University of Minnesota Athletics
Friday, January 14
3M Arena at Mariucci
6:00 PM
University of Minnesota
vs
Alaska
Players Mentioned
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Defense
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Defense
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ 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
Photo by: Brace Hemmelgarn
Gophers Host Nanooks This Weekend
1/13/2022 9:21:00 AM | Men's Hockey
Minnesota and Alaska have only met five times since first competing in 1937.
MINNEAPOLIS -- The No. 8 Gopher men's hockey program closes out the nonconference schedule this weekend as Alaska games to 3M Arena at Mariucci. Originally scheduled for the season opener before being postponed due to health and safety concerns with the Alaska program, this weekend's series opens on Friday, Jan. 14 at 6:05 p.m. CT (TV: Bally Sports North PLUS; Stream: B1G+/FOX Sports Go/TSN.ca/TSN App; Radio: 1130 KTLK-AM/103.5 FM) before the series finale on Saturday, Jan. 15 at 6:05 p.m. CT (TV: Bally Sports North PLUS; Stream: B1G+/FOX Sports Go/TSN.ca/TSN App; Radio: 1130 KTLK-AM/103.5 FM).
AGAINST THE NANOOKS
For a series that started in 1937, Minnesota and Alaska sure haven't seen much of either over the years. The Maroon & Gold hold a 3-1-1 record against this weekend's foes with the last meeting coming in a 6-3 win for the Gophers on Oct. 9, 2016 (game was played in Anchorage).
BIG START TO 2022 FOR MEYERS
Ben Meyers continued to have a terrific month of January as the junior captain was named a nominee for the Hobey Baker Award on Wednesday (fan voting for the award is now open and runs through March 6). On Tuesday, the forward was named Big Ten First Star of the Week after tallying five points (four goals, one assist) in Minnesota's sweep of Michigan State. Unofficially, Meyers tallied nine points (seven goals, two assists) in a seven-day stretch for the Gophers including two exhibition games. Minnesota's leading scorer with 23 points (nine goals, 14 assists), Meyers has four multi-point games in the last five regular-season games while also notching points in seven of the last eight contests and nine of the last 11 games.
WALKER WATCH
Senior captain Sammy Walker needs one point to become the 85th and newest member of the University of Minnesota's 100-Point Club (first since Rem Pitlick in 2018-19). Walker is Minnesota's active-leading career scorer with 99 points (42 goals, 57 assists) in 125 career games with the Maroon & Gold after scoring a goal on Friday night against the Spartans.
LAFONTAINE SIGNS WITH CAROLINA
Jack LaFontaine signed an entry-level contract with the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday, foregoing the remainder of his college eligibility. In 2020-21, LaFontaine won the Mike Richter Award and was a First Team All-American for the Maroon & Gold.
PRIDE ON ICE HISTORY
While the Gophers celebrated the program's 100th season in 2020-21, a number of notable milestones will actually occur during the 2021-22 season. First among them, Jan. 9, 2022 marked 100 years since the University of Minnesota Board of Regents and the University Athletic Board of Control officially granted men's hockey varsity status (Jan. 9, 1922). Meanwhile, Minnesota's first varsity hockey game will celebrate the century mark on Jan. 17, 2022 (a 2-1 loss to Hamline before a string of five-straight wins -- four of them coming against Wisconsin).
'U' RETURNS THREE FROM WJC
Minnesota's three representatives on the U.S. National Junior Team (Brock Faber, Matthew Knies, Chaz Lucius) have returned to the Gophers lineup after the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship was ended prematurely due to public health concerns. Gopher Hockey has a proud history at the World Junior Championship with the University of Minnesota being represented at 43 of the 46 events dating back to the inaugural tournament in 1977. Faber was one of six returning players from last year's gold medal-winning U.S. squad that also included fellow Gopher defensemen Ryan Johnson and Jackson LaCombe.
NHL UPDATE: KESSEL SETS 'U' SCORING RECORD
Earlier this year, Phil Kessel set a new NHL record for University of Minnesota alums when he surpassed Neal Broten as the program's all-time leading NHL scorer. A four-assist night for Kessel with the Arizona Coyotes pushed the forward past Broten's 923 points, which had stood as the 'U' record for more than two decades. A two-time Stanley Cup champion, Kessel now holds school records for NHL regular-season games played (1,156), NHL regular-season points (927) and NHL regular-season goals (396). His active 934-consecutive NHL games played is the third longest streak in NHL history. Minnesota leads all NCAA programs with 117 all-time NHL alums including 23 already this season.
