University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Sweep B1G Three Stars
1/3/2017 12:00:00 AM | Men's Hockey
MINNEAPOLIS (GopherSports.com) - The No. 9 Gopher Hockey program swept this week's Big Ten Three Stars honors following Minnesota's championship at the 26th annual Mariucci Classic this weekend.
Eric Schierhorn was named the Big Ten First Star of the Weeek, Justin Kloos was tabbed as the Big Ten Second Star of the Week and Brent Gates Jr. was honored as the Big Ten Third Star of the Week.
The trio led the Maroon & Gold to victories over Mercyhurst (5-1) and Massachusetts (4-1) as Minnesota (11-5-2 overall, 3-1-0-0 Big Ten) earned its 14th Mariucci Classic title and its first since 2012-13. The Gophers have now won four-straight games as well as six of the last seven.
A native of Anchorage, Alaska, Schierhorn led the Big Ten in saves (60), shots faced (62), save percentage (.968), wins (two) and goals against average (1.00) over the weekend. The defending Big Ten Goaltender of the Year moved to 11-5-2 on the year and added his 30th and 31st career victories with the Gophers. His 33 saves in the championship game tied for the second most the sophomore has made this season. Schierhorn also backstopped a penalty kill that went 12-for-12 on the weekend.
A native of Lakeville, Minn., Kloos was one of two Gophers (Mike Szmatula) to lead the Big Ten in scoring this week with four points (two shorthanded goals, two assists). The senior captain netted a shorthanded, empty-net goal in Friday's 5-1 win over Mercyhurst and then tallied three points in Saturday's championship game -- a 4-1 win over the Minutement. Kloos set up a pair of power-play goals in the win and added his second shorthanded tally of the weekend -- this one serving as the eventual game winner. The forward ranks tied for the national lead with three shorthanded goals this season while his seven career shorthanded goals are tied for most among active NCAA skaters. Kloos also leads all active Big Ten scorers and ranks third among active NCAA scorers with 129 points (54 goals, 75 assists) in 135 career games. Kloos' performance in the championship game marked his 36th career multi-point game (28-7-1).
A native of Grand Rapids, Mich., Gates single-handedly carried the Gophers to a 5-1 win over Mercyhurst on Friday as he tallied his first career hat trick and just the fourth hat trick in the 26 years of the Mariucci Classic. Including the eventual game winner, the Anaheim Ducks prospect also tallied his first career three-point game for the Gophers. With nine goals already this season, Gates has tripled his rookie goals total while his 10 points this season are also a career high for the sophomore forward.
The Maroon & Gold return to Big Ten action with a home series against Michigan, Jan. 13-14, at Mariucci Arena. Tickets for the 2016-17 season are available at MyGopherSports.com or by calling 1-800-U-Gopher.
-Pride on Ice-
