University of Minnesota Athletics
Friday, January 16
3M Arena at Mariucci
7:00 PM
University of Minnesota
vs
Michigan
Players Mentioned
Goaltender
/ Men's Hockey
Goaltender
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Defense
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Defense
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Goaltender
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Photo by: Brad Rempel
'U' Set for Matchup with Top-Ranked Michigan
1/15/2026 11:00:00 AM | Men's Hockey
Gophers, Wolverines meet at 3M Arena at Mariucci Jan. 16-17
MINNEAPOLIS - The University of Minnesota returns to home ice for the first time in 55 days as it hosts the No.1-ranked Wolverines of Michigan for a Big Ten Conference men's hockey series at 3M Arena at Mariucci Jan. 16-17 presented by M Health Fairview.
Fans can tune into FOX9 at 7 p.m. Friday and FOX9+ at 6 p.m. Saturday to catch all the action live or stream through B1G+. Audio coverage will be available via the Gopher Radio Network 103.5 FM/AM-1130 KTLK.
WATCH THE PRIDE ON ICE
Minnesota and FOX9 have partnered for a local television broadcast deal for the third-straight year that will air 17 home games during the 2025-26 campaign presented by Affinity Plus Federal Credit Union. This year's home broadcasts on FOX9 and FOX9+ will again feature a 30-minute Pride on Ice Pre-Game Show presented by M Health Fairview as well as a post-game show recapping the action presented by RBC Wealth Management. The Gophers will have 10 games broadcast on Big Ten Network as well as one on FS1 this season.
LAST TIME ON THE ICE
Minnesota dropped both games on the road at No. 9 Penn State to open the 2026 calendar year, falling 3-0 Friday before a 5-2 setback Saturday at Pegula Ice Arena. The Gophers surrendered a pair of first-period goals in the opener as the Nittany Lions recorded their first-ever shutout of Minnesota. On Saturday, Brodie Ziemer opened the scoring, but Penn State answered with three first-period tallies before Javon Moore added a goal to close the gap. The home side scored into an empty net to close the weekend.
ZIEMER LIGHTS THE LAMP FOR FIRST STAR
Brodie Ziemer is operating at nearly a point-per-game pace, pacing the Gophers with 20 points in 21 games, and his team-leading seven power-play goals rank fourth nationally. The sophomore closed 2025 on a blistering run, lighting the lamp in six of the final seven outings with a pair of three-game goal streaks and piled up eight goals and 11 points across that stretch. The Chaska, Minn., native delivered back-to-back multi-goal efforts at Ohio State in December to earn B1G First Star honors (Dec. 9). Ziemer has also turned opening goals into a habit after opening the series finale at Penn State (Jan. 10) with his 13th goal of the year, a new career high, that moved him into 11th in the country for total goals. After striking first in four games a year ago, he has matched that already this year, setting the tone by scoring the opener in both matchups against Long Island and the season opener against Michigan Tech.
OVERTIME HERO EARNS MOORE B1G STAR
Javon Moore played the role of overtime hero for the Maroon and Gold in its upset at the fourth-ranked Pioneers in late November, scoring with just 35 seconds left in the extra session. The freshman's first collegiate game winner capped a two-point night and earned him B1G Second Star of the Week honors. A native of Carver, Minn., Moore has points in eight of his last 10 appearances, totaling 11 points of his 13 total points in that stretch, including all three of his multi-point efforts, two of which sparked top-five upsets of Penn State (Nov. 21) and Denver (Nov. 29).
LUCA A SHUTOUT STAR
Luca Di Pasquo stopped 52-of-53 shots he faced to lead the Gophers to a series sweep of Notre Dame and was named the B1G Second Star of the Week (Nov. 11). The Livonia, Mich., native recorded his first shutout with the Maroon and Gold, third of his career, and also added an assist in the third period for the first point of his NCAA tenure. The junior continued that trend by making 33 saves in the series finale against the Irish before backstopping Minnesota with a brilliant, career-best 47-save performance to secure an upset over No. 4 Denver (Nov. 29). In six road appearances, Di Pasquo is averaging 34 saves per night to go with a .923 save percentage, while owning a 2.14 goals-against average and a .939 save percentage during B1G play, both of which rank second among league netminders.
