Gophers, Wolverines Meet in B1G Semifinals Saturday

MINNEAPOLIS - For the fourth-straight season, the sixth-ranked Minnesota men's hockey team will face No. 11 Michigan during the postseason, this time in the Big Ten Conference Tournament Semifinals March 16 inside 3M Arena at Mariucci sponsored by Affinity Plus.

The action will be broadcast at 8 p.m. as part of a men's hockey doubleheader on Big Ten Network along with an audio broadcast on the Gopher Radio Network 1130 KTLK-AM/103.5 FM. Tickets are on sale now at www.GopherSports.com.

TRAFFIC & PARKING ADVISORY
In addition to the B1G Semifinal, Minnesota State High School League Girls Basketball will have multiple games in Williams Arena on Saturday, March 16. All fans are encouraged to arrive early for the men's hockey game and allocate additional time for arriving on campus. Fans who have not obtained a parking pass are encouraged to purchase their parking in advance HERE.

TOURNAMENT HISTORY
After being the top seed at the previous two Big Ten Conference Tournaments, the Gophers enter the semifinal round in 2024 as the No. 3 seed following a sweep of sixth-seeded Penn State in the quarterfinals last weekend. Minnesota has now reached at least the semifinals in 10 of 11 B1G Tournament since its inception in 2014. It is the second time playing the event as the third seed and the last time that happened, the Maroon and Gold defeated Michigan twice during the 2019 quarterfinals before falling in overtime at Notre Dame in the semifinals. Minnesota has won the B1G Tournament twice since the event began in 2014 as it claimed titles in 2015 and again in 2021, while also finishing as the runner up three times, including each of the last two seasons. The Gophers own a 14-9 record all-time in the B1G Tournament and are 5-3 in the semifinals with wins over Michigan, Penn State, and Michigan State in the last three seasons. Under the guidance of Head Coach Bob Motzko, Minnesota has an 11-4 record in the postseason tournament.

WELCOME TO MY HOUSE
Minnesota has been nearly perfect at home late in the season, winning 10 of the last 11 games with only an overtime loss to Michigan as the lone setback two weeks ago. The Gophers won eight straight inside 3M Arena at Mariucci between Jan. 8 and Mar. 1, their longest streak since 2017. The Maroon and Gold trailed for only 10 minutes, 43 seconds during that eight-game winning streak, and have outscored their opponents by a 50-21 margin in 11 home games since early January. The 10 game-deciding goals came from five different skaters with Aaron Huglen and Jimmy Snuggerud each netting three apiece. Eight players have tallied double-digit points during the stretch as Oliver Moore and Rhett Pitlick each have 15 to pace the squad. Justen Close is 9-0-0 in that home run and recorded a 1.71 goals-against average, .942 save percentage, and two shutouts.

BEST TEAM AT AVOIDING THE PENALTY BOX
The Gophers were called for double-digit penalty minutes in three-straight games during the season's first month but has drastically changed that narrative over the last three months. Minnesota now leads the nation, averaging 6.8 penalty minutes per game, sitting in the box for six minutes or less in 16 of the previous 18 outings, including a penalty-free contest in the final road test at Notre Dame (Feb. 17). That also incorporates a home win versus Robert Morris (Jan. 13) where the team's only penalty came on matching minors as it did not allow a single power-play opportunity. The Gophers were whistled for 19 penalty minutes in the first period against Penn State (Mar. 9), which was more time in the penalty box than the previous four games combined.

NELLY GETTING "HOT IN HERRE"
Jaxon Nelson has been unstoppable for the Golden Gophers of late with a goal in four of his last five games, including three multi-goal performances, and has eight of his career-best 16 goals over that span. He has 10 points and a plus-8 rating during a season-long, five-game point streak and also won double-digit faceoffs in each of those outings (64-of-102), a 63 percent success rate. Against No. 16 Michigan to close the regular season, Nelson totaled six points via five goals and an assist on his way to a B1G First Star of the Week (Mar. 5) honor, the first weekly award of his five-year career. He recorded his first collegiate hat trick in Friday night's win, scoring once in each of the three periods. The Magnolia, Minn., native followed that with his third, three-point performance of the season Saturday as he tallied two goals and an assist in the third period to help the Gophers overcome a three-goal deficit.

CLOSE THE SHUTOUT STAR
Justen Close was recently named a Mike Richter Award semifinalist for the second-straight year thanks to a 2.33 goals-against average, a .923 save percentage, and four shutouts this season. The graduate student was nothing short of brilliant for the Gophers in the quarterfinals sweep of Penn State where he allowed three goals on 69 shots and made a career-high 46 saves in the finale, sending Minnesota to the semifinals. He was named the B1G First Star of the Week for two-consecutive weeks (Feb. 6 & 13) after not allowing a goal, stopping all 66 shots, against the Nittany Lions during a weekend sweep and extended his career-long shutout streak to more than 190 minutes. Close posted consecutive shutouts for the third time in his career and second time this season. In a split at No. 4 Wisconsin, he held the opposition to one goal each night on his way to weekly accolades, stopping 62-of-64 shots. He picked up the honor for the first time on Oct. 24 after turning away 57-of-59 shots faced against No. 5 North Dakota, including a 25-save shutout Oct. 20 and remains the only goalie this season to blank UND. The Kindersley, Saskatchewan, native used the back-to-back shutouts of Penn State to tie the all-time shutouts record in Minnesota history with the 13th of his career and increased his career win total to 59, tying for sixth in program history.

