Big Ten Tournament Ahead for 'U'

MINNEAPOLIS -- The 100th season of Gopher Hockey heads into the postseason this weekend as the No. 4/5 Minnesota men's hockey program takes on Michigan State in Big Ten quarterfinal action on Sunday, March 14 at 3:05 p.m. CT to open the 2021 Big Ten Men's Ice Hockey Tournament. The single-elimination tournament will be held at the Compton Family Ice Arena in Notre Dame, Ind., with play scheduled to stretch from Sunday, March 12-Tuesday, March 14. All tournament games will be televised on the Big Ten Network and streamed on the FOX Sports App while all Minnesota games will be available via radio on 1130 KTLK-AM/103.5 FM.

GOPHERS UP FOR ALL FIVE B1G AWARDS
The Big Ten Conference announced its individual awards finalists on Thursday with the Maroon & Gold in the running for all five honors. Jack LaFontaine is up for Big Ten Player of the Year and Big Ten Goaltender of the Year while Brock Faber is a finalist for Big Ten Freshman of the Year and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. Last year's Big Ten Coach of the Year, Bob Motzko is once again up for the accolade and has now been a finalist for the award in each of his three seasons with Minnesota.

LAFFER LEADS THE WAY
In addition to being a finalist for two Big Ten awards, Jack LaFontaine is a candidate for the Hobey Baker Award this year and has already been named a finalist for the Mike Richter Award along with being one of three Minnesota finalists for the Senior CLASS Award along with Brannon McManus and Scott Reedy. The alternate captain leads the nation in wins this season with an 18-6-0 record while his goals against average of 1.68 ranks second in the nation among goalies with at least 10 appearances. The senior also ranks second nationally with five shutouts this season along with a .935 save percentage that ranks fourth in the NCAA among goalies with at least 10 games. LaFontaine has now allowed two goals or fewer in 24 of his last 28 starts dating back to the end of the 2019-20 campaign.

REGULAR SEASON RETROSPECTIVE
The 100th season of Gopher Hockey has certainly been a memorable one as the Maroon & Gold wrapped up the regular season as the only team in the nation to win 20 games (20-6-0). Minnesota started the year on a 10-0-0 start for the first time since 1939-40 and earned nine sweeps in 13 series during the regular-season. The Gophers are an NCAA-best 9-1-0 (.900) on the road this season while the 'U' is the least penalized team in college hockey this year (6.4 penalty minutes per game). This season, Minnesota is among the best teams in the nation, ranking fourth nationally in scoring offense (3.81 goals per game), tied for fourth nationally in scoring defense (1.96 goals allowed per game) and eighth nationally in penalty kill (.864, 57-for-66). Nationally ranked all season long, the Gophers have 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.

IN THE BIG TEN TOURNAMENT
Now in its eighth season of competing in the Big Ten Conference for men's hockey, the University of Minnesota holds a 7-7 all-time record in the Big Ten Men's Ice Hockey Tournament and previously won the tournament in 2015 to secure the conference's automatic qualifier for the national tournament. Sunday's meeting with the Spartans will mark Minnesota's first time facing Michigan State in the Big Ten playoffs (Minnesota has played every team in the Big Ten in the conference tournament except for Michigan State and Wisconsin).

AGAINST THE SPARTANS
Minnesota holds a 124-5-16 all-time record against Michigan State after sweeping four regular-season games against the Spartans this season. The Gophers are 6-2-0 in neutral site competition against Michigan State. Scott Reedy is Minnesota's active leading scorer against Michigan State with 10 points (seven goals, three assists) in 16 games while Sammy Walker has 12 points (three goals, nine assists) in 12 games vs. the Spartans. Jack LaFontaine is 4-1-0 with Minnesota against Michigan State.

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE
The spring semester at the University of Minnesota is underway after the Gophers celebrated one of their best semesters in the (virtual) classroom during the fall. As a program, the Maroon & Gold set a new program record with a 3.35 cumulative grade point average as a team while men's hockey recorded a team term grade point average of 3.46 -- second in program history after last spring's 3.64. As a department, the University of Minnesota set a new school record with a 3.41 cumulative grade point average as the Gophers increased the statistic for the sixth-straight semester. Additionally, Cullen Munson, Mason Nevers, Sampo Ranta and Sam Rossini were named to the Dean's List for the fall semester.

