University of Minnesota Athletics
Friday, January 16
3M Arena at Mariucci
7:00 PM
University of Minnesota
1
vs
5
Michigan
Players Mentioned
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Goaltender
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Defense
/ Men's Hockey
Photo by: Brad Rempel
Photo by: Brad Rempel
Photo by: Brad Rempel
Photo by: Brad Rempel
Photo by: Brad Rempel
Photo by: Brad Rempel
Photo by: Brad Rempel
Photo by: Brad Rempel
Photo by: Brad Rempel
Photo by: Brad Rempel
Photo by: Brad Rempel
Photo by: Brad Rempel
Photo by: Brad Rempel
Photo by: Brad Rempel
Photo by: Brad Rempel
Photo by: Brad Rempel
Photo by: Brad Rempel
Gophers Suffer Setback to No. 1 Michigan Friday
1/16/2026 10:00:00 PM | Men's Hockey
MINNEAPOLIS - Minnesota men's hockey suffered a 5-1 loss Friday night against No. 1 Michigan inside 3M Arena at Mariucci.
Playing at home for the first time in nearly two months, the Golden Gophers (8-13-1 overall, 4-7-0 B1G, 13 points) pulled even on a Tanner Ludtke tally in the first period but the Wolverines (19-4-0 overall, 10-3-0 B1G, 29 points) scored the final four goals for the series-opening win.
The Maroon and Gold relied on netminder Luca Di Pasquo in the opening minutes to deliver key saves but on the 10th shot, could not see the puck through a screen and the visitors took a 1-0 lead. Minnesota finally put a shot on target after 10 minutes elapsed as Beckett Hendrickson and Jimmy Clark broke through via a 2-on-1 that had to be turned aside. Late in the frame, a dangerous hit from behind gave the Gophers a 5-on-4 opportunity and after keeping possession during the bid, struck for the equalizer with 1:27 left in the period. Ludtke pounced on a rebound in the crease following a shot via LJ Mooney.
Less than a minute into the middle stanza, another illegal check gave the home side its second power play. While shorthanded, Di Pasquo stopped a breakaway bid by the Wolverines to maintain the tie and the man advantage was erased. The Gophers held off a surge from the visitors before going to another power play at the 6:27 mark but were unable to convert. Michigan responded with a goal from the top of the slot as the clock showed 10:57 and added another on a giveaway behind the Minnesota net just 20 seconds later for a 3-1 edge. Facing the two-goal deficit, Hendrickson burst free past the defense and skated alone on goal only to have his backhand stopped on the breakaway. A penalty with 67 seconds remaining in the period sent the Wolverines to their first man advantage that carried into the final frame.
Minnesota wiped off the last of the power play to begin the third period and increased the tempo as it searched to cut into the margin. Mason Moe and Clark each had quality looks on target that had to be denied. At 3:42, the Gophers were assessed a minor penalty as two players' helmets got stuck together along the boards and promptly shut down the chance. The Wolverines extended the lead to 4-1, capitalizing on a failed clearance attempt with 13:18 to play in the contest and added a power-play goal in the final five minutes to seal the 5-1 setback for the Gophers.
Noteworthy
Of the four goals Ludtke has scored this season, all have come on special teams after he buried his third power-play tally, pushing his point total to nine ... Mooney and Luke Mittelstadt kept pace with each other, picking up their team-leading 12th assists of the year on the first-period goal ... It was the 16th point of the campaign for Mooney, while Mittelstadt recorded his 13th ... Di Pasquo's 47-save effort was his sixth time reaching 30 or more stops in a game in 2025-26 and second time posting at least 40, tying a career-high 47 at Denver on Nov. 29 ... Clark became the fourth active Gopher, and first from the junior class to skate in 100 career games as he reached the milestone Friday ... Both teams converted a power play in the contest with Minnesota going 1-for-3 and Michigan was 1-for-4 with all four opportunities during the third period.
Coach Motzko's Comments
"Well, there's not a whole lot of good. The first ten minutes, we were adjusting to their speed, and the power play got us tied up. And then there was a good stretch of about 12 minutes where we were making it a hockey game," Minnesota head coach Bob Motzko said. "Then the rest of the way, we lost too many puck battles and turned pucks over, and we made the game very easy for them."
