University of Minnesota Athletics
Friday, February 4
3M Arena at Mariucci
7:00 PM
University of Minnesota
16-11-0, 11-6-0
4
vs
2
Michigan State
11-15-1, 5-12-0
1
2
3
F
Michigan St.
2
0
0
2
Minnesota
0
2
2
4
Photo by: Bjorn Franke
Gophers Score Four Unanswered in 4-2 Rally
2/4/2022 10:32:00 PM | Men's Hockey
Three of Minnesota's four goals came from freshmen on Friday night.
MINNEAPOLIS – Rhett Pitlick's first career goal sparked a four-goal run by the No. 8/10 Gopher men's hockey program as Minnesota rallied past Michigan State with a 4-2 win on Friday night at 3M Arena at Mariucci.
Minnesota's eighth-straight win over the Spartans also gave Bob Motzko his 350th career win.
The Gophers (16-11-0 overall, 11-6-0-1-2-0 Big Ten) dug out of a two-goal hole in the first period as Michigan State (11-15-0, 5-12-0-0-0-0) opened the night with goals from Christian Krygier at 17:54 and Jeremy Davidson at 11:37 of the opening stanza.
But Minnesota battled back with a pair of goals in the second and another pair of tallies in the third. Three of the four Gopher goals came from Maroon & Gold freshmen.
Pitlick lit the lamp for the first time as a Gopher when he cashed in at 10:39 of the second period after being set up by Mike Koster and Aaron Huglen. Huglen brought the Gophers back to even at 12:14 with his fourth of year as Ryan Johnson and Pitlick picked up assists.
Blake McLaughlin picked up the eventual game-winning goal at 4:08 of the third period as the senior moved within three points of Minnesota's 100-Points Club. The forward scored his 10th of the year and notched his 97th career point as Bryce Brodzinski and Carl Fish were credited with assists.
Tristan Broz added the insurance goal at 8:45 with his third of the year off assists from Grant Cruikshank and Fish.
Justen Close picked up the win to improve to 4-3-0 behind a 21-save performance. Pierce Charleson made 36 saves for the Spartans. Minnesota held a 40-23 advantage on shots.
Noteworthy
Huglen (one goal, one assist) earned his first career multi-point performance in the win while Pitlick (one goal, one assist) and Fish (two assists) each recorded their second career multi-point performances by matching their single-game career highs…Motzko earned his 350th win and now owns a 350-240-60 all-time record including a 74-48-11 mark with the Gophers.
Coach's Comments
"Once we scored our first goal, it really kind of lit us up and got us going," Motzko said. "It was good for our young guys to step up tonight and get in some offense."
Next Up: Finale with the Spartans
Minnesota continues the 2021-22 campaign on Saturday, Feb. 5 with the series finale against the Spartans at 5:00 p.m. CT (TV: Bally Sports North; Stream: B1G+/Bally Sports; Radio: 1130 KTLK/103.5 FM).
Minnesota's eighth-straight win over the Spartans also gave Bob Motzko his 350th career win.
The Gophers (16-11-0 overall, 11-6-0-1-2-0 Big Ten) dug out of a two-goal hole in the first period as Michigan State (11-15-0, 5-12-0-0-0-0) opened the night with goals from Christian Krygier at 17:54 and Jeremy Davidson at 11:37 of the opening stanza.
But Minnesota battled back with a pair of goals in the second and another pair of tallies in the third. Three of the four Gopher goals came from Maroon & Gold freshmen.
Pitlick lit the lamp for the first time as a Gopher when he cashed in at 10:39 of the second period after being set up by Mike Koster and Aaron Huglen. Huglen brought the Gophers back to even at 12:14 with his fourth of year as Ryan Johnson and Pitlick picked up assists.
Blake McLaughlin picked up the eventual game-winning goal at 4:08 of the third period as the senior moved within three points of Minnesota's 100-Points Club. The forward scored his 10th of the year and notched his 97th career point as Bryce Brodzinski and Carl Fish were credited with assists.
Tristan Broz added the insurance goal at 8:45 with his third of the year off assists from Grant Cruikshank and Fish.
Justen Close picked up the win to improve to 4-3-0 behind a 21-save performance. Pierce Charleson made 36 saves for the Spartans. Minnesota held a 40-23 advantage on shots.
Noteworthy
Huglen (one goal, one assist) earned his first career multi-point performance in the win while Pitlick (one goal, one assist) and Fish (two assists) each recorded their second career multi-point performances by matching their single-game career highs…Motzko earned his 350th win and now owns a 350-240-60 all-time record including a 74-48-11 mark with the Gophers.
Coach's Comments
"Once we scored our first goal, it really kind of lit us up and got us going," Motzko said. "It was good for our young guys to step up tonight and get in some offense."
Next Up: Finale with the Spartans
Minnesota continues the 2021-22 campaign on Saturday, Feb. 5 with the series finale against the Spartans at 5:00 p.m. CT (TV: Bally Sports North; Stream: B1G+/Bally Sports; Radio: 1130 KTLK/103.5 FM).
Team Stats
MSU
MIN
Shots
23
40
PPG
0
0
SHG
0
0
Penalties
3
1
Penalty Mins
6
2
Faceoffs Won
31
25
Game Leaders
Skaters
+/-
1
Goals
1
Sh
2
A
1
+/-
2
Goals
1
Sh
1
A
1
+/-
0
Goals
1
Sh
7
A
0
Players Mentioned
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Goaltender
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's HockeyForward
/ Men's Hockey
Defense
/ Men's HockeyDefense
/ Men's HockeyForward
/ Men's HockeyForward
/ Men's Hockey2025-26 Non-Conference Schedule
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Herb Brooks Statue
Wednesday, August 06
Meet the Newcomers: Teddy Townsend
Friday, July 18
Meet The Newcomers: Jacob Rombach
Friday, July 11