University of Minnesota Athletics
Rinkside: Nanne Seizing Opportunity with Gophers
12/8/2017 12:00:00 AM | Men's Hockey
By Jackson Riebel
MINNEAPOLIS - The No. 7 Gopher Hockey program is on the road this weekend for their third-straight Big Ten Conference series, taking on No. 15 Ohio State in Columbus to conclude the first half of the season. The Buckeyes hold an 8-4-4 overall record after a five-game win streak was snapped at the hands of Penn State last Saturday night.
Nanne Seizing Opportunities
Gopher defenseman Tyler Nanne has been a pleasant addition to the Minnesota blue line this season, tallying two goals and four assists in 18 games. The Edina native began his collegiate career as an Ohio State Buckeye, but was unable to see game action due to an ailment. While NCAA transfer rules put his Gopher debut on hold for another year upon arriving in Minneapolis, Nanne hasn't wasted any time complaining.
"I found a good home in the University of Minnesota. I couldn't be happier with how things worked out, and I'm thrilled to be able to get on the ice every single day," Nanne said Wednesday. "This has been a dream come true for my family and I."
A versatile player who grew up playing as both a forward and defenseman, Nanne has adjusted well since getting back on the ice this year. Head Coach Don Lucia expects to see that continue as Nanne's season progresses.
"He's got good feet, he's competitive, a great personality in the locker room," Lucia noted. "He's working to try to get better. Sometimes even though he's been in the program and this is his second year, we have to remind ourselves that he's really just like a freshman starting his collegiate career."
The defenseman has skated in all 18 games so far this season for the Maroon & Gold with six points (two goals, four assists).
Nanne will face his former team for the first time since transferring to Minnesota when the puck drops at Value City Arena tonight.
Lindgren and Mittelstadt Named to U.S. National Junior Team
Sophomore Ryan Lindgren and freshman Casey Mittelstadt have been named to the preliminary roster of the 2018 U.S. National Junior Team that will compete in the 2018 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Junior Championship later this month. While Lindgren is happy to be rejoining the team he helped go unbeaten at the 2017 IIHF World Junior Championships, he hasn't lost sight of the task at hand this weekend.
"It's obviously a great honor. I had a ton of fun at it last year, so it's obviously really exciting," Lindgren commented Wednesday. "But we've got Ohio State this weekend, so I'm focused on that right now."
Mittelstadt has a similar mindset regarding the nomination he received this week.
"It's an honor, it's something that you dream about growing up as a kid. I think we're definitely excited, but right now we got one more weekend and we definitely need these two wins here going out to Ohio State. We're going to focus on that and try to get a few wins this weekend, and from there we'll get excited."
The 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship will run from Dec. 26, 2017 to Jan. 5, 2017 in Buffalo, New York. The U.S. team will also play pre-tournament games in Jamestown, New York and Erie, Pennsylvania in the week leading up to the tournament.
