Bobby Goepfert, Kings Park
By MITCH ABRAMSON
Newsday Staff Writer
He has made numerous spectacular saves for his school, but three years ago, the roles were reversed, and his school bailed him out.
Bobby Goepfert, a senior goaltender at St. Cloud State in Minnesota, who grew up in Kings Park and was drafted in the sixth round by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2002, was kicked off the hockey team as a sophomore at Providence.
Accused of plagiarism by his English professor, Goepfert had accidentally failed to cite his sources in a research paper he sent over the internet, and his professor construed this to mean he stole the ideas from someone else.
"It was a blessing in disguise," Goepfert said in a phone interview from Rochester, where St. Cloud State (22-10-7) is set to play Maine in the East Regional of the NCAA Division I ice hockey championship on Friday. The tournament format consists of four regional sites with four teams assigned to each location. The four winners advance to the Men's Frozen Four.
"Even before that situation, things weren't going well," he said. "I wasn't having fun playing hockey, and I started skipping class and rebelling. I thought about fighting the charge of plagiarism, but I ended up just leaving. I thought it was best to get a fresh start. I wasn't happy that my name was dragged through the mud and I was labeled a cheater, but I was happy to move on."
Eager to transfer to a school near home, Goepfert was stunned to find out that Providence forbid him from transferring anywhere in Hockey East, according to Goepfert. He ended up transferring to St. Cloud State and redshirting his junior season.
"I called the NCAA to see if they could do this, and the NCAA sided with Providence," Goepfert said. "I thought the whole situation was a low blow. They didn't have to keep me from going to the school of my choice. I really owe everything to St. Cloud State because they gave me a chance. I've been accepted here since day one."
Goepfert, 23, has paid the school back with his splendid play. He recently became just the second member of St. Cloud State to be named as a Top 10 finalist for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award, given to the nation's top college player.
And his .932 save percentage is fourth best in the nation; his 2.08 goals against average is sixth best.
Other highlights for Goepfert include his selection on the All-Western Collegiate Hockey Association first-team for the second straight year, and the team record he set with 67 saves in the Huskies 3-2 triple overtime win over Minnesota Duluth on March 12.
Goepfert's connection to Kings Park High School lasted for only his freshman year. He then attended the Portledge School in Locust Valley as a sophomore and junior to play hockey, and he left for junior hockey in Cedar Rapids in the United States Hockey League his senior year, where he attended John F. Kennedy High.
If St. Cloud State advances in the tournament, the Huskies could meet Notre Dame in the Frozen Four. Notre Dame, whose associate head coach, Paul Pooley, coached at Providence when Goepfert ran into trouble, is the top seed in the Midwest Regional.
"That would be something if we faced each other," Goepfert said. "I'm not fixated on that possible matchup, but it would be pretty interesting."
His loyalty to St. Cloud State for giving him a second chance remains intense.
"Every time I play, I want to repay them," he said. "Hopefully, our season is a long ways from being over."
