University of Minnesota Athletics
Saturday, February 18
University Park, Pa.
5:30 PM
University of Minnesota
23-8-1, 17-4-1
3
at
2
Penn State
19-12-1, 9-12-1
1
2
3
OT 1
F
Minnesota
0
1
1
1
3
Penn State
1
0
1
0
2
Team Stats
MIN
PSU
Shots
32
28
PPG
0
0
SHG
0
0
Penalties
1
1
Penalty Mins
2
2
Faceoffs Won
31
25
Game Leaders
+/-
1
Goals
2
Sh
4
A
0
+/-
1
Goals
1
Sh
5
A
0
+/-
0
Goals
0
Sh
5
A
1
+/-
0
Goals
0
Sh
3
A
1
Players Mentioned
Goaltender
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's HockeyForward
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's HockeyDefense
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's HockeyForward
/ Men's HockeyForward
/ Men's Hockey
Photo by: Craig Houtz - Penn State Athletics
Knies Scores Twice with OT Game Winner at PSU
2/18/2023 8:30:00 PM | Men's Hockey
Gophers rally to complete road sweep
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Matthew Knies put away the tying goal to force overtime and sealed No. 2 Minnesota men's hockey's road victory, 3-2, scoring the game winner at No. 7 Penn State Saturday inside Pegula Ice Arena.
With the goalie pulled, Knies buried a Jimmy Snuggerud wraparound pass for the Golden Gophers (23-8-1 overall, 17-4-1 B1G) with 41 seconds remaining in regulation. The sophomore finished off a perfect Logan Cooley pass in the extra session, completing the sweep of the Nittany Lions (19-12-1 overall, 9-12-1 B1G).
PSU wasted no time erasing the memory of its drubbing the previous night as it scored on the first shot 29 seconds into the game. The home side nearly doubled its lead as a shot was deflected in the slot but bounced off the post. The Gophers woke up and started to get their legs moving to pressure the Nittany Lions net as Jaxon Nelson nearly lifted a backhand over the goaltender's shoulder. Justen Close delivered a glove save on the other end as the action opened up in the middle of the first period. Both teams failed on power-play opportunities before intermission as PSU held the one-goal edge.
Minnesota returned the favor on the Nittany Lions early in the second stanza as Rhett Pitlick collected the puck at the blue line and skated in alone. The sophomore buried his ninth goal of the year under the pads 1:58 after the frame started and the Maroon and Gold pulled even, 1-1. Luke Mittelstadt pushed the puck up the ice from his defensive zone and Connor Kurth's chip pass sprung Pitlick free. The Gophers kept up the pressure and thought they secured the go-ahead tally with 7:25 to play. Garrett Pinoniemi found the back of the yet, but it was disallowed for incidental goalie contact, and the score remained tied through two full frames.
It took remarkable saves from each netminder to keep it a 1-1 game with the pace intensifying for the first five minutes of the final period. Knies nearly gave the Gophers the lead at the 11-minute mark, ripping a shot that rang off the crossbar and Mittelstadt added a slapshot from the point as the chances continued to mount for the visitors. PSU scored with just 2:03 on the clock and came less than a minute away from the upset, but Minnesota battled back after pulling the goalie.
Knies was in the perfect spot at the goal mouth for a Snuggerud pass and forced overtime scoring his 19th of the season in the final minute of regulation. He stayed locked in and hit the post during the 3-on-3 overtime before Cooley spun around a defender and slid a pass across the slot. Knies blasted a one-timer into the back of the net and Minnesota registered its ninth win over a top-10 team this year, 3-2.
Close won his 20th game this season as the senior made 26 saves. The Gophers held PSU, the nation's shot leader at 40.1 per game, to just 28.
Noteworthy
Knies tallied his team-leading 20th goal of the campaign thanks to his second multi-goal effort over the past four weeks ... He is the third NCAA player to hit the 20-goal mark this season and broadened his national lead with his seventh game-winning goal ... Cooley extended his season-long scoring streak to nine games, while Snuggerud pushed his own streak to six ... Pitlick snapped an 11-game goal scoring drought dating back to Dec. 10, but has remained hot offensively with points in five of his last six contests ... Connor Kurth picked up his second assist of the season and had points in both outings against PSU ... Mittelstadt recorded his third point of the weekend assisting on the Pitlick tally ... Minnesota played in front of another sellout of 6,461, the 16th capacity crowd of its last 20 games played.
