University of Minnesota Athletics
Weekend Preview: Mariucci Classic
12/29/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Hockey
Weekend Overview: Minnesota welcomes Bemidji State, Ferris State and Union for the 20th annual Mariucci Classic. The Gophers have won 12 Mariucci Classic titles. This year's Classic is set up a little differently than in the past. Since Bemidji State is now a member of the WCHA, the Gophers and Beavers will not play one another this weekend. That means that both Minnesota and Bemidji State will play games against Ferris State and Union, which eliminates a championship game and a third-place game. The tournament champion will be the team with the best overall record. In the event of teams having an identical record the first tiebreaker will be goal differential. The second tiebreaker is the fewest amount of goals allowed. Another twist to the Classic will be that games will not end in a tie. If teams are tied at the end of 60 minutes, a five-minute sudden-victory overtime period will be played. If the teams are still tied at the end of overtime then the game will be decided by a shootout. Per NCAA rules, the first round of the shootout will consist of three players from each team. If teams are still tied at the end of the first round, a sudden-victory shootout will follow.
Last Time Out: The Gophers earned three of four points from then No. 2 Minnesota-Duluth on Dec. 10 and Dec. 12. The Gophers defeated the Bulldogs 3-2 on Friday and then rallied to earn a 2-2 tie on Sunday. The two teams were forced to play on Sunday, after the fifth largest snowstorm in Minneapolis history dropped nearly 20 inches of snow around town on Saturday. On Friday, Nick Larson opened the scoring for Minnesota just 3:12 into the game. Larson potted his third goal in four games to give the Gophers an early lead. Minnesota-Duluth tied the game 1-1 with a power-play with 14 seconds remaining in the first period. Minnesota took a 3-1 into the third period after Nico Sacchetti and Jay Barriball tallied in the second frame. The Bulldogs added another power-play goal in the third period, but were stymied by Gopher goaltender Kent Patterson for the majority of the night. Patterson did not allow an even strength and turned aside a then season-high 37 shots.
On Sunday, Jake Hansen redirected a Justin Holl power-play shot past Bulldog goalie Aaron Crandall to give the Gophers a 1-0 lead at the 17:26 mark of the first period. Minnesota-Duluth leveled the game with a last-minute first-period goal and took a 2-1 advantage into the third period. The Gophers rallied and earned a 2-2 tie after Jacob Cepis ended a six-game goal draught with a strike at the 5:24 mark of the third period. It was the first game all year in which the Gophers earned a point after trailing after two periods. Kent Patterson made a career high 41 saves (21 in the second period) to help Minnesota earn the tie.
Minnesota vs. Union: Minnesota is 2-0-0 all-time against Union and both of those wins have come in previous Mariucci Classic meetings. The Gophers won 8-0 on Dec. 29, 2005, and triumphed 3-2 on Dec. 29, 2000. In the 8-0 game, Minnesota was led by Mike Howe who had a hat trick. Also scoring for the Gophers were Derek Peliter, Andy Sertich, Ryan Potulny, Kris Chucko and Danny Irmen. In net, Kellen Briggs made 20 saves to record the shutout. In the 3-2 win, Minnesota outshot Union 48-15, but trailed 1-0 after the first period. Current Gopher assistant coach Grant Potulny scored Minnesota's first goal of the game at the 2:20 mark of the second period to tie the game 1-1. Erik Westrum then scored two goals in a six-minute span in the second period to give the Gophers a 3-1 lead. Adam Hauser made 13 saves to earn the win.
About The Dutchmen: Union is ranked No. 12 in the USCHO.com poll and No. 14 in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll. Union was ranked No. 10 in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll as recently as Dec. 13 and that top-10 ranking marked the first time that the school was ranked in the top 10 in either national poll. The Dutchmen are 10-5-3 this season (2-5-1 on the road) and enter the Mariucci Classic after dropping two games at Western Michigan (Dec. 18-19). In 18 games this season, Union has allowed its opponent to score the first goal of the game only four times (Minnesota is 8-0-2 when scoring first this year). Union is tied with Minnesota-Duluth for fourth in the country with an offense that averages 3.72 goals per game. Their defense is equally as impressive as they yield only 2.17 goals per game, which is seventh in the country. The Dutchmen also boast the No. 1 power play in the country, which clicks at 34 percent (28 of 82). Union is led by sophomore forward Jeremy Welsh, who has 24 points (11g-13a) in 18 games. Freshman forward Daniel Carr has 20 points (10g-10a) in 18 games, while junior forward Kelly Zajac has 19 points (7g-12a) in 18 games. Sophomore Keith Kinkaid tends the pipes for Union and is 9-5-2 on the year with a .917 save percentage and a 2.04 goals-against average. He also has two shutouts this year.
