University of Minnesota Athletics
Friday, November 25
Tempe, Ariz.
8:00 PM
University of Minnesota
at
Arizona State
Players Mentioned
Goaltender
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Goaltender
/ Men's Hockey
Defense
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Defense
/ Men's Hockey
Defense
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Photo by: Brace Hemmelgarn
Minnesota Travels South to Face Arizona State Nov. 25-26
11/23/2022 4:30:00 PM | Men's Hockey
First-ever trip to state of Arizona for Gophers
MINNEAPOLIS - For the first time in program history, Minnesota will travel to the state of Arizona for a men's hockey game as it faces Arizona State, a team receiving votes in the national polls, for a non-conference series Nov. 25-26 inside the brand new Mullett Arena.
Tune in for the call of both games beginning at 8 p.m. (CT) live on the Gopher Radio Network 103.5 FM / AM 1130, while video streaming coverage will be available for free via Pac-12 Insider.
STEADY AT TWO
Following a road sweep at No. 3 Michigan last week, Minnesota remained No. 2, the place where it started the season, in both the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine and DCU/USCHO.com national polls. The Maroon and Gold has spent three weeks at No. 1 and are the only team in the country to be ranked no lower than No. 3 at any point this season, while Denver maintained the top spot during its bye week.
HISTORICALLY DIFFICULT
When the Maroon and Gold faced off against No. 3 Michigan last week, it marked the sixth-consecutive series where Minnesota battled a team ranked in the top 12 of the national polls and it handled that challenge to the tune of an 8-4 record. The series against the Wolverines also was the fourth time the Gophers took on an opponent ranked No. 10 or better. Since the USCHO polls were introduced 22 years ago, this has been the most difficult Gophers' schedule to date, having played 12 of their first 14 games against teams that highly ranked.
HISTORY WITH THE SUN DEVILS
The Gophers are a perfect 6-0-0 against Arizona State dating back to the first meeting in 2019 will all the matchups coming at home. The 'U has outscored the Sun Devils 40-10 in the all-time series and are set to play in the state of Arizona for the first time in program history. The two teams played four games at 3M Arena at Mariucci during a three-week stretch back in January 2021 with the Gophers coming away victorious in each outing by a combined score of 30-7. Jackson LaCombe has the most points of any active Minnesota player versus ASU putting up five assists in two career outings.
KEEP IT ROLLING
Minnesota has won six of its last seven games to take over first place in the Big Ten Conference standings following its road sweep of No. 3 Michigan last week. The Gophers have averaged nearly four goals per game offensively and outscored their opposition by a 27-13 margin in that stretch. Eleven different players have provided the goal scoring, while 15 guys have tallied at least one point. The surge has led to the nation's fifth-best scoring margin (+1.43) and pushed the scoring offense to sixth in the NCAA (3.86 goals per game).
STAR FROM THE BLUE LINE
Thanks to his four-point series and first NCAA goal at Michigan, Luke Mittelstadt earned B1G First Star of the Week honors Nov. 22. The freshman had a career day Nov. 17 when he recorded assists on the opening two goals before adding the first goal of his collegiate career in the third period. He followed that up with another assist Nov. 18, again on the first goal of the night.
STEPPING IN TO SWEEP
With Justen Close unable to play due to illness, goaltender Owen Bartoszkiewicz stepped up and played a major role in the Gophers' sweep of the Wolverines. Now 3-0-0 this season, the Northville, Mich., native earned the first B1G starts of his career and backstopped the two wins. The netminder made 64 saves over the sweep with a .928 save percentage, including a career-high 35 saves in the series finale Nov. 18.
VETERANS TAKING CHARGE
The combined offense from the senior class helped Minnesota to its road sweep at Michigan as they combined for 11 points in the two games. Jackson LaCombe had a goal and three assists for four points, while Bryce Brodzinski and Jaxon Nelson each had three points. The trio all rank in the top four of the B1G leading scorers in conference play as they've found the offensive touch over the last month. Ryan Johnson chipped in an empty net goal rounding out the senior scoring in Ann Arbor.
WELCOME THE NEWEST GOPHERS
The Gophers are set to welcome four newcomers to the 2023-24 roster as Beckett Hendrickson (USNTDP), Oliver Moore (USNTDP), Sam Rinzel (Waterloo Black Hawks) and Max Rud (Sioux Falls Stampede) recently signed National Letters of Intent. All four of the incoming freshmen originally hail from the State of Hockey and played prep hockey in the state as the Maroon and Gold continue to bring in local talent.
SPECIAL TEAMS = SUCCESS
During its recent stretch of quality play winning six of seven games, Minnesota has used its special teams to create that success. The Gophers have scored seven power-play goals in their last seven outings and converted at a 23 percent rate. Five different players have scored on the man advantage in that time, while the penalty kill has erased 20 of the previous 22 opponent chances when down a man.
STEADY SOPHOMORE SCORING
Sophomore Matthew Knies is making a return to his home state playing at ASU in front of family and friends for the first time in his college career this weekend. The Phoenix, Ariz., native has delivered offense at opportune times this season as he has generated all but one of his points (seven goals and six assists) in Maroon and Gold wins. He is tied for second in the NCAA with three game-winning goals and has hit the back of the net in eight of 14 games played. He continues to average a point per game in his Gophers' career totaling 47 points (23 goals, 24 assists) during 47 contests thanks to a pair of three-point efforts during the 2022-23 campaign.
