University of Minnesota Athletics
Weekend Preview: Denver
2/9/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Hockey
On Saturday, Minnesota-Duluth jumped out to a 3-0 lead on goals by Connolly. The Gophers cut the lead to 3-2 on second period goals by Kevin Wehrs and Mike Hoeffel. After the Gophers had a goal disallowed because of goaltender interference, Connolly made it 4-2 Bulldogs with 1:17 left in the second period. Both teams scored twice in the third period and the Bulldogs won a wild 6-4 affair.
Minnesota vs. Denver: Minnesota is 91-68-12 all time against Denver, but the Pioneers have had recent success against the Gophers. Denver is 8-1-1 in its last 10 games against Minnesota and has outscored the Gophers 31-11 during that time. The Pioneers have won the last five games and the last time Minnesota was victorious was Nov. 21, 2008, when it posted a 5-2 road win. The Pioneers have won four straight at Mariucci Arena, and the last time the Gophers won at home was a 5-4 decision on Jan. 20, 2007. The current Gopher roster has combined for two goals and five assists against Denver. Jay Barriball has one goal and one assist, while Cade Fairchild has two goals. Pat White has one goal, while Kevin Wehrs and Aaron Ness each have one assists against the Pioneers. White, Fairchild and Mike Hoeffel have all played in 11 games against Denver, which is the most of any Gopher.
About The Pioneers: Denver returns to Mariucci Arena for the first time since they opened Minnesota's 2009-10 home schedule with back-to-back 3-0 shutouts of the Gophers. The Pioneers went on to win all four games against Minnesota last year, outscoring the maroon and gold 14-2 in the process. This season, Denver is ranked fourth in the country and comes in with a 15-3-3 record in its past 21 games. Last weekend, the Pioneers beat in-state rival Colorado College 5-3 on Saturday after falling victim to a 3-2 upset at the hands of the No. 20 Tigers on Friday. Denver is led in points by sophomore Drew Shore with 31 (16g-15a) and in goals by freshman Jason Zucker (17g-11a). Both Shore and Zucker were teammates of Gopher freshman Nick Bjugstad on the U.S. National Junior team that won the bronze medal at the IIHF World Junior Championships in Buffalo, N.Y. in January. Matt Donovan, who was a member of the 2010 U.S. World Junior team that won the gold medal in Saskatoon, Sask., leads all Pioneer defensemen in points with 20 (6g-14a). Freshman Sam Brittain has become the primary successor of All-American goaltender Marc Cheverie, posting a 12-4-5 record with a 2.13 goals against average and .925 save percentage in 21 games this year.
Third-Period Success: This weekend's games could come down to which team wins the third period. For the season, Denver has outscored its opponents 94-77 for a +22 margin. However, the Pioneers boast a +21 margin in the third period this year outscoring the opposition 42-21. Only North Dakota has scored more goals (43) in the third period than Denver. Minnesota owns a +4 scoring in the final 20 minutes of a game this year, as the Gophers have outscored their opponents 22-18.
Patterson Doing Work: Kent Patterson has made 537 saves this season, but 154 of those saves (28.6%) have come in four games against Minnesota-Duluth. Patterson has made 30 or more saves in eight games this year, but his four highest save games of the season are all against the Bulldogs. He made a career-high 41 saves in a 2-2 tie on Dec. 12 and made 40 saves in a 2-2 tie on Feb. 4. The junior goaltender made 37 saves in a 3-2 win on Dec. 10 and 36 saves in a 6-4 loss on Feb. 5. The Gophers are 4-2-2 this season when Patterson stops 30 or more shots.
Two In The Third: The Gophers scored two third-period goals last Saturday at Minnesota-Duluth for the seventh time this season, but for the first since an Oct. 30 win at Colorado College. The Gophers scored two third-period goals in six of their first eight games this season, with the exceptions being wins on Oct. 9 against Massachusetts and on Oct. 24 against St. Cloud State.
Gophers Against WCHA: The Gophers are in eighth place in the WCHA and have played every team ranked above them except Denver, who visits this weekend. Minnesota is 5-6-3 against teams ranked above them in the standings this year.
Top-10 Takedowns: Minnesota is 3-2-2 against teams ranked in the top 10 by USCHO.com this year (rankings at the time of the game). They will get the chance to improve that record this weekend against Denver. The Gophers are 1-0-0 against No. 8 Michigan and are 1-1-0 against No. 2 North Dakota. Minnesota is also 1-1-2 against Minnesota-Duluth this year (Bulldogs were ranked No. 2 first time the teams played and No. 4 during the second meeting).
A Look Ahead: Minnesota has eight WCHA games left this season and its next four games are against teams ranked in the seven by USCHO.com. The Gophers play at No. 4 Denver this weekend before traveling No. 7 Wisconsin on Feb. 18-19.
125 in 150: Jay Barriball has played in 150 career games for the Gophers. He earned his 125th career point last Friday at Minnesota-Duluth when he scored his 51st career goal. Barriball's next assist will be the 75th of his career.
Four Score: The Gophers scored four goals last Saturday at Minnesota-Duluth, but lost the game 6-4. It was only the second time this season that the Gophers potted four goals and lost. The other game was a 5-4 setback on Oct. 15 against Nebraska-Omaha. The Gophers are 7-2-0 this season when scoring four or more goals.
