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Lakeville North coach fractures skull

By Star Tribune staff reports, 02/15/11, 12:26PM CST

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Kochevar falls on ice during practice with girls' hockey squad

A girls high school hockey coach in the south metro fell during practice and was rushed into surgery for a skull fracture and internal bleeding.

Lakeville North head coach Buck Kochevar hit his head Monday night while getting his team ready for Tuesday night's playoff game against Farmington in Owatonna, according to a web page set up on caringbridge.org.

Kochevar was flown by helicopter from Fairview Ridges in Burnsville to the University of Minnesota Medical Center Fairview, wrote Missy Tousignant, a nurse at Cedar Park Elementary School in Apple Valley.

Kochevar, 45, was in surgery for two hours and then moved to intensive care, where he will remain until he is "out of the woods," Tousignant added. "I did see and chat with him before I left, and he gave me a big thumbs up!"

The coach was in fair condition Tuesday afternoon, a U hospital official said.

A post on the Caringbridge web site said: "As many of you know Buck took a fall (Monday) while on the ice practicing with the girls. He sustained a fracture to the back of his skull and had some internal bleeding located between the skull and the tissue that proctects the brain. He was transported via helicopter ... to the U of M where he underwent a 2hr surgery. He is currently in ICU where he will remain until he is 'out of the woods.' I did see and chat with him before I left and he gave me a big thumbs up!"

A second post from Tuesday indicated Kochevar "had a good night and got some sleep."

Lakeville North is the No. 2 seed in the Class 2A, Section 1 playoffs. The Panthers are scheduled to take on No. 3 Farmington tonight in the section semifinals. Assistant coach Rich Schrick will lead the team in Kochevar's absence, Lakeville North Athletic Director Bob Ertl said Tuesday.

It was not immediately known whether Kochevar had on a helmet at the time. High school coaches in Minnesota are not required to wear helmets when on the ice.

Helmets have been mandatory for the past several years in Minnesota for coaches of the many hundreds of youth teams that are sanctioned by Minnesota Hockey.

Paul Walsh • (612) 673-4482

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