University of Minnesota Athletics
Friday, February 7
7:00 PM
University of Minnesota
vs
Michigan State
Players Mentioned
Defense
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Defense
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Defense
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Photo by: Brad Rempel
Gophers Host Spartans in B1G Showdown
2/5/2020 6:34:00 PM | Men's Hockey
MINNEAPOLIS -- The Gopher Hockey program continues the 99th season of Pride On Ice this weekend with a two-game Big Ten series against No. 19 Michigan State at 3M Arena at Mariucci. The action gets underway on Friday, Feb. 7 at 7:00 p.m. CT (TV: FOX Sports North PLUS; Stream: FOX Sports Go/TSN App; Radio: 1130 KTLK-AM/103.5 FM) before concluding on Saturday, Feb. 8 at 5:00 p.m. CT (TV: FOX Sports North PLUS; Stream: FOX Sports Go/TSN App; Radio: 1130 KTLK-AM/103.5 FM).
AGAINST THE SPARTANS
Minnesota owns a 119-49-16 all-time record against the Spartans entering this weekend after splitting a pair of games (1-4, 2-0) earlier this year in East Lansing. The Gophers are 64-17-8 against this weekend's opponents on home ice. The two teams play for the Mariucci-Bessone Trophy -- named after legendary coaches from both programs. Michigan State currently holds the trophy, which must be "won" with a better head-to-head record in the regular season. Sammy Walker leads all active Gophers with six points (two goals, four assists) in six career games against the Spartans.
GETTING HOT AT THE RIGHT TIME
The Gophers enter the weekend on a five-game winning streak -- the program's longest winning streak of the season and the longest winning streak since the end of the 2018-19 campaign. Minnesota has also won seven of its last eight games while the Maroon & Gold are unbeaten in eight of the last nine contests (7-1-1). The Gophers also own a four-game winning streak at 3M Arena at Mariucci.
GOPHERS SWEEP BIG TEN WEEKLY AWARDS
Following Minnesota's second-straight Big Ten week, Minnesota swept this week's Big Ten weekly awards with Sammy Walker earning First Star, Bryce Brodzinski taking Second Star and Brannon McManus taking Third Star (McManus was the NCAA and Big Ten First Star last week). The sweep of the weekly awards marks just the eighth time a Big Ten teams has taken home all three honors and the fifth time it has been done by the Gophers.
BIG LOGJAM IN THE BIG TEN
Entering the weekend, five Big Ten teams are separated by just one point at the top of the conference standings with Penn State and Ohio State tied for first at 29 and Minnesota, Michigan State and Notre Dame at 28 each. Michigan sits sixth in the league with 21 points while Wisconsin brings up the rear at 17 points. Important to note that Minnesota and Michigan State both have two games in hand on the rest of the Big Ten.
GOPHER HOCKEY NOTES & STATS
The Gophers have totaled 20 goals in their last four games and have recorded their highest offensive output (six goals) of the season twice in the last three games...Half of Ben Brinkman's 10 career points have come against Michigan State as the sophomore defenseman has tallied five assists against the Spartans...Sampo Ranta has recorded three multi-point performances in the last four games and has now set new career highs with 10 goals and 17 points this season (Minnesota is 4-0-0 this season and 6-0-0 all-time when Ranta tallies multiple points in a game)...Bryce Brodzinski has tallied a point and a goal in three-straight games for the Gophers (four goals in that stretch) -- both are career longs for the freshman...Ben Meyers is also riding a career-long point streak at five games with eight points (three goals, five assists) over that stretch....Sammy Walker tallied both game-winning goals for the Gophers last weekend and now has points in nine of the last 11 games...Scott Reedy has points in six of his last seven appearances...the Gophers improved to 8-2-1 in the last 11 games at the Kohl Center...Jared Moe saw his shutout streak ended on Saturday night after 136 minutes and 50 seconds without allowing a goal dating back to Jan. 10 at Michigan State.
