Gophers Head to MSU for B1G Opener

No. 3/6 Minnesota (8-4-0) at Michigan State (5-8-0)
Dates	Friday, December 5 (6:00 p.m. CT)
	Saturday, December 6 (4:00 p.m. CT)
Location	Munn Arena \| East Lansing, Mich.
Friday TV	FSDetroit (Live) \| FSN+ (Tape Delay approximately 10:30 p.m. CT)
Saturday TV	Comcast (Live) \| FSN+ (Live)
Watch Online	Friday \| Saturday
Radio	Friday: MyTalk 107.1 FM \| Listen Online
	Saturday: 1500 ESPN \| Listen Online
Live Stats	\|
Game Notes	Minnesota \| MSU \| Big Ten
Social Media	@GopherHockey \| Facebook

Dec. 3, 2014

The No. 3/6 Gopher Hockey program plays its final series of 2014 this weekend to kick off the Big Ten Conference schedule, traveling to Michigan State for a pair of league games. Minnesota (8-4-0 overall, 0-0-0-0 Big Ten) and Michigan State (5-8-0, 1-1-0-0 Big Ten) open the series on Friday night at 6 p.m. CT and close out the weekend on Saturday at 4 p.m. CT.

Tight Fights with the Spartans

The Gophers averaged 3.49 goals per game last season, but the Maroon & Gold struggled to find the net in 2013-14 against Michigan State -- scoring just eight goals in four games. In fact, all four games between the two teams were incredibly close (2-2 ovetime tie at MSU, 3-2 win at MSU, 2-2 overtime tie at home, 1-0 win at home). Minnesota is 105-43-14 all-time against Michigan State (43-26-7 on the road) and 5-2-3 in the last 10 games. Seven of the last 10 games have been decided by a goal or less. Kyle Rau (3-2--5) and Christian Isackson (2-3--5) are the active leading scorers against the Spartans while Adam Wilcox owns a 3-0-2 record against this weekend's opponent.

Power Play Catches Fire

Both of Minnesota's goals on Saturday came on the power play (a 5-on-4 goal and a 5-on-3 goal) as the team went 2-for-3 on the night while on the advantage. The performance moved the Gophers to 12-for-41 (.293) on the season -- first in the Big Ten and third nationally.

Marshall Named Big Ten Third Star

Senior Ben Marshall tallied three points last weekend including the game-winning goal in Friday's win over Boston College to earn Big Ten Third Star of the Week. The defenseman added a pair of assists on Minnesota's power-play goals against Northeastern.

Lettieri Finds the Net

Sophomore Vinni Lettieri scored twice in Friday's 6-2 win over Boston College for his first career multi-goal game and his second career multi-point game. The performance doubled his career goal total while the forward now has 10 pointsâ€ˆ(four goals, six assists) in his career.

Stingy Penalty Kill

While the Gophers' power play caught fire last Saturday, the penalty kill has remained difficult to beat. Minnesota has not allowed a power-play goal in its last 10 penalties, including a pair of five-minute majors, going back to the first period against Minnesota Duluth on Nov. 15.

Big Ten/Hockey East Challenge

Minnesota's 6-2 win over Boston College on Friday night clinched the 2014 Big Ten/Hockey East Challenge for the Big Ten Conference as the league held on to a 25-22 advantage in the 20-game series. Teams earned two points for a win, one point for a tie and a bonus point will be awarded for a road win. The Gophers contributed seven points to the Big Ten's totals with the Maroon & Gold's two-game home sweep over Notre Dame earlier this year and road win over Boston College last Friday.

On the Road Again

This weekend's road trip to Michigan State closes out a five-game regular-season road stretch for Minnesota to close out the first half of the year. Minnesota kicked off the road trip with a 2-1 loss at Minnesota Duluth on Nov. 15 and then split a pair of nonconference games in Boston (6-2 win over Boston College, 3-2 loss to Northeastern). Minnesota's next home game will be Jan. 2 against Merrimack to kick off the Mariucci Classic, meaning the Gophers will have gone 49 days without a regular-season game at Mariucci Arena. Minnesota did host the U.S. U-18 Team in exhibition action on Nov. 21.

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Players Mentioned

Christian Isackson

Vinni Lettieri

Ben Marshall

Kyle Rau

Adam Wilcox

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University of Minnesota Athletics