Minnesota vs. Ferris State: Minnesota is 3-1-0 all-time against Ferris State. All four games were played in Mariucci Arena, with three of them coming in the Mariucci Classic. The fourth game was a 2003 NCAA West Regional contest. The Bulldogs' lone win against the Gophers was a 6-4 victory on Jan. 2, 1993. The Gophers won the other two Mariucci Classic meetings 3-2 on Dec. 28, 2001, and 5-2 on Dec. 30, 2006 (Barriball had one goal and one assist in the game). Minnesota also triumphed 7-4 on March 29, 2003, in the NCAA West Regional en route to winning the national championship.
About The Bulldogs: Ferris State is ranked No. 18 by USCHO.com and enters the Mariucci Classic with a 9-7-3 record this year (3-4-0 on the road). The Bulldogs have the nation's most proficient defense as they allow a nation-low 2.00 goals per game. Senior goaltender Pat Nagle has played 18 of 19 games for the Bulldogs and is 9-6-3. He has a .928 save percentage (tied for seventh in the country), 1.83 goals against average (fifth in the country), three shutouts (tied for second in the country) and has played 1079:04 minutes (second most in the country). Ferris State averages 2.3 goals per game and is led offensively by senior defenseman Zach Redmond. The blueliner has 12 points (5g-7a) in 13 games this year. Senior Nate Hennig leads the forwards with 10 points (6g-4a) in 16 games.
Bjugstad, Haula at WJC: Freshmen Nick Bjugstad and Erik Haula will miss the Mariucci Classic because they are representing their respective countries at the 2011 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship. Bjugstad is playing for the defending champion United States, while Haula is playing for his native Finland. The event began on Dec. 26 and runs until Jan. 5 and is being held in Buffalo, N.Y. The two Gophers faced one another in their first game on Dec. 26. Haula assisted on Finland's game-tying goal with seven minutes left in the contest. Bjugstad, who is the youngest player on his team, then scored the overtime game-winning goal to give Team USA a 3-2 victory.
Outside the WCHA: This week Minnesota plays Union (ECAC) and Ferris State (CCHA) to wrap up the non-WCHA part of its schedule. The Gophers have played four non-conference games this season and have a 3-1-0 record in those games. Minnesota has a win against Michigan (CCHA) and two against Massachusetts (Hockey East). Their lone non-WCHA loss came to Michigan State (CCHA). Minnesota has outscored its opponent in non-WCHA games 15-13.
Two With Experience: The last time that Minnesota played Union was 2005, so zero current Gophers have experience against the Dutchmen. However, two Gophers have played against Ferris State. Jacob Cepis skated in four games against the Bulldogs while he was a freshman at Bowling Green competing in the CCHA. In those four games he tallied one goal and two assists. Senior Jay Barriball played against Ferris State in the 2006 Mariucci Classic. Barriball had one goal and one assist as the Gophers won 5-2.
Rank'em: Minnesota is in the midst of playing six straight games against teams ranked by USCHO.com. The Gophers beat and tied No. 2 Minnesota-Duluth two weeks ago and play No. 12 Union and No. 18 Ferris State this weekend in the Mariucci Classic. Minnesota then travels to No. 5 North Dakota for games on Jan. 14-15. The Gophers are 5-4-2 against teams ranked by USCHO.com this year. Minnesota's success rate against ranked opponents (ranking at time of game) this year is: No. 2 Minnesota-Duluth (1-0-1), No. 8 Michigan (1-0-0), No. 14 St. Cloud State (1-1-0), No. 15 Wisconsin (0-1-1), No. 17 Nebraska-Omaha (0-2-0), No. 19 Colorado College (2-0-0).
As An Underdog: Minnesota is 5-2-2 against teams ranked ahead of them this year. Using the USCHO.com rankings (rankings at the time of the game), the Gophers were unranked against No. 2 Minnesota-Duluth and earned a win and a tie. Minnesota was No. 15 when they defeated No. 8 Michigan and were ranked No. 20 when they won both games at No. 19 Colorado College. Minnesota was ranked No. 20 when it split a series with No. 14 St. Cloud State and the Gophers were No. 17 when they lost to and tied No. 15 Wisconsin.
