University of Minnesota Athletics
Friday, February 10
Madison, Wis.
7:00 PM
University of Minnesota
21-7-1, 15-3-1
4
at
1
Wisconsin
10-19-0, 3-16-0
1
2
3
F
Minnesota
1
2
1
4
Wisconsin
0
0
1
1
Team Stats
MIN
WIS
Shots
28
37
PPG
0
0
SHG
0
0
Penalties
3
2
Penalty Mins
9
4
Faceoffs Won
23
29
Game Leaders
+/-
2
Goals
2
Sh
5
A
0
+/-
2
Goals
1
Sh
3
A
1
+/-
1
Goals
0
Sh
1
A
2
+/-
2
Goals
1
Sh
5
A
0
Players Mentioned
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Goaltender
/ Men's HockeyForward
/ Men's HockeyDefense
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Defense
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's HockeyForward
/ Men's Hockey
Photo by: Larry Radloff/The Rink Live
Minnesota Skates by Badgers in Border Battle Win, 4-1
2/10/2023 10:30:00 PM | Men's Hockey
Close makes 36 saves in road win
MADISON, Wis. - No. 1 Minnesota men's hockey utilized a 36-save performance from Justen Close to build a four-goal lead Friday night on the way to a 4-1 victory at Wisconsin from the Kohl Center.
The Golden Gophers (21-7-1 overall, 15-3-1 B1G) got a pair of goals from Bryce Brodzinski and skated past the Badgers (10-19-0 overall, 3-16-0 B1G) in the Border Battle. The win moved Minnesota one game closer to winning a Big Ten Conference championship as a victory in the series finale Saturday clinches the title.
Less than a minute into the game, the visitors found themselves down a player for five minutes being called for a major penalty. Part of the man advantage was negated 37 seconds later as Wisconsin interfered with the Gopher penalty killer and the teams played 4-on-4 until Minnesota erased the rest of the penalty. With eight minutes played, Close delivered his best save of the year, sliding across the crease to his left for the glove stop, keeping the game scoreless, to the delight of the Maroon and Gold faithful that made the trip east for the series.
The Gophers had to kill off another penalty during the opening period as the Badgers had the momentum, but it was the top line for Minnesota that turned the tide for a 1-0 advantage. Matthew Knies forced a turnover in the offensive zone and Jimmy Snuggerud slid the puck to Logan Cooley. The Pittsburgh, Pa., native put away a spinning shot under the pads with 4:03 remaining in the period.
After adding their third successful penalty kill that carried into the second period, the Gophers struck again 64 seconds into the stanza. Ryan Johnson moved down the left wall and pushed a pass to Snuggerud at the high slot where the freshman blistered a wrister by the goalie, creating a two-goal cushion. The offense continued for the visitors as it got the third goal of the night, on just its seventh shot, as Brodzinski buried an open one-timer off a Rhett Pitlick feed at the 8:35 mark and chased the Wisconsin netminder.
It didn't take long at the start of the final frame for Brodzinski to score his second of the night as the senior was in the perfect position in front of the net to redirect a Mike Koster pass along the goal line. It was the Blaine, Minn., native's second multi-goal effort in the last four games, coming 1:16 into the period. Wisconsin snapped the shutout bid 15 ticks of the clock later, but the damage had been done as the Gophers cruised to the third-straight win.
Close was forced to make 21 saves in the opening period, the most of any single period this season, and finished with 36 to provide Minnesota with the poise it needed to weather early pressure. The senior is now 18-7-1 overall in net and leads the Big Ten Conference behind a 2.05 goals against average.
Noteworthy
Close has limited opposing teams to two or fewer goals 17 times in 26 appearances this year and made 30 or more saves for the eighth time ... Brodzinski tallied his fifth goal across the previous four outings and set a new career high with his 13th and 14th of the season, while reaching the 75-point mark for his career at Minnesota ... Snuggerud tied Knies for the team lead in goal scoring with his 17th of the year and with his two-point effort now has totaled 14 games with multiple points, totaling a team-best 39 ... Johnson tallied assists on both second-period goals and now has five helpers in his last three games, while Pitlick has assists in three-straight contests ... Koster has recorded a point in seven of his past 11 games, extending his career-best point total to 18 ... The Gophers improved to 11-1-1 this year when playing on Friday.
