University of Minnesota Athletics
Friday, November 16
3M Arena at Mariucci
7:00 PM
University of Minnesota
vs
St. Lawrence University
Players Mentioned
Defense
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Defense
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Defense
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's Hockey'U' Opens Home Stand with St. Lawrence
11/14/2018 11:19:00 PM | Men's Hockey
MINNEAPOLIS -- The No. 19 Gopher Hockey program opens a six-game home stand this weekend, hosting a two-game nonconference series with St. Lawrence at 3M Arena at Mariucci. This weekend's series opens up on Friday, Nov. 16 at 7 p.m. CT while the series finale is slated for Saturday, Nov. 17 at 8 p.m. CT.
Against the Saints
Minnesota (2-4-1 overall, 1-1-0-0 Big Ten) and St. Lawrence (1-8-0, 0-2-0 ECAC) will meet for the sixth and seventh time this weekend as the two nonconference foes are 2-2-1 all-time against each other in a series that started in 1966. Despite the five-game history, the two teams have only met once in Minnesota with the Saints claiming a 6-4 victory to open the 1998-99 season. Additionally, the two teams last met in 2016-17 (the only time they have played at St. Lawrence's Appleton Arena) when they tied 2-2 in overtime. The Gophers scored twice in the final minute of regulation to salvage the tie. Senior forward Jack Sadek is the only active Gopher with a point against St. Lawrence, scoring his first career goal against the Saints on Oct. 29, 2016.
Gophers Split Big Ten Opener in Madison
Bob Motzko and the Gophers earned a split in Motzko's first Big Ten series with the Maroon & Gold, opening the weekend with a 3-2 win before falling 3-1 in the finale. Minnesota scored its three goals in a span of 74 seconds on Friday including the first career goal from freshman defenseman Ben Brinkman and the first career assist from freshman forward Blake McLaughlin.
Novak Nears Century Mark
Senior forward Tommy Novak enters the weekend having played in 98 career games for the Maroon & Gold with 69 points (14 goals, 55 assists). The Gophers center was outstanding on the draw last weekend in his home state of Wisconsin, winning 26 of 34 faceoffs (.765) against the Badgers. Novak has won 60 of 108 draws (.556)on the season.
Power-Play Plug
The University of Minnesota has now scored a power-play goal in six-straight regular-season games with the only exception on the year coming in the season opener at Minnesota Duluth. The Gophers are 6-for-29 (.207) while on the advantage this season.
Norman Snaps Goal Drought
Senior forward Ryan Norman notched the deciding goal for the Gophers on Friday night for his second career game winner -- both have come against the Badgers as the forward's first winner came as a freshman in a 9-2 win in Madison on Jan. 23, 2016. The goal also snapped a 27-game goal drought for the senior forward.
Honoring Don Lucia
The University of Minnesota and Gopher Hockey will celebrate the career of former head coach Don Lucia during the first intermission of Friday's game. Lucia stepped down following the 2017-18 season after 19 years on the Minnesota bench. Lucia coached the Gophers to back-to-back national championships in 2002 and 2003 and stepped down as Minnesota's all-time wins leader at 457 while his 736 all-time wins rank among the top 10 in NCAA history.
Welcome Back, Bob!
After 13 years leading in-state rival St. Cloud State, Bob Motzko was named the head coach of the University of Minnesota on March 27, 2018. A native of Austin, Minn., Motzko built a 276-192-49 record as head coach of the Huskies (278-196-50 overall record) following a four-year stint as assistant coach at Minnesota that saw the Maroon & Gold claim back-to-back national championships in 2002 and 2003. Motzko has coached 17 All-Americans in his coaching career including Hobey Baker Award winners Jordan Leopold and Drew LeBlanc. In addition to his collegiate coaching, Motzko led the U.S. National Junior Team to back-to-back medals at the IIHF World Junior Championship -- capturing a gold medal in 2017 and a bronze medal in 2018.
Big Ten Preseason Information
Tyler Sheehy and Rem Pitlick represented the Maroon & Gold on the Big Ten Preseason Watch List while the Gophers were predicted to finish fourth in a competitive Big Ten during the 2018-19 campaign. The Big Ten's three Frozen Four participants last year landed poll rankings ahead of the Maroon & Gold with Ohio State projected to finish first, Michigan to finish second and Notre Dame to finish third. Behind the Gophers are Penn State in fifth, Wisconsin in sixth and Michigan State in seventh.
Minnesota Announces Captains for 2018-19
Four senior forwards will serve as leads for the University of Minnesota during the 2018-19 campaign with Tyler Sheehy and Brent Gates Jr. acting as captains for the Maroon & Gold while Jack Ramsey and Darian Romanko will act as assistant captains. Sheehy returns after serving as team captain as a junior last year while Gates, Ramsey and Romanko will wear letters for the first time as seniors. The four skaters continue a long tradition of Gopher Hockey captains dating back to the program's first season of play in 1921-22 when Chet Bros led the Maroon & Gold. Counting the new additions, 170 Gophers have worn a letter at the University of Minnesota in the program's 97-year history.
