Pearson eligible for top hockey spots

'M' assistant qualified to replace Woog, Lucia

The relatively abrupt resignation of Minnesota hockey coach Doug Woog earlier this week has created a vacuum among the NCAA's elite teams.

After reappointing Woog to an interior position, the Minnesota athletic department refrained from naming an immediate successor - which has opened the door to a short list of possible candidates to take the reigns of the storied program.

Among those candidates, if by nothing more than sheer qualification, is Michigan assistant coach Mel Pearson.

Pearson has been an assistant under Red Berenson for 11 years at Michigan - in which time he has been a part of two national championships and taken a flagbearing role in recruiting top prospects from around the nation.

That said, Pearson is not overly eager to abandon the maize-and-blue for a top job elsewhere.

"I'm really happy here, and my family's happy here," Pearson said. "I haven't talked to anybody, nor do I intend to. Now, if someone comes knocking at your door, then I think you have to consider it ... but I don't want to be a head coach just to be a head coach."

According to officials at Colorado College, the Minnesota athletic department has been doing a little knocking - on their door. Colorado College Director of College Relations Todd Wilson said yesterday that Colorado College coach Don Lucia has been engaged in dialogue with the Minnesota athletic department regarding the coaching vacancy.

Minnesota "had asked for permission to talk with (Lucia)" Wilson said. "And that permission was granted."

Lucia has been at the helm for Colorado College the past six years, and has all but resurrected the program, including guiding the Tigers to the NCAA final in 1996 (where they lost to Michigan).

North Dakota coach Dean Blais, who was also an early candidate, has apparently dropped out of the running, as The Colorado Springs Gazette reported he has since renewed his contract at $115,000 a year for five years.

If Lucia opts for the job at Minnesota, it could open an even more realistic opportunity for Pearson at Colorado College.

Lucia "took that program from nowhere. He's a very good recruiter and a sharp guy," Pearson said. "There's no question that's one of the premier spots."

Berenson concurred that Colorado College has achieved an elite status among Division I programs - and said Pearson is qualified for any head coaching position that may become available in the NCAA.

"As an assistant coach, Mel would be as qualified as anyone in the country," Berenson said. "He's been in the trenches for 10-15 years. If the day comes when he gets an opportunity he's excited about, I'll be excited about it for him."

04-09-99