University of Minnesota Athletics
Friday, March 1
3M Arena at Mariucci
7:00 PM
University of Minnesota
vs
Arizona State University
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Photo by: Brad Rempel
Gophers Close Out Regular Season with ASU
2/28/2019 11:04:00 AM | Men's Hockey
MINNEAPOLIS -- The Gopher Hockey program closes out the 2018-19 regular season with a nonconference series against No. 11/12 Arizona State this weekend at 3M Arena at Mariucci. The first series between the two programs opens on Friday, March 1 (FOX Sports North) with the series finale coming on Saturday, March 2 (FOX Sports North PLUS). Both games are slated for 7:00 p.m. CT puck drops.
Against Arizona State
Minnesota and Arizona State will meet for the first series in history between the two teams this weekend. With the Gophers hosting the Sun Devils, the Maroon & Gold will have played 58 of 60 active NCAA programs with American International and Bentley being the exceptions. Minnesota has won its last four "first-ever" games with a new opponent, doing so against Robert Morris (7-3 win on March 29, 2014), Penn State (3-2 win on Jan. 12, 2014), Canisius (1-0 win on Oct. 28, 2012) and Sacred Heart (9-0 win on Oct. 7, 2011). The Gophers also won their second-ever games against Penn State and Sacred Heart to complete the sweeps while Robert Morris and Canisius were both single-game meetings.Â
Gophers Clinch Home Ice for QuarterfinalsÂ
Last weekend saw the Gophers split a Big Ten series with Notre Dame at 3M Arena at Mariucci with the Maroon & Gold learning after Saturday's win that the 'U' had locked up home ice for the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals next weekend. The Gophers can finish anywhere between second and fourth with the final bracket, as well as broadcast info, becoming available after the rest of the conference completes the Big Ten schedule this weekend.Â
Robson Named Big Ten Third Star
Junior goaltender Mat Robson was named the Big Ten Third Star of the Week after leading the Big Ten with a .931 save percentage (54 saves on 58 shots) and a goals against average of 2.02 over the weekend. The junior made 28 saves on 31 shots in Friday's opener before adding 26 saves on 27 shots in the series finale on Saturday. In four games against the Irish this season, Robson owns a 3-1-0 record, a .965 save percentage and a goals against average of 1.51 – the netminder has allowed one goal against in three of the four contests.Â
The Pitlick Production
After his career-long 13-game point streak came to an end last Friday, junior forward Rem Pitlick bounced back with an assist in Saturday's 2-1 win over the Irish as the Hobey Baker Award nominee has still not been held off the score sheet in back-to-back games this season. Friday's game was just the second time in the last 24 contests that that the Nashville Predators prospect has not tallied a point. Pitlick became the 84th Gopher Hockey player to record 100 career points in February and has found the scoresheet in 27 of Minnesota's 33 games this year. Pitlick leads Minnesota and is tied for the Big Ten lead with 17 goals (tied 8th in the nation) while his 38 points are tied for ninth in the nation -- both statistics are single-season career highs for the junior.
Gophers to Honor Senior Class on Saturday
The Maroon & Gold will celebrate its nine-member senior class on Saturday in the regular-season finale at 3M Arena at Mariucci. Minnesota will honor seniors Brock Kautz, Jack Sadek, Brent Gates Jr., Jack Ramsey, Tommy Novak, Tyler Sheehy, Ryan Norman, Darian Romanko and Eric Schierhorn. As a class, the seniors have won two Big Ten regular-season championships and are 76-61-9 in their four seasons at the 'U'.Â
Norman Set for Century Mark
Senior forward Ryan Norman enters the week with 99 career appearances for the Maroon & Gold with his next game standing as his 100th career appearance for the Gophers. Norman would be the 10th active Gopher to reach the milestone (joining seniors Tyler Sheehy, Jack Sadek, Brent Gates Jr., Jack Ramsey, Darian Romanko, Eric Schierhorn and Tommy Novak as well as juniors Rem Pitlick and Ryan Zuhlsdorf).Â
Gopher Hockey Notes & AnecdotesÂ
Senior defenseman Jack Sadek has points in three of the last four games and five of the last seven contests -- his 16 points this season are a career high...Brent Gates Jr. (26 points), Tyler Nanne (10 points) each need one more point to set a new single-season career high...Minnesota is 2-0-0 in games this season when the Gophers do not get a power-play opportunity including last Saturday's 2-1 win...Saturday's win was just the second time this season that Minnesota won when scoring two or fewer goals.
