAA Tournament team last season, and was so-so in his limited play so far this year. Lofquist accelerated his schooling and came to Minnesota as a 18-year-old freshman, which in hindsight probably was the main reason for his downfall as a Gopher and is an perfect example of the kind of kid – and defensemen in particular – that Lucia should probably shy away from in favor of an older, more mature player.
This loss coupled with the injury to Leddy leaves the Gophers with only six healthy defensemen. Schack will be forced into the lineup on a nightly basis now and will be the only extra defenseman once Leddy returns near the end of November or early December.
From an on-ice perspective, this loss isn’t devastating; Lofquist was a solid player but didn’t appear to be on the verge of becoming a top-four guy. But when you have yet another player leaving midway through a season on the heels of a downward trend in on-ice play and more negative off-the-ice news than positive over the last several years, rest assured that this isn’t going to help Lucia’s seemingly dwindling support among fans and program supporters.
Minnesota returns home this weekend to take on the undefeated Bemidji State Beavers in a non-conference series on Saturday and Sunday at Mariucci Arena.
