University of Minnesota Athletics
Friday, October 8
3M Arena at Mariucci
7:00 PM
University of Minnesota
vs
Mercyhurst
Players Mentioned
Goaltender
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Defense
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Defense
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's HockeyDefense
/ Men's Hockey
Defense
/ Men's Hockey
Goaltender
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's HockeyForward
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
'U' to Host Mercyhurst for Opening Series
10/5/2021 11:58:00 AM | Men's Hockey
MINNEAPOLIS -- The 101st season of Gopher men's hockey finally gets underway this weekend as No. 4 Minnesota welcomes Mercyhurst to 3M Arena at Mariucci for the 2021-22 season-opening series. After last weekend's series with Alaska was unexpectedly postponed and rescheduled, this year's campaign opens on Friday, Oct. 8 at 7:00 p.m. CT (TV: Bally Sports North PLUS; Radio: 1130 KTLK-AM/103.5 FM; Stream: B1G+) with the weekend finale set for Saturday, Oct. 9 at 5:00 p.m. CT (TV: Bally Sports North; Radio: 1130 KTLK-AM/103.5 FM; Stream: B1G+).
GOPHERS EXTEND MOTZKO THROUGH 2025-26
The University of Minnesota has agreed to a three-year contract extension with Gopher men's hockey head coach Bob Motzko that will keep Motzko with the Maroon & Gold through the 2025-26 season. The agreement is subject to Board of Regents approval. A native of Austin, Minn., Motzko enters his fourth season with the Gophers in 2021-22 and holds a 58-37-11 record since taking over the program in 2018. In 16 seasons as a Division I head coach, the 2020 Big Ten Coach of the Year and five-time conference coach of the year owns a 334-229-60 record after 13 seasons at St. Cloud State.
PRESEASON BIG TEN PROSPECTUS
The Gophers landed on the top spot of the 2021-22 Big Ten Hockey Coaches' Poll earlier this season ahead of Michigan, Wisconsin, Notre Dame, Penn State, Michigan State and Ohio State. In the eight-year history of the Big Ten Conference, the Gophers have claimed a league-high four regular-season conference championships as well as two Big Ten tournament titles including last year's thrilling playoff run by the Maroon & Gold. Minnesota also led the Big Ten with six individuals on the 2021-22 Preseason All-Big Ten Hockey Teams, headlined by four players earning First Team honors. The Gophers were represented in the preseason honor roll by Jackson LaCombe (First Team), Jack LaFontaine (First Team), Ben Meyers (First Team), Sammy Walker (First Team), Brock Faber (Second Team) and Ryan Johnson (Second Team). Mike Koster also earned honorable mention honors on behalf of the Maroon & Gold.
AGAINST THE LAKERS
Minnesota and Mercyhurst have met three times previously in a series history that dates back to 2003. The Gophers are 3-0-0 all-time against the Lakers with all three games taking place at 3M Arena at Mariucci. This will be the first two-game series between the two teams after three tournament matchups (a 9-2 win in the 2003 NCAA West Regional semifinal, a 6-0 win in the 2013 Ice Breaker Tournament semifinal and a 5-1 win in the 2016-17 Mariucci Classic) -- Minnesota went on to win all three tournaments including advancing out of the 2003 NCAA West Regional and eventually winning the 2003 NCAA title. The Maroon & Gold have outscored Mercyhurst 20-3 in the series' three-game history.
WEARING THE 'C'
The 101st season of Gopher Hockey will see three familiar faces and college hockey veterans leading the 'U' as Sammy Walker, Jack LaFontaine and Ben Meyers have been named team captains for the 2021-22 season. Walker will enter his senior season wearing a "C" for the third-straight season for the Maroon & Gold while LaFontaine and Meyers have been elevated to share the honors after serving as alternate captains during the 2020-21 campaign. With all three players returning to the Minnesota leadership group, Gopher Hockey has now featured 175 captains dating back to the school's first season of play in 1921-22 when Chet Bros led the Maroon & Gold as team captain.
JACK IS BACK
Mike Richter Award winner and Hobey Baker Award finalist Jack LaFontaine returns to the Gophers for his fifth season of college hockey in 2021-22. A First Team All-American and First Team All-Big Ten selection, LaFontaine was also named the Big Ten Goaltender of the Year. The Carolina Hurricane prospect set new school records and was among the NCAA leaders with a .934 save percentage and a 1.79 GAA while he led the nation with 22 wins. Off the ice, LaFontaine was named a recipient of the Big Ten Medal of Honor and was the only Division I men's hockey player to earn CoSIDA First Team Academic All-America honors.
NEW TO SCHOOL
Minnesota's veteran lineup will be bolstered by seven newcomers this season with six freshmen and one transfer. Among the freshmen are goaltender Brennan Boynton (Champlin, Minn.) forward Tristan Broz (Bloomington, Minn.), forward Aaron Huglen (Roseau, Minn.), forward Matthew Knies (Phoenix, Ariz.), forward Chaz Lucius (Grant, Minn.) and forward Rhett Pitlick (Plymouth, Minn.). Forward Grant Cruikshank (Delafield, Wis.) also joins the Gophers as a senior after three seasons at Colorado College.
