University of Minnesota Athletics
Friday Preview: Michigan State
11/24/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Hockey
Weekend Overview: The College Hockey Showcase returns to the upper Midwest this year, as Michigan State and Michigan travel to face Minnesota and Wisconsin. The showcase is in its 18th year and features four of the most prominent college hockey programs in the country. On Friday, Michigan State plays at Minnesota, while Michigan visits Wisconsin. Michigan then heads to Minnesota for a Sunday matinee and Michigan State travels to Wisconsin for a Saturday night game. Last year, Michigan went 2-0-0 in the event, while Minnesota and Wisconsin were 1-1-0. Michigan State was 0-2-0.
Last Time Out: Minnesota improved to 4-0-0 on the road this year with 6-4 and 4-1 wins at Michigan Tech last weekend. On Friday, the Gophers jumped out to a 3-0 lead less than eight minutes into the game. Max Gardiner opened the scoring for Minnesota at the 2:02 of the first period with his first collegiate goal. Senior Mike Hoeffel ended a five-game draught without a goal by scoring twice in a 2:15 span. Jake Hansen recorded his first multiple-goal game by scoring twice on the power play in the second period to help Minnesota take a 5-2 lead. Jacob Cepis closed Minnesota's scoring with his fifth goal of the year with just under five minutes remaining. Kent Patterson got the nod in goal for the fourth time in five games and made 19 saves.
On Saturday, Hoeffel gave Minnesota 1-0 lead just 3:09 into the game. Michigan Tech pulled even early in the second period, but it was all Gophers after that. Nate Condon put Minnesota ahead 2-1 just 45 seconds after the Huskies scored and then Hoeffel made it 3-1 less than three minutes later. Freshman Nick Bjugstad, who returned for the Michigan Tech series after missing the previous five games with mononucleosis, added an empty-net goal at the 19:59 mark of the third period. It was Bjugstad's first collegiate goal. Patterson made 30 saves to improve his season record to 6-0-1.
Series History: Minnesota leads the all-time series with Michigan State 101-41-11 and has not lost to the Spartans in their last nine meetings (4-0-5 in that time). Last year, Minnesota upset the seventh-ranked Spartans 2-1 in East Lansing, Mich., on Nov. 28, 2009. The game featured 80 combined shots (42 for Minnesota) but only Jordan Schroeder and Mike Carman scored for the Gophers. Kent Patterson was between the pipes for the Gophers and statistically played the best game of his career, stopping 37 of 38 shots to earn the win. The last time Michigan State beat the Gophers was Nov. 24, 2000, when they won 3-2 at Mariucci Arena. Minnesota owns a 9-3-5 record against Michigan State in the College Hockey Showcase.
About The Spartans: Michigan State is 4-6-3 overall and 2-6-1 in CCHA play. The Spartans are the first of three CCHA teams Minnesota will face this season. They play Michigan on Sunday and will face Ferris State on Jan. 1. The Spartans are led by Brett Perlini (8g-5a) and Derek Grant (2g-9a). The only other player on the team with double-digit points is sophomore captain Torey Krug (3g-7a). In goal, Drew Palmisano has been the primary option for Michigan State in goal and is 4-5-3 with a 2.52 GAA and a .908 save percentage. Defenseman Matt Crandall is the only player on Michigan State from Minnesota. He is a St. Cloud-native and played one season on the same St. Cloud Cathedral High School team as Gopher defenseman Nate Schmidt. MSU is 0-4-0 in road games this season and is 2-5-2 against teams currently ranked in the USCHO Rankings.
Back Home: The Gophers play a home game for the first time in 20 days when they welcome Michigan State to Mariucci Arena on Friday, Nov. 26. The Gophers last home contest was a 3-3 tie against Wisconsin on Nov. 6. The 20-day break between home games is the second longest of the year for the Gophers. They have another 20-day break from Dec. 11 (home against Minnesota-Duluth) to Dec. 31 (home against Union) and a 27-day gap between home games from Jan. 1 (home against Ferris State) to Jan. 28 (Alaska Anchorage). Minnesota does play an exhibition game on Jan. 7 versus the U.S. Under-18 Team.
Minnesota Nice: The Gophers have 22 regular-season games left on their schedule and they will play 18 of them (12 at home) in the state of Minnesota. The Gophers will leave the state to face North Dakota (Jan. 14-15) and Wisconsin (Feb. 18-19).
Pretty Offensive: Minnesota is sixth in the country in scoring offense with a 3.83 goals-per-game average. Yale, who has played only eight games, leads the country with a 5.25 average. Nebraska-Omaha (4.17), Minnesota-Duluth (4.07), Union (3.92) and Air Force (3.91) round out the top five.
Going Deep: Every Gopher (except goaltender Jake Kremer) has played in at least two games this year and only 10 of 24 skaters have played in all 12 games. Twenty-one players (including goalie Kent Patterson) have at least one point this year and 17 players have scored at least one goal.
