University of Minnesota Athletics
Saturday, March 14
University Park, PA
6:00 PM
University of Minnesota
at
Penn State
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Photo by: Kristin Ostrowski
Minnesota Heads to PSU for B1G Semifinal
3/10/2020 4:24:00 PM | Men's Hockey
MINNEAPOLIS -- The No. 18 Gopher Hockey program continues the 99th season of Pride on Ice this weekend with a Big Ten tournament semifinal matchup at No. 8/7 Penn State on Saturday, March 14. The single-game contest is scheduled for a 6:00 p.m. CT puck drop (TV: Big Ten Network; Stream: FOX Sports App; Radio: 1130 KTLK-AM/103.5 FM).
Ohio State hosts Michigan in the second semifinal of the 2020 Big Ten Men's Ice Hockey Tournament on Sunday, March 15 at 4:30 p.m. CT (TV: Big Ten Network) with the two advancing teams meeting in the championship game at the high seed on Saturday, March 21 (TV: Big Ten Network).
AGAINST THE NITTANY LIONS
Minnesota heads into this weekend's semifinal action with a 15-15-1 all-time record against Penn State in a series that began with the formation of the Big Ten Conference in 2013-14. Junior forward Scott Reedy leads all active Gophers with eight points (four goals, four assists) in 13 career games against the Nittany Lions. The Maroon & Gold are 0-3 against Penn State in Big Ten tournament play.
SETTING UP THE BIG TEN SEMIFINALS
The Gophers enter tonight's game with a 8-7 all-time record in Big Ten tournament play with the Maroon & Gold's recent conference playoff history highlighted by a 2015 Big Ten Men's Hockey Tournament playoff title at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. Minnesota advanced to the Big Ten semifinals for the second year in a row this season after winning last weekend's best-of-three quarterfinal series with Notre Dame at 3M Arena at Mariucci (0-1, 2-1, 3-2). The Nittany Lions earned a quarterfinal bye after finishing first in the conference.
LOOKING BACK AT THE QUARTERFINALS
After being shut out in the opening game of the Big Ten quarterfinals, Minnesota bounced back with a win in the second contest behind goals from some unusual scorers. Senior defenseman Ryan Zuhsldorf scored his first goal of the season and fourth career goal, snapping a 43-game goal drought. After scoring goals in his first two games with Minnesota, Zuhlsdorf has now scored two goals in his last 145 games while the Gophers are 4-0-0 all-time when he tallies a goal. Additionally, junior forward Cullen Munson scored his second goal of the year and second career goal for his first career game-winning score. On Sunday, Ben Meyers recorded his first career multi-goal game with a pair of power-play tallies including the eventual game-winning goal as Minnesota notched its first game with multiple goals on the advantage since Dec. 6 (a span of 18 games). Sampo Ranta also scored for the Gophers while Scott Reedy picked up two assists to snap a seven-game point drought.
BETWEEN THE PIPES
Junior Jack LaFontaine (9-9-6) has made nine-straight starts in goal for the Maroon & Gold and has allowed two or fewer goals in five-straight appearances. LaFontaine's .919 save percentage entering the weekend would give the junior the seventh-highest save percentage for a single season in University of Minnesota men's hockey history.
MOTZKO HITS MILESTONE
Bob Motzko earned his 300th career win on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2019 (310-222-60 including a 34-30-11 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.
Ohio State hosts Michigan in the second semifinal of the 2020 Big Ten Men's Ice Hockey Tournament on Sunday, March 15 at 4:30 p.m. CT (TV: Big Ten Network) with the two advancing teams meeting in the championship game at the high seed on Saturday, March 21 (TV: Big Ten Network).
AGAINST THE NITTANY LIONS
Minnesota heads into this weekend's semifinal action with a 15-15-1 all-time record against Penn State in a series that began with the formation of the Big Ten Conference in 2013-14. Junior forward Scott Reedy leads all active Gophers with eight points (four goals, four assists) in 13 career games against the Nittany Lions. The Maroon & Gold are 0-3 against Penn State in Big Ten tournament play.
SETTING UP THE BIG TEN SEMIFINALS
The Gophers enter tonight's game with a 8-7 all-time record in Big Ten tournament play with the Maroon & Gold's recent conference playoff history highlighted by a 2015 Big Ten Men's Hockey Tournament playoff title at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. Minnesota advanced to the Big Ten semifinals for the second year in a row this season after winning last weekend's best-of-three quarterfinal series with Notre Dame at 3M Arena at Mariucci (0-1, 2-1, 3-2). The Nittany Lions earned a quarterfinal bye after finishing first in the conference.
LOOKING BACK AT THE QUARTERFINALS
After being shut out in the opening game of the Big Ten quarterfinals, Minnesota bounced back with a win in the second contest behind goals from some unusual scorers. Senior defenseman Ryan Zuhsldorf scored his first goal of the season and fourth career goal, snapping a 43-game goal drought. After scoring goals in his first two games with Minnesota, Zuhlsdorf has now scored two goals in his last 145 games while the Gophers are 4-0-0 all-time when he tallies a goal. Additionally, junior forward Cullen Munson scored his second goal of the year and second career goal for his first career game-winning score. On Sunday, Ben Meyers recorded his first career multi-goal game with a pair of power-play tallies including the eventual game-winning goal as Minnesota notched its first game with multiple goals on the advantage since Dec. 6 (a span of 18 games). Sampo Ranta also scored for the Gophers while Scott Reedy picked up two assists to snap a seven-game point drought.
BETWEEN THE PIPES
Junior Jack LaFontaine (9-9-6) has made nine-straight starts in goal for the Maroon & Gold and has allowed two or fewer goals in five-straight appearances. LaFontaine's .919 save percentage entering the weekend would give the junior the seventh-highest save percentage for a single season in University of Minnesota men's hockey history.
MOTZKO HITS MILESTONE
Bob Motzko earned his 300th career win on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2019 (310-222-60 including a 34-30-11 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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