HUGLEN COMING UP HUGE
Forward Aaron Huglen is putting together his best offensive run as a Gopher late in the year, picking up a point in 14 of the past 20 games, totaling 16 points. The junior has scored a goal in three-straight contests, the longest streak of his career, with nine of his career-best 12 total goals coming over the previous 15 outings. He became the ninth Minnesota player to reach the 20-point mark in 2023-24 after tallying the game-winning goal against Penn State in the B1G quarterfinals (Mar. 9). Thanks to his first collegiate multi-goal outing against the Nittany Lions (Jan. 10), Huglen surpassed his previous career best in goals at eight. He also tacked on an assist in the series opener to finish with three points during the weekend and earned B1G Third Star of the Week honors (Feb. 13), his first weekly award as a Gopher. Since Jan. 20, the Roseau, Minn., native is tied for the NCAA lead in game-winning goals as he has four in that stretch.

BRODZINSKI TO SET A NEW PROGRAM RECORD
There will be a new leader in all-time games played in Minnesota men's hockey history Saturday when Bryce Brodzinski takes the ice for the 183rd time, passing Larry Olimb (1988-92), as he has not missed a game since Jan. 30, 2021, playing in 129-straight contests. The fifth-year senior remains the NCAA's active leader in games played (182) and is third in goals (59), while sitting eighth among Division I players with 115 career points. The Blaine, Minn., native joined an elite company as the 61st Minnesota player to reach the 50-goal milestone when he scored twice in a home win over Minnesota Duluth (Nov. 3). He is the first Gopher to hit the scoring mark since Tyler Sheehy did so on Dec. 8, 2018, and is one of five to score 50 goals since 2010. He reached 100 career points with the game-winning goal at Penn State (Dec. 1), the first Gopher to reach the milestone since Blake McLaughlin in 2022, and the 88th player to hit the century mark for career points with the Maroon and Gold.

HISTORY WITH THE WOLVERINES
Minnesota leads the all-time series against Michigan with a 155-135-20 (.532) record in a rivalry that extends back to 1923 after picking up eight of a possible 12 points during the regular season behind a 2-1-1 record. The Gophers are 14-8-3 across the previous 25 meetings, but just 6-7-1 in that stretch at 3M Arena at Mariucci. The two teams have met in four of the last five Big Ten Conference Tournaments where the Gophers hold a 3-2 edge in those meetings and are 11-7-2 in 20 all-time postseason matchups. Three players from the Maroon and Gold are all averaging more than a point per game against the Wolverines this year in Jaxon Nelson (7), Brody Lamb (6), and Bryce Brodzinski (5).

INSIDE LOOK AT MICHIGAN
The two-time defending B1G tournament champion Wolverines have won six of their last eight games after completing a quarterfinal sweep of No. 5 seed Notre Dame at home last weekend. The duo of Gavin Brindley and Rutger McGroarty are leading the offensive charge for Michigan as both players have reached the 50-point mark this season, while three others have at least 40 points. Goaltender Jake Barczewski has a 2.84 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage in 32 appearances. The Wolverines boast the NCAA's best power play at 35.6 percent and have 48 of their 154 total goals on a man advantage, leading to the third-highest scoring offense in the country at 4.3 goals per game. On the flip side, Michigan allows more than three goals per game to rank 37th in the NCAA.

WEEKLY AWARD TAKEOVER
Throughout the 2023-24 regular season, the Gophers had nine different players representing the Maroon and Gold earn a Big Ten Conference Star of the Week award. Minnesota totaled 14 weekly accolades from the league this season, four more than any team within the conference. Justen Close and Rhett Pitlick led the charge with three honors apiece, while Jimmy Snuggerud picked up a pair. Four players were named a star of the week for the first time in their careers as Aaron Huglen, Oliver Moore, Jaxon Nelson, and Sam Rinzel all earned the distinction. The Gophers also had at least one player honored for six-straight weeks from Jan. 10 to Feb. 13.

EATING PUCKS
Minnesota is one of four NCAA teams this season with two players that have blocked 64 or more shots as Ryan Chesley (73) and Cal Thomas (64) have both reached that mark. As a team, the Gophers rank seventh nationally by blocking a conference-best 505 shots, including a season-high 34 during a home win over Penn State (Mar. 9), which was the second-most from an NCAA team in a single game this year. It's been a full team effort to get bodies in shooting lanes and 17 different players have double-digit blocks for the year with six of them totaling 35 or more.

DRAFT SPOTLIGHT FOR 13
Thirteen of Minnesota's 26 rostered players have heard their names called in the NHL Entry Draft since 2019, including a pair of first-round selections that are part of this year's freshmen class. The Gophers have had the most all-time draft selections (239) by any NCAA men's hockey program after adding four over the summer. At least one Gopher has been drafted in 49 of the last 50 NHL Entry Drafts dating back to 1974, with 2001 being the only exception. Boston College and Boston University are the only teams in the nation that have more draft picks (14) on their NCAA rosters for the 2023-24 season than Minnesota.

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Players Mentioned

Bryce Brodzinski

Ryan Chesley

Justen Close

Aaron Huglen

Brody Lamb

Oliver Moore

Jaxon Nelson

Rhett Pitlick

Sam Rinzel

Jimmy Snuggerud

Cal Thomas