University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Make 36th NCAA Tournament Appearance
3/25/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Hockey
| 2015 NCAA Northeast Regional | |
| Dates | Friday, March 27-Saturday, March 28 |
| Location | Verizon Wireless Arena | Manchester, N.H. |
| Friday Semifinals | Semifinal 1: Boston Univ.vs. Yale | 1 p.m. CT |
| Semifinal 2: Minnesota Duluth vs. Minnesota | 4:30 p.m. CT | |
| Saturday Championship | Championship Game | 4:30 p.m. CT |
| Television | Semifinals: ESPNU | Championship: ESPN2 |
| Watch ESPNStream | Semifinal 1 | Semifinal 2 | Championship |
| Radio (Gopher Games) | 1500 ESPN | Gopher Radio Network | Listen Here |
| Live Stats | | | Championship |
| Game Notes | Minnesota | UMD | BU | Yale | B1G |
| Social Media | @GopherHockey | Facebook |
March 25, 2015
The No. 8/10 Gopher Hockey program makes its 36th all-time appearance in the NCAA tournament this weekend, competing at the NCAA Northeast Regional in Manchester, N.H. The region's third-seed, Minnesota takes on two-seed Minnesota Duluth (Friday, March 27 at 4:30 p.m. CT) while one-seed Boston University and four-seed Yale also meet in regional semifinal action on Friday (1 p.m. CT). The regional championship is set for Saturday, March 28 at 4:30 p.m. CT. Both semifinals will be broadcast on ESPNU while the championship is scheduled to air on ESPN2 (all three games will be streamed on Watch ESPN). Radio broadcasts for all Gopher games during the NCAA tournament are on 1500 ESPN and the Gopher Radio Network.
Adam Wilcox allowed two goals last weekend to earn Big Ten Tournament Most Outstanding Player honors and continues to make a name for himself in the Minnesota record book. His 39-save shutout (the most saves the junior has made in a clean sheet at Minnesota) tied the netminder with Kellen Briggs for the school career shutout record with 13. The next night Wilcox posted his 73rd career win -- most among active NCAA goalies and tied with Hobey Baker Award winner Robb Stauber for third all-time at Minnesota. Only Adam Hauser (83) and Kellen Briggs (84) have more wins at Minnesota.
Minnesota's 4-2 win over Michigan on Saturday gave Minnesota its first Big Ten playoff title and its first conference playoff title since 2007 (WCHA). The conference title was Minnesota's 15th overall while the Gophers swept the Big Ten regular-season and playoff titles this year, the first time Minnesota had won both championships since 2007.
Reilly Named Hobey Baker Finalist
First Team All-American and Hobey Baker Award finalist Mike Reilly continues to lead all NCAA defensemen in scoring with 42 points and 36 assists this season. The blueliner's 36 assists are actually third among all NCAA skaters and are the most by a Gopher since Nate Schmidt tallied 38 in 2011-12. Reilly is the first Gopher defenseman to lead the team in scoring since Mike Crowley tallied 56 points (nine goals, 47 assists) in route to All-America honors in 1996-97.
Familiar Foe
Friday's matchup with the Bulldogs marks the fifth time this season that the former WCHA rivals will meet, surprisingly on the fifth different sheet of ice. The Gophers are 1-3-0 against Minnesota Duluth this year, having picked up a season-opening win against the Bulldogs in route to the team's second-straight Ice Breaker Tournament title at Compton Family Ice Arena in South Bend, Ind. The two in-state rivals also played at Amsoil Arena, Mariucci Arena and the Xcel Energy Center this year.
Gophers Repeat as Big Ten Champs, Win Fourth-Straight Title
For the first time in the modern era, Gopher Hockey has won four-straight regular-season conference titles after repeating as Big Ten champions. Minnesota's 6-2 win over Penn State in the regular-season finale clinched the championship for Minnesota with the title standing as the 16th regular-season conference crown in program history. Prior to the back-to-back Big Ten titles, Minnesota won two-straight MacNaughton Cups as WCHA regular-season champions in the team's final two years in the league (co-champions in 2012-13).
Maroon & Gold All-Big Ten Honors
Mike Reilly headlines a group of four Gophers in this year's All-Big Ten honors with the junior defenseman repeating as Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and First Team All-Big Ten (one of three unanimous selections this year). Kyle Rau, Travis Boyd and Adam Wilcox were named Second Team All-Big Ten picks while Brady Skjei was named Honorable Mention All-Big Ten. Rau was also selected as Minnesota's Big Ten Sportsmanship Award recipient.
The Minnesota Rau-ser
Senior captain Kyle Rau now ranks 18th all-time at Minnesota with 164 points (67 goals, 97 assists) in 159 career games. His 164 points are the fourth most in the Don Lucia era behind Erik Westrum's 168 (1997-2001), Troy Riddle's 178 (2000-04) and John Pohl's 200 (1998-2002). Minnesota is 83-15-8 all-time when Rau tallies a point and 42-4-0 when the All-American records multiple points in a game. His 23 career game-winning goals are the most among active NCAA skaters while his 164 career points are second most among active NCAA players.
Power Play on Point
Minnesota continues to boast the nation's best power play at .282 (40-for-142). The Gophers have now tallied a power-play goal in 12 of the last 17 games are now 19-for-59 (.322) over that stretch. Minnesota is one of only two Division I schools (Yale) to have not allowed a short-handed goal this year. Mike Reilly leads all NCAA skaters with 19 assists while on the advantage, and Travis Boyd's 10 power-play goals are most in the Big Ten this season and second most in the NCAA behind St. Cloud State's Jonny Brodzinski with 11 this season.
Peaking at the Right Moment
The Maroon & Gold have gone 12-3-1 over the last 16 games and are one of the hottest teams in college hockey over that stretch. Over the last 16 games, the Gophers' 65 goals, 111 assists and 176 points are all second most in the NCAA behind Boston University (also in the NCAA Northeast Regional) with 66-117--183.
Salute the Seniors
Minnesota's senior class of Seth Ambroz, Travis Boyd, Christian Isackson, Ben Marshall, Kyle Rau and Sam Warning have done what no other class in  Minnesota's modern era has done -- win four-straight regular-season conference championships. The Gophers are 105-42-15 during their tenure and 62-13-7 at Mariucci Arena while the Maroon & Gold have also made two trips to the NCAA Frozen Four under their watch. Over the last 16 games, no class in college hockey has tallied more goals than Minnesota's seniors with 37 while the group has accounted for 57 percent of the team's goals during that stretch and 49 percent (67-of-136) of the team's goals for the year.
There's No Place Like Home
Minnesota closed out the 21st season at Mariucci Arena in style last weekend with a sweep of Penn State while the Gophers are now 304-116-46 (.700) all-time on home ice. Since the start of the 2011-12 season, the Gophers are 62-13-7 (.796) on home ice including a 15-1-3 (.853) mark last year and a 14-3-1 mark this season. This year's .806 winning percentage on home ice is tied for the second best in the nation while Minnesota outscored opponents 71-37 at home this year. The Gophers are 16-1-2 in Big Ten play at Mariucci Arena (17-1-2 including the 2014 Hockey City Classic at TCF Bank Stadium).
Lucia Makes Gophers History
Minnesota head coach Don Lucia set a new program record with his 391st win behind the Minnesota bench on March 6, 2015 (a 4-2 win over Ohio State). Lucia is now 395-201-68 in 16 seasons as head coach of the Gophers and 674-356-97 overall in 28 seasons as a head coach. Lucia's 674 wins rank ninth all-time in college hockey history and are third-most among active coaches (Jerry York, Red Berenson).
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.
