University of Minnesota Athletics
Friday, October 28
Columbus, Ohio
5:30 PM
University of Minnesota
at
Ohio State
Players Mentioned
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Defense
/ Men's Hockey
Goaltender
/ Men's Hockey
Defense
/ Men's Hockey
Defense
/ Men's Hockey
Defense
/ Men's Hockey
Defense
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Gophers Take No. 1 Show on the Road to No. 11 Buckeyes
10/27/2022 11:00:00 AM | Men's Hockey
Big Ten title defense begins Friday
MINNEAPOLIS - After a series split in a top-10 battle at home last weekend, the Golden Gophers men's hockey team remains atop the national polls as the reigning conference champions head into their first Big Ten series at No. 11 Ohio State Oct. 28-29.
Minnesota plays its first road series of the year starting Friday at 5:30 p.m. (CT) and closes the action Saturday at 4 p.m. (CT) from Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio. Game one is set for a Big Ten Network broadcast, while Saturday's finale will be available via stream only on B1G+, while both games can be heard live on the Gopher Radio Network 103.5 FM / AM 1130.
ON TOP AGAIN
Minnesota moved up to the No. 1 spot in both the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine and DCU/USCHO.com national polls last week and stayed at the top after its split with North Dakota. It's the first time Minnesota has held the highest ranking in the nation since January 11, 2021, when it started the season 11-1 overall.
LOADED SCHEDULE
For the third-straight series, the Maroon and Gold will face off against a team ranked No. 11 or higher following a home-and-home split against No. 5 Minnesota State and a split on home ice versus No. 7 North Dakota. Minnesota now is set for a battle with No. 11 Ohio State, a team that has won all four home games and is already 2-0 in B1G action with a sweep of Wisconsin Oct. 7-8.
FEELING GOOD AT HOME
Minnesota won its first four games at home this season before falling in overtime Oct. 22 and have excelled on home ice inside 3M Arena at Mariucci of late winning nine of its last 11 games dating back to January. The Maroon and Gold have outscored its opponents by a 47-21 margin in that stretch, including three shutouts.
HATS OFF TO THEE
Thanks to his first four collegiate goals against No. 5 Minnesota State, three of which came on the same night, freshman Jimmy Snuggerud was named B1G First Star of the Week Oct. 10. He burst onto the scene Friday tallying the NCAA's first hat trick of the year, including the game winner, and added the opening goal on the road Saturday.
HISTORY WITH THE BUCKEYES
The Gophers hold a 38-9-5 record all-time when facing Ohio State, their best winning percentage against any Big Ten opponent. Minnesota also is 13-5-2 against the Buckeyes on the road, including a pair of wins last season, and are unbeaten in the previous five outings in Columbus, Ohio. Rhett Pitlick totaled a four-point weekend (two goals, two assists) at OSU a year ago earning B1G Second Star of the Week honors.
POWER-PLAY EFFICIENCY
Six games into the season, the Maroon and Gold have registered six power-play goals, burying two in each of the first two contests before adding one in the series opener with both Minnesota State and North Dakota for a 25 percent conversion rate. The game-winning goals in Minnesota's first two wins both came on the man advantage off the sticks of seniors Jaxon Nelson and Bryce Brodzinski.
CLOSE UP
Senior Justen Close put together a 16-save shutout in his first game of the year against Lindenwood and added nationally-ranked wins over No. 5 Minnesota State (Oct. 7) and No. 7 North Dakota (Oct. 21). After turning in one of the best seasons in Minnesota history a year ago with top-five marks for goals against average and save percentage in single-season history, Close has a 1.58 goals against average and a .924 save percentage in five outings this year.
OFFENSE FROM THE BLUE LINE
Knowing it could rely on its defensive corps as leaders on the team, that notion became even more evident Oct. 2 as the blue line accounted for eight of the team's 16 points in a 6-4 win over Lindenwood. Brock Faber and Mike Koster combined for five points and Ryan Chesley, Jackson LaCombe and Luke Mittelstadt each added an assist. The veteran-laden group scored two of the final three goals for the Maroon and Gold securing the come-from-behind win and now has combined for 25 points in six outings, including a team-best seven from LaCombe.
NHL HONORS
A pair of former Gophers recently reached impressive milestones in the National Hockey League as Phil Kessel played in the 990th-consecutive game of his career Oct. 25 setting the Iron Man record for most games played without missing a contest. The week before, Alex Goligoski stepped on the ice Oct. 20 at the Xcel Energy Center for his 1,000th career NHL game joining five former Minnesota athletes to hit the mark. The two have combined to win three Stanley Cups, all of which were with the Pittsburgh Penguins, across 33 NHL seasons.
