University of Minnesota Athletics
Friday, December 9
8:00 PM
University of Minnesota
vs
Wisconsin
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Finally Home; Minnesota Hosts Badgers for Border Battle
12/8/2022 10:00:00 AM | Men's Hockey
Last regular season series of 2022
MINNEAPOLIS - Golden Gopher men's hockey fans finally have a chance to see their team play at 3M Arena at Mariucci this weekend after nearly a month since the last home game when they host border rival Wisconsin Dec. 9-10 presented by M Health Fairview.
The Big Ten Network has coverage of the game Friday starting at 8 p.m., while the series finale is set for Saturday at 6 p.m. on Bally Sports North. Both contests with the Badgers also can be heard on the Gopher Radio Network 103.5 FM / AM 1130.
It'll be a Gold Out at 3M Arena at Mariucci Friday and a night to honor First Responders, while Saturday Minnesota will be hosting the Teddy Bear Toss presented by White Bear Mitsubishi. The first 1,000 fans in attendance Saturday also will receive a Gopher Hockey ceramic mug.
POLLS AND STANDINGS
Despite a road sweep of a nationally-ranked team, the Gophers actually dropped a spot in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll from No. 1 to No. 2, while improving one position up to No. 3 according to the DCU/USCHO.com poll. Most importantly, Minnesota remains atop the Big Ten Conference standings with one series before the official mid-point of the schedule. With 24 points, it holds a five-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 BADGERS
In a rivalry that's spanned more than a century, the Gophers have controlled the all-time series with Wisconsin owning a 178-100-24 record, including the program's first-ever victory back on Jan. 20, 1922. Minnesota has won four of the last five meetings with its bordering rival, with the only loss in that stretch coming in overtime, and claimed three-straight wins on home ice. Justen Close held UW without a goal during a home sweep late last season as the Gophers won by scores of 5-0 and 8-0 to close the regular season after a split earlier in the year. Ben Meyers led the way with six points in the season series versus the Badgers in 2021-22 thanks to a hat trick Feb. 25. Jackson LaCombe tallied five assists, while Matthew Knies, Aaron Huglen and Jaxon Nelson each posted four points.
DOUBLE-DIGIT SCORING
Minnesota is the only team in the nation with 10 players that have scored double-digit points and includes at least one skater with 20 or more points. In just 18 games played, the Gophers are led by Jimmy Snuggerud's 23 points. His linemates, Logan Cooley (21) and Matthew Knies (19), are close behind, while seniors Jackson LaCombe and Jaxon Nelson are at the 18 and 17-point mark, respectively. Five other players have joined the group in double figures in Mason Nevers (15), Brock Faber (15), Bryce Brodzinski (13), Rhett Pitlick (11) and Luke Mittelstadt (11).
ELITE TRIO
One of the top lines in college hockey, the trio of Logan Cooley, Matthew Knies and Jimmy Snuggerud, has combined for 45 points over Minnesota's last 11 games leading the team to a 9-2 record. Totaling 63 points for the year, the entire line has been held off the scoresheet in just two games played this season. They are all in the top five of the B1G, and top 20 nationally, in scoring offense, averaging more than a point per game, and registered eight game-winning goals as a group.
PEOPLE WANT TO SEE THE GOPHERS
During their 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 8,200 patrons per game. That number is a more than 10 percent increase from a season ago.
NEAR PERFECT ROAD TRIP
The Gophers won five of six games in a three-week road trip that saw them change time zones every week from Ann Arbor, Mich., to Tempe, Ariz., to the final series in East Lansing, Mich. The Maroon and Gold averaged five goals per game during the stretch and outscored the opposition by a 30-16 margin, including a 9-2 mark in the opening period. Twelve different players scored at least once in that time led by four goals from Logan Cooley, Matthew Knies and Jaxon Nelson. The surge has pushed the team to the nation's second-highest scoring offense in the NCAA at 4.06 goals per game.
PLAYING PENALTY FREE
The Gophers have now played double-digit periods since they were last whistled for a penalty as there was not a single infraction called during the two-game series against the Spartans. Minnesota is the least penalized team in the NCAA totaling just 124 penalty minutes across 18 games for an average of less than seven per contest.
SEEING DOUBLE STARS
For the second time this season, Justen Close and Logan Cooley earned Big Ten Conference Star of the Week honors when they were named First and Second Star, respectively, following the road sweep of Michigan State Dec. 2-3. Close held the Spartans off the scoreboard for the first five periods of the weekend and recorded his third shutout of the year Friday. He followed that with a career-high 40 saves Saturday to complete the sweep. Cooley finished with five points, including his second three-point effort of the year Friday, getting the game winner before a two-assist effort in the series finale.
FRESHMEN A FORCE
Minnesota's 11 freshmen have contributed on both ends of the ice, but especially offensively where the class has combined for 26 goals and 43 assists, accounting for 36 percent of the team's goal scoring. Jimmy Snuggerud's 11 goals is tied for the squad's lead, 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 totaling 11 points.
YOUTH MOVEMENT
Thanks to 11 freshmen on the roster, the average age of the Minnesota lineup, as of opening night, was 20 years and 321 days old (20.88 years) making it one of the youngest rosters in the nation. Only Justen Close and Carl Fish were born before 2000, while Ryan Chesley, Jimmy Snuggerud and Logan Cooley were all born in 2004.