First Period Goals: Minnesota continues to earn points this year when they it scores a first-period goal. The Gophers are 9-1-2 when scoring a first period goal this season and 8-0-2 when scoring the first goal of the game.
Welcome Rally: Sunday's Dec. 12 game against No. 2 Minnesota-Duluth marked a first this season for the Gophers. It was the first game all year that Minnesota rallied to earn a point after trailing entering the third period. The Gophers were losing 2-1 with 20 minutes to play but earned a 2-2 tie after Jacob Cepis ended a six-game goal draught with his sixth goal of the season to level the game.
Patterson Rolling: Kent Patterson is 7-2-2 this year and sports a 2.52 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage. The junior netminder was huge two weeks ago as the Gophers earned three of four points against No. 2 Minnesota-Duluth. Patterson made a season-high 37 saves in the win on Friday and then bettered himself on Sunday with a career-high 41 saves (faced zero shots in overtime) in a 2-2 tie.
Line Them Up: The Gophers scored a total of five goals against No. 2 Minnesota-Duluth two weeks ago and every line scored for Minnesota. Jay Barriball (first line), Jacob Cepis (second line), Jake Hansen (third line), Nick Larson (fourth line) and Nico Sacchetti (fourth line) all scored for the Gophers.
Going Deep: Every Gopher (except goaltender Jake Kremer) has played in at least three games this year and only seven of 24 skaters have played in all 18 games. Twenty-one players (including goalie Kent Patterson) have at least one point this year and 18 players have scored at least one goal. The only six skaters who do not have a goal this year are defenseman Aaron Ness (seven assists in 18 games), defenseman Mark Alt (two assists in 17 games), forward Jared Larson (zero points in six games), defenseman Nate Schmidt (zero points in five games), forward Joe Miller (zero points in three games) and defenseman Jake Parenteau (zero points in four games).
Three or More: Three seems to be the magic number for the Gopher offense this year. Minnesota is 8-1-1 when scoring three or more goals in a game this year and is 1-6-1 when failing to light the lamp three times.
Tightening Up: Minnesota is 2-2-1 in its last five games, but has allowed only 10 total goals (1, 3, 2, 2 and 2) in those contests. That is the best five-game defensive stretch for the Gophers this year. The previous best was 12 goals allowed (1, 5, 1, 3 and 2) from Nov. 20-Dec. 4. Conversely, the Gophers began the year by allowing 21 combined goals (3, 4, 5, 4 and 5) in their first five games. Included in the recent stretch are two games against No. 2 Minnesota-Duluth and a game against No. 8 Michigan. Minnesota has a 1.96 goals-against average in its last five games and a 3.08 GAA for the season.
Another Defensive Look: The Gophers have allowed 56 goals this year through 18 games for a 3.1 average. Minnesota's opponents scored 33 goals in the first nine games of the season for a 3.6 average. However, in the last nine games, the Gopher defense has been stingy and has yielded just 23 goals for a 2.5 average. In the first nine games of the season, Minnesota opponents scored four or more goals six times. Since then opponents have scored four or more goals only twice and not once in the last five games.
O From the D: The Gopher defense has been doing a better job keeping pucks out of their own net, but they have also been helping the offense out. The six defensemen who have appeared in the most games this season have combined for 34 points (6g-28a) and each of them has at least two points. Cade Fairchild leads the group with 10 points (3g-7a). He his followed by Kevin Wehrs (1g-7a), Aaron Ness (7a), Seth Helgeson (1g-3a), Justin Holl (1g-2a) and Mark Alt (2a).
Minnesota Nice: The Gophers have 16 regular-season games left on their schedule and they will play 12 of them (eight at home) in the state of Minnesota. The Gophers will not leave Minnesota until mid-January when they travel to face North Dakota (Jan. 14-15). Minnesota's final road trip is Feb. 18-19 at Wisconsin.
Breaking Out: Five different players scored for the Gophers against No. 2 Minnesota-Duluth two weeks ago. Lighting the lamp were Jay Barriball, Jacob Cepis, Jake Hansen, Nick Larson and Nico Sacchetti. Barriball and Cepis--the top two leading scorers on the team--each ended a six-game draught without a goal. It was Sacchetti's first goal in 12 games and was Hansen's first goal in six games. For Larson, scoring was nothing new, as his three goals this year have all come in the last five games.