Three Gopher Hockey Alums Join Staff
Coach Bob Motzko rounded out his coaching staff last month when he added three former University of Minnesota skaters to the Gophers coaching ranks. Ben Gordon returned to the Gophers for the second time after being named an assistant coach on Monday (Gordon previously served as Minnesota's director of operations during the 2016-17 season). Additionally, former Gophers Stu Bickel and Ryan Potulny joined the Maroon & Gold as undergraduate assistants for the 2018-19 season as they complete their degrees at the University of Minnesota. Previously, Garrett Raboin joined the Minnesota staff as an assistant coach after serving in the same capacity at St. Cloud State for the last six years while Andy Kent returns as the team's volunteer goaltending coach.
Gophers in the NHL Draft
Thirteen current Gophers have had their names called at the NHL Entry Draft including newcomers Robbie Stucker (2017, Columbus, Seventh Round, 210th), Sammy Walker (2017, Tampa Bay, Seventh Round, 200th), Blake McLaughlin (2018, Anaheim, Third Round, 79th) and Sampo Ranta (2018, Colorado, Third Round, 78th). Ranta and McLaughlin were selected with back-to-back picks in 2018 -- the sixth time in Gophers history that has happened. Ten NHL teams have prospects on the Gopher Hockey roster this year with Anaheim, Tampa Bay and Nashville each listing two draftees with Minnesota.
Mr. Hockey Goes to Minnesota
Incoming Gophers freshman Sammy Walker closed out his prep career by leading Edina High School to a third-place finish at the 2018 MSHSL Class AA State Tournament, earning all-tournament honors along with Star Tribune Metro Player of the Year accolades. Walker was also 34th recipient of the annual Mr. Hockey Award, given to the top senior high school boy's hockey player in the state of Minnesota. Of the 34 honorees in the award's history, 23 have gone on to play college hockey at the University of Minnesota.
Big Ten Announces Overtime Changes
The Big Ten Conference has announced changes to its overtime protocol and conference points system for the 2018-19 hockey season. Any regular-season conference game that remains tied after regulation will play the NCAA-mandated five-minute, 5-on-5 sudden-death overtime period. If the game remains tied, the two teams will then play a five-minute, 3-on-3 sudden-death overtime period. If the game is still tied following both overtime periods, then the game will move to a sudden-death shootout. Non-conference games other than certain in-season tournaments will conclude following the 5-on-5 overtime period. Postseason games will continue to feature 20-minute 5-on-5 overtime periods as in the past. Teams will be awarded three points in the conference standings for a win in regulation or the 5-on-5 overtime period. If the game is tied following the 5-on-5 overtime, both teams will receive one point, with a second point being awarded to the team that wins in either the 3-on-3 overtime period or the shootout.
Against the Saints
Minnesota (2-4-1 overall, 1-1-0-0 Big Ten) and St. Lawrence (1-8-0, 0-2-0 ECAC) will meet for the sixth and seventh time this weekend as the two nonconference foes are 2-2-1 all-time against each other in a series that started in 1966. Despite the five-game history, the two teams have only met once in Minnesota with the Saints claiming a 6-4 victory to open the 1998-99 season. Additionally, the two teams last met in 2016-17 (the only time they have played at St. Lawrence's Appleton Arena) when they tied 2-2 in overtime. The Gophers scored twice in the final minute of regulation to salvage the tie. Senior forward Jack Sadek is the only active Gopher with a point against St. Lawrence, scoring his first career goal against the Saints on Oct. 29, 2016.
Gophers Split Big Ten Opener in Madison
Bob Motzko and the Gophers earned a split in Motzko's first Big Ten series with the Maroon & Gold, opening the weekend with a 3-2 win before falling 3-1 in the finale. Minnesota scored its three goals in a span of 74 seconds on Friday including the first career goal from freshman defenseman Ben Brinkman and the first career assist from freshman forward Blake McLaughlin.
Novak Nears Century Mark
Senior forward Tommy Novak enters the weekend having played in 98 career games for the Maroon & Gold with 69 points (14 goals, 55 assists). The Gophers center was outstanding on the draw last weekend in his home state of Wisconsin, winning 26 of 34 faceoffs (.765) against the Badgers. Novak has won 60 of 108 draws (.556)on the season.
Power-Play Plug
The University of Minnesota has now scored a power-play goal in six-straight regular-season games with the only exception on the year coming in the season opener at Minnesota Duluth. The Gophers are 6-for-29 (.207) while on the advantage this season.
Norman Snaps Goal Drought
Senior forward Ryan Norman notched the deciding goal for the Gophers on Friday night for his second career game winner -- both have come against the Badgers as the forward's first winner came as a freshman in a 9-2 win in Madison on Jan. 23, 2016. The goal also snapped a 27-game goal drought for the senior forward.