WOOGER JERSEYS UP FOR AUCTION
The Gophers celebrated Doug Woog Night on Jan. 25 as the Maroon & Gold honored the late Gopher Hockey All-American captain and former head coach with a sweep over Ohio State. Minnesota is auctioning its gold "Wooger" jerseys online at auctions.gophersports.com until Wednesday, Feb. 5 at 6:00 p.m. CT. The auction benefits the Doug Woog Endowed Scholarship. The Gophers are 2-0-0 in the Wooger jerseys after debuting them at the Mariucci Classic earlier this season.
MOTZKO HITS MILESTONE
Bob Motzko earned his 300th career win on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2019 (306-218-56 including a 30-26-7 mark with the Gophers). Motzko is the third head coach with ties to Gopher Hockey to reach the 300-win mark, joining his predecessors in Don Lucia (736 career wins, 457 at Minnesota) and Doug Woog (388 career wins, all at Minnesota).
RANTA/FINLAND FINISH FOURTH AT WJC
Sophomore Sampo Ranta helped Team Finland to a fourth-place showing at the World Junior Championship in Ostrava and Trince, Czech Republic. Ranta is the second Gopher to represent Finland at the tournament following Erik Haula in 2011 while Minnesota has been represented at the event in 41 of 44 tournaments dating back to the inaugural event in 1977.
TWO HIGH SCHOOL GREATS IN ONE CLASS
Two Gopher Hockey freshmen forwards may have flown under the radar compared to Mr. Hockey Award winners, NHL prospects and state champions, but both Jaxon Nelson and Ben Meyers rank among the top-10 all-time scorers in Minnesota high school hockey history. Nelson currently ranks fifth in state history with 290 career points while playing for Luverne High School, and Meyers currently ranks eighth in state history with 278 career points while playing for Delano High School. Nelson also holds the state high school record with 78 goals during the 2015-16 season.
NANNE, WALKER NAMED TEAM CAPTAINS
Senior defenseman Tyler Nanne and sophomore forward Sammy Walker have been voted to serve as team captains for the Gophers for the 2019-20 season. The pair are the 171st and 172nd players in University of Minnesota history to wear letters, dating back to the first season of play in 1921-22 when Chet Bros led the Maroon & Gold. Nanne, the first third-generation player in Pride on Ice history, is also the second Gophers captain in his family following his grandfather -- All-American Lou Nanne -- in 1962-63.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
The University of Minnesota will field both the youngest team in college hockey (average age of 20 years, 240 days) and the biggest team in college hockey (average weight of 193.89 pounds) this season. The Maroon & Gold will also be the eighth tallest team in college hockey this year (average height of 6-00.67). All statistics are as of Oct. 1, 2019.
FOLLOW THE GOPHERS ON TV
The University of Minnesota once again boasts college hockey's best television broadcast schedule with 31 of 34 regular-season games available in the Minnesota/Twin Cities market. FOX Sports North leads the way in Gopher Hockey coverage with 19 games scheduled to be broadcast on the network while the Big Ten Network will currently air 10 Minnesota contests in 2019-20. FOX9+ will pick up the Gophers' road game at Minnesota Duluth while NBC Sports will broadcast the series opener at Notre Dame. Visit GopherSports.com to view the complete and up-to-date Gopher Hockey schedule.
GOPHER HOCKEY SEASON NOTES
Fourteen Gophers on the 2019-20 roster have been drafted by NHL teams including 2019 first rounder and incoming freshman defenseman Ryan Johnson (31st overall by Buffalo). Johnson, whose father Craig also played for the Gophers before an NHL career, is the 21st Gopher Hockey prospect selected in the first round...freshman forward Bryce Brodzinski was also drafted in 2019, part of an eventful offseason that included being named the 2018-19 All-USA Boys Athlete of the Year and the 2019 Mr. Hockey Award. The 35th Mr. Hockey Award recipient, Brodzinski is the 24th Gopher Hockey prospect to win the honor...the University of Minnesota Board of Regents has approved a renovation project for 3M Arena at Mariucci with over 11,000 square feet of team space impacted including a state-of-the-art weight room, a new 'M' Club alumni room and a remodeled office suite. The project is anticipated to begin in late 2019...former Gopher Hockey assistant coach Jack Blatherwick was honored with the NHL's Lester Patrick Trophy for outstanding service to hockey in the U.S. on Dec. 12 as part of the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Celebration.