IN THE NHL DRAFT
Fifteen of Minnesota's 26 players on the 2021-22 roster have been selected in the NHL Entry Draft including five newcomers -- Chaz Lucius (2021), Matthew Knies (2021), Tristan Broz (2021), Aaron Huglen (2019) and Rhett Pitlick (2019). Lucius is the 22nd Gopher Hockey prospect selected in the first round (18th overall by Winnipeg), joining 2019 first rounder Ryan Johnson on this year's roster for Minnesota. Meanwhile, Knies and Broz were selected with back-to-back picks in the second round this year.
GOPHER HOCKEY NOTES
Minnesota's 29 alums at NHL training camps rank second in college hockey while the Gophers tied for the most NHL alumni last season with 22 (Minnesota's 115 all-time NHL alums lead all NCAA programs... Gopher Hockey alum Paul Holmgren will be enshrined into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2021. Holmgren is the 18th U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame honoree with ties to Gopher men's hockey...Four Gophers (Brock Faber, Matthew Knies, Chaz Lucius, Tristan Broz) will look to represent the University of Minnesota and the United States at the IIHF World Junior Championships this year. Faber is an return invite to the team after helping the U.S. to a gold medal last year along with fellow Gopher defensemen Jackson LaCombe and Ryan Johnson.
LOOKING BACK AT LAST YEAR
The 100th season of Gopher Hockey certainly was a memorable one as Minnesota won an NCAA-best 24 games in 2020-21. The Gophers won three thrilling games to capture the Big Ten tournament title and returned to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2017 before picking up the program's first NCAA tournament win since 2014 at the NCAA West Regional. Minnesota started the year on a 10-0-0 run for the first time since 1939-40 and earned nine sweeps in 13 series during the regular-season. Nationally ranked all season long, the Gophers kept themselves in the top-five of both national polls since the beginning of December including the team's first No. 1 ranking in both polls since Nov. 11, 2014. Along with LaFontaine's national awards, the Gophers boasted a trio of All-Americans in LaFontaine (First Team), Sampo Ranta (First Team) and Jackson LaCombe (Second Team). LaFontaine and LaCombe returned to Minnesota's lineup this year while Ranta made his NHL debut with the Colorado Avalanche during the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs.
ALASKA SERIES UPDATE
The Gophers were scheduled to open the 2021-22 season last weekend before that series was rescheduled as mutually agreed upon by both teams due to health and safety concerns in the Alaska program. The Gophers will now host the Nanooks at 3M Arena at Mariucci on Jan. 14-15 – a previously scheduled bye weekend for both programs. All tickets originally issued for the men's hockey series will be valid for the rescheduled dates in January against Alaska. Saturday, Oct. 2 tickets will be valid on Friday, Jan. 14 and Sunday, Oct. 3 tickets will be valid on Saturday, Jan. 15. Additional details for the rescheduled series will be announced when finalized.
GOPHERS EXTEND MOTZKO THROUGH 2025-26
The University of Minnesota has agreed to a three-year contract extension with Gopher men's hockey head coach Bob Motzko that will keep Motzko with the Maroon & Gold through the 2025-26 season. The agreement is subject to Board of Regents approval. A native of Austin, Minn., Motzko enters his fourth season with the Gophers in 2021-22 and holds a 58-37-11 record since taking over the program in 2018. In 16 seasons as a Division I head coach, the 2020 Big Ten Coach of the Year and five-time conference coach of the year owns a 334-229-60 record after 13 seasons at St. Cloud State.
PRESEASON BIG TEN PROSPECTUS
The Gophers landed on the top spot of the 2021-22 Big Ten Hockey Coaches' Poll earlier this season ahead of Michigan, Wisconsin, Notre Dame, Penn State, Michigan State and Ohio State. In the eight-year history of the Big Ten Conference, the Gophers have claimed a league-high four regular-season conference championships as well as two Big Ten tournament titles including last year's thrilling playoff run by the Maroon & Gold. Minnesota also led the Big Ten with six individuals on the 2021-22 Preseason All-Big Ten Hockey Teams, headlined by four players earning First Team honors. The Gophers were represented in the preseason honor roll by Jackson LaCombe (First Team), Jack LaFontaine (First Team), Ben Meyers (First Team), Sammy Walker (First Team), Brock Faber (Second Team) and Ryan Johnson (Second Team). Mike Koster also earned honorable mention honors on behalf of the Maroon & Gold.
AGAINST THE LAKERS
Minnesota and Mercyhurst have met three times previously in a series history that dates back to 2003. The Gophers are 3-0-0 all-time against the Lakers with all three games taking place at 3M Arena at Mariucci. This will be the first two-game series between the two teams after three tournament matchups (a 9-2 win in the 2003 NCAA West Regional semifinal, a 6-0 win in the 2013 Ice Breaker Tournament semifinal and a 5-1 win in the 2016-17 Mariucci Classic) -- Minnesota went on to win all three tournaments including advancing out of the 2003 NCAA West Regional and eventually winning the 2003 NCAA title. The Maroon & Gold have outscored Mercyhurst 20-3 in the series' three-game history.
