University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Head to East Lansing for B1G Series
3/1/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Hockey
| Gopher Hockey: No. 17 Minnesota at Michigan State | |||||||||||
| Location | Munn Ice Arena | East Lansing, Mich. | ||||||||||
| Game 32 | Friday, March 4, 2016 | ||||||||||
| Puck Drop | 6 p.m. CT | ||||||||||
| Television | FOX Sports North PLUS, FOX Sports Detroit | ||||||||||
| Stream | BTN2Go, FOX Sports Go | ||||||||||
| Radio | 1500 ESPN, Gopher Radio Network | ||||||||||
| Game Links | Gopher Hockey Live | | ||||||||||
| Game 33 | Saturday, March 5, 2016 | ||||||||||
| Puck Drop | 6 p.m. CT | ||||||||||
| Stream | BTN PLUS | ||||||||||
| Radio | 1500 ESPN, Gopher Radio Network | ||||||||||
| Game Links | Gopher Hockey Live | | ||||||||||
| Game Notes | Minnesota | Michigan State | Big Ten | ||||||||||
| Social Media | @GopherHockey | Facebook | Instagram | ||||||||||
March 1, 2016
The No. 17 Gopher Hockey program returns to action this weekend with a two-game Big Ten series at Michigan State as the conference schedule enters the home stretch. The Gophers and the Spartans open the series on Friday, March 4 at 6 p.m. CT (TV: FOX Sports North PLUS, FOX Sports Detroit; Stream: BTN2Go, FOX Sports GO; Radio: 1500 ESPN, Gopher Radio Network) and close out the weekend on Saturday, March 5 at 6 p.m. CT (Stream: BTN PLUS; Radio: 1500 ESPN, Gopher Radio Network).
Schierhorn Up for Mike Richter Award
Gophers rookie Eric Schierhorn has been named a nominee for this year's Mike Richter Award, which honors the top goaltender in college hockey. The freshman is one of three Big Ten goalies and one of just four NCAA freshmen up for the award. Schierhorn has started all 31 games of his freshman campaign with the Maroon & Gold, putting together a 17-14-0 record with a .907 save percentage and a goals against average of 2.67. The rookie also has one assist to his credit. The Minnesota netminder leads the Big Ten in wins (17, first among all NCAA freshmen), shutouts (three) and minutes (1,823:20) and also ranks first in the conference in GAA (2.67) among goalies that have played the majority their team's minutes.
Gophers Against the Spartans
The Maroon & Gold enter this weekend's series with a 109-44-15 all-time record against Michigan State and a 44-26-8 mark on the road against the Spartans. The Gophers swept Michigan State at Mariucci Arena earlier this season by scores of 5-2 and 3-1. Minnesota has picked up a win and a tie in each of its two trips to East Lansing during the Big Ten era. Justin Kloos leads all active Gophers with 11 points (four goals, seven points) in 10 games against Michigan State
Fasching Plays the Hero...Again
Hudson Fasching scored the game winner 57 seconds in overtime last Friday to give Minnesota a 3-2 victory over nationally ranked Michigan and reclaim a one-point lead in the Big Ten for Minnesota. The junior forward is having a career year for the Maroon & Gold with 34 points and 19 goals (team highs for both). Six of Minnesota's 17 game-winning goals this year have come from Fasching while the junior ranks tied for first in the Big Ten in game-winning goals and tied for third in the NCAA.
Gophers Break Out
Nine Gophers returners, including Fasching, have already set new career highs for points this season. Justin Kloos, Leon Bristedt, Vinni Lettieri, Connor Reilly, Michael Brodzinski, Jake Bischoff, Steve Johnson and Jack Glover also have career highs for points this year.
Big Ten Bullet Points
Now in its third year as members of the Big Ten Conference, the Gophers return as two-time defending Big Ten regular-season champions as well as the defending Big Ten tournament champions. In 56 regular-season Big Ten games, Minnesota is 38-12-6-0 while the Maroon & Gold hold an impressive 23-3-2-0 record in conference games on home ice.
Our Home, Our Hockey
Now in its 22nd season at Mariucci Arena, Minnesota has been incredibly successful on its home ice, boasting a 313-125-46 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 23-3-2 all-time record on home ice. (All statistics except for Mariucci Arena record include Minnesota's win at TCF Bank Stadium in 2013-14.).
Success in the Circle
Minnesota continues to find success in the faceoff circle, ranking second in the nation and first in the Big Ten at .558 (989 wins, 784 losses). Only Union boasts a better rating at .572 (1,226 wins, 916 losses). The Gophers also boast two of the nation's top six centers in Leon Bristedt (.627, 42 wins, 25 losses, fourth in the NCAA) and Vinni Lettieri (.614, 239 wins, 150 losses, sixth in the nation). The pair rank first and second, respectively in the Big Ten.
Shorthanded Success
Minnesota's seven shorthanded goals this season are the most by the program since the Gophers combined for seven shorthanded tallies during the 2011-12 season. Junior captain Justin Kloos has four shorthanded goals on the year, ranking first in the Big Ten and tied for second nationally. Kloos' four shorthanded strikes are the most by a Gopher since Nate Condon had four (also in 2011-12) while the Minnesota single-season record stands at five (Peter Hankinson in 1989-90, Steve Griffith in 1982-83).
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).
Building Towards the Finish
After recording losing records in the first two months of the season (2-3-0 in October, 2-4-0 in November), the Maroon & Gold have turned the tables over the last three months with three-straight months of winning records (3-1-0 in December, 6-4-0 in January, 4-2-0 in February).
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 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.
18 Gophers on NHL Rosters
Gopher Hockey has featured 18 NHL alums this season with Nick Bjugstad (Florida Panthers), Alex Goligoski (Dallas Stars), Erik Haula (Minnesota Wild), Seth Helgeson (New Jersey Devils), 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), Kyle Rau (Florida Panthers), 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.
