Sports

Anchorage goalie to be a Gopher

Anchorage goalie Eric Schierhorn is going to be a Gopher.

Schierhorn, 18, announced via Twitter on Wednesday that he has committed to play college hockey at the University of Minnesota next season.

"Excited to announce my commitment to the University of Minnesota!" wrote Schierhorn, who plays Tier 1 junior hockey for the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the United States Hockey League. "Thanks to everyone who helped!"

The Lumberjacks also released a statement congratulating the goaltender on his pending move to the NCAA Division I college ranks.

Schierhorn has appeared in 24 games this season for the Lumberjacks, posting a 14-7-3 record with a .923 save percentage and 2.54 goals against average. In 68 USHL games, he has gone 34-26-4 with a .910 save percentage, 3.03 goals against average and three shutouts.

He played in the 2015 USHL/NHL Top Prospects game on Jan. 13 and also played for the U.S. Junior Select team that won gold at the World Junior A Challenge in December.

He'll join his older brother, Brad, in the Division I ranks. The elder Schierhorn is a junior forward at Dartmouth.

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Schierhorn said he chose Minnesota because of the school's strong reputation for turning out pro players. The Gophers, who are ranked 17th in the nation, have had 193 players drafted by the NHL, including 18 first-round picks.

"I chose the University of Minnesota because of the hockey program's consistent success along with their history of moving players on to the next level," Schierhorn said in Muskegon's release. "The coaching staff is a group of genuinely good people that get the most out of their players while continuing to get strong results on the ice year in, year out."

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