University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Host BSU for Home Opener
10/22/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Hockey
| Minnesota (2-0-0) hosts Bemidji State (1-1-0) | |
| Dates | Friday, October 24 (8 p.m.) |
| Saturday, October 25 (7 p.m.) | |
| Location | Mariucci Arena | Minneapolis, Minn. |
| Tickets | MyGopherSports.com |
| TV | BTN (Friday) | FSN+ (Saturday) |
| Watch Online | Friday | Saturday |
| Radio | 1500 ESPN | Listen Online |
| Live Stats | | |
| Live Blog | Friday | Saturday |
| Game Notes | Minnesota | Bemidji State | Big Ten |
| Social Media | @GopherHockey | Facebook |
Oct. 22, 2014
The top-ranked Gopher Hockey program hosts its first home series of the 2014-15 season this weekend when in-state rival Bemidji State visits Mariucci Arena. The two-game, nonconference series kicks off on Friday, Oct. 24 at 8:12 p.m. CT (BTN, BTN2Go.com, 1500 ESPN) with the series finale coming on Saturday, Oct. 25 at 7:05 p.m. CT (FSN+, BTN2Go.com, 1500 ESPN).
There's No Place Like Home
The 2014-15 season marked the 21st campaign in which the Gophers have called Mariucci Arena home. Since opening Mariucci Arena, Minnesota is 290-113-45 (.696) on home ice. Since the start of the 2011-12 season, the Gophers are 48-10-6 (.790) on home ice including a 15-1-3 (.853) mark last year. This year's home opener is the latest at Mariucci Arena since the 2007-08 season (a 3-1 win over Ohio State on Oct. 25).
Last Time Out
Minnesota is coming off a bye weekend after opening the 2014-15 season with a second-straight Ice Breaker Tournament title. In South Bend, Ind., the Gophers held off UMD 4-3 in the season opener before blanking RPI 3-0 for the title -- Minnesota's third overall (tied for most among NCAA programs). Kyle Rau had four points on the weekend to lead the Gophers while Adam Wilcox tallied his eighth career shutout -- tying him with Adam Hauser for second all-time at Minnesota (Kellen Briggs holds the school record at 13).
Scouting the Beavers
Minnesota enters the weekend with a 16-1-1 (.917) all-time record against Bemidji State and a 10-1-0 (.909) mark against this weekend's opponent at home. The Gophers swept Bemidji State last season on the road with wins of 6-3 and 5-1 behind a five-point weekend from Justin Kloos (one goal, four assists). Kyle Rau is the team's active scoring leader against Bemidji State with eight points (one goal, seven assists) in eight games followed by Ben Marshall with seven points (four goals, three assists) in eight games. Like the Gophers, the Beavers are coming off a bye weekend after splitting a home-and-home series with North Dakota to open the season.
Banner Unveiling on Friday
The Gophers will unveil their Big Ten regular-season championship banner prior to Friday night's home opener. Minnesota won the inaugural conference crown for its 15th overall conference regular-season title and third straight -- a program first.
Reilly All-American Celebration
Minnesota will also celebrate defenseman Mike Reilly's First Team All-America honor on Saturday. The Gophers' first First Team All-American since 2009 (Ryan Stoa), the Chanhassen, Minn., native led all Big Ten defensemen and finished tied for fifth in the NCAA with 33 points last year (nine goals, 24 assists) in route to also earning First Team All-Big Ten honors and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year accolades.
Seniors to Lead in 2014-15
All-American Kyle Rau will lead the Gophers as team captain in 2014-15, making the senior the first player at the University of Minnesota to serve as captain for two-straight seasons since Grant Potulny in 2002-03 and 2003-04. Seniors Seth Ambroz and Ben Marshall will serve as alternate captains -- the 159th and 160th players to serve as either captain or alternate captain for the Gophers in a tradition that dates back to the program's first year of play in 1921-22 when Chet Bros led the Maroon & Gold.