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. A native of Austin, Minn., Motzko is in his fourth season with the Gophers and holds a 70-45-11 record since taking over the program in 2018. In 17 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 346-237-60 record.
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.
WEARING THE 'C'
The 101st season of Gopher Hockey will see two familiar faces and college hockey veterans leading the 'U' as Sammy Walker 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 Meyers was elevated to share the honor after serving as alternate captains during the 2020-21 campaign. With all both 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 LaFontaine also served as a captain during his tenure with the team this year.
IN THE NHL DRAFT
Fourteen of Minnesota's 25 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.
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).
AGAINST THE NANOOKS
For a series that started in 1937, Minnesota and Alaska sure haven't seen much of either over the years. The Maroon & Gold hold a 3-1-1 record against this weekend's foes with the last meeting coming in a 6-3 win for the Gophers on Oct. 9, 2016 (game was played in Anchorage).
BIG START TO 2022 FOR MEYERS
Ben Meyers continued to have a terrific month of January as the junior captain was named a nominee for the Hobey Baker Award on Wednesday (fan voting for the award is now open and runs through March 6). On Tuesday, the forward was named Big Ten First Star of the Week after tallying five points (four goals, one assist) in Minnesota's sweep of Michigan State. Unofficially, Meyers tallied nine points (seven goals, two assists) in a seven-day stretch for the Gophers including two exhibition games. Minnesota's leading scorer with 23 points (nine goals, 14 assists), Meyers has four multi-point games in the last five regular-season games while also notching points in seven of the last eight contests and nine of the last 11 games.
WALKER WATCH
Senior captain Sammy Walker needs one point to become the 85th and newest member of the University of Minnesota's 100-Point Club (first since Rem Pitlick in 2018-19). Walker is Minnesota's active-leading career scorer with 99 points (42 goals, 57 assists) in 125 career games with the Maroon & Gold after scoring a goal on Friday night against the Spartans.
LAFONTAINE SIGNS WITH CAROLINA
Jack LaFontaine signed an entry-level contract with the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday, foregoing the remainder of his college eligibility. In 2020-21, LaFontaine won the Mike Richter Award and was a First Team All-American for the Maroon & Gold.
PRIDE ON ICE HISTORY
While the Gophers celebrated the program's 100th season in 2020-21, a number of notable milestones will actually occur during the 2021-22 season. First among them, Jan. 9, 2022 marked 100 years since the University of Minnesota Board of Regents and the University Athletic Board of Control officially granted men's hockey varsity status (Jan. 9, 1922). Meanwhile, Minnesota's first varsity hockey game will celebrate the century mark on Jan. 17, 2022 (a 2-1 loss to Hamline before a string of five-straight wins -- four of them coming against Wisconsin).
'U' RETURNS THREE FROM WJC
Minnesota's three representatives on the U.S. National Junior Team (Brock Faber, Matthew Knies, Chaz Lucius) have returned to the Gophers lineup after the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship was ended prematurely due to public health concerns. Gopher Hockey has a proud history at the World Junior Championship with the University of Minnesota being represented at 43 of the 46 events dating back to the inaugural tournament in 1977. Faber was one of six returning players from last year's gold medal-winning U.S. squad that also included fellow Gopher defensemen Ryan Johnson and Jackson LaCombe.
NHL UPDATE: KESSEL SETS 'U' SCORING RECORD
Earlier this year, Phil Kessel set a new NHL record for University of Minnesota alums when he surpassed Neal Broten as the program's all-time leading NHL scorer. A four-assist night for Kessel with the Arizona Coyotes pushed the forward past Broten's 923 points, which had stood as the 'U' record for more than two decades. A two-time Stanley Cup champion, Kessel now holds school records for NHL regular-season games played (1,156), NHL regular-season points (927) and NHL regular-season goals (396). His active 934-consecutive NHL games played is the third longest streak in NHL history. Minnesota leads all NCAA programs with 117 all-time NHL alums including 23 already this season.
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. A native of Austin, Minn., Motzko is in his fourth season with the Gophers and holds a 70-45-11 record since taking over the program in 2018. In 17 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 346-237-60 record.
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.
WEARING THE 'C'
The 101st season of Gopher Hockey will see two familiar faces and college hockey veterans leading the 'U' as Sammy Walker 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 Meyers was elevated to share the honor after serving as alternate captains during the 2020-21 campaign. With all both 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 LaFontaine also served as a captain during his tenure with the team this year.
IN THE NHL DRAFT
Fourteen of Minnesota's 25 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.
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).
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