Men's Hockey Hosts Lindenwood in Opening Series Oct. 1-2

MINNEAPOLIS - The University of Minnesota men's hockey team begins its quest to again reach the top of the college hockey landscape as it opens the 2022-23 season on home ice against Lindenwood Oct. 1-2. Both games of the series will be televised on Bally Sports North Extra and B1G+ and available on the Gopher Radio Network.

The Gophers welcome the Lions to 3M Arena at Mariucci for the first game of the year Saturday, October 1 at 7 p.m. as the visitors are set to make their NCAA men's hockey debut. The weekend concludes Sunday night at 7 p.m. with game two. It'll be the earliest start to a season in the 102-year history of Minnesota hockey as the team has never had a regular season game before Oct. 5.

RETURN THE PRIDE
Minnesota made its 22nd all-time trip to the NCAA Frozen Four in 2021-22, and first since 2014, after winning twice at the NCAA Northeast Regional over 2020-21 national champion Massachusetts and top-seed Western Michigan. The victory against the Broncos was the 58th NCAA tournament win in program history, which is the most in college hockey history. Thanks to an eight-game winning streak to finish the regular season a year ago, the Gophers claimed their fifth Big Ten regular-season crown in the league's nine-year history and the 28th overall regular-season conference championship in Minnesota's 101-year history of college hockey.

LOOKING AT THE LIONS
The Gophers have never met Lindenwood on the ice as the Lions are making their NCAA men's hockey debut at 3M Arena at Mariucci this weekend. The university, located in St. Charles, Mo., announced in March it would transition its athletic programs from Division II to Division I and its men's hockey team will be the 63rd NCAA Division I program in the country. Lindenwood is set to play 28 of its 32-scheduled games on the road starting in Minneapolis. The Lions are coming off a 2022 American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) championship as a club team under head coach Rick Zombo, a former three-year player at North Dakota and NHL veteran.

FRESH START AT HOME
Under head coach Bob Motzko's direction, the Gophers are a perfect 4-0 in home openers at 3M Arena at Mariucci and the team has won eight of the previous 10 home opening contests with an all-time mark of 62-37-2. Minnesota picked up a 7-4 victory over Mercyhurst Oct. 8 to begin the 2021-22 campaign getting a pair of goals from Matthew Knies in his Maroon and Gold debut, while Blake McLaughlin and Ben Meyers each tallied three-point performances.

BUILDING THE HYPE
Minnesota enters the 2022-23 campaign ranked No. 1 in the nation in the College Hockey News Preseason Top 10 Poll, while both the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine and DCU/USCHO.com preseason national polls have the team ranked second in the country. The Gophers are behind just Denver, the defending national champions, in both polls as the Pioneers claimed the top spot, while the Maroon and Gold picked up at least seven first-place votes in each poll. It's the highest preseason ranking for Minnesota since entering the 2014-15 campaign atop the poll with 36 first-place votes by USCHO.com and is the fifth time being in the top 10 over the last nine years.

TAKING NOTICE EARLY
Coming off their Big Ten Conference regular season championship in 2021-22, the Gophers were picked to repeat in 2022-23 as they enter the season No. 1 in the Big Ten Preseason Poll as voted upon by the league's head coaches. Minnesota also landed four players on Preseason All-Big Ten Teams as Matthew Knies (unanimous) and Brock Faber earned first-team recognition, while Logan Cooley and Jackson LaCombe were named to the second team.

CLOSE UP
After Justen Close took over the starting goaltending job in January, he flourished in the new role. He backstopped the Gophers to an 11-2 record over the final 10 weeks of the 2021-22 season, including a nine-game winning streak. When the season ended, Close turned in one of the best seasons in Minnesota history as his goals against average of 1.95 ranks third in single-season history and was ninth in the NCAA, while he boasted a .925 save percentage that sits fourth in Gophers' single-season history. He was named to the Mike Richter Award Watch List for the best goaltender in the nation and was an NCAA All-Regional Team and Honorable Mention All-Big Ten Team selection. He also became the first Gopher to shutout Wisconsin in back-to-back games since George Clausen in 1934.

RETURN THAT SCORING TOUCH
Minnesota has 10 players back on the roster that scored double-digit points a year ago led by sophomore Matthew Knies' 33 points from 15 goals and 18 assists. Bryce Brodzinski joins Knies as the only other returner that notched double-figure goals as the senior potted 12 last season, with four coming on the power play. The now senior added 14 assists for 26 points, which doubled his offensive production from his first two years with the Gophers. Jackson LaCombe's team-leading 27 assists were part of his 30-point campaign, while fellow defensemen Ryan Johnson was fifth on last year's team with 16 assists. Rhett Pitlick found his scoring touch in league play recording 16 points during 22 B1G outings and was a +18 in that timeframe.

EXPERIENCE ALONG THE BLUE LINE
Minnesota turns to an experienced defensive corps in 2022-23 as Jackson LaCombe and Ryan Johnson anchor the back line playing in 103 collegiate games apiece. Matt Staudacher is close behind seeing the ice in 96 career games, while Mike Koster has appeared on the blue line in 67 games. While Brock Faber may be the returner with the fewest games played, he has made the most of two years with the Gophers earning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2021-22 after being named a finalist for the award as a freshman.

YOUTH MOVEMENT
Thanks to 11 incoming freshmen on the roster, the average age of the Minnesota lineup, as of opening night, is 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 the 2000's, 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 heading into the season 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.

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Players Mentioned

Bryce Brodzinski

Ryan Chesley

Justen Close

Logan Cooley

Brock Faber

Carl Fish

Ryan Johnson

Matthew Knies

Mike Koster

Jackson LaCombe

Blake McLaughlin

Ben Meyers

Rhett Pitlick

Jimmy Snuggerud

Matt Staudacher