Iron Man in Net
Over his two-plus seasons with the Gophers, Adam Wilcox has arguably put up two of the top seasons in net in program history. The South St. Paul, Minn., native set a new school GAA record of 1.88 in 2012-13 as a freshman, earning All-WCHA Third Team honors. Last year was even better for the netminder. Wilcox set a new school save percentage record of .932 and earned Second Team All-America accolades as well as being named Big Ten Player & Goaltender of the Year and First Team All-Big Ten. He also was named a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award -- Minnesota's first finalist since Ryan Potulny in 2006. In 79 career games, Wilcox has posted a 53-14-11 record with his 53 ranking seventh all-time at Minnesota.
Up Next - St. Cloud State
The Gophers keep up the ins-state rivalries next weekend with a home-and-home series against St. Cloud State. The series opens up on the road on Fri., Oct. 31 at 7:30 p.m. CT (FSN+, 1500 ESPN) and then returns to Mariucci Arena on Sat., Oct. 1 at 4 p.m. (FSN, 1500 ESPN).
Kloos Lets Loose
Sophomore forward Justin Kloos returns to the Gophers this year after leading the team with 16 goals as a freshman in 2013-14. The Lakeville, Minn., native was the first Minnesota freshman to lead the team in goal scoring since Jay Barriball scored 20 goals as a rookie in 2006-07. Kloos scored three goals to earn NCAA West Regional Most Outstanding Player honors and totaled five points (four goals, one assist) in four NCAA tournament games.
The Return of Rau
Kyle Rau returns to the Gophers after leading the team with 40 points (14 goals, 26 assists) last season -- he tallied both his 100th career point and 75th career assist during his junior campaign (48-79--127 in 123 career games). Minnesota is 67-11-6 all-time when the forward tallies a point including a 33-2-0 all-time when Rau tallies more than one point in a game. Rau has tallied at least 40 points in each of his three seasons with the Maroon & Gold and became just the 49th Gopher to reach the 125-point mark at the Ice Breaker Tournament.
A Glance at Coach Lucia
Minnesota's 4-0 win over St. Cloud State in the NCAA West Regional finals last year advanced the Gophers to the Frozen Four, but it also gave Minnesota head coach Don Lucia his 650th career coaching victory. Lucia is 653-344-94 all-time as a head coach including 374-189-65 at Minnesota. Only Doug Woog has more coaching wins behind the Gophers' bench with 390. Lucia's 653 career wins rank him 10th all-time in college hockey while he will enter his 28th overall season as a head coach and 16th season with the Gophers in 2014-15.
Live and In Color
Twenty-nine regular-season Gopher Hockey games will be available on television during the 2014-15 across several networks. FOX Sports will lead the way in Gophers television coverage this season with 14 games while the Big Ten Network will broadcast 11 regular-season games featuring the Maroon & Gold over the course of the season. The ESPN network follows up with another four Gopher games. The entirety of the 2015 Big Ten Hockey Tournament will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network.
And on the Radio with Wally and Frank
Gopher Hockey will continue to call 1500 ESPN home for its radio broadcast after Minnesota and Learfield Sports' Gopher Sports Properties announced a three-year agreement with the radio station this summer. Every regular-season game as well as the entire post-season will be broadcast on the 1500 ESPN radio waves through 2016-17. Wally Shaver and Frank Mazzocco have the call.
International Influence
Gopher Hockey will list two non-North American players on its roster for the 2014-15 season as Swedish born Leon Bristedt (Stockholm) and Robin Hoglund (MoIndal) will be incoming freshman forwards this year. Just the third and fourth non-North American players to ever dress at Minnesota, the pair of Swedes are certainly in good company. Both previous European players -- Thomas Vanek (Baden bei Wien, Austria) and Erik Haula (Pori, Finland) -- are currently skating with the Minnesota Wild in the NHL.
A First Time for Everything
Now in its 94th year of collegiate competition, the University of Minnesota has seen almost everything. However, the team did have a couple firsts last year. A new era of Gopher Hockey started in 2013-14 as Minnesota joined the Big Ten Conference and went on to win the first-ever Big Ten game on Nov. 29, 2013 (4-1 win over Wisconsin) as well as the inaugural Big Ten regular-season championship. Additionally, the conference crown gave Minnesota its third-straight conference regular-season title -- another first for the Maroon & Gold.
