Parenteau playing on the big stage this weekend

Jake Parenteau, a 2007 graduate of Chisago Lakes High School, and four other seniors will lead the University of Minnesota Golden Gopher men’s hockey team against archrival North Dakota tonight in the semifinals of the Frozen Four. The game takes place at 7:30 p.m. at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and will be televised on ESPN2. On Saturday, the winner of tonight’s game will play the winner of tonight’s other semifinal between Union and Boston College for the Division 1 Championship. Saturday’s game will be televised on ESPN starting at 6:30 p.m.

Parenteau, a defenseman, will be playing in the Frozen Four for the second time in his career. In 2012, the Gophers lost to Boston College 6-1 in the semifinals and Boston College went on to win the national championship. After high school, Parenteau played one year of junior hockey for the St. Paul Lakes and two years for the Alaska Avalanche in Wasilla, Alaska before walking on at the University of Minnesota as a freshman in 2010-2011. His playing time has increased significantly since he played in eight games as a freshman. He was injured earlier this season and missed several games, but he came back strong. He is third on the team this season with a +19 plus/minus ratio. Parenteau comes from a family with hockey in their blood.

His father, Tom, and uncle, Mike Anderson, both played hockey for the Gophers in the early 1980s. His sister, Lexy, played hockey at Division 1 Bemidji State from 2006-10 and his cousin, Casey, played for Division 1 St. Lawrence University from 2006-09. His mom, Shellee, also got into the act as assistant coach for the Chisago Lakes High School girls’ hockey team for several years in the early 2000s. In next week’s Press we’ll have an interview with Parenteau and talk to him about his Frozen Four experience and his Gopher career.