University of Minnesota Athletics
Border Battle Showdown Set for Madison
1/20/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Hockey
| Gopher Hockey: Minnesota at Wisconsin | |||||||||||
| Location | Kohl Center | Madison, Wis. | ||||||||||
| Game 20 | Friday, Jan. 22, 2016 | ||||||||||
| Puck Drop | 8:05 p.m. CT | ||||||||||
| Television | Big Ten Network | ||||||||||
| Stream | BTN2Go | ||||||||||
| Radio | 1500 ESPN, Gopher Radio Network | ||||||||||
| Game Links | Gopher Hockey Live | Live Stats | ||||||||||
| Game 21 | Saturday, Jan. 23, 2016 | ||||||||||
| Puck Drop | 7:07 p.m. CT | ||||||||||
| Television | Americans Sports Network (Channel Info) | ||||||||||
| Stream | BTN2Go | ||||||||||
| Radio | 1500 ESPN, Gopher Radio Network | ||||||||||
| Game Links | Gopher Hockey Live | Live Stats | ||||||||||
| Game Notes | Minnesota | Wisconsin | Big Ten | ||||||||||
| Social Media | @GopherHockey | Facebook | Instagram | ||||||||||
MINNEAPOLIS (GopherSports.com) -- The opening series of this year's Border Battle between Minnesota and Wisconsin is set for this weekend at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis. Friday's opener is set for 8:03 p.m. CT (TV: Big Ten Network; Stream: BTN2Go; Radio: 1500 ESPN, GopherRadio Network) while Saturday's finale is scheduled for 7:07 p.m. CT (TV: American Sports Network and The CW in the Twin Cities; Stream: BTN2Go; Radio: 1500 ESPN, Gopher Radio Network).
Success in the Circle
The Gophers rank third in the nation in faceoff winning percentage at .545 percent (652 wins, 545 losses). Only Union (.572) and Boston College (.556) rank above the Maroon & Gold. Vinni Lettieri continues to be the best man on the draw in the Big Ten with a .602 winning percentage (156 wins, 103 losses).
Gaining Steam
The University of Minnesota is 7-3-0 in its last 10 games including a season-best three-game winning streak entering this weekend. Of the team's three losses in that span, only one has come in regulation (Dec. 11 at nationally ranked Michigan).
Juniors Lead the Way
Minnesota's junior class has contributed more than half of the team's goals and points this season with 36 of 65 goals (.554) and 93 of 181 points (.554). Junior forward Hudson Fasching leads the team in goals with 13 and is tied with sophomore forward Leon Bristedt for the team lead in points with 22 each.
Big Ten Defensemen in the NHL
This weekend's matchup not only pits two of college hockey's top programs against each other, it also showcases two of the top schools in the nation for producing NHL defensemen. Wisconsin leads the NCAA with nine defenseman in the NHL this season followed by Minnesota with eight (Alex Goligoski, Erik Johnson, Nick Leddy, Paul Martin, Aaron Ness, Mike Reilly, Brady Skjei, Nate Schmidt). Michigan also ranks third in the NCAA for the category with seven.
Kloos Catches Fire
Minnesota team captain Justin Kloos has set the tone for Minnesota on its three-game winning streak with eight points (three goals, five assists). Kloos scored 21 seconds into Friday's 5-2 win over Michigan State for Minnesota's fastest goal of the year and then factored into all three goals in the third period of a 3-1 rally against the Spartans on Saturday.
Against the Badgers
The Gophers enter this weekend's series with a 161-89-23 all-time record against Wisconsin including a 63-54-14 mark on the road against the Badgers. Justin Kloos is the team's active-leading scorer against this weekend's opponent with six points (six assists) in eight career games.
Fasching, Cammarata Set for Century Mark
Junior forwards Hudson Fasching and Taylor Cammarata are both expected to skate in their 100th career games this weekend at Wisconsin.
How You Start is How You Finish
Minnesota is now 8-1-0 when scoring first this season as opposed to 3-9-0 when opponents score first.
