University of Minnesota Athletics
Saturday, October 22
7:00 PM
University of Minnesota
4-2-0
4
vs
5
North Dakota
3-2-1
1
2
3
OT 1
F
North Dakota
0
4
0
1
5
Minnesota
0
3
1
0
4
Team Stats
UND
MIN
Shots
20
41
PPG
3
1
SHG
0
0
Penalties
4
7
Penalty Mins
19
33
Faceoffs Won
29
29
Game Leaders
+/-
0
Goals
0
Sh
3
A
2
+/-
0
Goals
1
Sh
7
A
0
+/-
1
Goals
1
Sh
5
A
0
+/-
0
Goals
1
Sh
2
A
0
Players Mentioned
Defense
/ Men's HockeyForward
/ Men's HockeyForward
/ Men's HockeyDefense
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's HockeyForward
/ Men's Hockey
Photo by: Brace Hemmelgarn
No. 1 Gophers Fall in Intense, OT Battle Saturday
10/22/2022 11:15:00 PM | Men's Hockey
Top-10 showdown ends in series split
MINNEAPOLIS - It was a wild night of college hockey Saturday inside 3M Arena at Mariucci in a storied rivalry game that could not be scripted. After building a two-goal lead, the No. 1 Minnesota men's hockey team had to erase a two-goal deficit to No. 7 North Dakota forcing overtime, only to fall, 5-4.
It was all Maroon and Gold for the first half of the game, scoring the first two goals of the contest, but a four-minute stretch haunted the nation's top team in a combined, seven-goal second period. The Fighting Hawks scored four times, including three on the power play, for a 4-2 lead before the home side fought back to pull even down the stretch. Goals from freshmen Connor Kurth and Jimmy Snuggerud helped the Golden Gophers force the extra session for the second-consecutive night.
Minnesota came up with an early penalty kill and turned the momentum into a scoring chance as it held a 15-6 shot advantage through 20 minutes. The Maroon and Gold were able to sustain the forecheck and used a dominant shift from its top line generating a power play at the midpoint of the frame. As time was winding down, the Fighting Hawks were whistled for a major penalty for contact to the head creating a huge opportunity for the home side as the teams went scoreless into the locker room.
The Gophers wasted no time jumping out to the 1-0 lead as Matthew Knies scored on the extended power play 48 seconds into the second period, burying a rebound off Jackson LaCombe's shot from the point. The advantage doubled at the 8:51 mark as Rhett Pitlick whistled a shot past the UND goaltender from the slot. Momentum shifted in the blink of an eye two minutes later as the visitors converted two power-play chances in a span of 53 seconds and struck again nine seconds after the tying goal, taking a 3-2 lead.
Tension on the ice escalated as extracurricular activities took place after every whistle and culminated when the Gophers were assessed a match penalty with 7:11 remaining in the second period. UND added its fourth goal in a four-minute stretch, but Minnesota was not going away quietly as Kurth pounced on a rebound in the crease, pulling the home side within one with 35 seconds left on the clock.
The Maroon and Gold were not going to be denied during the third period as they controlled the opening minutes and peppered the UND cage with quality attempts. It was the freshman Snuggerud that made his mark on the rivalry as he spun around and blasted a short-range rebound as the Gophers struck for the equalizer 6:30 into the stanza. Ryan Johnson nearly put the home team in front, ringing a one-timer off the pipe forcing an icing and a timeout by the Fighting Hawks that brought the capacity crowd to its feet. Neither team was able to break the tie as the action headed into overtime for the second-straight night where UND was able to push the puck under the netminder's pad for the winning goal.
Noteworthy
Nine different players tallied at least one point for the Gophers, including four separate goal scorers ... LaCombe finished the night with two assists for his 17th-career outing with multiple points and extended his point streak to six games to start the year ... Minnesota was whistled for 33 total penalty minutes in the contest, 31 of which came in the second period ... The Gophers totaled a season-high 41 shots Saturday, more than double the UND total of 20 ... The announced attendance of 10,193 was the second-consecutive sellout at 3M Arena at Mariucci during the series.
Coach Motzko's Comments
"I give our guys credit because outside of that little window, our guys battled tonight," Minnesota head coach Bob Motzko said. "We played some good hockey. It was unfortunate that it turned out the way it did."
Next Up: Away vs. No. 16 Ohio State (Oct. 28)
Minnesota hits the road for its first series away from home when it battles the Buckeyes of Ohio State Oct. 28-29.
It was all Maroon and Gold for the first half of the game, scoring the first two goals of the contest, but a four-minute stretch haunted the nation's top team in a combined, seven-goal second period. The Fighting Hawks scored four times, including three on the power play, for a 4-2 lead before the home side fought back to pull even down the stretch. Goals from freshmen Connor Kurth and Jimmy Snuggerud helped the Golden Gophers force the extra session for the second-consecutive night.
Minnesota came up with an early penalty kill and turned the momentum into a scoring chance as it held a 15-6 shot advantage through 20 minutes. The Maroon and Gold were able to sustain the forecheck and used a dominant shift from its top line generating a power play at the midpoint of the frame. As time was winding down, the Fighting Hawks were whistled for a major penalty for contact to the head creating a huge opportunity for the home side as the teams went scoreless into the locker room.
The Gophers wasted no time jumping out to the 1-0 lead as Matthew Knies scored on the extended power play 48 seconds into the second period, burying a rebound off Jackson LaCombe's shot from the point. The advantage doubled at the 8:51 mark as Rhett Pitlick whistled a shot past the UND goaltender from the slot. Momentum shifted in the blink of an eye two minutes later as the visitors converted two power-play chances in a span of 53 seconds and struck again nine seconds after the tying goal, taking a 3-2 lead.
Tension on the ice escalated as extracurricular activities took place after every whistle and culminated when the Gophers were assessed a match penalty with 7:11 remaining in the second period. UND added its fourth goal in a four-minute stretch, but Minnesota was not going away quietly as Kurth pounced on a rebound in the crease, pulling the home side within one with 35 seconds left on the clock.
The Maroon and Gold were not going to be denied during the third period as they controlled the opening minutes and peppered the UND cage with quality attempts. It was the freshman Snuggerud that made his mark on the rivalry as he spun around and blasted a short-range rebound as the Gophers struck for the equalizer 6:30 into the stanza. Ryan Johnson nearly put the home team in front, ringing a one-timer off the pipe forcing an icing and a timeout by the Fighting Hawks that brought the capacity crowd to its feet. Neither team was able to break the tie as the action headed into overtime for the second-straight night where UND was able to push the puck under the netminder's pad for the winning goal.
Noteworthy
Nine different players tallied at least one point for the Gophers, including four separate goal scorers ... LaCombe finished the night with two assists for his 17th-career outing with multiple points and extended his point streak to six games to start the year ... Minnesota was whistled for 33 total penalty minutes in the contest, 31 of which came in the second period ... The Gophers totaled a season-high 41 shots Saturday, more than double the UND total of 20 ... The announced attendance of 10,193 was the second-consecutive sellout at 3M Arena at Mariucci during the series.
Coach Motzko's Comments
"I give our guys credit because outside of that little window, our guys battled tonight," Minnesota head coach Bob Motzko said. "We played some good hockey. It was unfortunate that it turned out the way it did."
Next Up: Away vs. No. 16 Ohio State (Oct. 28)
Minnesota hits the road for its first series away from home when it battles the Buckeyes of Ohio State Oct. 28-29.
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