AGAINST THE SPARTANS
Minnesota owns a 119-49-16 all-time record against the Spartans entering this weekend after splitting a pair of games (1-4, 2-0) earlier this year in East Lansing. The Gophers are 64-17-8 against this weekend's opponents on home ice. The two teams play for the Mariucci-Bessone Trophy -- named after legendary coaches from both programs. Michigan State currently holds the trophy, which must be "won" with a better head-to-head record in the regular season. Sammy Walker leads all active Gophers with six points (two goals, four assists) in six career games against the Spartans.
GETTING HOT AT THE RIGHT TIME
The Gophers enter the weekend on a five-game winning streak -- the program's longest winning streak of the season and the longest winning streak since the end of the 2018-19 campaign. Minnesota has also won seven of its last eight games while the Maroon & Gold are unbeaten in eight of the last nine contests (7-1-1). The Gophers also own a four-game winning streak at 3M Arena at Mariucci.
GOPHERS SWEEP BIG TEN WEEKLY AWARDS
Following Minnesota's second-straight Big Ten week, Minnesota swept this week's Big Ten weekly awards with Sammy Walker earning First Star, Bryce Brodzinski taking Second Star and Brannon McManus taking Third Star (McManus was the NCAA and Big Ten First Star last week). The sweep of the weekly awards marks just the eighth time a Big Ten teams has taken home all three honors and the fifth time it has been done by the Gophers.
BIG LOGJAM IN THE BIG TEN
Entering the weekend, five Big Ten teams are separated by just one point at the top of the conference standings with Penn State and Ohio State tied for first at 29 and Minnesota, Michigan State and Notre Dame at 28 each. Michigan sits sixth in the league with 21 points while Wisconsin brings up the rear at 17 points. Important to note that Minnesota and Michigan State both have two games in hand on the rest of the Big Ten.
GOPHER HOCKEY NOTES & STATS
The Gophers have totaled 20 goals in their last four games and have recorded their highest offensive output (six goals) of the season twice in the last three games...Half of Ben Brinkman's 10 career points have come against Michigan State as the sophomore defenseman has tallied five assists against the Spartans...Sampo Ranta has recorded three multi-point performances in the last four games and has now set new career highs with 10 goals and 17 points this season (Minnesota is 4-0-0 this season and 6-0-0 all-time when Ranta tallies multiple points in a game)...Bryce Brodzinski has tallied a point and a goal in three-straight games for the Gophers (four goals in that stretch) -- both are career longs for the freshman...Ben Meyers is also riding a career-long point streak at five games with eight points (three goals, five assists) over that stretch....Sammy Walker tallied both game-winning goals for the Gophers last weekend and now has points in nine of the last 11 games...Scott Reedy has points in six of his last seven appearances...the Gophers improved to 8-2-1 in the last 11 games at the Kohl Center...Jared Moe saw his shutout streak ended on Saturday night after 136 minutes and 50 seconds without allowing a goal dating back to Jan. 10 at Michigan State.
WOOGER JERSEYS UP FOR AUCTION
The Gophers celebrated Doug Woog Night on Jan. 25 as the Maroon & Gold honored the late Gopher Hockey All-American captain and former head coach with a sweep over Ohio State. Minnesota is auctioning its gold "Wooger" jerseys online at auctions.gophersports.com until Wednesday, Feb. 5 at 6:00 p.m. CT. The auction benefits the Doug Woog Endowed Scholarship. The Gophers are 2-0-0 in the Wooger jerseys after debuting them at the Mariucci Classic earlier this season.