Penalty Kill Stays Hot
The Gophers have now killed 16-straight penalties dating back to the Mariucci Classic title game with nationally ranked Harvard (Jan. 2).
Putting the Puck on Net
The Maroon & Gold have outshot its opponents in four-straight games and have 30 or more shots on goal in five of the last six contests (29 in a 4-3 overtime loss to Harvard on Jan. 2).
Big Ten Bullet Points
Now in its third year as members of the Big Ten Conference, the Gophers return to conference play this weekend as two-time defending Big Ten regular-season champions as well as the defending Big Ten tournament champions. In 48 regular-season Big Ten games, Minnesota is 32-10-6-0 (.723) while the Maroon & Gold hold an impressive 21-1-2-0 (.913) record in conference games on home ice.
Four Championships -- A Program First
For the first time in Gopher Hockey history, the Maroon & Gold have earned four-straight regular-season conference titles after repeating as Big Ten champions last year. 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).
Our Home, Our Hockey
Now entering its 22nd season at Mariucci Arena, Minnesota has been incredibly successful on its home ice, boasting a 311-123-46 all-time record at the venue. The dominance has never been more apparent than the last four years with the Gophers leading the nation in home wins (63), home winning percentage (.801) and fewest home losses (13) entering the 2015-16 season. In Big Ten play, Minnesota holds a 21-1-2 all-time record on home ice. (All statistics except for Mariucci Arena record include Minnesota's win at TCF Bank Stadium in 2013-14.).
Four to Lead in 2015-16
The Gophers will see a new crop of leaders in the locker room this season with junior forward Justin Kloos serving as team captain while redshirt junior forward Connor Reilly, junior forward Hudson Fasching, and junior defenseman Jake Bischoff will act as alternate captains for the Maroon & Gold. Kloos, who returns as Minnesota's active leading scorer, replaces two-year team captain Kyle Rau while the cadre of alternate captains take over for Ben Marshall and Seth Ambroz. This year's group of leaders mark the 161st-164th 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.
Gophers Sign Five in Early Period
The newest crop of Golden Gophers signed their National Letters of Intent earlier this year with five Minnesota natives looking to join the ranks of the Maroon & Gold in the coming years. Defensemen Ryan Lindgren (Minneapolis, Minn.), Sam Rossini (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.) and Ryan Zuhlsdof (Edina, Minn.) as well as forwards Rem Pitlick (Plymouth, Minn.) and Garrett Wait (Edina, Minn.) all inked National Letters of Intent with Minnesota.
Gophers in the Draft
The University of Minnesota features 12 players whose rights have been drafted by NHL teams including four newcomers. Three freshmen were drafted in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft -- Brent Gates Jr. (Anaheim, third round, 80th overall), Tommy Novak (Nashville, third round, 85th overall), Jack Sadek (Minnesota, seventh round, 204th overall) -- while Jack Ramsey was selected in 2014 (Chicago, seventh round, 208th overall). The Minnesota Wild (Sadek, Nick Seeler) and the New York Islanders (Taylor Cammarata, Jake Bischoff) lead all NHL teams with two Gopher draftees each.
16 Gophers on NHL Rosters
Gopher Hockey has featured 16 NHL alums this season with Nick Bjugstad (Florida Panthers), Alex Goligoski (Dallas Stars), Erik Haula (Minnesota Wild), Erik Johnson (Colorado Avalanche), Phil Kessel (Pittsburgh Penguins), Nick Leddy (New York Islanders), Paul Martin (San Jose Sharks), Aaron Ness (Washington Capitals), Jim O'Brien (New Jersey Devils), Kyle Okposo (New York Islanders), Mike Reilly (Minnesota), Nate Schmidt (Washington Capitals), Jordan Schroeder (Minnesota Wild), Brady Skjei (New York Rangers), Thomas Vanek (Minnesota Wild) and Blake Wheeler (Winnipeg Jets) making the cut. Additionally, Darby Hendrickson continues to serve as an assistant coach with the Minnesota Wild and Paul Holmgren is the president of the Philadelphia Flyers.