Good Point: Jay Barriball, Erik Haula, Jacob Cepis and Mike Hoeffel all average at least a point per game. Barriball (15 points in 12 games) leads the group with a 1.25 points-per-game average. He is followed by Haula (1.16), Cepis (1.08) and Hoeffel (1.00).
Getting Healthy: The Gophers were without five players against Wisconsin on Nov. 5-6, but four of those players returned for last weekend's series at Michigan Tech. Pat White returned after battling the flu, while Nick Bjugstad and Jake Parenteau were cleared to play after overcoming mononucleosis. Nick Larson also returned from injury. White, Bjugstad and Larson all played against the Huskies, but Parenteau, who accompanied the team on the trip, did not.
Budish Update: The one player who was not back from injury for the Michigan Tech series was right wing Zach Budish. The sophomore was injured in a moped accident on Nov. 1 and will miss the rest of the season. He underwent successful surgery on Nov. 22.
Road Success: Minnesota is 4-0-0 on the road this year with two wins each at Colorado College and Michigan Tech. The Gophers have scored 23 goals on the road (only two on the power play) this year and are averaging 5.75 goals per game. On the flipside, Minnesota has allowed only 10 goals in road games this year for an average of 2.5 goals per game.
First Period Goals: Good things continue to happen to the Gophers when they score a first-period goal. Minnesota scored three times in the first-period on Friday and once on Saturday at Michigan Tech. The Gophers are 7-0-1 this year when scoring in the first period and 6-0-1 when scoring the first goal of the game.
Doubling Up: Mike Hoeffel and Jake Hansen became the latest Gophers to join the multiple-goal club when they both scored twice on Friday at Michigan Tech. It was Hoeffel's eighth multiple-goal game of his career, while it was the first for Hansen. They join Jay Barriball, Nate Condon and Taylor Matson as players who have multiple-goal games this year.
Shooting Gallery: Minnesota took a season-high 50 shots on Friday against Michigan Tech. It was the first time the Gophers took 50 shots since Jan. 3, 2010, in a 4-2 loss to Northern Michigan. Twenty-one of Minnesota's shots came in the first period, which tied the most they had taken in a period this year (second period against Nebraska Omaha on Oct. 15). The Gophers are 1-0-0 when taking 50 or more shots this year and 2-2-0 when taking more than 40 shots. Minnesota is also 4-0-1 when allowing 29 or fewer shots this year (allowed 23 last Friday).
Be Like Mike: Senior Mike Hoeffel had three goals and three assists in his first five games of the year. In the next five he recorded a single assist. Hoeffel broke out in a big way at Michigan Tech. The right wing scored twice in each game and added the game-winning assist on Friday. Hoeffel has six goals and two game-winning assists in his last four games at Michigan Tech.
Follow the Pattern: Junior goaltender Kent Patterson has started six of the last seven games for Minnesota and has played every road game this year. He is 6-0-1 on the season and is the only goaltender in the nation who has played in eight games and does not have a loss. Patterson has a 2.46 goals-against average this year and a .912 save percentage. He has allowed only one goal on three occasions and has faced more than 30 shots only twice. He made 32 saves in a 5-4 win against Massachusetts on Oct. 9 and 30 saves in a 4-1 win at Michigan Tech on Nov. 20.
Patterson vs. Michigan State: Kent Patterson was the backup to Alex Kangas last year, but got the start at Michigan State and quite possibly played the best game of his collegiate career. The then-sophomore turned aside 37 shots and led Minnesota to a 2-1 win against the No. 7 Spartans. Patterson was named first star and his .974 save percentage is a single-game career high.
Fairly Positive: Cade Fairchild was -7 after the team's first six games of the season. However, in the last six games he is +8 and has gotten back to +1 on the season.
Fresh Import: Freshman Erik Haula, who hails from Pori, Finland, became the first European-born player to pull on the M sweater for the Gophers since Thomas Vanek (Graz, Austria) in 2003-2004. Haula and Vanek are the only Europeans to play for Minnesota. Haula, who was drafted by the Minnesota Wild in the seventh round of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, is the only Gopher to score in 10 of 12 games this year. He leads the team with 12 assists (four more than Jacob Cepis) and is second on the team with 14 points.
More Haula: Haula is tied for second in the WCHA and tied for eighth nationally with 12 assists in 12 games. He is second in the country in freshman assists to Wisconsin's Mark Zengerle, who has 16 helpers in 14 games. Haula is also a +8 on the year, which is tied for the team lead with Mike Hoeffel.
