University of Minnesota Athletics
Sunday, October 8
3M Arena at Mariucci
6:00 PM
University of Minnesota
0-0-0
5
vs
2
Bemidji State
0-0-0
1
2
3
F
Bemidji St.
0
0
2
2
Minnesota
0
2
3
5
Team Stats
BSU
MIN
Shots
26
41
PPG
0
0
SHG
1
0
Penalties
5
1
Penalty Mins
21
2
Faceoffs Won
20
42
Game Leaders
+/-
1
Goals
2
Sh
7
A
0
+/-
2
Goals
2
Sh
6
A
0
+/-
1
Goals
0
Sh
6
A
2
+/-
1
Goals
1
Sh
3
A
0
Players Mentioned
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Defense
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Goaltender
/ Men's HockeyForward
/ Men's HockeyForward
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's HockeyForward
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Goaltender
/ Men's Hockey
Photo by: Bjorn Franke
Pitlick and Moore Power 'U' Past Beavers
10/8/2023 9:15:00 PM | Men's Hockey
Exhibition win in debut of arena renovations
MINNEAPOLIS - After a slow start to the night, the No. 3/2 Minnesota men's hockey team took control of the second period on its way to a 5-2 victory during its exhibition opener against (RV) Bemidji State Saturday from the freshly renovated 3M Arena at Mariucci.
Oliver Moore and Rhett Pitlick broke a scoreless tie by scoring 5:27 apart in the second before Bryce Brodzinski and Pitlick added insurance markers in the third for the Golden Gophers. Moore tacked on his second of the night into an empty net to finish off the win.
It was a nervous start for the home side as the team adjusted to their new ice surface and turned the puck over to the Beavers early. Goaltender Justen Close provided his usual calm demeanor to settle things behind his young defense corps until the home side started to find its legs in the middle of the frame. The speed of Moore helped push the rush up the wing to generate chances, including a brilliant look with five minutes to play in the period. The freshman narrowly missed the opening tally during a 2-on-1 with Jimmy Snuggerud as the BSU netminder made a sprawling stick save to deny the goal, keeping it a scoreless first period.
The offense continued to ramp up in the second and Snuggerud drove to the net and drew a penalty where Minnesota attacked but was unable to find a goal. That changed at the 9:09 mark as Moore sniped a shot over the goalie's blocker from the faceoff dot of his off wing, giving the Gophers a 1-0 edge. Mason Nevers forced a turnover along the offensive blue line and the freshman took advantage of space given to him. The lead almost doubled when Ryan Chesley sent a stretch pass up the middle for a mini breakaway by Jaxon Nelson with six minutes remaining in the stanza. Just 20 seconds later, the Maroon and Gold found the back of the net as Connor Kurth patiently waited during an odd-man rush before delivering a perfect pass to Pitlick for the easy finish and a 2-0 cushion.
The Beavers broke the shutout with a shorthanded tally six minutes into the final frame as the visitors cut the margin in half. A fortunate bounce off the end boards helped the Gophers regain the two-goal edge at 10:17 when a Garrett Pinoniemi shot came back towards the net and was tipped off the goaltender's pad by Brodzinski. Pitlick pushed across his second goal less than two minutes later burying a rebound from Kurth's initial shot and Minnesota skated away with a 5-2 victory after Moore's empty-net goal.
Noteworthy
Close turned away all 12 shots he faced before exiting the game and Zach Wiese took over in net early in the second period ... The Owatonna, Minn., netminder finished with 12 saves in a winning effort of his first-ever appearance for the Gophers ... Pitlick closed his sophomore year with 11 goals, three of which came in the final 10 outings, and he continued that run of play into 2023-24 ... Jimmy Clark won 9-of-11 faceoffs during his first look at college hockey ... The Gophers dominated the second period, owning a 21-6 advantage in shots on goal.
Coach Motzko's Comments
"When we started to win puck battles, better hockey came out," Minnesota head coach Bob Motzko said. "The ice was great, it's really a good, fast sheet of ice. There's some new technology going into work there."
Next Up: Away vs. St. Thomas at Xcel Energy Center (Oct. 13)
Minnesota officially begins the 2023-24 season with a Friday the 13th matchup against the Tommies of St. Thomas, entering their third season of NCAA Division I membership. Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m. as part of a women's and men's hockey doubleheader from inside Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn. Local fans can watch the action live on FOX 9, while the game will feature an audio broadcast on the Gopher Radio Network 103.5 FM/AM-1130 KTLK.
Oliver Moore and Rhett Pitlick broke a scoreless tie by scoring 5:27 apart in the second before Bryce Brodzinski and Pitlick added insurance markers in the third for the Golden Gophers. Moore tacked on his second of the night into an empty net to finish off the win.
It was a nervous start for the home side as the team adjusted to their new ice surface and turned the puck over to the Beavers early. Goaltender Justen Close provided his usual calm demeanor to settle things behind his young defense corps until the home side started to find its legs in the middle of the frame. The speed of Moore helped push the rush up the wing to generate chances, including a brilliant look with five minutes to play in the period. The freshman narrowly missed the opening tally during a 2-on-1 with Jimmy Snuggerud as the BSU netminder made a sprawling stick save to deny the goal, keeping it a scoreless first period.
The offense continued to ramp up in the second and Snuggerud drove to the net and drew a penalty where Minnesota attacked but was unable to find a goal. That changed at the 9:09 mark as Moore sniped a shot over the goalie's blocker from the faceoff dot of his off wing, giving the Gophers a 1-0 edge. Mason Nevers forced a turnover along the offensive blue line and the freshman took advantage of space given to him. The lead almost doubled when Ryan Chesley sent a stretch pass up the middle for a mini breakaway by Jaxon Nelson with six minutes remaining in the stanza. Just 20 seconds later, the Maroon and Gold found the back of the net as Connor Kurth patiently waited during an odd-man rush before delivering a perfect pass to Pitlick for the easy finish and a 2-0 cushion.
The Beavers broke the shutout with a shorthanded tally six minutes into the final frame as the visitors cut the margin in half. A fortunate bounce off the end boards helped the Gophers regain the two-goal edge at 10:17 when a Garrett Pinoniemi shot came back towards the net and was tipped off the goaltender's pad by Brodzinski. Pitlick pushed across his second goal less than two minutes later burying a rebound from Kurth's initial shot and Minnesota skated away with a 5-2 victory after Moore's empty-net goal.
Noteworthy
Close turned away all 12 shots he faced before exiting the game and Zach Wiese took over in net early in the second period ... The Owatonna, Minn., netminder finished with 12 saves in a winning effort of his first-ever appearance for the Gophers ... Pitlick closed his sophomore year with 11 goals, three of which came in the final 10 outings, and he continued that run of play into 2023-24 ... Jimmy Clark won 9-of-11 faceoffs during his first look at college hockey ... The Gophers dominated the second period, owning a 21-6 advantage in shots on goal.
Coach Motzko's Comments
"When we started to win puck battles, better hockey came out," Minnesota head coach Bob Motzko said. "The ice was great, it's really a good, fast sheet of ice. There's some new technology going into work there."
Next Up: Away vs. St. Thomas at Xcel Energy Center (Oct. 13)
Minnesota officially begins the 2023-24 season with a Friday the 13th matchup against the Tommies of St. Thomas, entering their third season of NCAA Division I membership. Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m. as part of a women's and men's hockey doubleheader from inside Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn. Local fans can watch the action live on FOX 9, while the game will feature an audio broadcast on the Gopher Radio Network 103.5 FM/AM-1130 KTLK.
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Highlights: Gophers 3, Michigan Tech 5
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Wednesday, September 10