WEARING THE 'C'
The 101st season of Gopher Hockey will see three familiar faces and college hockey veterans leading the 'U' as Sammy Walker, Jack LaFontaine and Ben Meyers have been named team captains for the 2021-22 season. Walker will enter his senior season wearing a "C" for the third-straight season for the Maroon & Gold while LaFontaine and Meyers have been elevated to share the honors after serving as alternate captains during the 2020-21 campaign. With all three players returning to the Minnesota leadership group, Gopher Hockey has now featured 175 captains dating back to the school's first season of play in 1921-22 when Chet Bros led the Maroon & Gold as team captain.
JACK IS BACK
Mike Richter Award winner and Hobey Baker Award finalist Jack LaFontaine returns to the Gophers for his fifth season of college hockey in 2021-22. A First Team All-American and First Team All-Big Ten selection, LaFontaine was also named the Big Ten Goaltender of the Year. The Carolina Hurricane prospect set new school records and was among the NCAA leaders with a .934 save percentage and a 1.79 GAA while he led the nation with 22 wins. Off the ice, LaFontaine was named a recipient of the Big Ten Medal of Honor and was the only Division I men's hockey player to earn CoSIDA First Team Academic All-America honors.
NEW TO SCHOOL
Minnesota's veteran lineup will be bolstered by seven newcomers this season with six freshmen and one transfer. Among the freshmen are goaltender Brennan Boynton (Champlin, Minn.) forward Tristan Broz (Bloomington, Minn.), forward Aaron Huglen (Roseau, Minn.), forward Matthew Knies (Phoenix, Ariz.), forward Chaz Lucius (Grant, Minn.) and forward Rhett Pitlick (Plymouth, Minn.). Forward Grant Cruikshank (Delafield, Wis.) also joins the Gophers as a senior after three seasons at Colorado College.
IN THE NHL DRAFT
Fifteen of Minnesota's 26 players on the 2021-22 roster have been selected in the NHL Entry Draft including five newcomers -- Chaz Lucius (2021), Matthew Knies (2021), Tristan Broz (2021), Aaron Huglen (2019) and Rhett Pitlick (2019). Lucius is the 22nd Gopher Hockey prospect selected in the first round (18th overall by Winnipeg), joining 2019 first rounder Ryan Johnson on this year's roster for Minnesota. Meanwhile, Knies and Broz were selected with back-to-back picks in the second round this year.
GOPHER HOCKEY NOTES
Minnesota's 29 alums at NHL training camps rank second in college hockey while the Gophers tied for the most NHL alumni last season with 22 (Minnesota's 115 all-time NHL alums lead all NCAA programs... Gopher Hockey alum Paul Holmgren will be enshrined into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2021. Holmgren is the 18th U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame honoree with ties to Gopher men's hockey...Four Gophers (Brock Faber, Matthew Knies, Chaz Lucius, Tristan Broz) will look to represent the University of Minnesota and the United States at the IIHF World Junior Championships this year. Faber is an return invite to the team after helping the U.S. to a gold medal last year along with fellow Gopher defensemen Jackson LaCombe and Ryan Johnson.
LOOKING BACK AT LAST YEAR
The 100th season of Gopher Hockey certainly was a memorable one as Minnesota won an NCAA-best 24 games in 2020-21. The Gophers won three thrilling games to capture the Big Ten tournament title and returned to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2017 before picking up the program's first NCAA tournament win since 2014 at the NCAA West Regional. Minnesota started the year on a 10-0-0 run for the first time since 1939-40 and earned nine sweeps in 13 series during the regular-season. Nationally ranked all season long, the Gophers kept themselves in the top-five of both national polls since the beginning of December including the team's first No. 1 ranking in both polls since Nov. 11, 2014. Along with LaFontaine's national awards, the Gophers boasted a trio of All-Americans in LaFontaine (First Team), Sampo Ranta (First Team) and Jackson LaCombe (Second Team). LaFontaine and LaCombe returned to Minnesota's lineup this year while Ranta made his NHL debut with the Colorado Avalanche during the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs.
ALASKA SERIES UPDATE
The Gophers were scheduled to open the 2021-22 season last weekend before that series was rescheduled as mutually agreed upon by both teams due to health and safety concerns in the Alaska program. The Gophers will now host the Nanooks at 3M Arena at Mariucci on Jan. 14-15 – a previously scheduled bye weekend for both programs. All tickets originally issued for the men's hockey series will be valid for the rescheduled dates in January against Alaska. Saturday, Oct. 2 tickets will be valid on Friday, Jan. 14 and Sunday, Oct. 3 tickets will be valid on Saturday, Jan. 15. Additional details for the rescheduled series will be announced when finalized.
2025-26 Non-Conference Schedule
Monday, August 11
Herb Brooks Statue
Wednesday, August 06
Meet the Newcomers: Teddy Townsend
Friday, July 18
Meet The Newcomers: Jacob Rombach
Friday, July 11