University of Minnesota Athletics
Thursday, December 29
3:00 PM
University of Minnesota
vs
U.S. National Under-18 Team
Players Mentioned
Goaltender
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/ Men's Hockey
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Defense
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/ Men's Hockey
Gophers End 2022 with Exhibition Pair
12/28/2022 2:30:00 PM | Men's Hockey
Home Thursday and at Bemidji State Saturday
MINNEAPOLIS - After an extended holiday break, the University of Minnesota men's hockey team returns to the ice for a pair of exhibition games this week when it hosts the USA Hockey National Team Development Program U18's Thursday afternoon at 3 p.m. The action continues as the Golden Gophers head to Bemidji State for a New Year's Eve showdown at 5 p.m.
Catch the action live on B1G+ Thursday, while the game against the Beavers will be available to watch thanks to FOX9+. The two games will not count towards the official standings as they are designated as exhibition contests.
POLLS AND STANDINGS
The Gophers moved up to the top spot in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll from No. 2 last week, while remaining in the No. 3 position according to the latest DCU/USCHO.com poll. Most importantly, Minnesota remains atop both the Big Ten Conference standings and the PairWise rankings at the official mid-point of the season with 30 points and holds an eight-point lead over second place Penn State.
HISTORICALLY DIFFICULT
When the Maroon and Gold faced off against No. 11/13 Michigan State to begin the month of December, it marked the seventh series where Minnesota battled a team ranked in the top 13 of the national polls and it handled that challenge to the tune of an 10-4 record. The series against the Wolverines in late November was the fourth time the Gophers took on an opponent ranked No. 10 or better. Since the USCHO polls were introduced 24 years ago, this has been the most difficult Gophers' schedule to date, having played 14 of their first 18 games against teams that highly ranked.
HISTORY WITH THE OPPOSITION
The Gophers skated to a 5-3 win over the USNTDP a year ago during an exhibition matchup at 3M Arena at Mariucci behind a two-goal effort from Ben Meyers. In that tilt, Jimmy Snuggerud showed the fans what to expect upon his arrival to campus scoring for Team USA and Logan Cooley added a pair of assists. Minnesota owns a 20-2-1 record in the all-time series against Bemidji State that dates back to 2000, while this outing will not count towards that official tally. The teams have not met since January 2017 when the 'U' picked up a 4-0 victory.
FEELING RIGHT AT HOME
Minnesota won its first four games at home this season and followed with five wins in six B1G matchups to close the calendar year as it excelled on home ice inside 3M Arena at Mariucci. The Maroon and Gold have outscored its opponents by a 2-1 ratio (46-23) and recorded two shutouts on the way to a 9-2 record as the home team. Twenty different players have registered at least one point for the Gophers at 3M Arena at Mariucci, including an assist from goaltender Justen Close, who also has a 1.48 goals against average in 10 home appearances.
WALKER MAKES NHL DEBUT
Former captain of the Golden Gophers, Sammy Walker, made his National Hockey League debut with the Minnesota Wild at Vancouver Dec. 10. He joined elite company as the 120th player in Minnesota history to reach the NHL, the most of any NCAA program. The Edina, Minn., native scored his first career goal Dec. 27 to seal a road win at Winnipeg and has now appeared in five games for his hometown team.
ON THE INTERNATIONAL STAGE
Minnesota sent four current players and one former to training camp with the United States junior team as it prepared for the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship and each guy earned a spot on the final roster. All five have played in the preliminary round for Team USA in eastern Canada as the Gophers have sent a representative to the event in 44 of the 47 years it has been played dating back to 1977. USA plays four preliminary games before the medal round is set for Jan. 2-5.
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. Hendrickson and Moore are both set to play at 3M Arena at Mariucci Thursday in front of the soon-to-be home fans.
PEOPLE WANT TO SEE THE GOPHERS
During their recent six-game road trip, fans came out to see the high-powered Gophers to the tune of a sellout in every arena across multiple states. Minnesota also has had two sellouts at 3M Arena at Mariucci this season, both coming during its series against North Dakota and have the second-highest attendance of any college hockey team this year averaging nearly 8,400 patrons per game. That number is a more than 12 percent increase from a season ago.
STEADY SOPHOMORE SCORING
Sophomore Matthew Knies has delivered offense at opportune times this season as he has generated all but three of his 22 total points (11 goals and 11 assists) in Maroon and Gold wins. He is tied for the NCAA lead with four game-winning goals and has hit the back of the net in 11 of 20 games played. He continues to average more than a point per game in his Gophers' career totaling 55 points (26 goals, 29 assists) during 53 contests thanks to seven multi-point efforts during the 2022-23 campaign.
FRESHMEN A FORCE
Minnesota's 10 skating freshmen (also one goaltender) have contributed on both ends of the ice, but especially offensively where the class has combined for 33 goals and 52 assists, accounting for 38 percent of the team's goal scoring. Jimmy Snuggerud's 12 goals leads the squad, while Logan Cooley, Connor Kurth, Brody Lamb and John Mittelstadt all have multiple goals. From the blue line, Luke Mittelstadt is the second-highest scoring freshman defenseman in the B1G this year, and fifth for league D overall, totaling 13 points.
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.