Sheehy Continues to Climb Record Book
Gopher Hockey senior captain Tyler Sheehy ranks second among active NCAA skaters with 144 points (55 goals, 89 assists) in 144 career games. The Hobey Baker Award nominee is now tied for 33rd all-time at Minnesota in scoring with Hobey Baker Award winner Jordan Leopold (Sheehy's next target is Trent Klatt at 146 points). The seniors 21 power-play points this year are tied for most in the NCAA.Â
Hobey Baker Fan VotingÂ
Rem Pitlick, Mat Robson and Tyler Sheehy will represent the Gophers on this year's Hobey Baker Award fan ballot with fan voting currently open for college hockey's top honor. Fans can vote online at HobeyBaker.com through Sunday, March 10. The Gophers have previously won four Hobey Baker Awards (Neal Broten, Robb Stauber, Brian Bonin and Jordan Leopold).
Gophers Honor 1979 Team with 3MAM RecordÂ
Saturday. Jan. 26, 2019 was a night to celebrate for two reasons including the 40th anniversary celebration of the University of Minnesota's 1979 national championship squad. With members of the team being honored throughout the game, the Gophers set a new 3M Arena at Mariucci attendance record at 10,686. The crowd topped a 14-year old facility record of 10,587 fans from another Border Battle matchup between Minnesota and Wisconsin on Nov. 6, 2004.
Schierhorn Nears School RecordÂ
Senior goaltender Eric Schierhorn (3-4-0) picked up his 12th career shutout earlier this season as the two-time Big Ten Goaltender of the Year claimed sole possession of third all-time at Minnesota (only Adam Wilcox and Kellen Briggs have more with 13 each). With a 58-45-4 career record, Schierhorn ranks sixth in school history in wins and fifth in saves at 2,699. Schierhorn has made 111 all-time appearances for the Maroon & Gold, fourth in program history behind only Adam Hauser (151), Kellen Briggs (132) and Adam Wilcox (115).Â
Minnesota Announces Captains for 2018-19
Four senior forwards will serve as leads for the University of Minnesota during the 2018-19 campaign with Tyler Sheehy and Brent Gates Jr. acting as captains for the Maroon & Gold while Jack Ramsey and Darian Romanko will act as assistant captains. Sheehy returns after serving as team captain as a junior last year while Gates, Ramsey and Romanko will wear letters for the first time as seniors. The four skaters continue a long tradition of Gopher Hockey captains dating back to the program's first season of play in 1921-22 when Chet Bros led the Maroon & Gold. Counting the new additions, 170 Gophers have worn a letter at the University of Minnesota in the program's 97-year history.
Gophers in the NHL DraftÂ
Thirteen current Gophers have had their names called at the NHL Entry Draft including newcomers Robbie Stucker (2017, Columbus, Seventh Round, 210th), Sammy Walker (2017, Tampa Bay, Seventh Round, 200th), Blake McLaughlin (2018, Anaheim, Third Round, 79th) and Sampo Ranta (2018, Colorado, Third Round, 78th). Ranta and McLaughlin were selected with back-to-back picks in 2018 -- the sixth time in Gophers history that has happened. Ten NHL teams have prospects on the Gopher Hockey roster this year with Anaheim, Tampa Bay and Nashville each listing two draftees with Minnesota.Â
Mr. Hockey Goes to Minnesota
Incoming Gophers freshman Sammy Walker closed out his prep career by leading Edina High School to a third-place finish at the 2018 MSHSL Class AA State Tournament, earning all-tournament honors along with Star Tribune Metro Player of the Year accolades. Walker was also 34th recipient of the annual Mr. Hockey Award, given to the top senior high school boy's hockey player in the state of Minnesota. Of the 34 honorees in the award's history, 23 have gone on to play college hockey at the University of Minnesota.Â
Success in the Classroom
The spring semester started last month (Jan. 22) at Minnesota, but the fall semester was unforgettable as the Gophers recorded the highest semester GPA in program history at 3.41 and the highest cumulative GPA in program history at 3.22. As an athletic department, Minnesota followed suit with school records of 3.25 cumulative GPA and a 3.25 semester GPA.Â