Coach Motzko's Comments
"Overall, I liked how our team played all weekend long," Minnesota head coach Bob Motzko said. "Man-to-man, shift-to-shift, I thought we were a pretty darn good hockey team this weekend. If we would have lost it, I liked how we played, but thank goodness we got the right guys with the puck there at the end to find a way to win it."
Next Up: Home vs. Ohio State (Feb. 24)
Minnesota returns home for its final action of the regular season when it hosts nationally-ranked Ohio State for a B1G series starting on ESPNU Feb. 24 at 8 p.m. and live on the Gopher Radio Network 103.5 FM/AM-1130 KTLK.
With the goalie pulled, Knies buried a Jimmy Snuggerud wraparound pass for the Golden Gophers (23-8-1 overall, 17-4-1 B1G) with 41 seconds remaining in regulation. The sophomore finished off a perfect Logan Cooley pass in the extra session, completing the sweep of the Nittany Lions (19-12-1 overall, 9-12-1 B1G).
PSU wasted no time erasing the memory of its drubbing the previous night as it scored on the first shot 29 seconds into the game. The home side nearly doubled its lead as a shot was deflected in the slot but bounced off the post. The Gophers woke up and started to get their legs moving to pressure the Nittany Lions net as Jaxon Nelson nearly lifted a backhand over the goaltender's shoulder. Justen Close delivered a glove save on the other end as the action opened up in the middle of the first period. Both teams failed on power-play opportunities before intermission as PSU held the one-goal edge.
Minnesota returned the favor on the Nittany Lions early in the second stanza as Rhett Pitlick collected the puck at the blue line and skated in alone. The sophomore buried his ninth goal of the year under the pads 1:58 after the frame started and the Maroon and Gold pulled even, 1-1. Luke Mittelstadt pushed the puck up the ice from his defensive zone and Connor Kurth's chip pass sprung Pitlick free. The Gophers kept up the pressure and thought they secured the go-ahead tally with 7:25 to play. Garrett Pinoniemi found the back of the yet, but it was disallowed for incidental goalie contact, and the score remained tied through two full frames.
It took remarkable saves from each netminder to keep it a 1-1 game with the pace intensifying for the first five minutes of the final period. Knies nearly gave the Gophers the lead at the 11-minute mark, ripping a shot that rang off the crossbar and Mittelstadt added a slapshot from the point as the chances continued to mount for the visitors. PSU scored with just 2:03 on the clock and came less than a minute away from the upset, but Minnesota battled back after pulling the goalie.
Knies was in the perfect spot at the goal mouth for a Snuggerud pass and forced overtime scoring his 19th of the season in the final minute of regulation. He stayed locked in and hit the post during the 3-on-3 overtime before Cooley spun around a defender and slid a pass across the slot. Knies blasted a one-timer into the back of the net and Minnesota registered its ninth win over a top-10 team this year, 3-2.
Close won his 20th game this season as the senior made 26 saves. The Gophers held PSU, the nation's shot leader at 40.1 per game, to just 28.
Noteworthy
Knies tallied his team-leading 20th goal of the campaign thanks to his second multi-goal effort over the past four weeks ... He is the third NCAA player to hit the 20-goal mark this season and broadened his national lead with his seventh game-winning goal ... Cooley extended his season-long scoring streak to nine games, while Snuggerud pushed his own streak to six ... Pitlick snapped an 11-game goal scoring drought dating back to Dec. 10, but has remained hot offensively with points in five of his last six contests ... Connor Kurth picked up his second assist of the season and had points in both outings against PSU ... Mittelstadt recorded his third point of the weekend assisting on the Pitlick tally ... Minnesota played in front of another sellout of 6,461, the 16th capacity crowd of its last 20 games played.
Coach Motzko's Comments
"Overall, I liked how our team played all weekend long," Minnesota head coach Bob Motzko said. "Man-to-man, shift-to-shift, I thought we were a pretty darn good hockey team this weekend. If we would have lost it, I liked how we played, but thank goodness we got the right guys with the puck there at the end to find a way to win it."
Next Up: Home vs. Ohio State (Feb. 24)
Minnesota returns home for its final action of the regular season when it hosts nationally-ranked Ohio State for a B1G series starting on ESPNU Feb. 24 at 8 p.m. and live on the Gopher Radio Network 103.5 FM/AM-1130 KTLK.
Highlights: Gophers 2, Penn State 5
Saturday, January 10
Highlights: Gophers 0, Penn State 3
Friday, January 09
Highlights: Gophers 3, Bemidji State 3 (EXH)
Friday, January 02
First Half Season Highlights
Wednesday, December 31