Twins? Seniors Cade Fairchild and Mike Hoeffel have each played 139 career games and both have 82 career points. Fairchild, who had two goals on the weekend at Minnesota-Duluth, has 20 goals and 62 assists for his career. Hoeffel who posted a goal and an assist on Saturday at UMD has 44 goals and 38 assists.
Helgeson Helpers: Seth Helgeson recorded his first career assist as a Gopher in his 42nd career game (Nov. 19 at Michigan Tech). However, the big blueliner now has five assists in his last 10 games, which ties him with Nick Bjugstad for the team lead during that span.
Just A Nick: Nick Bjugstad recorded his first multiple-point game (2a) of the year and of his career last Saturday at Minnesota-Duluth.
Similar Penalties: Minnesota and its opponents have taken the same amount of penalties in 12 of 26 games this year, but seven of those 12 games have been the last seven on Minnesota's schedule. The last time that Minnesota and its opponent were called for a different amount of penalties was Dec. 31 against Union. The Gophers were whistled for three, while the Dutchmen were called for two. Minnesota is 3-6-3 this year when taking the same amount of penalties as its opponent.
O From the D: The Gopher defense has been helping out the offense this year. The six defensemen who have appeared in the most games this year have combined for 50 points (11g-39a) and each has at least five points. Cade Fairchild leads the group with 13 points (5g-8a). Next is Kevin Wehrs (2g-8a), Aaron Ness (1g-9a), Seth Helgeson (1g-6a), Justin Holl (1g-4a) and Mark Alt (1g-4a).
Fresh Idea: There are 10 freshmen on the Minnesota roster this year and all 10 have played in at least five games. Eight of them have at least one point and have combined for 55 points (17g-38a). Erik Haula leads the group with 16 points (3g-13a) and is followed by Nate Condon (7g-6a), Nick Bjugstad (2g-7a), Justin Holl (1g-4a), Mark Alt (1g-4a), Tom Serratore (2g-2a), Max Gardiner (1g-1a) and Nate Schmidt (1a).
Streak Snapped: Tom Serratore was a -1 in last Friday in Minnesota's 2-2 tie against Minnesota-Duluth, which ended his streak of 15 games played of being even or better. It was his first minus game since he was -1 on Oct. 22 against St. Cloud State. Serratore, who was +8 during his 15-game streak is +4 on the season. His streak was the longest on the team this year.
Bonus Hockey: Minnesota played in an overtime game last Friday at Minnesota-Duluth for the fifth time this year. The Gophers played in three straight overtime games from Dec. 11 - Jan. 1 and are 0-1-4 in games that require extra time this season. Minnesota's last overtime win was a 3-2 victory against Northeastern on Jan. 3, 2009. The Gophers are 0-3-8 in overtime games since.
Going Deep: Every Gopher (except goaltender Jake Kremer) has played in at least three games this year and only six (Jay Barriball, Jacob Cepis, Jake Hansen, Taylor Matson, Aaron Ness and Seth Helgeson) of 24 skaters have played in all 26 games. Twenty-two players (including goalie Kent Patterson) have at least one point this year and 20 players have scored at least one goal. The four skaters who do not have a goal this year are defenseman/forward Nate Schmidt (one assist in 10 games), forward Jared Larson (zero points in seven games), defenseman Jake Parenteau (zero points in five games) and forward Joe Miller (zero points in three games).
Minnesota Nice: The Gophers have eight regular-season games left on their schedule and they will play six of them (four at home) in the state of Minnesota. The Gophers will not leave Minnesota again until they head to Wisconsin for a pair of games on Feb. 18-19. This year, the Gophers will play 26 of their 34 regular-season games in Minnesota.
Goaltender Remix: Senior goaltender Alex Kangas underwent successful surgery to repair a labral tear in his left hip on Jan. 14, and will miss the remainder of the season. That left the Gophers with only two goaltenders - Kent Patterson and Jake Kremer - so coach Don Lucia brought in Alex Fons to serve as the team's third netminder. Fons, 19, is from Minnetonka, Minn., and played high school hockey at Hopkins last year. He was 11-12-1 for the Royals with a 3.02 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage. Fons played five games this year for the Alexandria Blizzard in the North American Hockey League and was 1-2-0.
Kangas In The Books: Alex Kangas will leave quite a legacy at Minnesota when this season is over. He has played 108 career games for the Gophers (third most in school history) en route to a 47-41-16 record. His .912 career save percentage is a school record and his 2.56 goals-against average is fourth-best all-time. Kangas has 2,802 career saves to join Adam Houser (3,777 saves) and Kellen Briggs (2,968 saves) as the only Minnesota goaltenders to post more than 2,800 career saves. He set single-season records during his freshman year (2007-08) with a .930 save percentage and a 1.98 goals-against average in 31 games.
Outside the WCHA: Minnesota wrapped up its non-WCHA part of the schedule at the Dec. 31 - Jan. 1 Mariucci Classic. The Gophers played six games this season against non-conference opponents and were 3-2-1 in those games. Minnesota defeated No. 8 Michigan (CCHA) and earned two wins against Massachusetts (Hockey East). The Gophers tied No. 18 Ferris State (CCHA) and lost to No. 12 Union (ECAC) and Michigan State (CCHA).