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Against Arizona State
Minnesota and Arizona State will meet for the first series in history between the two teams this weekend. With the Gophers hosting the Sun Devils, the Maroon & Gold will have played 58 of 60 active NCAA programs with American International and Bentley being the exceptions. Minnesota has won its last four "first-ever" games with a new opponent, doing so against Robert Morris (7-3 win on March 29, 2014), Penn State (3-2 win on Jan. 12, 2014), Canisius (1-0 win on Oct. 28, 2012) and Sacred Heart (9-0 win on Oct. 7, 2011). The Gophers also won their second-ever games against Penn State and Sacred Heart to complete the sweeps while Robert Morris and Canisius were both single-game meetings.Â
Gophers Clinch Home Ice for QuarterfinalsÂ
Last weekend saw the Gophers split a Big Ten series with Notre Dame at 3M Arena at Mariucci with the Maroon & Gold learning after Saturday's win that the 'U' had locked up home ice for the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals next weekend. The Gophers can finish anywhere between second and fourth with the final bracket, as well as broadcast info, becoming available after the rest of the conference completes the Big Ten schedule this weekend.Â
Robson Named Big Ten Third Star
Junior goaltender Mat Robson was named the Big Ten Third Star of the Week after leading the Big Ten with a .931 save percentage (54 saves on 58 shots) and a goals against average of 2.02 over the weekend. The junior made 28 saves on 31 shots in Friday's opener before adding 26 saves on 27 shots in the series finale on Saturday. In four games against the Irish this season, Robson owns a 3-1-0 record, a .965 save percentage and a goals against average of 1.51 – the netminder has allowed one goal against in three of the four contests.Â
The Pitlick Production
After his career-long 13-game point streak came to an end last Friday, junior forward Rem Pitlick bounced back with an assist in Saturday's 2-1 win over the Irish as the Hobey Baker Award nominee has still not been held off the score sheet in back-to-back games this season. Friday's game was just the second time in the last 24 contests that that the Nashville Predators prospect has not tallied a point. Pitlick became the 84th Gopher Hockey player to record 100 career points in February and has found the scoresheet in 27 of Minnesota's 33 games this year. Pitlick leads Minnesota and is tied for the Big Ten lead with 17 goals (tied 8th in the nation) while his 38 points are tied for ninth in the nation -- both statistics are single-season career highs for the junior.
Gophers to Honor Senior Class on Saturday
The Maroon & Gold will celebrate its nine-member senior class on Saturday in the regular-season finale at 3M Arena at Mariucci. Minnesota will honor seniors Brock Kautz, Jack Sadek, Brent Gates Jr., Jack Ramsey, Tommy Novak, Tyler Sheehy, Ryan Norman, Darian Romanko and Eric Schierhorn. As a class, the seniors have won two Big Ten regular-season championships and are 76-61-9 in their four seasons at the 'U'.Â
Norman Set for Century Mark
Senior forward Ryan Norman enters the week with 99 career appearances for the Maroon & Gold with his next game standing as his 100th career appearance for the Gophers. Norman would be the 10th active Gopher to reach the milestone (joining seniors Tyler Sheehy, Jack Sadek, Brent Gates Jr., Jack Ramsey, Darian Romanko, Eric Schierhorn and Tommy Novak as well as juniors Rem Pitlick and Ryan Zuhlsdorf).Â
Gopher Hockey Notes & AnecdotesÂ
Senior defenseman Jack Sadek has points in three of the last four games and five of the last seven contests -- his 16 points this season are a career high...Brent Gates Jr. (26 points), Tyler Nanne (10 points) each need one more point to set a new single-season career high...Minnesota is 2-0-0 in games this season when the Gophers do not get a power-play opportunity including last Saturday's 2-1 win...Saturday's win was just the second time this season that Minnesota won when scoring two or fewer goals.
