University of Minnesota Athletics
Friday, March 8
3M Arena at Mariucci
6:00 PM
University of Minnesota
vs
Penn State
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Postseason Begins for Gophers in B1G Quarterfinals
3/7/2024 11:15:00 AM | Men's Hockey
'U' hosts Nittany Lions in best-of-three series March 8-10
MINNEAPOLIS - The No. 8/8 Minnesota men's hockey team closed the regular season in third place in the Big Ten Conference standings and begins the postseason with a clean slate. The Golden Gophers face the sixth-seeded Nittany Lions of Penn State in the Big Ten Conference Tournament Quarterfinals March 8-10 inside 3M Arena at Mariucci sponsored by Affinity Plus.
The best-of-three series will air live in its entirety on FS2 along with audio coverage on the Gopher Radio Network 1130 KTLK-AM/103.5 FM. Game one is set for Friday night at 6 p.m. with game two to follow Saturday at 3:30 p.m. If necessary, the third and deciding game will be played at 6 p.m. Sunday evening.
Ticket packages and single-game tickets are on sale now at www.GopherSports.com.
TOURNAMENT HISTORY
After being the top seed at the previous two Big Ten Conference Tournaments, the Gophers enter the quarterfinal round in 2024 as the No. 3 seed. It will be the second time 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 12-9 record all-time in the B1G Tournament and are 5-3 in the quarterfinals with their only series loss coming at Penn State in 2018. Under the guidance of Head Coach Bob Motzko, Minnesota has a 9-4 record in the postseason tournament.
WELCOME TO MY HOUSE
Minnesota was nearly perfect at home down the stretch of the regular season, winning eight of the final nine games with only an overtime loss to Michigan as the lone setback. 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 entire winning streak, spanning 480 total minutes of action, and outscored their opponents by a 37-12 margin. The eight game-deciding goals came from five different skaters with Aaron Huglen, Oliver Moore, and Jimmy Snuggerud each netting a pair. Four players tallied double-digit points during the streak as Moore, Rhett Pitlick, and Sam Rinzel each posted 13, while Bryce Brodzinski added 10. Justen Close registered a 1.43 goals-against average and a .947 save percentage in the stretch with 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 6.5 penalty minutes per game, sitting in the box for six minutes or less in 15 of the previous 17 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.
NELLY GETTING HOT IN HERRE
Jaxon Nelson was unstoppable for the Golden Gophers against No. 16 Michigan with six points via five goals and an assist and was a plus-5 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. Nelson setup the game-tying goal with less than two minutes to play that forced overtime to tie his career high of three points for the second-straight night. He also won 62 percent of draws over the weekend, reaching double-digit faceoff wins in each game. The graduate student has found his scoring touch of late with a goal in three-consecutive games for the first time in his tenure and has nine of his career-best 14 goals over the previous 14 outings.
CLOSE THE SHUTOUT STAR
Justen Close was recently named a Mike Richter Award semifinalist for the second-straight year thanks to a 2.39 goals-against average, a .920 save percentage, and four shutouts this season. The graduate student was nothing short of brilliant for the Gophers and was named the B1G First Star of the Week for two-consecutive weeks (Feb. 6 & 13). He did not allow a goal, stopping all 66 shots, against Penn State's 10th-ranked scoring offense 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
Thanks to his first collegiate multi-goal outing against Penn State (Jan. 10), Aaron Huglen set a new career high in goals at eight and has now reached double digits with his 10th coming in the regular-season finale against Michigan (Mar. 2). The junior also tacked on an assist in the series opener versus the Nittany Lions 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. He scored twice in a 3:22 span of the second period to break a scoreless tie and recorded his third game-winning goal in a seven-game stretch, one of four NCAA players with three game winners in that stretch. The Roseau, Minn., native has found his stride of late, recording eight goals and 14 points in his last 18 appearances, including a pair of multi-point efforts to close the series against both Penn State (Feb. 10) and Notre Dame (Feb. 17).
HISTORY WITH THE NITTANY LIONS
Minnesota and Penn State meet for the third time in the Big Ten Conference Tournament and third matchup of the 2023-24 campaign. The Gophers won three of the four games played this year and are now 27-18-1 (.598) all-time versus the Nittany Lions since the inception of the B1G in 2014. PSU is the only league team to have a winning record against the Gophers during the B1G Tournament, winning three of four meetings. All 46 previous meetings between the two teams have come with at least one team ranked. The Maroon and Gold claimed both games of a home series at 3M Arena at Mariucci in February via shutout, becoming the first team to ever blank PSU in consecutive outings. Rhett Pitlick paced the Gophers with eight points (four goals, four assists) in four outings against the Nittany Lions during the regular season, while seven other skaters recorded multiple points. Goaltender Justen Close stopped 136-of-142 shots faced in four appearances behind a 1.52 goals-against average and a .958 save percentage.
