Jay Barriball

Classroom

Jay Barriball graduated in four years with a business marketing and communications degree. He was named to the WCHA All-Academic team during his senior season. Barriball is continuing his education and is in the process of obtaining his master’s degree from Minnesota in sports management.

Character

Barriball never envisioned being at Minnesota for a fifth year. He was on his way to a successful senior campaign a year ago, tallying four points in his first five games of the season before suffering a serious knee injury during practice in November 2009. He was injured during a routine drill when he collided with a teammate and made knee-on-knee contact. The injury immediately ended his senior season and required surgery. Barriball, 23, spent the rest of his senior year rehabbing his knee and has returned to top form. “It was probably one of the toughest things I have ever had to do,” he said of rehab. “But we have great trainers who were working with me. We put in a lot of work and eventually it got back to normal. And right now it feels better than ever.” Barriball was granted an additional year of eligibility because of a medical hardship. His hard work and character have already yielded one acknowledgement, as he was voted team captain for the 2010-11 season.

Community

Barriball is not only active on the ice, but takes a leadership role off of it as well. He has been an annual participant in the Hope Day Festival at Minnesota since 2006. Here he helps children who are fighting serious illnesses enjoy a day of outside activity with fellow Gopher athletes. Barriball also gives his time back to youth hockey players, as he has skated with youth teams each of the last three years.

Competition

On the ice, Barriball is a leader and a top performer.  The first-line winger became the 78th player in school history to reach 100 career points last year when he tallied an assist against Alaska Anchorage, just days before he suffered a season-ending knee injury. He has scored at least 20 points in each of his three full seasons at Minnesota, highlighted by his freshman year when he tallied 20 goals and 23 assists. Barriball is the most accomplished player on the Gopher roster, and he will be looked upon to produce significant offensive statistics this year.