University of Minnesota Athletics
Saturday, November 20
3M Arena at Mariucci
8:00 PM
University of Minnesota
8-6-0, 5-3-0
4
vs
2
Penn State
7-6-0, 1-5-0
1
2
3
F
Penn St.
0
1
1
2
Minnesota
0
1
3
4
Photo by: Brace Hemmelgarn
Gophers Bounce Back Again in 4-2 Win
11/21/2021 12:16:00 AM | Men's Hockey
Sammy Walker's pair of goals pushed the Gophers to a win over Penn State.
MINNEAPOLIS – A pair of goals from senior captain Sammy Walker pushed the No. 7 Gopher men's hockey program to a 4-2 win over Penn State on Saturday night at 3M Arena at Mariucci.
Along with Walker's two tallies, Minnesota (8-6-0 overall, 5-3-0-0-1-0 Big Ten) picked up goals from Matthew Knies and Mason Nevers. Knies (one goal, one assist), Walker (two goals), Jackson LaCombe (two assists) and Ryan Johnson (two assists) led the Gophers in scoring.
After a scoreless first, Penn State (7-6-0, 1-5-0-0-0-0) jumped out to a lead in the second period with a goal from Jimmy Dowd Jr., only for Walker to answer back later in the period with his first of the night coming off an assist from LaCombe.
Knies gave the Gophers a lead of their own early in the third period with a power-play goal set up by Ben Meyers and LaCombe before it was Penn State's turn to rally with a game-tying goal from Kevin Wall.
The stalemate didn't last long as Nevers tallied the eventual game winner on another power play for the Gophers, this one set up by Brock Faber and Johnson. Walker added an empty netter to seal the win with his second of the night as Knies and Johnson picked up their second assists of the night on the goal.
Minnesota's penalty kill was a perfect 4-for-4 on Saturday night while the power play went 2-for-4. The Nittany Lions outshot the Gophers 37-29 on the night (the Maroon & Gold improved to 3-1-0 on the year when being outshot).
Jack LaFontaine picked up the win for the 'U' with a season-high 35 saves while Oskar Autio took the loss with 25 saves.
Coach's Comments
"We had a good battle tonight from start to finish," Minnesota head coach Bob Motzko said. "I thought we played a strong game the last half of the second period and the third period.
Noteworthy
With goals in four of the last five games, Knies has now tallied points in five-straight games with nine points (four goals, five assists) in that stretch….Walker now has 95 career points (41 goals, 54 assists) and needs five points to become the 85th member of Minnesota's 100-Point Club…Walker and Knies are now tied for the team goal scoring lead with seven tallies each…Gophers equipment manager Lee Greseth was recognized for working his 1,000th career regular-season game on Saturday night.
Up Next: North Dakota Road Trip
Up next for the Gophers is a nonconference road trip to North Dakota next weekend. The rivalry starts on Friday, Nov. 26 at 7:00 p.m. CT (TV: Midco/XFinity 999/Mediacom MC22; Stream: NCHC.tv; Radio: 1130 KTLK-AM/103.5 FM) with the finale set for Saturday, Nov. 27 at 6:00 p.m. CT (TV: Midco/XFinity 999/Mediacom MC22; Stream: NCHC.tv; Radio: 1130 KTLK-AM/103.5 FM).
Along with Walker's two tallies, Minnesota (8-6-0 overall, 5-3-0-0-1-0 Big Ten) picked up goals from Matthew Knies and Mason Nevers. Knies (one goal, one assist), Walker (two goals), Jackson LaCombe (two assists) and Ryan Johnson (two assists) led the Gophers in scoring.
After a scoreless first, Penn State (7-6-0, 1-5-0-0-0-0) jumped out to a lead in the second period with a goal from Jimmy Dowd Jr., only for Walker to answer back later in the period with his first of the night coming off an assist from LaCombe.
Knies gave the Gophers a lead of their own early in the third period with a power-play goal set up by Ben Meyers and LaCombe before it was Penn State's turn to rally with a game-tying goal from Kevin Wall.
The stalemate didn't last long as Nevers tallied the eventual game winner on another power play for the Gophers, this one set up by Brock Faber and Johnson. Walker added an empty netter to seal the win with his second of the night as Knies and Johnson picked up their second assists of the night on the goal.
Minnesota's penalty kill was a perfect 4-for-4 on Saturday night while the power play went 2-for-4. The Nittany Lions outshot the Gophers 37-29 on the night (the Maroon & Gold improved to 3-1-0 on the year when being outshot).
Jack LaFontaine picked up the win for the 'U' with a season-high 35 saves while Oskar Autio took the loss with 25 saves.
Coach's Comments
"We had a good battle tonight from start to finish," Minnesota head coach Bob Motzko said. "I thought we played a strong game the last half of the second period and the third period.
Noteworthy
With goals in four of the last five games, Knies has now tallied points in five-straight games with nine points (four goals, five assists) in that stretch….Walker now has 95 career points (41 goals, 54 assists) and needs five points to become the 85th member of Minnesota's 100-Point Club…Walker and Knies are now tied for the team goal scoring lead with seven tallies each…Gophers equipment manager Lee Greseth was recognized for working his 1,000th career regular-season game on Saturday night.
Up Next: North Dakota Road Trip
Up next for the Gophers is a nonconference road trip to North Dakota next weekend. The rivalry starts on Friday, Nov. 26 at 7:00 p.m. CT (TV: Midco/XFinity 999/Mediacom MC22; Stream: NCHC.tv; Radio: 1130 KTLK-AM/103.5 FM) with the finale set for Saturday, Nov. 27 at 6:00 p.m. CT (TV: Midco/XFinity 999/Mediacom MC22; Stream: NCHC.tv; Radio: 1130 KTLK-AM/103.5 FM).
Team Stats
PSU
MIN
Shots
37
29
PPG
0
2
SHG
0
0
Penalties
4
4
Penalty Mins
8
8
Faceoffs Won
34
36
Game Leaders
Skaters
+/-
1
Goals
2
Sh
2
A
0
+/-
0
Goals
1
Sh
6
A
1
+/-
1
Goals
0
Sh
4
A
2
+/-
0
Goals
0
Sh
2
A
2
Players Mentioned
Defense
/ Men's HockeyDefense
/ Men's HockeyForward
/ Men's HockeyDefense
/ Men's Hockey
Goaltender
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's HockeyForward
/ Men's Hockey2025-26 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