University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
Northeastern
Gophers Falter In Penalty-Filled Final
12/31/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Hockey
Dec. 31, 2011
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After topping Niagara 5-1 on Friday, the No. 2-ranked Minnesota men's hockey team dropped a 3-2 decision to Northeastern in the Mariucci Classic championship game on Saturday night. Husky goaltender Chris Rawlings stopped 31 shots to help give NU its second Mariucci Classic title.
Already shorthanded without the services of U.S. World Junior Championship team members Nick Bjugstad and Kyle Rau, the Gophers afforded NU 12 power-play chances, including three five-on-three opportunities.
After a scoreless first period and Seth Helgeson penalty early in the second, sophomore Nate Condon scored his second shorthanded goal of the year. Condon used his speed to break free from two Northeastern defenders and snapped a shot past Rawlings to break the deadlock 55 seconds into the period.
The Huskies, however, didn't take long to respond.
Working on a two-man advantage after Erik Haula joined Helgeson in the box by taking his first of three minor penalties on the night, Northeastern made it 1-1 when Vinny Saponari blasted a shot from the point past Minnesota netminder Kent Patterson at the two-minute mark.
NU took the lead at 5:38 of the frame when the Huskies' leading scorer, Steve Quailer, gathered a loose puck in the Gopher zone before walking in front and beating Patterson five-hole.
Quailer's tally was the only even-strength goal of the contest.
In the third period, Northeastern cushioned its lead with one second left on its second five-on-three chance of the night after UM took five penalties in the first 15 minutes. Garrett Vermeersch put away a feed from Drew Daniels for his third goal of the year.
With Patterson pulled, Nate Schmidt took the Gophers' last penalty of the night, forcing the Gophers to put Patterson back between the pipes.
Minnesota took Patterson out again moments later to gain an extra attacker and captain Taylor Matson made it a one-goal game with 17.9 seconds to play. UM, though, could not complete the comeback in the game's final moments.
The Gophers lost despite scoring multiple shorthanded goals for the first time since Feb. 25, 2011 in a 5-2 victory over Michigan Tech. Bjugstad, a freshman at the time, scored both of those goals.
After the Gophers beat them in overtime the 2008-09 title game, the Huskies won the Mariucci Classic for the first time since 1997-98 when they beat Minnesota 4-2.
UM gets back to action next Saturday when it hosts Notre Dame in the Hall of Fame Game on the Big Ten Network at 7 p.m. The Gophers will then travel to North Dakota on Jan. 13 and 14.
