University of Minnesota Athletics
Minnesota Holds Off Huskies For Wild Win
1/18/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Hockey
Minnesota posted its highest goal total in nearly two years and needed them all in holding off a furious St. Cloud State rally for an 8-6 win on Saturday in St. Cloud.
The Gophers led 6-2 through two periods and saw the Huskies climb back to within 7-6 in the final minutes before Ryan Stoa scored an empty-net goal with eight seconds left for his first career four-point game. Stoa finished with two goals and two assists, while Mike Hoeffel also had two goals. Jay Barriball and Cade Fairchild each had a goal and two assists and Aaron Ness contributed a career-best three assists. Ryan Lasch finished with a hat trick to lead St. Cloud State.
Minnesota swept St. Cloud State for the second time this season and its only two sweeps of the year. The Gophers are now 12-5-5 overall and matched their season total for league wins from last year with a 9-4-3 conference mark. St. Cloud State fell to 12-11-1 overall and 7-9 in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association.
It was the Gophers’ most goals scored in 81 games, dating to an 8-2 win at Alaska Anchorage on Feb. 2, 2007. The 14 combined goals were the most in a Minnesota game since a memorable 8-7 overtime win over the Huskies in the 2006 WCHA Final Five.
The Gophers scored the game’s first goal on their first power play chance of the game when Mike Carman took a pass across the crease from Jake Hansen and slammed home a shot at the 6:16 mark. Tony Lucia also assisted the goal.
St. Cloud State scored the next two goals of the game, tying the score on a goal by Travis Novak at the 10:33 mark and taking the lead with a power play goal by Ryan Lasch at 16:19 of the period.
Video replay was used to confirm a pair of Minnesota goals that came just 22 seconds apart in the closing minutes of the first period. Mike Hoeffel scored the first goal when he carried the puck from behind the net and was untouched in front for a top-shelf score at 17:48 and Ryan Stoa picked up the second goal as the Gophers scored three times in the opening period for the first time this season.
Minnesota added three more goals in the second period, matching a season high. The Gophers owned a 10-6 advantage in shots in the period despite being shorthanded four times in the period. St. Cloud State had a lengthy power play at the start of the period when Lucia was whistled for a five-minute major and given a game misconduct. The power play, which was interrupted by a minor penalty on the Huskies, yielded no shots on goal during the Huskies’ three-minute advantage.
The Gophers went ahead 4-2 on a goal from Barriball at the 11:18 mark as Aaron Ness found him wide-open for an easy goal on an odd-man rush. Jordan Schroeder also assisted the goal.
Minnesota added two more goals in the final six minutes of the period, getting another power play goal at 13:20 on a drive from Cade Fairchild at the point with assists from Barriball and Stoa. Schroeder added another goal just over three minutes later, taking a feed from Fairchild for his 10th goal of his freshman season. Stoa also assisted the goal that put the Gophers ahead 6-2 after two periods.
St. Cloud State pulled to within 6-4 midway through the third period on a pair of goals from Lasch. Minnesota regained its three-goal lead with 9:27 left when Hoeffel crossed the blueline and ripped a wrist shot for the eventual game-winner past Huskies’ goaltender Dan Dunn, who entered the game in the third period in relief of starter Jase Weslosky. Sam Lofquist and Fairchild earned assists.
The Huskies got a goal from Jared Festler with 4:44 left and Garrett Raboin pulled them within a power play goal with 2:17 left. St. Cloud State pulled Dunn with 1:12 left, but didn’t manage any scoring chances with the extra attacker. Stoa sealed the game with the empty-netter when Minnesota broke out of the zone on a three-on-one.
St. Cloud State finished with a 31-27 advantage in shots, including a 16-7 margin in the final period. Alex Kangas made 25 saves and allowed more than five goals for just the third time in his career, but the third time in four games. Each team scored a pair of power play goals as the Gophers’ national-leading penalty kill allowed two goals in a game for the first time this season. Minnesota has now scored 26 power play goals after totaling 25 all of last season.
The Gophers have a weekend off before returning to action at Minnesota State on Fri., Jan. 30.
