University of Minnesota Athletics
Saturday, November 15
3M Arena at Mariucci
5:00 PM
University of Minnesota
5-8-1
6
vs
3
Long Island
5-6-0
1
2
3
F
LIU
0
3
0
3
Minnesota
2
2
2
6
Team Stats
LIU
MIN
Shots
25
29
PPG
1
3
SHG
1
0
Penalties
7
5
Penalty Mins
14
10
Faceoffs Won
31
27
Game Leaders
+/-
-1
Goals
1
Sh
6
A
1
+/-
-1
Goals
1
Sh
5
A
1
+/-
2
Goals
1
Sh
3
A
1
+/-
2
Goals
0
Sh
2
A
2
Players Mentioned
Goaltender
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's HockeyForward
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's HockeyDefense
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Defense
/ Men's Hockey
Defense
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's HockeyForward
/ Men's Hockey
Photo by: Brady Paitrick
'U' Takes Down Sharks Saturday for Series Split
11/15/2025 9:30:00 PM | Men's Hockey
Freshmen lead Gophers with six points
MINNEAPOLIS - The Golden Gophers men's hockey team used a fast start and a strong finish to secure a 6-3 victory over Long Island from 3M Arena at Mariucci Saturday evening. Minnesota scored three times on the power play and picked up six points from its freshman class during the nonconference win.
The Maroon and Gold (5-8-1 overall) built a 4-1 cushion and added a pair of goals in the third period to secure a weekend split with the Sharks (5-6-0 overall), a team receiving votes in the national polls. Five different skaters posted multi-point performances for the Gophers and netminder Nathan Airey made 22 saves.
Minnesota controlled a penalty-heavy first period and capitalized with a pair of power-play tallies. Brodie Ziemer redirected a point shot from Luke Mittelstadt at 6:38 for the opening goal during the team's second man advantage. Brody Lamb doubled the lead with 4:03 left in the frame, hammering home an LJ Mooney feed and the Gophers carried the 2-0 margin into intermission.
A five-goal second period followed as momentum swung repeatedly. The offense continued for the Gophers at the 4:45 mark, as a Leo Gruba shot from the blue line got through bodies in front and found the back of the net. LIU successfully challenged for goaltender interference and the tally was wiped off the board. Another penalty to the Sharks gave Minnesota a 5-on-4 but after a player was knocked down from behind, the visitors pushed up the ice to score a shorthanded goal, pulling to 2-1 at 7:23.
Minnesota answered right back when freshman Teddy Townsend buried his first collegiate goal in the middle of the period. Erik Påhlsson found Townsend at the blue line and the rookie did the rest, slicing between two defenders before sliding the puck between the goalie's legs and the Gophers regained the two-goal cushion. Jimmy Clark added Minnesota's third power-play marker of the night at 12:41 to make it 4-1, firing home a loose puck in the slot. The visitors closed the gap late in the period, scoring on a man advantage before scoring again 30 seconds later to cut the lead to 4-3 through 40 minutes.
The Sharks surged to begin the final frame and after Airey made a pad save, captain Cal Thomas jumped in front of a dangerous shot to preserve the one-goal edge. Seconds after returning to full strength following a penalty, Beckett Hendrickson collected the puck in the neutral zone, walked a defender, and stuffed home a goal with 7:36 to play in regulation. The Sharks challenged again, but this time the call stood, and Minnesota stretched the lead to 5-3. Mason Moe put the game out of reach, scoring with 4:11 on the clock and the Maroon and Gold closed out the 6-3 win on home ice.
Noteworthy
Ziemer scored the opening goal of a game for the third time in 14 contests this year, burying his third power-play goal of the campaign ... The sophomore became the second Gopher to reach double-digit points with his 10th before tacking on an assist to reach 11 ... It was the eighth time Ziemer has recorded multiple points in his career and first since opening night versus Michigan Tech ... Lamb increased his team-leading point total to 12 behind his fifth assist and seventh goal of the year ... The Byron, Minn., native has goals in three of his last four games and now has four multi-point efforts this year ... In just his fourth NCAA appearance, Townsend secured the first point of his Maroon and Gold career and became the 15th player to score a goal in 2025-26 ... Clark tallied his second goal of the campaign, both of which have been scored in consecutive Saturday outings to reach nine points overall, while collecting the third game-winning goal of his career ... Behind a two-point third period, with a goal and an assist, Hendrickson increased his point total to nine ... Moe found the back of the net for the first time at 3M Arena at Mariucci as his first two career goals were both scored on the road ... For the second-straight night, Luke Mittelstadt picked up an assist and thanks to his two-point effort, took over the team lead with eight helpers ... Mooney made a huge impact for the Gophers' special teams, recording a pair of power-play assists and now has six assists and nine points for the season ... Another freshman had a milestone night as Jacob Rombach picked up the first point of his career, assisting on Townsend's second-period tally ... Javon Moore extended his point streak to a season-long three games via a third-period helper, his fifth point overall ... John Mittelstadt reached the scoresheet for the first time this season, assisting on the final goal of the night ... Airey made his first start since Nov. 1 and finished with 22 saves to earn his second win during the campaign ... The Gophers scored multiple power-play goals for the first time this season and first since putting away three at Ohio State on Jan. 11, 2025 ... Minnesota entered the night with four total goals on the man advantage before going 3-for-7 Saturday.