LUKE DOING IT ALL
Captain Luke Mittelstadt has opened his final season playing some of the best hockey of his career. The Eden Prairie, Minn., native is tied for the Gophers' lead with 11 assists, 16th among all NCAA defensemen, and has generated 40 shots thanks to his consistent offensive jump. His first goal of the year, a power-play game winner against Notre Dame on Nov. 8, ended a 23-game scoring drought and capped the series sweep. Mittelstadt added his second multi-assist night of the year versus Long Island (Nov. 15) and extended his point streak to four games thanks to an assist against Penn State (Nov. 21).
AN INSIDE LOOK AT MICHIGAN
The Wolverines sit atop the B1G standings as the consensus No. 1 team in the nation and are 7-1-0 over the last four series following a home sweep of Notre Dame last weekend. Powered by the NCAA's top scoring offense at 4.9 goals per game, Michigan also ranks fifth nationally by allowing just 2.1 goals per game and has the second-best power play, converting at 31.4 percent. The team has three of the country's top eight overall scorers, led by T.J. Hughes' 31 points, while Michael Hage and Will Horcoff have added 30 and 29 points, respectively. Freshman Jack Ivankovic has played all but 38 minutes in goal this season and holds a 1.92 goals-against average and a .927 save percentage.
HISTORY WITH THE WOLVERINES
Minnesota and Michigan meet for the first time this season in an all-time series led by the Maroon and Gold with a 157-137-21 (.532) record. The Gophers were 2-1-1 against the Wolverines a season ago thanks to a home sweep where they outscored the visitors by an 8-0 margin, the first time they shut out Michigan in back-to-back contests since 1943. Nathan Airey backstopped a 6-0 win Friday aided by three-point efforts from Connor Kurth and Oliver Moore before Liam Souliere shut down the Wolverines in a 2-0 victory Saturday. Sam Rinzel scored the game winner late in the first period and Jimmy Snuggerud added an empty-net tally to end the sweep.
ROAD CHALLENGES IN LEAGUE PLAY
Minnesota has struggled on the road in B1G play, going 1-5-0 through six away games and suffered sweeps at both No. 14 Wisconsin and No. 9 Penn State, including a shutout in each series. During that stretch, the Gophers have been outscored 25-16, with opponents converting 40 percent of their power-play chances to average 4.3 goals per game. Slow starts and possession have been key factors, as Minnesota has fallen behind in five of the six contests and won just 39.2 percent of faceoffs overall.
GAUNTLET RUN FROM START TO FINISH
Minnesota's 2025-26 regular-season slate will once again be among the nation's toughest. Of the Gophers' 35 scheduled games, 25 come against teams that were ranked in the USCHO preseason poll, with eight more against opponents that received votes. Through 11 weeks, the schedule is the most difficult in the country and will remain a challenge through the meat of Big Ten Conference play where the league has the top three teams in the national polls. Minnesota is no stranger to difficult schedules, having battled the nation's No. 4 strength of schedule in 2023-24 and the No. 2 schedule the year before. Even last year's "dip" to the No. 19 toughest schedule still placed the Gophers among the most battle-tested teams in the country.
WE ARE THE STATE OF HOCKEY
The state of Minnesota continues to lead college hockey, with 223 NCAA Division I men's players coming from the state, nearly a quarter of all American-born student-athletes and more than double any other state, per data from College Hockey Inc. The Gophers contribute heavily to that total with 20 homegrown players on this year's roster, including seven of their 10 newcomers. Remarkably, 19 of those 20 players are from within 70 miles of 3M Arena at Mariucci.
HISTORIC POSTSEASON STANDARD
Last season, Minnesota reached the NCAA Tournament for the fifth year in a row, marking the program's 42nd all-time appearance, the most by a single NCAA team. The Gophers also own 62 all-time tournament victories, the most of any college hockey program. Their current streak is the program's longest since an eight-year run from 2001-08. Under head coach Bob Motzko, Minnesota has compiled a 7-5 record in the tournament, earning at least one win in four of the last five years and advancing to two of the program's 23 NCAA Frozen Four appearances.
