University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Drop Dodge Holiday Classic Opener to RIT
12/29/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Hockey
For the first time in nine seasons Minnesota will not win the Dodge Holiday Classic title as the Gophers dropped their opening game in a 4-3 decision to Rochester Institute of Technology on Saturday at Mariucci Arena.
Minnesota had won the tournament 11 times in the 16-year history of the event and will play for consolation against Air Force at 7:07 p.m. on Sunday. RIT will face Boston College for the title at 4:07 p.m. The Eagles blew past Air Force 8-2 in the opening game of the day. Minnesota's matchup with Air Force will be a rematch of last year's NCAA West Regional that the Gophers rallied for a 4-3 win with three third period goals.
It was the first meeting between the teams and RIT’s first-ever game against a Western Collegiate Hockey Association opponent. The Tigers are in their third season as a Division I program.
RIT’s Matt Smith broke a 3-3 tie with 11 minutes left in the game to give the Tigers the victory. Smith tipped in a long shot by Dan Ringwald that was also assisted by Sean Murphy. It was Smith’s second goal of the game, having also scored to put RIT ahead 3-2 in the second period.
The Gophers had a golden chance to tie the game with 7:08 left in regulation when Mike Hoeffel broke free shorthanded and rifled a shot past the goaltender that bounced off the far post. With six minutes left in the game, Minnesota had a five-on-three power play, lasting 1:47. The Gophers kept the puck in the offensive zone for nearly the entire power play, but managed just two shots on goal. Just as the second penalty expired, RIT goaltender Louis Menard stopped Blake Wheeler on a point-blank opportunity.
Minnesota scored first when the Gophers broke into the zone on a four-on-two. Wheeler finished the play with his ninth goal of the year at the 12:08 mark of the period. Derek Peltier started the play, entering the zone and dishing to Ben Gordon, who passed across the ice to Wheeler and caught Menard out of position for the easy goal.
RIT tied the game with the first of five second period goals between the teams as Mike Janda tipped in a long shot from the point by defenseman Justin Hofstetter three minutes into the frame. Tyler Mazeei started the play from the corner by passing out to Hofstetter for the shot. Just 1:03 later, Sean Murphy put the Tigers ahead when he broke behind the defense and fired a shot through the legs of Gopher goaltender Jeff Frazee. Ringwald and Matt Crowell earned assists on the play.
Minnesota’s R.J. Anderson tied the game at 6:10 of the second period when he took the faceoff from Drew Fisher and spun away from a defender before lofting a soft shot over the shoulder of Menard for his third goal of his three-year career. The assist was Fisher’s first point in 11 career games.
RIT regained the lead at the 13:32 mark as Smith collected a loose puck behind the net and wrapped it around the cage. However, Minnesota tied the game when Jay Barriball blistered a long shot from the blueline at 16:27 of the period. Wheeler took a pass from Gordon and dropped for Barriball, who teed up a wrister and fired past Menard for his third goal of the year.
Minnesota did not commit a penalty until 8:12 remaining in the game when Barriball was whistled for hooking. The last time the Gophers had one penalty in a game was in a 2-1 loss at Boston University on Jan. 3, 2005.
The Gophers owned a 35-31 advantage in shots for the game, though the Tigers held a 12-10 edge in the third period.
In the opening game, Boston College jumped on Air Force with three goals in each of the first two periods for a 6-0 advantage. The Eagles got a goal and three assists from Nathan Gerbe for their second victory in seven all-time Dodge Holiday Classic games. Ben Smith and Dan Bertram each scored two goals for Boston College, which owned a 33-26 advantage in shots and got 24 saves from John Muse.