Honoring Don Lucia
The University of Minnesota and Gopher Hockey will celebrate the career of former head coach Don Lucia during the first intermission of Friday's game. Lucia stepped down following the 2017-18 season after 19 years on the Minnesota bench. Lucia coached the Gophers to back-to-back national championships in 2002 and 2003 and stepped down as Minnesota's all-time wins leader at 457 while his 736 all-time wins rank among the top 10 in NCAA history.
Welcome Back, Bob!
After 13 years leading in-state rival St. Cloud State, Bob Motzko was named the head coach of the University of Minnesota on March 27, 2018. A native of Austin, Minn., Motzko built a 276-192-49 record as head coach of the Huskies (278-196-50 overall record) following a four-year stint as assistant coach at Minnesota that saw the Maroon & Gold claim back-to-back national championships in 2002 and 2003. Motzko has coached 17 All-Americans in his coaching career including Hobey Baker Award winners Jordan Leopold and Drew LeBlanc. In addition to his collegiate coaching, Motzko led the U.S. National Junior Team to back-to-back medals at the IIHF World Junior Championship -- capturing a gold medal in 2017 and a bronze medal in 2018.
Big Ten Preseason Information
Tyler Sheehy and Rem Pitlick represented the Maroon & Gold on the Big Ten Preseason Watch List while the Gophers were predicted to finish fourth in a competitive Big Ten during the 2018-19 campaign. The Big Ten's three Frozen Four participants last year landed poll rankings ahead of the Maroon & Gold with Ohio State projected to finish first, Michigan to finish second and Notre Dame to finish third. Behind the Gophers are Penn State in fifth, Wisconsin in sixth and Michigan State in seventh.
Minnesota Announces Captains for 2018-19
Four senior forwards will serve as leads for the University of Minnesota during the 2018-19 campaign with Tyler Sheehy and Brent Gates Jr. acting as captains for the Maroon & Gold while Jack Ramsey and Darian Romanko will act as assistant captains. Sheehy returns after serving as team captain as a junior last year while Gates, Ramsey and Romanko will wear letters for the first time as seniors. The four skaters continue a long tradition of Gopher Hockey captains dating back to the program's first season of play in 1921-22 when Chet Bros led the Maroon & Gold. Counting the new additions, 170 Gophers have worn a letter at the University of Minnesota in the program's 97-year history.
Three Gopher Hockey Alums Join Staff
Coach Bob Motzko rounded out his coaching staff last month when he added three former University of Minnesota skaters to the Gophers coaching ranks. Ben Gordon returned to the Gophers for the second time after being named an assistant coach on Monday (Gordon previously served as Minnesota's director of operations during the 2016-17 season). Additionally, former Gophers Stu Bickel and Ryan Potulny joined the Maroon & Gold as undergraduate assistants for the 2018-19 season as they complete their degrees at the University of Minnesota. Previously, Garrett Raboin joined the Minnesota staff as an assistant coach after serving in the same capacity at St. Cloud State for the last six years while Andy Kent returns as the team's volunteer goaltending coach.
Gophers in the NHL Draft
Thirteen current Gophers have had their names called at the NHL Entry Draft including newcomers Robbie Stucker (2017, Columbus, Seventh Round, 210th), Sammy Walker (2017, Tampa Bay, Seventh Round, 200th), Blake McLaughlin (2018, Anaheim, Third Round, 79th) and Sampo Ranta (2018, Colorado, Third Round, 78th). Ranta and McLaughlin were selected with back-to-back picks in 2018 -- the sixth time in Gophers history that has happened. Ten NHL teams have prospects on the Gopher Hockey roster this year with Anaheim, Tampa Bay and Nashville each listing two draftees with Minnesota.
Mr. Hockey Goes to Minnesota
Incoming Gophers freshman Sammy Walker closed out his prep career by leading Edina High School to a third-place finish at the 2018 MSHSL Class AA State Tournament, earning all-tournament honors along with Star Tribune Metro Player of the Year accolades. Walker was also 34th recipient of the annual Mr. Hockey Award, given to the top senior high school boy's hockey player in the state of Minnesota. Of the 34 honorees in the award's history, 23 have gone on to play college hockey at the University of Minnesota.
Big Ten Announces Overtime Changes
The Big Ten Conference has announced changes to its overtime protocol and conference points system for the 2018-19 hockey season. Any regular-season conference game that remains tied after regulation will play the NCAA-mandated five-minute, 5-on-5 sudden-death overtime period. If the game remains tied, the two teams will then play a five-minute, 3-on-3 sudden-death overtime period. If the game is still tied following both overtime periods, then the game will move to a sudden-death shootout. Non-conference games other than certain in-season tournaments will conclude following the 5-on-5 overtime period. Postseason games will continue to feature 20-minute 5-on-5 overtime periods as in the past. Teams will be awarded three points in the conference standings for a win in regulation or the 5-on-5 overtime period. If the game is tied following the 5-on-5 overtime, both teams will receive one point, with a second point being awarded to the team that wins in either the 3-on-3 overtime period or the shootout.
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