University of Minnesota Athletics
Saturday, February 12
Columbus, OH
5:00 PM
University of Minnesota
19-11-0, 14-6-0
5
at
1
Ohio State
21-9-2, 13-7-2
1
2
3
F
Minnesota
3
1
1
5
Ohio State
1
0
0
1
Minnesota Sweeps Buckeyes for Fourth-Straight Win
2/12/2022 8:06:00 PM | Men's Hockey
Minnesota improved to 6-1-1 at Value City Arena under Bob Motzko.
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The No. 7/8 Gopher men's hockey program extended its win streak to a season-high four games on Saturday night after picking up a 5-1 win over No. 8/7 Ohio State, sweeping the Buckeyes at Value City Arena.
A night after handing Ohio State its first regulation loss since Dec. 10, Minnesota (19-11-0 overall, 14-6-0-1-2-0 Big Ten) won its fourth-straight game at Value City Arena and improved to 6-1-1 at the venue under Bob Motzko.
Rhett Pitlick scored twice for his first career multi-goal game while Blake McLaughlin, Mason Nevers and Sammy Walker also found the net for the Maroon & Gold. Ohio State (21-9-2, 13-7-2-1-1-1) found a temporary equalizer later in the period as Tate Singleton scored the Buckeyes' only goal of the night at 15:10.
But the Gophers weren't done in the first as the visitors added two more in the final two minutes of the opening period. Nevers added his sixth of the year at 18:51 on a power play while Walker took sole possession of Minnesota's goal scoring lead with his 12th of the year at 19:14.
After a four-goal first period, the action calmed down in the final 40 minutes although Pitlick certainly begged to differ.
The freshman forward, who scored his first career goal last Friday, added two more to his season total – scoring at 3:54 of the second period and 9:48 of the third period. Pitlick now has seven points (three goals, four assists) in the last four games for Minnesota with three multi-point games.
Justen Close added his seventh win of the season (7-3-0) while backstopping the Gophers with 29 saves. Jakub Dobes took the loss for Ohio State.
Minnesota held a 50-30 advantage on shots while going 1-for-3 on the power play and 4-for-4 on the penalty kill.
Noteworthy
Four Gophers recorded multi-point games in the series finale with Pitlick (two goals), Jackson LaCombe (two assists), Bryce Brodzinski (two assists) and McLaughlin (one goal, one assist) pacing Minnesota…McLaughlin now moves within one point of becoming the 86th member of Minnesota's 100-Point Club.
Coach's Comments
"That was another solid effort out of our group again tonight. It was up and down our lineup," Minnesota head coach Bob Motzko said. "We've known all along that we have depth, the most important thing is the guys who are playing in new roles or different roles, they're doing a whale of a job."
Next Up: Road Finale at Penn State
The Gophers close out a four-game road stretch next weekend with a two-game series at Penn State. The opener is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 18 at 5:30 p.m. CT (TV: Big Ten Network; Stream; FOX Sports App; Radio: 1130 KTLK/103.5 FM) with the weekend finale set for Saturday, Feb. 19 at 5:00 p.m. CT (TV: Big Ten Network; Stream; FOX Sports App; Radio: 1130 KTLK/103.5 FM).
A night after handing Ohio State its first regulation loss since Dec. 10, Minnesota (19-11-0 overall, 14-6-0-1-2-0 Big Ten) won its fourth-straight game at Value City Arena and improved to 6-1-1 at the venue under Bob Motzko.
Rhett Pitlick scored twice for his first career multi-goal game while Blake McLaughlin, Mason Nevers and Sammy Walker also found the net for the Maroon & Gold. Ohio State (21-9-2, 13-7-2-1-1-1) found a temporary equalizer later in the period as Tate Singleton scored the Buckeyes' only goal of the night at 15:10.
But the Gophers weren't done in the first as the visitors added two more in the final two minutes of the opening period. Nevers added his sixth of the year at 18:51 on a power play while Walker took sole possession of Minnesota's goal scoring lead with his 12th of the year at 19:14.
After a four-goal first period, the action calmed down in the final 40 minutes although Pitlick certainly begged to differ.
The freshman forward, who scored his first career goal last Friday, added two more to his season total – scoring at 3:54 of the second period and 9:48 of the third period. Pitlick now has seven points (three goals, four assists) in the last four games for Minnesota with three multi-point games.
Justen Close added his seventh win of the season (7-3-0) while backstopping the Gophers with 29 saves. Jakub Dobes took the loss for Ohio State.
Minnesota held a 50-30 advantage on shots while going 1-for-3 on the power play and 4-for-4 on the penalty kill.
Noteworthy
Four Gophers recorded multi-point games in the series finale with Pitlick (two goals), Jackson LaCombe (two assists), Bryce Brodzinski (two assists) and McLaughlin (one goal, one assist) pacing Minnesota…McLaughlin now moves within one point of becoming the 86th member of Minnesota's 100-Point Club.
Coach's Comments
"That was another solid effort out of our group again tonight. It was up and down our lineup," Minnesota head coach Bob Motzko said. "We've known all along that we have depth, the most important thing is the guys who are playing in new roles or different roles, they're doing a whale of a job."
Next Up: Road Finale at Penn State
The Gophers close out a four-game road stretch next weekend with a two-game series at Penn State. The opener is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 18 at 5:30 p.m. CT (TV: Big Ten Network; Stream; FOX Sports App; Radio: 1130 KTLK/103.5 FM) with the weekend finale set for Saturday, Feb. 19 at 5:00 p.m. CT (TV: Big Ten Network; Stream; FOX Sports App; Radio: 1130 KTLK/103.5 FM).
Team Stats
MIN
OSU
Shots
50
30
PPG
1
0
SHG
0
0
Penalties
8
6
Penalty Mins
38
23
Faceoffs Won
31
24
Game Leaders
Skaters
+/-
2
Goals
2
Sh
3
A
0
+/-
1
Goals
1
Sh
5
A
1
+/-
4
Goals
0
Sh
5
A
2
+/-
1
Goals
0
Sh
4
A
2
Players Mentioned
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Goaltender
/ Men's HockeyDefense
/ Men's HockeyForward
/ Men's HockeyForward
/ Men's HockeyForward
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's Hockey2025-26 Non-Conference Schedule
Monday, August 11
Herb Brooks Statue
Wednesday, August 06
Meet the Newcomers: Teddy Townsend
Friday, July 18
Meet The Newcomers: Jacob Rombach
Friday, July 11