INSIDE LOOK AT PENN STATE
After finishing off a season sweep of Ohio State to close the regular season, Penn State already has more wins in the month of March than it did in February and enters the postseason as the No. 6 seed, while receiving votes in both national polls. A dangerous team on the offensive end, the Nittany Lions own the NCAA's 17th-best scoring offense, averaging 3.2 goals per game. Freshman sensation Aiden Fink paces the team and all league rookies with 33 points and 15 goals, eight of which have come on the man advantage, a single-season program record for power-play tallies. PSU is getting 20-plus points from five other sources, including three with double-digit goals. In net, Liam Souliere has returned to his familiar starting role down the stretch and posted a 3.37 goals-against average and an .875 save percentage in 26 appearances for the season.
MILESTONE WATCH FOR BRODZINSKI
Fifth-year senior Bryce Brodzinski remains the NCAA's active leader in games played (180) 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 in Minnesota's historic program as the 61st 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. Brodzinski continues to chase the all-time games played record, which currently stands at 182 by Larry Olimb (1988-92). 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.
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.
FACED THE NATION'S BEST
Thanks to the rise in quality of hockey across the Big Ten Conference, the full schedule for the Maroon and Gold again has been a challenge from start to finish. After facing the nation's No. 2 strength of schedule according to USCHO last year, the 2023-24 slate is no different as 28 of 34 games have come against opponents ranked in the top 20 or receiving votes in the national polls. Minnesota holds a 5-2-3 record against top-10 opponents this season and faced seven-consecutive opponents ranked in the top 20 from Oct. 20 to Dec. 2. The Gophers have battled the toughest schedule in the NCAA this year and have totaled 10 victories over ranked opponents.
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.
GOPHER PIPELINE TO THE NHL
After 33 players took part in National Hockey League training camps, 21 former Golden Gophers men's hockey players earned an opening-night roster spot for the 2023-24 season, while five more have been called up since the regular season started. Minnesota had an NCAA-best 26 former skaters in the NHL last season, increasing the all-time number of Gophers in the NHL to an NCAA-best 123 before Logan Cooley and Johnson made their debuts as No. 124 and 125, respectively. This year the Maroon and Gold has begun the campaign as one of two NCAA programs with 20 or more players with a lineup spot in the NHL.
The best-of-three series will air live in its entirety on FS2 along with audio coverage on the Gopher Radio Network 1130 KTLK-AM/103.5 FM. Game one is set for Friday night at 6 p.m. with game two to follow Saturday at 3:30 p.m. If necessary, the third and deciding game will be played at 6 p.m. Sunday evening.
Ticket packages and single-game tickets are on sale now at www.GopherSports.com.
TOURNAMENT HISTORY
After being the top seed at the previous two Big Ten Conference Tournaments, the Gophers enter the quarterfinal round in 2024 as the No. 3 seed. It will be the second time 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 12-9 record all-time in the B1G Tournament and are 5-3 in the quarterfinals with their only series loss coming at Penn State in 2018. Under the guidance of Head Coach Bob Motzko, Minnesota has a 9-4 record in the postseason tournament.
WELCOME TO MY HOUSE
Minnesota was nearly perfect at home down the stretch of the regular season, winning eight of the final nine games with only an overtime loss to Michigan as the lone setback. 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 entire winning streak, spanning 480 total minutes of action, and outscored their opponents by a 37-12 margin. The eight game-deciding goals came from five different skaters with Aaron Huglen, Oliver Moore, and Jimmy Snuggerud each netting a pair. Four players tallied double-digit points during the streak as Moore, Rhett Pitlick, and Sam Rinzel each posted 13, while Bryce Brodzinski added 10. Justen Close registered a 1.43 goals-against average and a .947 save percentage in the stretch with 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 6.5 penalty minutes per game, sitting in the box for six minutes or less in 15 of the previous 17 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.
NELLY GETTING HOT IN HERRE
Jaxon Nelson was unstoppable for the Golden Gophers against No. 16 Michigan with six points via five goals and an assist and was a plus-5 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. Nelson setup the game-tying goal with less than two minutes to play that forced overtime to tie his career high of three points for the second-straight night. He also won 62 percent of draws over the weekend, reaching double-digit faceoff wins in each game. The graduate student has found his scoring touch of late with a goal in three-consecutive games for the first time in his tenure and has nine of his career-best 14 goals over the previous 14 outings.