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.
The Big Ten Network has coverage of the game Friday starting at 8 p.m., while the series finale is set for Saturday at 6 p.m. on Bally Sports North. Both contests with the Badgers also can be heard on the Gopher Radio Network 103.5 FM / AM 1130.
It'll be a Gold Out at 3M Arena at Mariucci Friday and a night to honor First Responders, while Saturday Minnesota will be hosting the Teddy Bear Toss presented by White Bear Mitsubishi. The first 1,000 fans in attendance Saturday also will receive a Gopher Hockey ceramic mug.
POLLS AND STANDINGS
Despite a road sweep of a nationally-ranked team, the Gophers actually dropped a spot in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll from No. 1 to No. 2, while improving one position up to No. 3 according to the DCU/USCHO.com poll. Most importantly, Minnesota remains atop the Big Ten Conference standings with one series before the official mid-point of the schedule. With 24 points, it holds a five-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 BADGERS
In a rivalry that's spanned more than a century, the Gophers have controlled the all-time series with Wisconsin owning a 178-100-24 record, including the program's first-ever victory back on Jan. 20, 1922. Minnesota has won four of the last five meetings with its bordering rival, with the only loss in that stretch coming in overtime, and claimed three-straight wins on home ice. Justen Close held UW without a goal during a home sweep late last season as the Gophers won by scores of 5-0 and 8-0 to close the regular season after a split earlier in the year. Ben Meyers led the way with six points in the season series versus the Badgers in 2021-22 thanks to a hat trick Feb. 25. Jackson LaCombe tallied five assists, while Matthew Knies, Aaron Huglen and Jaxon Nelson each posted four points.
DOUBLE-DIGIT SCORING
Minnesota is the only team in the nation with 10 players that have scored double-digit points and includes at least one skater with 20 or more points. In just 18 games played, the Gophers are led by Jimmy Snuggerud's 23 points. His linemates, Logan Cooley (21) and Matthew Knies (19), are close behind, while seniors Jackson LaCombe and Jaxon Nelson are at the 18 and 17-point mark, respectively. Five other players have joined the group in double figures in Mason Nevers (15), Brock Faber (15), Bryce Brodzinski (13), Rhett Pitlick (11) and Luke Mittelstadt (11).
ELITE TRIO
One of the top lines in college hockey, the trio of Logan Cooley, Matthew Knies and Jimmy Snuggerud, has combined for 45 points over Minnesota's last 11 games leading the team to a 9-2 record. Totaling 63 points for the year, the entire line has been held off the scoresheet in just two games played this season. They are all in the top five of the B1G, and top 20 nationally, in scoring offense, averaging more than a point per game, and registered eight game-winning goals as a group.
PEOPLE WANT TO SEE THE GOPHERS
During their 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 8,200 patrons per game. That number is a more than 10 percent increase from a season ago.
NEAR PERFECT ROAD TRIP
The Gophers won five of six games in a three-week road trip that saw them change time zones every week from Ann Arbor, Mich., to Tempe, Ariz., to the final series in East Lansing, Mich. The Maroon and Gold averaged five goals per game during the stretch and outscored the opposition by a 30-16 margin, including a 9-2 mark in the opening period. Twelve different players scored at least once in that time led by four goals from Logan Cooley, Matthew Knies and Jaxon Nelson. The surge has pushed the team to the nation's second-highest scoring offense in the NCAA at 4.06 goals per game.
PLAYING PENALTY FREE
The Gophers have now played double-digit periods since they were last whistled for a penalty as there was not a single infraction called during the two-game series against the Spartans. Minnesota is the least penalized team in the NCAA totaling just 124 penalty minutes across 18 games for an average of less than seven per contest.
SEEING DOUBLE STARS
For the second time this season, Justen Close and Logan Cooley earned Big Ten Conference Star of the Week honors when they were named First and Second Star, respectively, following the road sweep of Michigan State Dec. 2-3. Close held the Spartans off the scoreboard for the first five periods of the weekend and recorded his third shutout of the year Friday. He followed that with a career-high 40 saves Saturday to complete the sweep. Cooley finished with five points, including his second three-point effort of the year Friday, getting the game winner before a two-assist effort in the series finale.
FRESHMEN A FORCE
Minnesota's 11 freshmen have contributed on both ends of the ice, but especially offensively where the class has combined for 26 goals and 43 assists, accounting for 36 percent of the team's goal scoring. Jimmy Snuggerud's 11 goals is tied for the squad's lead, 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 totaling 11 points.
YOUTH MOVEMENT
Thanks to 11 freshmen on the roster, the average age of the Minnesota lineup, as of opening night, was 20 years and 321 days old (20.88 years) making it one of the youngest rosters in the nation. Only Justen Close and Carl Fish were born before 2000, while Ryan Chesley, Jimmy Snuggerud and Logan Cooley were all born in 2004.
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.
Highlights: Gophers 2, Ohio State 6
Friday, February 06
Cinematic Recap: Minnesota Sweeps Wisconsin
Wednesday, February 04
Brodie Ziemer Goal
Sunday, February 01
Highlights: Gophers 8, Wisconsin 4
Saturday, January 31