University of Minnesota Athletics
Saturday, February 5
3M Arena at Mariucci
5:00 PM
University of Minnesota
17-11-0, 12-6-0
3
vs
1
Michigan State
11-16-1, 5-13-0
1
2
3
F
Michigan St.
0
1
0
1
Minnesota
1
0
2
3
Photo by: Brace Hemmelgarn
Gophers Sweep for Ninth-Straight Over Spartans
2/5/2022 8:27:00 PM | Men's Hockey
Seniors scored for the Gophers as Sammy Walker tallied twice and Ben Brinkman also found the net.
MINNEAPOLIS – A 3-1 win for the No. 8/10 Gopher men's hockey team gave the Maroon & Gold a weekend sweep over Michigan State and the program's ninth-straight win over the Spartans.
Sammy Walker broke the stalemate with a pair of goals in the third period while Ben Brinkman scored for the first time since his freshman season. Jackson LaCombe added two assists for the Gophers.
Minnesota (17-11-0 overall, 12-6-0-1-2-0 Big Ten) didn't wait long to start the night as Brinkman found the back of the net 1:39 into the game to snap a drought of 123 games without a goal. The senior's second career goal was his first tally since scoring against Wisconsin on Nov. 9, 2018. Rhett Pitlick picked up his third point of the weekend with an assist while Mason Nevers also picked up a helper.
Michigan State (11-16-0, 5-13-0-0-0-0) scored a quick goal of its own to start the second as Jesse Tucker found the net on an awkward play to make it 1-1. The tally was the only blemish on the night for Justen Close, who improved to 5-3-0 with a 25-save performance for the Gophers. Drew DeRidder made 32 saves for the Spartans.
Heading into the third period squared away at 1-1, Walker found the net twice in 88 seconds to give the Gophers their third sweep of the season and first since taking two from Michigan State in East Lansing to start the second half. The team captain scored on a delayed penalty to the Spartans at 10:39 off assists from LaCombe and Carl Fish before moving into a tie for the team lead with his 11th of the season on the ensuing power play at 12:07. Ryan Johnson and LaCombe picked up assists on the goal.
Minnesota held a 35-26 advantage on shots while going 1-for-5 on the power play and 3-for-3 on the penalty kill.
Noteworthy
A night after picking up his 350th career win, Bob Motzko earned his 75th win behind the Gophers bench…the Gophers improved to 129-50-16 all-time against Michigan State.
Coach's Comments
"I don't think Brinky could have shot the puck any harder. My goodness, it almost went through the net," Motzko said of Brinkman ending his goal drought. "That was a great goal…good for him. It was fun to see the smile on his face and for a senior to blast one in like that."
Next Up: Road Stretch Starts in Columbus
The Gophers begin a four-game road stretch next weekend with a two-game Big Ten series at Ohio State. Value City Arena hosts the conference clash, starting on Friday, Feb. 11 at 5:30 p.m. CT (TV: Big Ten Network; Stream; FOX Sports App; Radio: 1130 KTLK/103.5 FM) and concluding on Saturday, Feb. 12 at 5:00 p.m. CT (TV: Big Ten Network; Stream; FOX Sports App; Radio: 1130 KTLK/103.5 FM).
Sammy Walker broke the stalemate with a pair of goals in the third period while Ben Brinkman scored for the first time since his freshman season. Jackson LaCombe added two assists for the Gophers.
Minnesota (17-11-0 overall, 12-6-0-1-2-0 Big Ten) didn't wait long to start the night as Brinkman found the back of the net 1:39 into the game to snap a drought of 123 games without a goal. The senior's second career goal was his first tally since scoring against Wisconsin on Nov. 9, 2018. Rhett Pitlick picked up his third point of the weekend with an assist while Mason Nevers also picked up a helper.
Michigan State (11-16-0, 5-13-0-0-0-0) scored a quick goal of its own to start the second as Jesse Tucker found the net on an awkward play to make it 1-1. The tally was the only blemish on the night for Justen Close, who improved to 5-3-0 with a 25-save performance for the Gophers. Drew DeRidder made 32 saves for the Spartans.
Heading into the third period squared away at 1-1, Walker found the net twice in 88 seconds to give the Gophers their third sweep of the season and first since taking two from Michigan State in East Lansing to start the second half. The team captain scored on a delayed penalty to the Spartans at 10:39 off assists from LaCombe and Carl Fish before moving into a tie for the team lead with his 11th of the season on the ensuing power play at 12:07. Ryan Johnson and LaCombe picked up assists on the goal.
Minnesota held a 35-26 advantage on shots while going 1-for-5 on the power play and 3-for-3 on the penalty kill.
Noteworthy
A night after picking up his 350th career win, Bob Motzko earned his 75th win behind the Gophers bench…the Gophers improved to 129-50-16 all-time against Michigan State.
Coach's Comments
"I don't think Brinky could have shot the puck any harder. My goodness, it almost went through the net," Motzko said of Brinkman ending his goal drought. "That was a great goal…good for him. It was fun to see the smile on his face and for a senior to blast one in like that."
Next Up: Road Stretch Starts in Columbus
The Gophers begin a four-game road stretch next weekend with a two-game Big Ten series at Ohio State. Value City Arena hosts the conference clash, starting on Friday, Feb. 11 at 5:30 p.m. CT (TV: Big Ten Network; Stream; FOX Sports App; Radio: 1130 KTLK/103.5 FM) and concluding on Saturday, Feb. 12 at 5:00 p.m. CT (TV: Big Ten Network; Stream; FOX Sports App; Radio: 1130 KTLK/103.5 FM).
Team Stats
MSU
MIN
Shots
26
35
PPG
0
1
SHG
0
0
Penalties
9
4
Penalty Mins
42
8
Faceoffs Won
28
26
Game Leaders
Skaters
+/-
0
Goals
2
Sh
7
A
0
+/-
0
Goals
0
Sh
8
A
2
+/-
1
Goals
1
Sh
1
A
0
+/-
1
Goals
0
Sh
1
A
1
Players Mentioned
Defense
/ Men's Hockey
Goaltender
/ Men's Hockey
Defense
/ Men's HockeyDefense
/ Men's HockeyForward
/ Men's HockeyForward
/ Men's HockeyForward
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