University of Minnesota Athletics
Freshmen Lead Minnesota to 4-3 Exhibition Win over Alberta
10/6/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Hockey
The Maroon and Gold freshman class combined to score three goals and two assists, while rookie netminder Jeff Frazee picked up the win with 16 saves in two periods played. Goligoski, Kessel and Wheeler each recorded one-goal, one-assist games.
Alberta took the game's first lead at 7:11 of the opening period with a power-play goal by Scott Henkelman. Taking a feed from Harlan Anderson, Justin Wallin threaded a pass across the slot for Henkelman to knock in past UM starting goaltender Kellen Briggs' glove side.
The Golden Gophers struck back at 15:32 with a lamplighter by sophomore defenseman Alex Goligoski. Using some nice movement of the puck in the Golden Bear zone, Goligoski took a pass from Kris Chucko at the center point and fired a wrist shot that was deflected in front to beat a screened UA goaltender Aaron Sorochan. Tyler Hirsch was credited with the second assist on the play.
For the opening period, the Maroon and Gold out-shot Alberta, 14-6.
The second period saw the Golden Gophers out-score Alberta, 2-1, to take a 3-2 lead into the second intermission. At 3:52, Goligoski made a nice neutral zone pass to Gino Guyer who passed to the front of the net for freshman Blake Wheeler to tip in past Sorochan on the stick side.
The Golden Bears knotted the game at 2-2 at the 15:33 mark of the second period when Jonathan Hobson took a drop pass from Ryan Stempfle on a 3-on-2 rush and fired a slapshot to beat UM freshman netminder Jeff Frazee high to the glove side.
The Maroon and Gold re-gained the lead with only 2.2 seconds left in the period with the nation's top freshman forward, Phil Kessel, tallying a power-play goal. Wheeler took a sharp angle shot from the left side with Kessel picking up the loose puck and beating Sorochan low to the stick side.
For the period, Minnesota out-shot the Golden Bears, 10-6, for a 24-12 two-period advantage on the shot board.
Each team scored a goal in the third period with Minnesota hanging on for the hard- fought exhibition win. The Maroon and Gold got the eventual game-winner at 5:07 when the rebound from a Danny Irmen slap shot came to Ryan Stoa on the stick side to knock in past Sorochan. Kessel picked up the second assist on the play.
Alberta responded just 20 seconds later when Ben Thomson beat Frazee with a low shot to the glove side. Ben Kilgour was credited with the lone assist on the goal.
The Golden Gophers held on to the lead from there, out-shooting UA, 17-12. For the game, Minnesota owned a 41-224 advantage on the shot board. The two teams combined to go 2-for-13 with the man advantage with UM at 1-for-8.
Minnesota opens the 2005-06 regular season next weekend with a non-conference home series against CCHA foe Alaska Fairbanks on Friday-Saturday, Oct. 14-15. The games will be televised on Fox Sports Net North and broadcast on WCCO AM 830.
Game Notes
Minnesota has won eight consecutive exhibition games. The Golden Gophers have not lost an exhibition game since a 7-5 defeat at the hands of Valerenga of Sweden during the 1999-2000 season.
Today's game marked the start of the 85th season of Golden Gopher hockey. Minnesota owns a 1,499-846-138 (.631) all-time record.
The Maroon and Gold is on an eight-game home unbeaten streak and a seven-game home winning streak (including a 7-5 exhibition win over the U.S. Under-18 Team on Feb. 19, 2005).
Minnesota has two Canadians on its roster this season - senior defenseman Peter Kennedy and sophomore forward Kris Chucko.
The Golden Gophers have not lost to a team from Canada since a 9-5 loss to the University of Manitoba on Dec. 29, 1965.