Coach Motzko's Comments
"Well, that was the response we needed tonight, and we got it throughout our lineup, and the power play kicked in a couple," Minnesota head coach Bob Motzko said. "You know, it's kind of crazy. We gave up six goals yesterday, and the whole emphasis of our meeting was how we played in the offensive zone. Half the game last night we were pretty good, but just little details we were off, and we were much better with it tonight."
Next Up: Home vs. Penn State (Nov. 21-22)
The Gophers return to Big Ten Conference play when they host No. 5 Penn State for a series Nov. 21-22. Friday night's matchup will be Minnesota's annual "Ice Out" inside 3M Arena at Mariucci. Both games are set for puck drop at 7 p.m.
The Maroon and Gold (5-8-1 overall) built a 4-1 cushion and added a pair of goals in the third period to secure a weekend split with the Sharks (5-6-0 overall), a team receiving votes in the national polls. Five different skaters posted multi-point performances for the Gophers and netminder Nathan Airey made 22 saves.
Minnesota controlled a penalty-heavy first period and capitalized with a pair of power-play tallies. Brodie Ziemer redirected a point shot from Luke Mittelstadt at 6:38 for the opening goal during the team's second man advantage. Brody Lamb doubled the lead with 4:03 left in the frame, hammering home an LJ Mooney feed and the Gophers carried the 2-0 margin into intermission.
A five-goal second period followed as momentum swung repeatedly. The offense continued for the Gophers at the 4:45 mark, as a Leo Gruba shot from the blue line got through bodies in front and found the back of the net. LIU successfully challenged for goaltender interference and the tally was wiped off the board. Another penalty to the Sharks gave Minnesota a 5-on-4 but after a player was knocked down from behind, the visitors pushed up the ice to score a shorthanded goal, pulling to 2-1 at 7:23.
Minnesota answered right back when freshman Teddy Townsend buried his first collegiate goal in the middle of the period. Erik Påhlsson found Townsend at the blue line and the rookie did the rest, slicing between two defenders before sliding the puck between the goalie's legs and the Gophers regained the two-goal cushion. Jimmy Clark added Minnesota's third power-play marker of the night at 12:41 to make it 4-1, firing home a loose puck in the slot. The visitors closed the gap late in the period, scoring on a man advantage before scoring again 30 seconds later to cut the lead to 4-3 through 40 minutes.
The Sharks surged to begin the final frame and after Airey made a pad save, captain Cal Thomas jumped in front of a dangerous shot to preserve the one-goal edge. Seconds after returning to full strength following a penalty, Beckett Hendrickson collected the puck in the neutral zone, walked a defender, and stuffed home a goal with 7:36 to play in regulation. The Sharks challenged again, but this time the call stood, and Minnesota stretched the lead to 5-3. Mason Moe put the game out of reach, scoring with 4:11 on the clock and the Maroon and Gold closed out the 6-3 win on home ice.
Noteworthy
Ziemer scored the opening goal of a game for the third time in 14 contests this year, burying his third power-play goal of the campaign ... The sophomore became the second Gopher to reach double-digit points with his 10th before tacking on an assist to reach 11 ... It was the eighth time Ziemer has recorded multiple points in his career and first since opening night versus Michigan Tech ... Lamb increased his team-leading point total to 12 behind his fifth assist and seventh goal of the year ... The Byron, Minn., native has goals in three of his last four games and now has four multi-point efforts this year ... In just his fourth NCAA appearance, Townsend secured the first point of his Maroon and Gold career and became the 15th player to score a goal in 2025-26 ... Clark tallied his second goal of the campaign, both of which have been scored in consecutive Saturday outings to reach nine points overall, while collecting the third game-winning goal of his career ... Behind a two-point third period, with a goal and an assist, Hendrickson increased his point total to nine ... Moe found the back of the net for the first time at 3M Arena at Mariucci as his first two career goals were both scored on the road ... For the second-straight night, Luke Mittelstadt picked up an assist and thanks to his two-point effort, took over the team lead with eight helpers ... Mooney made a huge impact for the Gophers' special teams, recording a pair of power-play assists and now has six assists and nine points for the season ... Another freshman had a milestone night as Jacob Rombach picked up the first point of his career, assisting on Townsend's second-period tally ... Javon Moore extended his point streak to a season-long three games via a third-period helper, his fifth point overall ... John Mittelstadt reached the scoresheet for the first time this season, assisting on the final goal of the night ... Airey made his first start since Nov. 1 and finished with 22 saves to earn his second win during the campaign ... The Gophers scored multiple power-play goals for the first time this season and first since putting away three at Ohio State on Jan. 11, 2025 ... Minnesota entered the night with four total goals on the man advantage before going 3-for-7 Saturday.
Coach Motzko's Comments
"Well, that was the response we needed tonight, and we got it throughout our lineup, and the power play kicked in a couple," Minnesota head coach Bob Motzko said. "You know, it's kind of crazy. We gave up six goals yesterday, and the whole emphasis of our meeting was how we played in the offensive zone. Half the game last night we were pretty good, but just little details we were off, and we were much better with it tonight."
Next Up: Home vs. Penn State (Nov. 21-22)
The Gophers return to Big Ten Conference play when they host No. 5 Penn State for a series Nov. 21-22. Friday night's matchup will be Minnesota's annual "Ice Out" inside 3M Arena at Mariucci. Both games are set for puck drop at 7 p.m.
Highlights: Gophers 6, LIU 3
Saturday, November 15
Highlights: Gophers 2, LIU 6
Friday, November 14
Cinematic Recap: Gophers-Notre Dame
Tuesday, November 11
Highlights: Gophers 4, Notre Dame 1
Saturday, November 08