Minnesota Opens NCAA Frozen Four with BU Thursday

MINNEAPOLIS - The final week of the 2022-23 season is here, and the top-ranked Minnesota men's hockey team is set for a NCAA Frozen Four battle with No. 5/4 Boston University Thursday from Amalie Arena. Puck drop is slated for 4 p.m. (CT) live on ESPN2 or tune in for the broadcast through the Gopher Radio Network 103.5 FM/AM-1130 KTLK.

It'll be the fifth meeting between the two historic programs in the national semifinals and first since 1995. For more information on tickets, Frozen Four schedule, radio affiliates and NCAA tournament news, click HERE for the Gopher Hockey Postseason Central page.

BACK AT THE FROZEN FOUR
The Golden Gophers have the farthest trip of any team at the NCAA Frozen Four traveling nearly 1,600 miles to Amalie Arena, the home of the NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning. It's the second time in three instances when the Frozen Four has been hosted in Tampa, Fla., that the Maroon and Gold have earned a spot after making the event in 2012. Entering its 23rd trip and 40th overall game at the Frozen Four, Minnesota owns a 20-19 record all-time, including a 12-10 mark in the national semifinals.

SHINING IN THE NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT
The five-time national champion Gophers are back in the 16-team NCAA tournament for the third-straight season and record 40th time in program history. They own a 60-40 all-time record, and the 60 victories are the most of any college hockey team in tournament history. Under head coach Bob Motzko, Minnesota has a 5-2 record on the national stage and won at least one game in all three trips to the event, including a spot in the NCAA Frozen Four in back-to-back seasons.

PAIR OF HOBEY BAKER HAT TRICK FINALISTS
Minnesota's Logan Cooley and Matthew Knies were both named a 2023 Hobey Baker Memorial Award Hat Trick Finalist Thursday. The Gophers are one of just three NCAA teams to have at least four Hobey Baker Memorial Award winners in program history as Jordan Leopold (2002), Brian Bonin (1996), Robb Stauber (1988) and Neal Broten (1981) all earned the prestigious honor. A 30-member selection committee and another round of fan balloting determined this year's Hobey Baker winner, which will be announced at a public ceremony at Sparkman Wharf in Tampa, Fla., April 7 and live on NHL Network at 5 p.m. (CT).

HISTORY WITH THE TERRIERS
Minnesota holds an even 12-12-2 record in the all-time series with BU since it began in 1963, including a 5-3 mark in games played at the NCAA Tournament. The teams last met on the ice in 2012 in the first game of the NCAA West Regional at Xcel Energy Center where the Gophers claimed a 7-3 win with a pair of empty-net goals. Kyle Rau had a goal and three assists that night in St. Paul, Minn., and Jake Hansen scored twice for Minnesota. The Terriers have won the last two matchups during the national semifinals (1994, 1995) after the Maroon and Gold won the first two (1974, 1976).

GETTING TO KNOW BOSTON UNIVERSITY
Similar to the Gophers, the Terriers are playing in their 23rd NCAA Frozen Four in 2023 after taking down Western Michigan (5-1) and Cornell (2-1) at the NCAA Manchester Regional to extend a nine-game winning streak that dates back to Feb. 24. BU enters the final week of the season unbeaten at 21-0-0 when scoring the game's first goal and lost only once when holding a lead after the first period (17-1-0) and once with a second-period lead (22-1-0). The dynamic Hutson brothers pace the NCAA's fourth-highest scoring offense (3.9 goals per game). Quinn is tied for the nation's lead with seven game-winning goals, while Lane is seventh in the nation totaling 48 points, the most of any freshman blueliner 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 10 of 12 arenas played in across the country, including 20 of their last 26 games overall, with the B1G title tilt selling out in less than 48 hours. It was a record-setting crowd at the NCAA Fargo Regional as both outings were sold out, while the finale against St. Cloud State set a Fargo regional record for highest-ever attendance at 5,326. Minnesota played in front of nine sellouts at 3M Arena at Mariucci during the 20-game home 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 9,156 patrons per game. That number is a more than a 1,600-person increase from a season ago.

MILESTONE ACHIEVED
First-round NHL draft picks in 2022, Logan Cooley (third overall) and Jimmy Snuggerud (23rd overall) continue to pace the team offensively during their freshmen campaigns totaling 57 and 50 points, respectively, tying for second and fifth in the NCAA. The duo became the first-ever set of rookies to reach the 50-point mark in program history in the same season as Cooley hit the milestone Mar. 11 in the B1G semifinals, while Snuggerud joined the club Mar. 23 during the NCAA Fargo Regional. They are the first Gopher freshmen with 50 points since Phil Kessel posted 51 in 2005-06 as Cooley has pushed to No. 5 in scoring by a freshman all-time at Minnesota and Snuggerud is ninth. It's just the second time since 2000 that multiple freshmen even registered 40 or more points in a single season. They also are the only set of teammates in the NCAA this year to register point streaks of 11 games or more.

NOT COOLING OFF
Logan Cooley's offensive production comes nearly every night, recording at least one point in 31 of 37 games played, while the Pittsburgh, Pa., native has scored 19 of his 20 goals in Gophers' victories. He is currently riding a season-long, 15-game point streak, the longest active streak in the country, and became the first B1G player this season with a five-point performance when he had a goal and four assists in the second period at Penn State Feb. 17. Cooley also earned five B1G Star of the Week honors during the regular season, the most of anyone in 2022-23.