Coach Motzko's Comments
"Justen was the difference in the game tonight," Minnesota head coach Bob Motzko said. "They could have really gotten some momentum early in the game. Our penalty kill did a decent job, but Justen was our best penalty killer."
Next Up: Away at Wisconsin (Feb. 11)
Minnesota plays the Badgers for the fourth and final time in the season series with a B1G trophy in its sights. Puck drop is set for 5 p.m. Saturday evening on Big Ten Network, while fans also can listen to the game on the Gopher Radio Network 103.5 FM/AM-1130 KTLK.
The Golden Gophers (21-7-1 overall, 15-3-1 B1G) got a pair of goals from Bryce Brodzinski and skated past the Badgers (10-19-0 overall, 3-16-0 B1G) in the Border Battle. The win moved Minnesota one game closer to winning a Big Ten Conference championship as a victory in the series finale Saturday clinches the title.
Less than a minute into the game, the visitors found themselves down a player for five minutes being called for a major penalty. Part of the man advantage was negated 37 seconds later as Wisconsin interfered with the Gopher penalty killer and the teams played 4-on-4 until Minnesota erased the rest of the penalty. With eight minutes played, Close delivered his best save of the year, sliding across the crease to his left for the glove stop, keeping the game scoreless, to the delight of the Maroon and Gold faithful that made the trip east for the series.
The Gophers had to kill off another penalty during the opening period as the Badgers had the momentum, but it was the top line for Minnesota that turned the tide for a 1-0 advantage. Matthew Knies forced a turnover in the offensive zone and Jimmy Snuggerud slid the puck to Logan Cooley. The Pittsburgh, Pa., native put away a spinning shot under the pads with 4:03 remaining in the period.
After adding their third successful penalty kill that carried into the second period, the Gophers struck again 64 seconds into the stanza. Ryan Johnson moved down the left wall and pushed a pass to Snuggerud at the high slot where the freshman blistered a wrister by the goalie, creating a two-goal cushion. The offense continued for the visitors as it got the third goal of the night, on just its seventh shot, as Brodzinski buried an open one-timer off a Rhett Pitlick feed at the 8:35 mark and chased the Wisconsin netminder.
It didn't take long at the start of the final frame for Brodzinski to score his second of the night as the senior was in the perfect position in front of the net to redirect a Mike Koster pass along the goal line. It was the Blaine, Minn., native's second multi-goal effort in the last four games, coming 1:16 into the period. Wisconsin snapped the shutout bid 15 ticks of the clock later, but the damage had been done as the Gophers cruised to the third-straight win.
Close was forced to make 21 saves in the opening period, the most of any single period this season, and finished with 36 to provide Minnesota with the poise it needed to weather early pressure. The senior is now 18-7-1 overall in net and leads the Big Ten Conference behind a 2.05 goals against average.
Noteworthy
Close has limited opposing teams to two or fewer goals 17 times in 26 appearances this year and made 30 or more saves for the eighth time ... Brodzinski tallied his fifth goal across the previous four outings and set a new career high with his 13th and 14th of the season, while reaching the 75-point mark for his career at Minnesota ... Snuggerud tied Knies for the team lead in goal scoring with his 17th of the year and with his two-point effort now has totaled 14 games with multiple points, totaling a team-best 39 ... Johnson tallied assists on both second-period goals and now has five helpers in his last three games, while Pitlick has assists in three-straight contests ... Koster has recorded a point in seven of his past 11 games, extending his career-best point total to 18 ... The Gophers improved to 11-1-1 this year when playing on Friday.
Coach Motzko's Comments
"Justen was the difference in the game tonight," Minnesota head coach Bob Motzko said. "They could have really gotten some momentum early in the game. Our penalty kill did a decent job, but Justen was our best penalty killer."
Next Up: Away at Wisconsin (Feb. 11)
Minnesota plays the Badgers for the fourth and final time in the season series with a B1G trophy in its sights. Puck drop is set for 5 p.m. Saturday evening on Big Ten Network, while fans also can listen to the game on the Gopher Radio Network 103.5 FM/AM-1130 KTLK.
Mic'd Up: Brody Lamb
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Highlights: Gophers 6, Denver 5
Saturday, November 29