The senior defenseman leads the No. 4 Gophers into this weekend's series against last place Minnesota-Duluth. I played a lot of hockey games in Duluth and these are my last two. His collegiate career is winding down, and Mills is coming to grips with it, much like when he learned to accept his once-unique name. I didn't like the name as a kid because no one had it. Now it's a trendy name.
Chicks dig it.
The latter could be a soundtrack to Mills' hockey career. Coach Mike Randolph was impressed by the dedication, work ethic and leadership Mills displayed early on, intangibles Mills used to help make Duluth East a high school hockey power. In his freshman year, the Greyhounds finished third at the state tournament. One year later, Mills, along with future Gopher teammate Dave Spehar, captured the Class AA crown. It was about that time colleges began courting him, but the attention never spoiled Mills.