LOCALLY SOURCED
Holding the moniker of the State of Hockey, Minnesota is known for its strong history of players that start skating on local ice sheets and backyard ponds. That has fed a deep pipeline of talent to colleges around the country, most importantly to the University of Minnesota. The Gophers' roster features a collection of 26 student-athletes, 20 of which were born and raised within the state lines. Even more impressive is the fact that 16 of the Minnesotans on the team are from within 40 miles of campus.
Minnesota plays its first road series of the year starting Friday at 5:30 p.m. (CT) and closes the action Saturday at 4 p.m. (CT) from Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio. Game one is set for a Big Ten Network broadcast, while Saturday's finale will be available via stream only on B1G+, while both games can be heard live on the Gopher Radio Network 103.5 FM / AM 1130.
ON TOP AGAIN
Minnesota moved up to the No. 1 spot in both the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine and DCU/USCHO.com national polls last week and stayed at the top after its split with North Dakota. It's the first time Minnesota has held the highest ranking in the nation since January 11, 2021, when it started the season 11-1 overall.
LOADED SCHEDULE
For the third-straight series, the Maroon and Gold will face off against a team ranked No. 11 or higher following a home-and-home split against No. 5 Minnesota State and a split on home ice versus No. 7 North Dakota. Minnesota now is set for a battle with No. 11 Ohio State, a team that has won all four home games and is already 2-0 in B1G action with a sweep of Wisconsin Oct. 7-8.
FEELING GOOD AT HOME
Minnesota won its first four games at home this season before falling in overtime Oct. 22 and have excelled on home ice inside 3M Arena at Mariucci of late winning nine of its last 11 games dating back to January. The Maroon and Gold have outscored its opponents by a 47-21 margin in that stretch, including three shutouts.
HATS OFF TO THEE
Thanks to his first four collegiate goals against No. 5 Minnesota State, three of which came on the same night, freshman Jimmy Snuggerud was named B1G First Star of the Week Oct. 10. He burst onto the scene Friday tallying the NCAA's first hat trick of the year, including the game winner, and added the opening goal on the road Saturday.
HISTORY WITH THE BUCKEYES
The Gophers hold a 38-9-5 record all-time when facing Ohio State, their best winning percentage against any Big Ten opponent. Minnesota also is 13-5-2 against the Buckeyes on the road, including a pair of wins last season, and are unbeaten in the previous five outings in Columbus, Ohio. Rhett Pitlick totaled a four-point weekend (two goals, two assists) at OSU a year ago earning B1G Second Star of the Week honors.
POWER-PLAY EFFICIENCY
Six games into the season, the Maroon and Gold have registered six power-play goals, burying two in each of the first two contests before adding one in the series opener with both Minnesota State and North Dakota for a 25 percent conversion rate. The game-winning goals in Minnesota's first two wins both came on the man advantage off the sticks of seniors Jaxon Nelson and Bryce Brodzinski.
CLOSE UP
Senior Justen Close put together a 16-save shutout in his first game of the year against Lindenwood and added nationally-ranked wins over No. 5 Minnesota State (Oct. 7) and No. 7 North Dakota (Oct. 21). After turning in one of the best seasons in Minnesota history a year ago with top-five marks for goals against average and save percentage in single-season history, Close has a 1.58 goals against average and a .924 save percentage in five outings this year.
OFFENSE FROM THE BLUE LINE
Knowing it could rely on its defensive corps as leaders on the team, that notion became even more evident Oct. 2 as the blue line accounted for eight of the team's 16 points in a 6-4 win over Lindenwood. Brock Faber and Mike Koster combined for five points and Ryan Chesley, Jackson LaCombe and Luke Mittelstadt each added an assist. The veteran-laden group scored two of the final three goals for the Maroon and Gold securing the come-from-behind win and now has combined for 25 points in six outings, including a team-best seven from LaCombe.
NHL HONORS
A pair of former Gophers recently reached impressive milestones in the National Hockey League as Phil Kessel played in the 990th-consecutive game of his career Oct. 25 setting the Iron Man record for most games played without missing a contest. The week before, Alex Goligoski stepped on the ice Oct. 20 at the Xcel Energy Center for his 1,000th career NHL game joining five former Minnesota athletes to hit the mark. The two have combined to win three Stanley Cups, all of which were with the Pittsburgh Penguins, across 33 NHL seasons.
LOCALLY SOURCED
Holding the moniker of the State of Hockey, Minnesota is known for its strong history of players that start skating on local ice sheets and backyard ponds. That has fed a deep pipeline of talent to colleges around the country, most importantly to the University of Minnesota. The Gophers' roster features a collection of 26 student-athletes, 20 of which were born and raised within the state lines. Even more impressive is the fact that 16 of the Minnesotans on the team are from within 40 miles of campus.
Cinematic Recap: Minnesota Sweeps Wisconsin
Wednesday, February 04
Brodie Ziemer Goal
Sunday, February 01
Highlights: Gophers 8, Wisconsin 4
Saturday, January 31
Highlights: Gophers 4, Wisconsin 1
Friday, January 30