from Cory Zurowski of City Pages,

Where the Gophers used to have permanent residence among the nation's top 20, they're no longer even the best in Minnesota, losing 10 of their last 11 games against in-state opponents. And what was once a prideful alumni network has morphed into a full-scale revolt.

On a Saturday night in December, the Mariucci scoreboard spurs the faithful: "Let's Get Weird!"

The Gophers have already taken care of that.

Stacked with 12 NHL draft picks, they're struggling to stay with Big Ten bottom-feeder Ohio State.

When the New York Rangers selected defenseman Brady Skjei three years ago, he became the 18th Gopher picked in the first round of the NHL draft. Almost 200 more have gone in later rounds.

Yet it's this very lodestone of talent that's come to haunt the team.

"At a program like Minnesota, you're going to have high-end players," says former Ohio State Coach Mark Osiecki. "But you can't have your whole roster of that."

The Gophers do.

Watch these days, and you'll witness less a team than a constellation of child stars. Some were signed to scholarships as young as age 15, coated with praise since their grade school days. It's akin to building a football team where everyone fancies himself a star quarterback. That's left no one to do the yeoman's work of winning hockey.

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thanks to a KK reader for the pointer