CLOSE THE SHUTOUT STAR
Justen Close was recently named a Mike Richter Award semifinalist for the second-straight year thanks to a 2.39 goals-against average, a .920 save percentage, and four shutouts this season. The graduate student was nothing short of brilliant for the Gophers and was named the B1G First Star of the Week for two-consecutive weeks (Feb. 6 & 13). He did not allow a goal, stopping all 66 shots, against Penn State's 10th-ranked scoring offense 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
Thanks to his first collegiate multi-goal outing against Penn State (Jan. 10), Aaron Huglen set a new career high in goals at eight and has now reached double digits with his 10th coming in the regular-season finale against Michigan (Mar. 2). The junior also tacked on an assist in the series opener versus the Nittany Lions 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. He scored twice in a 3:22 span of the second period to break a scoreless tie and recorded his third game-winning goal in a seven-game stretch, one of four NCAA players with three game winners in that stretch. The Roseau, Minn., native has found his stride of late, recording eight goals and 14 points in his last 18 appearances, including a pair of multi-point efforts to close the series against both Penn State (Feb. 10) and Notre Dame (Feb. 17).
HISTORY WITH THE NITTANY LIONS
Minnesota and Penn State meet for the third time in the Big Ten Conference Tournament and third matchup of the 2023-24 campaign. The Gophers won three of the four games played this year and are now 27-18-1 (.598) all-time versus the Nittany Lions since the inception of the B1G in 2014. PSU is the only league team to have a winning record against the Gophers during the B1G Tournament, winning three of four meetings. All 46 previous meetings between the two teams have come with at least one team ranked. The Maroon and Gold claimed both games of a home series at 3M Arena at Mariucci in February via shutout, becoming the first team to ever blank PSU in consecutive outings. Rhett Pitlick paced the Gophers with eight points (four goals, four assists) in four outings against the Nittany Lions during the regular season, while seven other skaters recorded multiple points. Goaltender Justen Close stopped 136-of-142 shots faced in four appearances behind a 1.52 goals-against average and a .958 save percentage.
INSIDE LOOK AT PENN STATE
After finishing off a season sweep of Ohio State to close the regular season, Penn State already has more wins in the month of March than it did in February and enters the postseason as the No. 6 seed, while receiving votes in both national polls. A dangerous team on the offensive end, the Nittany Lions own the NCAA's 17th-best scoring offense, averaging 3.2 goals per game. Freshman sensation Aiden Fink paces the team and all league rookies with 33 points and 15 goals, eight of which have come on the man advantage, a single-season program record for power-play tallies. PSU is getting 20-plus points from five other sources, including three with double-digit goals. In net, Liam Souliere has returned to his familiar starting role down the stretch and posted a 3.37 goals-against average and an .875 save percentage in 26 appearances for the season.
MILESTONE WATCH FOR BRODZINSKI
Fifth-year senior Bryce Brodzinski remains the NCAA's active leader in games played (180) 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 in Minnesota's historic program as the 61st 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. Brodzinski continues to chase the all-time games played record, which currently stands at 182 by Larry Olimb (1988-92). 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.
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.
FACED THE NATION'S BEST
Thanks to the rise in quality of hockey across the Big Ten Conference, the full schedule for the Maroon and Gold again has been a challenge from start to finish. After facing the nation's No. 2 strength of schedule according to USCHO last year, the 2023-24 slate is no different as 28 of 34 games have come against opponents ranked in the top 20 or receiving votes in the national polls. Minnesota holds a 5-2-3 record against top-10 opponents this season and faced seven-consecutive opponents ranked in the top 20 from Oct. 20 to Dec. 2. The Gophers have battled the toughest schedule in the NCAA this year and have totaled 10 victories over ranked opponents.
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.
GOPHER PIPELINE TO THE NHL
After 33 players took part in National Hockey League training camps, 21 former Golden Gophers men's hockey players earned an opening-night roster spot for the 2023-24 season, while five more have been called up since the regular season started. Minnesota had an NCAA-best 26 former skaters in the NHL last season, increasing the all-time number of Gophers in the NHL to an NCAA-best 123 before Logan Cooley and Johnson made their debuts as No. 124 and 125, respectively. This year the Maroon and Gold has begun the campaign as one of two NCAA programs with 20 or more players with a lineup spot in the NHL.
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