Sheehy Continues to Climb Record Book
Gopher Hockey senior captain Tyler Sheehy ranks second among active NCAA skaters with 144 points (55 goals, 89 assists) in 144 career games. The Hobey Baker Award nominee is now tied for 33rd all-time at Minnesota in scoring with Hobey Baker Award winner Jordan Leopold (Sheehy's next target is Trent Klatt at 146 points). The seniors 21 power-play points this year are tied for most in the NCAA.Â
Hobey Baker Fan VotingÂ
Rem Pitlick, Mat Robson and Tyler Sheehy will represent the Gophers on this year's Hobey Baker Award fan ballot with fan voting currently open for college hockey's top honor. Fans can vote online at HobeyBaker.com through Sunday, March 10. The Gophers have previously won four Hobey Baker Awards (Neal Broten, Robb Stauber, Brian Bonin and Jordan Leopold).
Gophers Honor 1979 Team with 3MAM RecordÂ
Saturday. Jan. 26, 2019 was a night to celebrate for two reasons including the 40th anniversary celebration of the University of Minnesota's 1979 national championship squad. With members of the team being honored throughout the game, the Gophers set a new 3M Arena at Mariucci attendance record at 10,686. The crowd topped a 14-year old facility record of 10,587 fans from another Border Battle matchup between Minnesota and Wisconsin on Nov. 6, 2004.
Schierhorn Nears School RecordÂ
Senior goaltender Eric Schierhorn (3-4-0) picked up his 12th career shutout earlier this season as the two-time Big Ten Goaltender of the Year claimed sole possession of third all-time at Minnesota (only Adam Wilcox and Kellen Briggs have more with 13 each). With a 58-45-4 career record, Schierhorn ranks sixth in school history in wins and fifth in saves at 2,699. Schierhorn has made 111 all-time appearances for the Maroon & Gold, fourth in program history behind only Adam Hauser (151), Kellen Briggs (132) and Adam Wilcox (115).Â
Minnesota Announces Captains for 2018-19
Four senior forwards will serve as leads for the University of Minnesota during the 2018-19 campaign with Tyler Sheehy and Brent Gates Jr. acting as captains for the Maroon & Gold while Jack Ramsey and Darian Romanko will act as assistant captains. Sheehy returns after serving as team captain as a junior last year while Gates, Ramsey and Romanko will wear letters for the first time as seniors. The four skaters continue a long tradition of Gopher Hockey captains dating back to the program's first season of play in 1921-22 when Chet Bros led the Maroon & Gold. Counting the new additions, 170 Gophers have worn a letter at the University of Minnesota in the program's 97-year history.
Gophers in the NHL DraftÂ
Thirteen current Gophers have had their names called at the NHL Entry Draft including newcomers Robbie Stucker (2017, Columbus, Seventh Round, 210th), Sammy Walker (2017, Tampa Bay, Seventh Round, 200th), Blake McLaughlin (2018, Anaheim, Third Round, 79th) and Sampo Ranta (2018, Colorado, Third Round, 78th). Ranta and McLaughlin were selected with back-to-back picks in 2018 -- the sixth time in Gophers history that has happened. Ten NHL teams have prospects on the Gopher Hockey roster this year with Anaheim, Tampa Bay and Nashville each listing two draftees with Minnesota.Â
Mr. Hockey Goes to Minnesota
Incoming Gophers freshman Sammy Walker closed out his prep career by leading Edina High School to a third-place finish at the 2018 MSHSL Class AA State Tournament, earning all-tournament honors along with Star Tribune Metro Player of the Year accolades. Walker was also 34th recipient of the annual Mr. Hockey Award, given to the top senior high school boy's hockey player in the state of Minnesota. Of the 34 honorees in the award's history, 23 have gone on to play college hockey at the University of Minnesota.Â
Success in the Classroom
The spring semester started last month (Jan. 22) at Minnesota, but the fall semester was unforgettable as the Gophers recorded the highest semester GPA in program history at 3.41 and the highest cumulative GPA in program history at 3.22. As an athletic department, Minnesota followed suit with school records of 3.25 cumulative GPA and a 3.25 semester GPA.Â
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Highlights: Gophers 2, MIchigan 3
Saturday, January 17
Highlights: Gophers 1, Michigan 5
Friday, January 16
Highlights: Gophers 2, Penn State 5
Saturday, January 10
Highlights: Gophers 0, Penn State 3
Friday, January 09