An Assist for Helgeson: Seth Helgeson recorded his first-career assist on Friday at Michigan Tech. The stay-at-home defenseman, who has two career goals, picked up the primary assist on Jacob Cepis' goal at the 15:22 mark of the third period. It was Helgeson's 42nd career game. Twenty-three of the 26 players on Minnesota's roster who have played at least one game in their career have at least one career assist. That list includes goaltenders Alex Kangas and Kent Patterson. The three players who do not have a career assist are freshman Jared Larson (six career games), Nate Schmidt (five career games) and Jake Parenteau (two career games).
Kangas in the Record Books: Alex Kangas entered his senior season fourth all-time in program history with 2,571 saves. The 23-year-old has played in five games this year and has stopped 153 shots. He now has 2,724 career saves, which ranks third all-time in school history behind Adam Hauser (3,777 saves) and Kellen Briggs (2,968 saves). Kangas (105 games) is also third in program history for games played by a goalie. Kellen Briggs is second with 132 career games played and Adam Houser owns the record with 151 games played.
Captain Jay: Senior captain Jay Barriball is tied for sixth in the nation with nine goals and is tied for second in the nation with five power-play goals. Barriball has at least one goal in seven of 12 games this year. He also recorded a hat trick on Oct. 9 in a 5-4 win against Massachusetts. It was the first hat trick for a Gopher since Blake Wheeler had one in a 4-2 win against Wisconsin on March 16, 2007.
Matson Matters: Junior Taylor Matson entered the season with three career goals in 32 games. He has five goals (tied for third on the team with Jacob Cepis) in 12 games. Matson was -3 with zero points in the first four games of the year, but has since found his scoring touch. In the previous eight games he has five goals and two assists. Matson also leads the team in faceoffs for anybody who has taken more than 40 draws. He has won 82 of 151 faceoffs for a 54.3 percent success rate. Matson now has more career goals (8) than career penalties (6) and has more career points (13) than career penalty minutes (12).
Fresh Idea: There are 10 freshmen on the Minnesota roster this year and all 10 have played in at least two games. Seven of them have at least one point and Erik Haula leads the group with 14 (2g-12a). He is followed by Nate Condon (4g-3a), Nick Bjugstad (1g-1a), Max Gardiner (1g-1a), Justin Holl (1g-1a), Tom Serratore (1g-1a) and Mark Alt (2a).
Transfer Agreement: Senior Jacob Cepis, a transfer from Bowling Green, is playing in his first full season with Minnesota this year. He missed the first half of the season a year ago because of NCAA transfer regulations. He joined the lineup at mid-season a year ago and has averaged nearly a point a game since. He had 19 points (7g-12a) in 21 games en route to receiving the team's Unsung Hero award and has picked up this year where he left off last year. Cepis has five goals and eight assists in 12 games this year and now has 32 points (13g-19a) in 33 career games.
Can Do Condon: Freshman Nate Condon had a night to remember on Oct. 30 at Colorado College. Condon scored twice, had three assists, recorded a plus-five rating and was named first star in Minnesota's 9-4 romp. Condon was the first Gopher to record five points in a game since Ryan Potulny (4g-1a) against St. Cloud State on March 17, 2006 in the WCHA Final Five and the first freshman since Phil Kessel (1g-4a) on Nov. 11, 2006, in a 9-0 rout of Alaska Anchorage.
Preseason Picks And Rankings: Minnesota began the year ranked No. 15 in both the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine and the USCHO polls. That ended a 10-year streak of being ranked in the top 10 to begin the season.
Noticeable Draft: Nineteen Gophers have been drafted by NHL teams. The junior and freshman class each have six draftees, the senior class has five and both of the team's sophomores have been drafted. Freshmen Nick Bjugstad, Mark Alt, Justin Holl and Max Gardiner were selected in the 2010 NHL Draft, with each of them going in the first three rounds (top 74 overall). Other than Bjugstad, senior Patrick White (No. 22 in 2007) is the only other first-round pick.
Excuse Me Mr.: The highest distinction a high school hockey player in Minnesota can receive is being named Mr. Hockey. This year's team has two players - junior Aaron Ness and freshman Nick Bjugstad - who received that honor. Additionally eight players (Jay Barriball, Nick Larson, Taylor Matson, Joe Miller, Patrick White, Justin Holl, Max Gardiner and Mark Alt) were finalists for the award.
You're Not From Around Here: With the additions of freshmen Nate Condon (Wausau, Wis.), Tom Serratore (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and Erik Haula (Pori, Finland), the Gophers now have four players (joining Jacob Cepis who is from Parma, Ohio) from outside of Minnesota. The last time Minnesota's roster featured at least four players from outside the state was during the 2005-06 season when there were six non-Minnesotans.
Gracious Hosts: Minnesota hosts the 2011 NCAA Men's Frozen Four from April 7-9 at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn. The last time the Frozen Four was held in Minnesota was 2002, when current Gopher assistant coach Grant Potulny scored the overtime game-winning goal against Maine to give Minnesota its first national championship since 1979. Minnesota also hosts the 2012 West Regional at Xcel Energy Center.