RETURN THE PRIDE
Minnesota made its 22nd all-time trip to the NCAA Frozen Four in 2021-22, and first since 2014, after winning twice at the NCAA Northeast Regional over 2020-21 national champion Massachusetts and top-seed Western Michigan. The victory against the Broncos was the 58th NCAA tournament win in program history, which is the most in college hockey history. Thanks to an eight-game winning streak to finish the regular season a year ago, the Gophers claimed their fifth Big Ten regular-season crown in the league's nine-year history and the 28th overall regular-season conference championship in Minnesota's 101-year history of college hockey.
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.
Tune in for the call of both games beginning at 8 p.m. (CT) live on the Gopher Radio Network 103.5 FM / AM 1130, while video streaming coverage will be available for free via Pac-12 Insider.
STEADY AT TWO
Following a road sweep at No. 3 Michigan last week, Minnesota remained No. 2, the place where it started the season, in both the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine and DCU/USCHO.com national polls. The Maroon and Gold has spent three weeks at No. 1 and are the only team in the country to be ranked no lower than No. 3 at any point this season, while Denver maintained the top spot during its bye week.
HISTORICALLY DIFFICULT
When the Maroon and Gold faced off against No. 3 Michigan last week, it marked the sixth-consecutive series where Minnesota battled a team ranked in the top 12 of the national polls and it handled that challenge to the tune of an 8-4 record. The series against the Wolverines also was the fourth time the Gophers took on an opponent ranked No. 10 or better. Since the USCHO polls were introduced 22 years ago, this has been the most difficult Gophers' schedule to date, having played 12 of their first 14 games against teams that highly ranked.
HISTORY WITH THE SUN DEVILS
The Gophers are a perfect 6-0-0 against Arizona State dating back to the first meeting in 2019 will all the matchups coming at home. The 'U has outscored the Sun Devils 40-10 in the all-time series and are set to play in the state of Arizona for the first time in program history. The two teams played four games at 3M Arena at Mariucci during a three-week stretch back in January 2021 with the Gophers coming away victorious in each outing by a combined score of 30-7. Jackson LaCombe has the most points of any active Minnesota player versus ASU putting up five assists in two career outings.
KEEP IT ROLLING
Minnesota has won six of its last seven games to take over first place in the Big Ten Conference standings following its road sweep of No. 3 Michigan last week. The Gophers have averaged nearly four goals per game offensively and outscored their opposition by a 27-13 margin in that stretch. Eleven different players have provided the goal scoring, while 15 guys have tallied at least one point. The surge has led to the nation's fifth-best scoring margin (+1.43) and pushed the scoring offense to sixth in the NCAA (3.86 goals per game).
STAR FROM THE BLUE LINE
Thanks to his four-point series and first NCAA goal at Michigan, Luke Mittelstadt earned B1G First Star of the Week honors Nov. 22. The freshman had a career day Nov. 17 when he recorded assists on the opening two goals before adding the first goal of his collegiate career in the third period. He followed that up with another assist Nov. 18, again on the first goal of the night.
STEPPING IN TO SWEEP
With Justen Close unable to play due to illness, goaltender Owen Bartoszkiewicz stepped up and played a major role in the Gophers' sweep of the Wolverines. Now 3-0-0 this season, the Northville, Mich., native earned the first B1G starts of his career and backstopped the two wins. The netminder made 64 saves over the sweep with a .928 save percentage, including a career-high 35 saves in the series finale Nov. 18.
VETERANS TAKING CHARGE
The combined offense from the senior class helped Minnesota to its road sweep at Michigan as they combined for 11 points in the two games. Jackson LaCombe had a goal and three assists for four points, while Bryce Brodzinski and Jaxon Nelson each had three points. The trio all rank in the top four of the B1G leading scorers in conference play as they've found the offensive touch over the last month. Ryan Johnson chipped in an empty net goal rounding out the senior scoring in Ann Arbor.
WELCOME THE NEWEST GOPHERS
The Gophers are set to welcome four newcomers to the 2023-24 roster as Beckett Hendrickson (USNTDP), Oliver Moore (USNTDP), Sam Rinzel (Waterloo Black Hawks) and Max Rud (Sioux Falls Stampede) recently signed National Letters of Intent. All four of the incoming freshmen originally hail from the State of Hockey and played prep hockey in the state as the Maroon and Gold continue to bring in local talent.
SPECIAL TEAMS = SUCCESS
During its recent stretch of quality play winning six of seven games, Minnesota has used its special teams to create that success. The Gophers have scored seven power-play goals in their last seven outings and converted at a 23 percent rate. Five different players have scored on the man advantage in that time, while the penalty kill has erased 20 of the previous 22 opponent chances when down a man.
STEADY SOPHOMORE SCORING
Sophomore Matthew Knies is making a return to his home state playing at ASU in front of family and friends for the first time in his college career this weekend. The Phoenix, Ariz., native has delivered offense at opportune times this season as he has generated all but one of his points (seven goals and six assists) in Maroon and Gold wins. He is tied for second in the NCAA with three game-winning goals and has hit the back of the net in eight of 14 games played. He continues to average a point per game in his Gophers' career totaling 47 points (23 goals, 24 assists) during 47 contests thanks to a pair of three-point efforts during the 2022-23 campaign.
RETURN THE PRIDE
Minnesota made its 22nd all-time trip to the NCAA Frozen Four in 2021-22, and first since 2014, after winning twice at the NCAA Northeast Regional over 2020-21 national champion Massachusetts and top-seed Western Michigan. The victory against the Broncos was the 58th NCAA tournament win in program history, which is the most in college hockey history. Thanks to an eight-game winning streak to finish the regular season a year ago, the Gophers claimed their fifth Big Ten regular-season crown in the league's nine-year history and the 28th overall regular-season conference championship in Minnesota's 101-year history of college hockey.
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.
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