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Photo by: Matt Krohn
Close, Meyers Honored with Big Ten Weekly Awards
3/1/2022 10:36:00 AM | Men's Hockey
The Gophers won their fifth regular-season title in the nine-year history of the Big Ten last weekend.
MINNEAPOLIS – After leading the No. 2 Gopher men's hockey program to its eight-straight win and its fifth Big Ten regular-season championship in the conference's nine-year history, Justen Close and Ben Meyers have been highlighted by the league with weekly honors.Â
Close was named Big Ten First Star of the Week for his first career honor while Meyers repeated as Big Ten Third Star of the Week with his third selection of the season.Â
A native of Kindersley, Sask., Close backstopped the Maroon & Gold to the team's fourth-straight sweep with the first two shutouts of his career last weekend against Wisconsin. The junior made 44 saves on the weekend to become the first Gophers goaltender to blank the Badgers in back-to-back games since 1934 (George Clausen). He opened the weekend with a 20-save performance in Friday's 5-0 win before following up with another 24 in Saturday's 8-0 victory. Close leads the Big Ten and ranks fifth nationally with a 1.73 GAA. He also is tied for the Big Ten lead and tied for fifth nationally with a .933 save percentage.Â
A native of Delano, Minn., Meyers led Minnesota with five points (four goals, one assist) in the sweep of the Badgers and now has eight points (four goals, four assists) in three games since returning from the Olympics. The Hobey Baker Award candidate notched his first career hat trick in Friday's win at 3M Arena at Mariucci before scoring a fourth-straight goal for the eventual game winner of Saturday's finale (he also added an assist in the win). The junior captain currently leads Minnesota with a career highs of 32 points and 15 goals this year.Â
Showcasing Minnesota's depth this season, the 2021-22 campaign has featured seven different Gophers earning Big Ten weekly honors – Meyers is the only skater to earn multiple accolades from the conference for the Maroon & Gold.Â
Next Up: B1G Tournament Semifinal
As the No. 1 seed for the Big Ten tournament, the Gophers have secured a bye in the quarterfinals and will host a semifinal game at 3M Arena at Mariucci on Saturday, March 12. Opponent, game time and broadcast details will be announced when finalized as the Gophers now turn to defending their Big Ten tournament title. Tickets are now on sale at GopherSports.com. Â
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Close was named Big Ten First Star of the Week for his first career honor while Meyers repeated as Big Ten Third Star of the Week with his third selection of the season.Â
A native of Kindersley, Sask., Close backstopped the Maroon & Gold to the team's fourth-straight sweep with the first two shutouts of his career last weekend against Wisconsin. The junior made 44 saves on the weekend to become the first Gophers goaltender to blank the Badgers in back-to-back games since 1934 (George Clausen). He opened the weekend with a 20-save performance in Friday's 5-0 win before following up with another 24 in Saturday's 8-0 victory. Close leads the Big Ten and ranks fifth nationally with a 1.73 GAA. He also is tied for the Big Ten lead and tied for fifth nationally with a .933 save percentage.Â
A native of Delano, Minn., Meyers led Minnesota with five points (four goals, one assist) in the sweep of the Badgers and now has eight points (four goals, four assists) in three games since returning from the Olympics. The Hobey Baker Award candidate notched his first career hat trick in Friday's win at 3M Arena at Mariucci before scoring a fourth-straight goal for the eventual game winner of Saturday's finale (he also added an assist in the win). The junior captain currently leads Minnesota with a career highs of 32 points and 15 goals this year.Â
Showcasing Minnesota's depth this season, the 2021-22 campaign has featured seven different Gophers earning Big Ten weekly honors – Meyers is the only skater to earn multiple accolades from the conference for the Maroon & Gold.Â
Next Up: B1G Tournament Semifinal
As the No. 1 seed for the Big Ten tournament, the Gophers have secured a bye in the quarterfinals and will host a semifinal game at 3M Arena at Mariucci on Saturday, March 12. Opponent, game time and broadcast details will be announced when finalized as the Gophers now turn to defending their Big Ten tournament title. Tickets are now on sale at GopherSports.com. Â
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