MOTZKO HITS MILESTONE
Bob Motzko earned his 300th career win on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2019 (306-218-56 including a 30-26-7 mark with the Gophers). Motzko is the third head coach with ties to Gopher Hockey to reach the 300-win mark, joining his predecessors in Don Lucia (736 career wins, 457 at Minnesota) and Doug Woog (388 career wins, all at Minnesota).
RANTA/FINLAND FINISH FOURTH AT WJC
Sophomore Sampo Ranta helped Team Finland to a fourth-place showing at the World Junior Championship in Ostrava and Trince, Czech Republic. Ranta is the second Gopher to represent Finland at the tournament following Erik Haula in 2011 while Minnesota has been represented at the event in 41 of 44 tournaments dating back to the inaugural event in 1977.
TWO HIGH SCHOOL GREATS IN ONE CLASS
Two Gopher Hockey freshmen forwards may have flown under the radar compared to Mr. Hockey Award winners, NHL prospects and state champions, but both Jaxon Nelson and Ben Meyers rank among the top-10 all-time scorers in Minnesota high school hockey history. Nelson currently ranks fifth in state history with 290 career points while playing for Luverne High School, and Meyers currently ranks eighth in state history with 278 career points while playing for Delano High School. Nelson also holds the state high school record with 78 goals during the 2015-16 season.
NANNE, WALKER NAMED TEAM CAPTAINS
Senior defenseman Tyler Nanne and sophomore forward Sammy Walker have been voted to serve as team captains for the Gophers for the 2019-20 season. The pair are the 171st and 172nd players in University of Minnesota history to wear letters, dating back to the first season of play in 1921-22 when Chet Bros led the Maroon & Gold. Nanne, the first third-generation player in Pride on Ice history, is also the second Gophers captain in his family following his grandfather -- All-American Lou Nanne -- in 1962-63.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
The University of Minnesota will field both the youngest team in college hockey (average age of 20 years, 240 days) and the biggest team in college hockey (average weight of 193.89 pounds) this season. The Maroon & Gold will also be the eighth tallest team in college hockey this year (average height of 6-00.67). All statistics are as of Oct. 1, 2019.
FOLLOW THE GOPHERS ON TV
The University of Minnesota once again boasts college hockey's best television broadcast schedule with 31 of 34 regular-season games available in the Minnesota/Twin Cities market. FOX Sports North leads the way in Gopher Hockey coverage with 19 games scheduled to be broadcast on the network while the Big Ten Network will currently air 10 Minnesota contests in 2019-20. FOX9+ will pick up the Gophers' road game at Minnesota Duluth while NBC Sports will broadcast the series opener at Notre Dame. Visit GopherSports.com to view the complete and up-to-date Gopher Hockey schedule.
GOPHER HOCKEY SEASON NOTES
Fourteen Gophers on the 2019-20 roster have been drafted by NHL teams including 2019 first rounder and incoming freshman defenseman Ryan Johnson (31st overall by Buffalo). Johnson, whose father Craig also played for the Gophers before an NHL career, is the 21st Gopher Hockey prospect selected in the first round...freshman forward Bryce Brodzinski was also drafted in 2019, part of an eventful offseason that included being named the 2018-19 All-USA Boys Athlete of the Year and the 2019 Mr. Hockey Award. The 35th Mr. Hockey Award recipient, Brodzinski is the 24th Gopher Hockey prospect to win the honor...the University of Minnesota Board of Regents has approved a renovation project for 3M Arena at Mariucci with over 11,000 square feet of team space impacted including a state-of-the-art weight room, a new 'M' Club alumni room and a remodeled office suite. The project is anticipated to begin in late 2019...former Gopher Hockey assistant coach Jack Blatherwick was honored with the NHL's Lester Patrick Trophy for outstanding service to hockey in the U.S. on Dec. 12 as part of the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Celebration.
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