Final Road Test for Minnesota at No. 7 Penn State

MINNEAPOLIS - The University of Minnesota men's hockey team hits the road for its final away test of the regular season when it visits No. 7 Penn State in a Big Ten Conference series Feb. 17-18.

Both games will be carried on Big Ten Network starting at 5:30 p.m. (CT) Friday and Saturday, while also airing live on the Gopher Radio Network 103.5 FM/AM-1130 KTLK.

POLLS AND STANDINGS
After suffering a series split at Wisconsin last weekend, Minnesota dropped to No. 2 in both the USCHO.com and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine polls. Most importantly, the Maroon and Gold remain atop the PairWise rankings and the Big Ten Conference standings with 46 points, holding an 11-point lead over second-place Michigan with two weeks remaining in the regular season.

TITLE PUSH
The Gophers control their own destiny, needing just two points over their final four games to secure the Big Ten Conference regular season championship outright and have a chance to clinch the title Thursday depending on the Ohio State versus Michigan result. Minnesota is looking for its second-straight and sixth overall B1G crown, while it would be the 29th overall regular-season conference championship in program history. No other team has won multiple titles in the 10-year history of men's hockey in the Big Ten Conference.

HOBEY BAKER MEMORIAL NOMINEES
It's time for Minnesota to make its presence known as fan voting remains active for the 2023 Hobey Baker Memorial Award. Three Gophers are part of the initial round of voting as Brock Faber, Matthew Knies and Jackson LaCombe were nominated for the honor and all three are in the top 10 at this point with Knies at the very top. Fans can go to https://hobeybaker.com/awards/vote-for-hobey/ and vote for one player every day until March 26. The top 10 list of finalists will be announced March 15.

HISTORY WITH THE NITTANY LIONS
After splitting a pair of games against Penn State at 3M Arena at Mariucci more than three months ago, the Gophers continue to lead the all-time series with a 22-17-1 record dating back to the first meeting in 2014. Bryce Brodzinski put away three of the team's five goals during the weekend series with the Nittany Lions to earn B1G Third Star of the Week honors. The senior scored twice during a 66-second span of the third period to break a 1-1 tie in the series finale. Aaron Huglen and Mason Nevers tallied the other two goals for Minnesota, while Jaxon Nelson posted two assists to aid the offense. Justen Close has a 4-1 record against the Nittany Lions in his career, including a .934 save percentage this season.

PEOPLE WANT TO SEE THE GOPHERS
Fans have come out to see the high-powered Gophers to the tune of a sellout in eight of 10 arenas played in across the country, including 14 of their last 18 games overall. Minnesota has had seven sellouts, five straight, at 3M Arena at Mariucci this season and with an announced attendance of 20,755 for the series against the Wolverines Jan. 20-21, set a program record for the most fans in a weekend series in arena history. The Gophers have the second-highest home attendance of any college hockey team this year averaging 8,980 patrons per game. That number is a more than a 1,300-person increase from a season ago.

FOCUSED FRESHMEN
First-round picks Jimmy Snuggerud and Logan Cooley continue to pace the team offensively during their freshmen campaigns totaling 40 and 38 points, respectively, tying for fourth and seventh in the NCAA. It's the first time since 2013-14 and only the fourth time since 2000 that multiple Minnesota first-year players have registered 30 or more points in a single season. Snuggerud has produced 14 multi-point efforts this year, including three of his last four outings, and put his name on the scoresheet of 22 of his 30 collegiate games played. Cooley has scored all 14 of his goals in Gophers' victories, while the Pittsburgh, Pa., native has recorded at least one point in 23 of 29 games played. He is currently riding a season-long, seven-game point streak, his second of that length this year.

KNIES TO THE TOP
Sophomore Matthew Knies continues to score goals at an elite rate this season as he has hit the back of the net in 16 of 30 games played to tie for the team lead with 17 goals, which ranks eighth nationally. He recorded his first multi-goal outing of the year against Michigan Jan. 20, including the game winner in overtime. The Phoenix, Ariz., product has generated all but three of his 31 total points (17 goals and 14 assists) in Maroon and Gold wins. He is tied for the NCAA lead with five game-winning goals and continues to average more than a point per game in his Gophers' career, totaling 64 points (32 goals, 32 assists) during 63 contests.

SPECIAL TEAMS SUCCESS
Special teams have played a critical part of Minnesota's success this season as it has tallied a power-play goal in 18 of 30 games this season and rank eighth in the NCAA converting at 24.8 percent. The Gophers have scored 11 goals on the man advantage over their previous 12 games, getting goals from nine different players in that stretch. The penalty kill has erased 25-of-27 opponent power-play chances during the 2023 calendar year, limiting teams behind a 92.6 percent kill rate.

CLOSE EYE ON THE SENIOR
The same week he was added to the 2023 Mike Richter Award Watch List for the best goaltender in NCAA Division I men's hockey, Justen Close was named the B1G Second Star of the Week (Jan. 17). It was the third time he was honored by the conference in an eight-week stretch. Close is now a semifinalist for the award and remains the B1G leader in goals against average at 2.09, which sits 11th in the nation, and shutouts after he recorded his fifth of the year versus Michigan State Jan. 27. His eight career shutouts are the 10th-most in program history, and he's done so in just 45 career starts.

STAYING OUT OF TROUBLE
The Gophers played double-digit periods between being whistled for a penalty from Nov. 25 to Dec. 9 as there was not a single infraction called during the two-game series against Michigan State in East Lansing, Mich. Despite being called for four major penalties in its previous seven games, Minnesota is the third-least penalized team in the NCAA averaging 7.7 penalty minutes per contest.

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 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.

WHEN YOU CALL MY NAME
Fourteen of Minnesota's 26 rostered players have heard their name called in the NHL Entry Draft, six of which are part of this year's freshmen class. The Gophers have had the most all-time draft selections (227) by any NCAA men's hockey program after adding four in July 2022. At least one Gopher has been drafted in 48 of the last 49 NHL Entry Drafts dating back to 1974, with 2001 being the only exception. Only Harvard has more draft picks (15) on its NCAA roster for the 2022-23 season.

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Players Mentioned

Bryce Brodzinski

Justen Close

Logan Cooley

Brock Faber

Aaron Huglen

Matthew Knies

Jackson LaCombe

Jaxon Nelson

Mason Nevers

Jimmy Snuggerud