PROVEN PATH TO THE PROS
Minnesota continues to make its mark on professional hockey, as 36 players with ties to the program participated in NHL training camps for the 2025-26 season, representing 20 different organizations. The group, which spans back to the 2009 roster, features 15 former team captains and 10 All-Americans. The Gophers' NHL presence remains unmatched across college hockey. A total of 25 alumni skated in the league last season, pushing the all-time number of Minnesota players to reach the NHL to an NCAA-best 131. Four more joined the list in 2024-25, as Oliver Moore, Sam Rinzel, Jimmy Snuggerud, and Matthew Wood each made their professional debut following their collegiate seasons in Maroon and Gold.
Fans can tune into FOX9 at 7 p.m. Friday and FOX9+ at 6 p.m. Saturday to catch all the action live or stream through B1G+. Audio coverage will be available via the Gopher Radio Network 103.5 FM/AM-1130 KTLK.
WATCH THE PRIDE ON ICE
Minnesota and FOX9 have partnered for a local television broadcast deal for the third-straight year that will air 17 home games during the 2025-26 campaign presented by Affinity Plus Federal Credit Union. This year's home broadcasts on FOX9 and FOX9+ will again feature a 30-minute Pride on Ice Pre-Game Show presented by M Health Fairview as well as a post-game show recapping the action presented by RBC Wealth Management. The Gophers will have 10 games broadcast on Big Ten Network as well as one on FS1 this season.
LAST TIME ON THE ICE
Minnesota dropped both games on the road at No. 9 Penn State to open the 2026 calendar year, falling 3-0 Friday before a 5-2 setback Saturday at Pegula Ice Arena. The Gophers surrendered a pair of first-period goals in the opener as the Nittany Lions recorded their first-ever shutout of Minnesota. On Saturday, Brodie Ziemer opened the scoring, but Penn State answered with three first-period tallies before Javon Moore added a goal to close the gap. The home side scored into an empty net to close the weekend.
ZIEMER LIGHTS THE LAMP FOR FIRST STAR
Brodie Ziemer is operating at nearly a point-per-game pace, pacing the Gophers with 20 points in 21 games, and his team-leading seven power-play goals rank fourth nationally. The sophomore closed 2025 on a blistering run, lighting the lamp in six of the final seven outings with a pair of three-game goal streaks and piled up eight goals and 11 points across that stretch. The Chaska, Minn., native delivered back-to-back multi-goal efforts at Ohio State in December to earn B1G First Star honors (Dec. 9). Ziemer has also turned opening goals into a habit after opening the series finale at Penn State (Jan. 10) with his 13th goal of the year, a new career high, that moved him into 11th in the country for total goals. After striking first in four games a year ago, he has matched that already this year, setting the tone by scoring the opener in both matchups against Long Island and the season opener against Michigan Tech.
OVERTIME HERO EARNS MOORE B1G STAR
Javon Moore played the role of overtime hero for the Maroon and Gold in its upset at the fourth-ranked Pioneers in late November, scoring with just 35 seconds left in the extra session. The freshman's first collegiate game winner capped a two-point night and earned him B1G Second Star of the Week honors. A native of Carver, Minn., Moore has points in eight of his last 10 appearances, totaling 11 points of his 13 total points in that stretch, including all three of his multi-point efforts, two of which sparked top-five upsets of Penn State (Nov. 21) and Denver (Nov. 29).
LUCA A SHUTOUT STAR
Luca Di Pasquo stopped 52-of-53 shots he faced to lead the Gophers to a series sweep of Notre Dame and was named the B1G Second Star of the Week (Nov. 11). The Livonia, Mich., native recorded his first shutout with the Maroon and Gold, third of his career, and also added an assist in the third period for the first point of his NCAA tenure. The junior continued that trend by making 33 saves in the series finale against the Irish before backstopping Minnesota with a brilliant, career-best 47-save performance to secure an upset over No. 4 Denver (Nov. 29). In six road appearances, Di Pasquo is averaging 34 saves per night to go with a .923 save percentage, while owning a 2.14 goals-against average and a .939 save percentage during B1G play, both of which rank second among league netminders.
LUKE DOING IT ALL
Captain Luke Mittelstadt has opened his final season playing some of the best hockey of his career. The Eden Prairie, Minn., native is tied for the Gophers' lead with 11 assists, 16th among all NCAA defensemen, and has generated 40 shots thanks to his consistent offensive jump. His first goal of the year, a power-play game winner against Notre Dame on Nov. 8, ended a 23-game scoring drought and capped the series sweep. Mittelstadt added his second multi-assist night of the year versus Long Island (Nov. 15) and extended his point streak to four games thanks to an assist against Penn State (Nov. 21).