Captain Jay: Senior captain Jay Barriball leads the team with 10 goals and is the only Gopher averaging more than one point-per-game (19 points in 18 games). Barriball has at least one point in 12 games this year and Minnesota is 7-4-1 when the captain is on the scoresheet. He also recorded a hat trick on Oct. 9 in a 5-4 win against Massachusetts. It was the first hat trick for a Gopher since Blake Wheeler had one in a 4-2 win against Wisconsin on March 16, 2007.
Kangas in the Record Books: Alex Kangas entered his senior season fourth all-time in program history with 2,571 saves. The 23-year-old has played in eight games this year and has stopped 231 shots. He now has 2,802 career saves, which ranks third all-time in school history behind Adam Hauser (3,777 saves) and Kellen Briggs (2,968 saves). Kangas (108 games) is also third in program history for games played by a goalie. Briggs is second with 132 career games played and Houser owns the record with 151 games.
Matson Matters: Junior Taylor Matson entered the season with three career goals in 32 games. He has six goals (tied for third on the team) in 18 games this year. Matson had zero points in the first four games of the year, but has since found his scoring touch. In the previous 14 games he has six goals and two assists. Matson also leads the team in faceoffs for anybody who has taken a significant number of draws. He has won 55.4 percent (128 of 231) this year. He has more career goals (9) than penalties (7) and the same number of career points and penalty minutes (14).
Fresh Idea: There are 10 freshmen on the Minnesota roster this year and all 10 have played in at least four games. Seven of them have at least one point and Erik Haula leads the group with 15 (3g-12a). He is followed by Nate Condon (5g-5a), Nick Bjugstad (2g-2a), Justin Holl (1g-2a), Tom Serratore (1g-2a), Max Gardiner (1g-1a) and Mark Alt (2a).
Can Do Condon: Freshman Nate Condon had a night to remember on Oct. 30 at Colorado College. Condon scored twice, had three assists and was +5 in the 9-4 win. Condon was the first Gopher to record five points in a game since Ryan Potulny (4g-1a) against St. Cloud State (3/17/06) and first freshman since Phil Kessel (1g-4a) against Alaska Anchorage (11/11/06).
Budish Update: Sophomore Zach Budish was injured in a moped accident on Nov. 1 and will miss the rest of the season. He underwent successful surgery on his right knee on Nov. 22.
Preseason Picks and Rankings: Minnesota began the year ranked No. 15 in both the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine and the USCHO polls. That ended a 10-year streak of being ranked in the top 10 to begin the season.
Noticeable Draft: Nineteen Gophers have been drafted by NHL teams. The junior and freshman class each have six draftees, the senior class has five and both of the team's sophomores have been drafted. Freshmen Nick Bjugstad, Mark Alt, Justin Holl and Max Gardiner were selected in the 2010 NHL Draft, with each of them going in the first three rounds (top 74 overall). Other than Bjugstad, senior Patrick White (No. 22 in 2007) is the only other first-round pick.
Excuse Me Mr.: The highest distinction a high school hockey player in Minnesota can receive is being named Mr. Hockey. This year's team has two players - junior Aaron Ness and freshman Nick Bjugstad - who received that honor. Jay Barriball, Nick Larson, Taylor Matson, Joe Miller, Patrick White, Justin Holl, Max Gardiner and Mark Alt were finalists.
You're Not From Around Here: With the additions of freshmen Nate Condon (Wausau, Wis.), Tom Serratore (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and Erik Haula (Pori, Finland), the Gophers now have four players (joining Jacob Cepis who is from Parma, Ohio) from outside of Minnesota. The last time Minnesota's roster featured at least four players from outside the state was during the 2005-06 season when there were six non-Minnesotans.
Minnesota vs. Michigan: Minnesota is 3-1-0 against schools from Michigan this year. The Gophers beat Michigan on Nov. 28 and are also 2-0-0 against Michigan Tech. The Gophers have three more games against a school from Michigan. Minnesota hosts Ferris State on Jan. 1 and then hosts Michigan Tech on Feb. 25-26. The Gophers lone loss to a school from Michigan was a Nov. 26 setback to Michigan State.
Gracious Hosts: Minnesota hosts the 2011 NCAA Men's Frozen Four from April 7-9 at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn. The last time the Frozen Four was held in Minnesota was 2002, when current Gopher assistant coach Grant Potulny scored the overtime game-winning goal against Maine to give Minnesota its first national championship since 1979. Minnesota also hosts the 2012 West Regional at Xcel Energy Center.