WHEN YOU CALL MY NAME
Fourteen of Minnesota's 26 rostered players have heard their name called in the NHL Entry Draft, six of which are part of this year's freshmen class. The Gophers have had the most all-time draft selections (227) by any NCAA men's hockey program after adding four in July 2022. At least one Gopher has been drafted in 48 of the last 49 NHL Entry Drafts dating back to 1974, with 2001 being the only exception. Only Harvard has more draft picks (15) on its NCAA roster for the 2022-23 season.
Catch the action live on B1G+ Thursday, while the game against the Beavers will be available to watch thanks to FOX9+. The two games will not count towards the official standings as they are designated as exhibition contests.
POLLS AND STANDINGS
The Gophers moved up to the top spot in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll from No. 2 last week, while remaining in the No. 3 position according to the latest DCU/USCHO.com poll. Most importantly, Minnesota remains atop both the Big Ten Conference standings and the PairWise rankings at the official mid-point of the season with 30 points and holds an eight-point lead over second place Penn State.
HISTORICALLY DIFFICULT
When the Maroon and Gold faced off against No. 11/13 Michigan State to begin the month of December, it marked the seventh series where Minnesota battled a team ranked in the top 13 of the national polls and it handled that challenge to the tune of an 10-4 record. The series against the Wolverines in late November was the fourth time the Gophers took on an opponent ranked No. 10 or better. Since the USCHO polls were introduced 24 years ago, this has been the most difficult Gophers' schedule to date, having played 14 of their first 18 games against teams that highly ranked.
HISTORY WITH THE OPPOSITION
The Gophers skated to a 5-3 win over the USNTDP a year ago during an exhibition matchup at 3M Arena at Mariucci behind a two-goal effort from Ben Meyers. In that tilt, Jimmy Snuggerud showed the fans what to expect upon his arrival to campus scoring for Team USA and Logan Cooley added a pair of assists. Minnesota owns a 20-2-1 record in the all-time series against Bemidji State that dates back to 2000, while this outing will not count towards that official tally. The teams have not met since January 2017 when the 'U' picked up a 4-0 victory.
FEELING RIGHT AT HOME
Minnesota won its first four games at home this season and followed with five wins in six B1G matchups to close the calendar year as it excelled on home ice inside 3M Arena at Mariucci. The Maroon and Gold have outscored its opponents by a 2-1 ratio (46-23) and recorded two shutouts on the way to a 9-2 record as the home team. Twenty different players have registered at least one point for the Gophers at 3M Arena at Mariucci, including an assist from goaltender Justen Close, who also has a 1.48 goals against average in 10 home appearances.
WALKER MAKES NHL DEBUT
Former captain of the Golden Gophers, Sammy Walker, made his National Hockey League debut with the Minnesota Wild at Vancouver Dec. 10. He joined elite company as the 120th player in Minnesota history to reach the NHL, the most of any NCAA program. The Edina, Minn., native scored his first career goal Dec. 27 to seal a road win at Winnipeg and has now appeared in five games for his hometown team.
ON THE INTERNATIONAL STAGE
Minnesota sent four current players and one former to training camp with the United States junior team as it prepared for the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship and each guy earned a spot on the final roster. All five have played in the preliminary round for Team USA in eastern Canada as the Gophers have sent a representative to the event in 44 of the 47 years it has been played dating back to 1977. USA plays four preliminary games before the medal round is set for Jan. 2-5.
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. Hendrickson and Moore are both set to play at 3M Arena at Mariucci Thursday in front of the soon-to-be home fans.
PEOPLE WANT TO SEE THE GOPHERS
During their recent six-game road trip, fans came out to see the high-powered Gophers to the tune of a sellout in every arena across multiple states. Minnesota also has had two sellouts at 3M Arena at Mariucci this season, both coming during its series against North Dakota and have the second-highest attendance of any college hockey team this year averaging nearly 8,400 patrons per game. That number is a more than 12 percent increase from a season ago.
STEADY SOPHOMORE SCORING
Sophomore Matthew Knies has delivered offense at opportune times this season as he has generated all but three of his 22 total points (11 goals and 11 assists) in Maroon and Gold wins. He is tied for the NCAA lead with four game-winning goals and has hit the back of the net in 11 of 20 games played. He continues to average more than a point per game in his Gophers' career totaling 55 points (26 goals, 29 assists) during 53 contests thanks to seven multi-point efforts during the 2022-23 campaign.
FRESHMEN A FORCE
Minnesota's 10 skating freshmen (also one goaltender) have contributed on both ends of the ice, but especially offensively where the class has combined for 33 goals and 52 assists, accounting for 38 percent of the team's goal scoring. Jimmy Snuggerud's 12 goals leads the squad, while Logan Cooley, Connor Kurth, Brody Lamb and John Mittelstadt all have multiple goals. From the blue line, Luke Mittelstadt is the second-highest scoring freshman defenseman in the B1G this year, and fifth for league D overall, totaling 13 points.
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.
WHEN YOU CALL MY NAME
Fourteen of Minnesota's 26 rostered players have heard their name called in the NHL Entry Draft, six of which are part of this year's freshmen class. The Gophers have had the most all-time draft selections (227) by any NCAA men's hockey program after adding four in July 2022. At least one Gopher has been drafted in 48 of the last 49 NHL Entry Drafts dating back to 1974, with 2001 being the only exception. Only Harvard has more draft picks (15) on its NCAA roster for the 2022-23 season.
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