AN INSIDE LOOK AT MICHIGAN
The Wolverines sit atop the B1G standings as the consensus No. 1 team in the nation and are 7-1-0 over the last four series following a home sweep of Notre Dame last weekend. Powered by the NCAA's top scoring offense at 4.9 goals per game, Michigan also ranks fifth nationally by allowing just 2.1 goals per game and has the second-best power play, converting at 31.4 percent. The team has three of the country's top eight overall scorers, led by T.J. Hughes' 31 points, while Michael Hage and Will Horcoff have added 30 and 29 points, respectively. Freshman Jack Ivankovic has played all but 38 minutes in goal this season and holds a 1.92 goals-against average and a .927 save percentage.
HISTORY WITH THE WOLVERINES
Minnesota and Michigan meet for the first time this season in an all-time series led by the Maroon and Gold with a 157-137-21 (.532) record. The Gophers were 2-1-1 against the Wolverines a season ago thanks to a home sweep where they outscored the visitors by an 8-0 margin, the first time they shut out Michigan in back-to-back contests since 1943. Nathan Airey backstopped a 6-0 win Friday aided by three-point efforts from Connor Kurth and Oliver Moore before Liam Souliere shut down the Wolverines in a 2-0 victory Saturday. Sam Rinzel scored the game winner late in the first period and Jimmy Snuggerud added an empty-net tally to end the sweep.
ROAD CHALLENGES IN LEAGUE PLAY
Minnesota has struggled on the road in B1G play, going 1-5-0 through six away games and suffered sweeps at both No. 14 Wisconsin and No. 9 Penn State, including a shutout in each series. During that stretch, the Gophers have been outscored 25-16, with opponents converting 40 percent of their power-play chances to average 4.3 goals per game. Slow starts and possession have been key factors, as Minnesota has fallen behind in five of the six contests and won just 39.2 percent of faceoffs overall.
GAUNTLET RUN FROM START TO FINISH
Minnesota's 2025-26 regular-season slate will once again be among the nation's toughest. Of the Gophers' 35 scheduled games, 25 come against teams that were ranked in the USCHO preseason poll, with eight more against opponents that received votes. Through 11 weeks, the schedule is the most difficult in the country and will remain a challenge through the meat of Big Ten Conference play where the league has the top three teams in the national polls. Minnesota is no stranger to difficult schedules, having battled the nation's No. 4 strength of schedule in 2023-24 and the No. 2 schedule the year before. Even last year's "dip" to the No. 19 toughest schedule still placed the Gophers among the most battle-tested teams in the country.
WE ARE THE STATE OF HOCKEY
The state of Minnesota continues to lead college hockey, with 223 NCAA Division I men's players coming from the state, nearly a quarter of all American-born student-athletes and more than double any other state, per data from College Hockey Inc. The Gophers contribute heavily to that total with 20 homegrown players on this year's roster, including seven of their 10 newcomers. Remarkably, 19 of those 20 players are from within 70 miles of 3M Arena at Mariucci.
HISTORIC POSTSEASON STANDARD
Last season, Minnesota reached the NCAA Tournament for the fifth year in a row, marking the program's 42nd all-time appearance, the most by a single NCAA team. The Gophers also own 62 all-time tournament victories, the most of any college hockey program. Their current streak is the program's longest since an eight-year run from 2001-08. Under head coach Bob Motzko, Minnesota has compiled a 7-5 record in the tournament, earning at least one win in four of the last five years and advancing to two of the program's 23 NCAA Frozen Four appearances.
PROVEN PATH TO THE PROS
Minnesota continues to make its mark on professional hockey, as 36 players with ties to the program participated in NHL training camps for the 2025-26 season, representing 20 different organizations. The group, which spans back to the 2009 roster, features 15 former team captains and 10 All-Americans. The Gophers' NHL presence remains unmatched across college hockey. A total of 25 alumni skated in the league last season, pushing the all-time number of Minnesota players to reach the NHL to an NCAA-best 131. Four more joined the list in 2024-25, as Oliver Moore, Sam Rinzel, Jimmy Snuggerud, and Matthew Wood each made their professional debut following their collegiate seasons in Maroon and Gold.
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