GOPHERS HELP U.S. NATIONAL JUNIOR TEAM TO GOLD
Brock Faber, Ryan Johnson and Jackson LaCombe helped the U.S. National Junior Team earn a gold medal at the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship in Edmonton on Tuesday night. USA Hockey has now earned 13 medals at the World Junior Championship while this year's performance stands as the fifth gold medal in U.S. history (2004, 2010, 2013, 2017, 2021). This year's Maroon & Gold trio join Jordan Schroeder (2010), Mike Reilly (2013) and Ryan Lindgren (2017) as University of Minnesota products to win gold at the event as players. Gopher Hockey, which tied for the most representatives of any NCAA program on this year's U.S. squad, has a proud history at the IIHF World Junior Championship with the University of Minnesota being represented at 42 of the 45 events dating back to the inaugural tournament in 1977.

CELEBRATING 100 SEASONS OF PRIDE ON ICE
The 2020-21 campaign marks the 100th season of play for the University of Minnesota, dating back to the 1921-22 season. Since that first season, the Gophers have hoisted five national championship trophies (1974, 1976, 1979, 2002, 2003), celebrated four Hobey Baker Award winners (Neal Broten in 1981, Robb Stauber in 1988, Brian Bonin in 1996, Jordan Leopold in 2002) and earned a total of 65 All-America honors. The Maroon & Gold have produced over a hundred NHL players with 11 alums having their names engraved on the Stanley Cup while other Pride on Ice products have been part of some of the most iconic international hockey events in history including U.S. Olympic gold medals in 1960 and 1980. Throughout the season, the University of Minnesota will honor the people, the moments and the memories that define "Pride on Ice".

GOPHERS ANNOUNCE CENTURY SEASON CAPTAINS
Junior Sammy Walker will return to the Gophers lineup as team captain in 2020-21 while senior Brannon McManus, senior Jack LaFontaine and sophomore Ben Meyers will serve as alternate captains for the Maroon & Gold. The three newcomers to the leadership group are the 173rd, 174th and 175th 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 Gophers.

GOPHER HOCKEY SEASON NOTES
Fourteen members of the 2020-21 Gopher Hockey squad have been drafted by NHL teams including 2019 first round pick Ryan Johnson (31st overall to Buffalo)..senior Jack LaFontaine posted a .919 save percentage for the Gophers last year in his first season with the Maroon & Gold -- the statistic ranks seventh all-time in program history...the University of Minnesota will host the 2024 NCAA Frozen Four at Xcel Energy Center -- marking the ninth time the school has hosted the event and the fourth time the event was hosted at Xcel Energy Center...Todd Richards became the 11th Gopher Hockey alum to win the Stanley Cup after guiding the Tampa Bay Lightning to the 2020 title as an assistant coach...Gopher Hockey alum Dean Blais is among the inductees for the Class of 2020 to the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame...the Big Ten Conference enters its eighth season sponsoring men's hockey in 2020-21 with Minnesota claiming more regular-season titles (four) than every other conference opponent combined (three). The Gophers won the first four league titles in Big Ten history as part of an NCAA record six-straight regular-season conference championships.

MARTIN JOINS 'U' COACHING STAFF
All-American alum and 14-year NHL veteran Paul Martin will serve as an undergraduate assistant for the Gophers this year while completing his degree. The defenseman, who helped Minnesota to back-to-back national championships, went on to play in over 800 NHL games with the New Jersey Devils, the Pittsburgh Penguins and the San Jose Sharks and led his teams to the Stanley Cup playoffs in each of his 14 seasons.

MINNESOTA TABBED PRESEASON BIG TEN FAVORITES
The Gophers entered the season as the favorite to win the Big Ten this year ahead of Michigan in second, Notre Dame and Ohio State tied for third, Wisconsin in fifth, Michigan State in sixth and Penn State in seventh, as selected by conference coaches. Additionally, Sammy Walker was named Preseason All-Big Ten First Team while Brannon McManus and Jackson LaCombe were named Preseason All-Big Ten Second Team. Ben Meyers received honorable mention on the list.

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Players Mentioned

Brock Faber

Ryan Johnson

Jackson LaCombe

Jack LaFontaine

Ryan Lindgren

Brannon McManus

Ben Meyers

Cullen Munson

Mason Nevers

Sampo Ranta

Scott Reedy

Sam Rossini

Sammy Walker