MORE SNUGGY SNIPES
Jimmy Snuggerud has produced 16 multi-point efforts this year, including five times during an 11-game point streak from Jan. 27 to Mar. 23, and put his name on the scoresheet of 29 of his 38 collegiate games played. His 50 points are fifth nationally as he has 21 goals this season, the second-most of any freshman in the country, thanks to a hat trick in just his third NCAA appearance against Minnesota State Oct. 7. A product of Chaska, Minn., Snuggerud closed the regular season with 36 points over 24 league outings to share the B1G scoring title with linemate Logan Cooley and has a team-best eight power-play goals.

KNIES TO THE TOP
Matthew Knies is scoring goals at an elite rate this season as he has hit the back of the net in 19 of 38 games played and sits seventh nationally totaling 21 goals. Minnesota owns a 17-2-0 record when the sophomore pots a goal. The B1G Player of the Year and Hobey Baker Award finalist, he has recorded two multi-goal outings this year and generated all but four of his 41 total points (21 goals and 20 assists) in Maroon and Gold wins. Knies remains tied for the NCAA lead with seven game-winning goals and continues to average more than a point per game in his Gophers' career, totaling 74 points (36 goals, 38 assists) during 71 contests.

BRODZINSKI CATCHING FIRE
Thanks to his first-career hat trick in Minnesota's opening win at the NCAA Fargo Regional over Canisius, Bryce Brodzinski is finding his stride at the perfect time. The senior was named the Most Outstanding Player of the regional with five points in the two games, including a team-leading four goals. A native of Blaine, Minn., Brodzinski has 10 goals over his last 13 games as his career-best goal total continues to rise, sitting at 19 along with a career-high 30 points.

LACOMBE KEEPS CLIMBING
Senior Jackson LaCombe has put together the best offensive season of his four-year career totaling 35 points in 35 appearances along the blue line. The most impressive part of that number is that the Eden Prairie, Minn., native has 20 points in 16 games against teams ranked inside the top 10. He has at least one point in 12 of those outings, including six multi-point efforts and a pair of three-point performances. With a goal and an assist versus St. Cloud State in the NCAA Fargo Regional Final Mar. 25, LaCombe recorded his 99th career point, tying Tom Pederson (1987-91) for 13th on the all-time points by a defenseman list.

CLOSE EYE ON THE SENIOR
Minnesota's Justen Close was selected as one of nine semifinalists for the 2023 Mike Richter Award, given to the best goaltender in NCAA Division I men's hockey, but not one of the three finalists. He remains the B1G leader in goals against average (1.99), wins (25) and shutouts (6) and is second in save percentage (.928), all of which rank in the top four nationally, while holding opponents to two or fewer goals in 24 appearances. His nine career shutouts are tied for seventh in program history, and he's done so in just 53 career starts. The senior was honored by the conference as a star of the week four times during the regular season and holds a 1.83 goals against average, .936 save percentage and a 13-4-1 record since the calendar switched to 2023. Even more impressive is what the Kindersley, Sask., native has been able to do against the best teams in the nation, owning a 1.99 GAA when facing a top-15 program and a 2.08 GAA against top-10 foes.

SCORING SENIORS
The Gophers' senior class stepped up in a major way during the NCAA Fargo Regional accounting for 11 of the team's 19 total points and six of 13 goals. Bryce Brodzinski led the way with four goals and five points, while Jackson LaCombe and Jaxon Nelson each provided three points.

OFFENSE FROM THE BLUE LINE
Defensive depth of the Gophers has been showcased all season, but they also add a critical offensive element to the team. This year, players along the blue line have combined for 139 points on 27 goals and 112 assists, the most points of any defensive unit in the NCAA Frozen Four. Jackson LaCombe paces the group with a career-best 35 points and juniors Mike Koster (27 points) and Brock Faber (25 points) also set a new career high this year. Ryan Johnson and Luke Mittelstadt each have 18 points from the back end for the Maroon and Gold, while Ryan Chesley and Cal Thomas have chipped in nine and six points, respectively.

N64 PRODUCTION
Minnesota relied on its veteran line of seniors Bryce Brodzinski and Jaxon Nelson with junior Mason Nevers to provide critical scoring early in the year and that depth has shined again in the postseason. Each player has at least 23 points and combined for 78 this year, including nine power-play goals and six game winners, with all three producing at least one point in each NCAA Fargo Regional outing to total 10 as a line on the national stage. Nelson and Nevers have both already set career highs in goals, assists and points during the 2022-23 campaign. With four goals at regionals, Brodzinski has put away 10 in the last two months for a career-best 30 points. The Gophers turned to a fan vote on social media earlier this season to decide a nickname for the line and "N64" was chosen as the trio's jersey numbers add up to 64, paying homage to the Nintendo 64 game console.

SPEEDING FORWARD
The Gophers' third line has come on strong of late extending the team's scoring depth as Rhett Pitlick, Aaron Huglen and Connor Kurth have utilized their speed to make an impact before Brody Lamb recently stepped in for the injured Kurth. Pitlick has a point in 10 of his last 12 outings, including setting a new career high with a seven-game point streak, for a career-best 24 points overall. The sophomore has two goals in that span, reaching a career-best 10 after a highlight-reel tally in the B1G championship game, and taken advantage of his playmaking abilities to create chances with nine assists. Meanwhile, Huglen is starting to find the back of the net with goals in three of his last five appearances and eight points in a 13-game stretch. Kurth had three goals, including his first collegiate multi-point effort against Canisius, and a +9 rating in 11 games before missing the regional final with an injury.

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.

Upcoming Events

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Bryce Brodzinski

Ryan Chesley

Justen Close

Logan Cooley

Brock Faber

Aaron Huglen

Ryan Johnson

Matthew Knies

Mike Koster

Connor Kurth

Jackson LaCombe

Brody Lamb

Luke Mittelstadt

Jaxon Nelson

Mason Nevers

Rhett Pitlick

Jimmy Snuggerud

Cal Thomas