Next Up: Home vs. No. 1 Michigan (Jan. 17)
The Gophers and Wolverines close their weekend series sponsored by M Health Fairview Saturday night at 6 p.m. live on FOX9+ and B1G+ as well as the Gopher Radio Network 103.5 FM/AM-1130 KTLK.
Playing at home for the first time in nearly two months, the Golden Gophers (8-13-1 overall, 4-7-0 B1G, 13 points) pulled even on a Tanner Ludtke tally in the first period but the Wolverines (19-4-0 overall, 10-3-0 B1G, 29 points) scored the final four goals for the series-opening win.
The Maroon and Gold relied on netminder Luca Di Pasquo in the opening minutes to deliver key saves but on the 10th shot, could not see the puck through a screen and the visitors took a 1-0 lead. Minnesota finally put a shot on target after 10 minutes elapsed as Beckett Hendrickson and Jimmy Clark broke through via a 2-on-1 that had to be turned aside. Late in the frame, a dangerous hit from behind gave the Gophers a 5-on-4 opportunity and after keeping possession during the bid, struck for the equalizer with 1:27 left in the period. Ludtke pounced on a rebound in the crease following a shot via LJ Mooney.
Less than a minute into the middle stanza, another illegal check gave the home side its second power play. While shorthanded, Di Pasquo stopped a breakaway bid by the Wolverines to maintain the tie and the man advantage was erased. The Gophers held off a surge from the visitors before going to another power play at the 6:27 mark but were unable to convert. Michigan responded with a goal from the top of the slot as the clock showed 10:57 and added another on a giveaway behind the Minnesota net just 20 seconds later for a 3-1 edge. Facing the two-goal deficit, Hendrickson burst free past the defense and skated alone on goal only to have his backhand stopped on the breakaway. A penalty with 67 seconds remaining in the period sent the Wolverines to their first man advantage that carried into the final frame.
Minnesota wiped off the last of the power play to begin the third period and increased the tempo as it searched to cut into the margin. Mason Moe and Clark each had quality looks on target that had to be denied. At 3:42, the Gophers were assessed a minor penalty as two players' helmets got stuck together along the boards and promptly shut down the chance. The Wolverines extended the lead to 4-1, capitalizing on a failed clearance attempt with 13:18 to play in the contest and added a power-play goal in the final five minutes to seal the 5-1 setback for the Gophers.
Noteworthy
Of the four goals Ludtke has scored this season, all have come on special teams after he buried his third power-play tally, pushing his point total to nine ... Mooney and Luke Mittelstadt kept pace with each other, picking up their team-leading 12th assists of the year on the first-period goal ... It was the 16th point of the campaign for Mooney, while Mittelstadt recorded his 13th ... Di Pasquo's 47-save effort was his sixth time reaching 30 or more stops in a game in 2025-26 and second time posting at least 40, tying a career-high 47 at Denver on Nov. 29 ... Clark became the fourth active Gopher, and first from the junior class to skate in 100 career games as he reached the milestone Friday ... Both teams converted a power play in the contest with Minnesota going 1-for-3 and Michigan was 1-for-4 with all four opportunities during the third period.
Coach Motzko's Comments
"Well, there's not a whole lot of good. The first ten minutes, we were adjusting to their speed, and the power play got us tied up. And then there was a good stretch of about 12 minutes where we were making it a hockey game," Minnesota head coach Bob Motzko said. "Then the rest of the way, we lost too many puck battles and turned pucks over, and we made the game very easy for them."
Next Up: Home vs. No. 1 Michigan (Jan. 17)
The Gophers and Wolverines close their weekend series sponsored by M Health Fairview Saturday night at 6 p.m. live on FOX9+ and B1G+ as well as the Gopher Radio Network 103.5 FM/AM-1130 KTLK.
Highlights: Gophers 1, Michigan 5
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Highlights: Gophers 0, Penn State 3
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Highlights: Gophers 3, Bemidji State 3 (EXH)
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