Gophers Close Out Regular Season with Border Battle

MINNEAPOLIS -- The No. 4 Gopher men's hockey program closes out its 101st regular season this weekend as the Border Battle comes to 3M Arena at Mariucci. Minnesota hosts Wisconsin beginning on Friday, Feb. 25 at 8:00 p.m. CT (TV: ESPNU; Stream: WatchESPN; Radio: 1130 KTLK-AM/103.5 FM) with the series finale set for Saturday, Feb. 26 at 7:00 p.m. CT (TV: Big Ten Network; Stream: FOX Sports App; Radio: 1130 KTLK-AM/103.5 FM).

AGAINST THE BADGERS
In a Border Battle rivalry that dates back to the inaugural season of Gopher Hockey in 1922, Minnesota holds a 176-100-24 all-time record against Wisconsin while the two teams have met 300 times entering the weekend. The Big Ten opponents split a pair of games earlier this season in Madison (a 3-4 overtime loss and a 4-1 win for Minnesota).

SATURDAY IS FOR THE SENIORS
Minnesota will honor the senior class of Ben Brinkman, Grant Cruikshank, Matt Denman, Blake McLaughlin, Sammy Walker and graduate student Sam Rossini following Saturday night's regular-season finale at 3M Arena at Mariucci. The Class of 2022 owns a 79-49-11 record including a mark of 45-18-0 over the last two seasons. Minnesota is 10-1-2 in regular-season home finales since the start of the 2007-08 season.

STREAKING GOPHERS
The Gophers head into the Border Battle and the final weekend of the regular season on a season-best six-game winning streak. The Maroon & Gold have earned three-straight sweeps and six overall sweeps this season while the Gophers have outscored opponents 24-11 during its current winning streak. Defensively, Minnesota has allowed more than two goals in just one game during the month of February.

BIG TEN HONORS BIG BEN
In his first game back in the lineup since competing with the U.S. Olympic Men's Ice Hockey Team, Ben Meyers tallied three assists last Saturday to earn Big Ten Third Star of the Week honors. The forward matched his career high for assists and posted his seventh career three-point game while also winning 10-of-13 faceoffs in the series finale. The Hobey Baker Award candidate is now tied for the Maroon & Gold scoring lead with a career-high 29 points (11 goals, 18 assists) in 27 games this season.

CENTURY CLUB GOPHERS
Blake McLaughlin became the 86th member of Gopher Hockey's 100-Point Club last weekend and currently has 101 points (37 goals, 64 assists) while his linemate and classmate Sammy Walker hit the milestone earlier this season and now has 110 points (46 goals, 64 assists). McLaughlin is currently riding a three-game point streak while Walker is on a season-best five-game point streak and is one game shy of tying his career long. The duo are the first Gophers to notch 100 career points since Rem Pitlick in 2018-19. Additionally, Bryce Brodzinski is expected to skate in his 100th career game on Friday.

MONKEY OFF THE BACK
Last weekend's sweep at Penn State gave Minnesota its first wins at Pegula Ice Arena under Bob Motzko (although Minnesota's last three games at the venue were not played due to public health concerns) while Friday's 3-1 in the series opener was Minnesota's first victory at the venue in exactly five years (Feb. 18, 2017). Saturday saw the Gophers rally from a three-goal deficit to win 6-4.

GOPHER HOCKEY AT THE OLYMPICS
Three current Gophers -- Ben Meyers, Matthew Knies and Brock Faber -- and Minnesota alum Aaron Ness wrapped up the Olympics last week while competing with the U.S. Olympic Men's Ice Hockey Team. Meanwhile, strength & conditioning coach Cal Dietz served in the same role with silver medal-winning U.S. Olympic Women's Ice Hockey Team. Gopher Hockey has been represented at each of the last 21 Winter Olympics since 1936 with the Maroon & Gold helping USA Hockey to eight medals including gold in 1960 and 1980. Ness served as an alternate captain for the U.S. while Meyers finished second on the U.S. squad with four points (two goals, two assists).

MOTZKO MILESTONES
February saw Bob Motzko set a pair of milestones as the Minnesota head coach won his 350th career game on Friday, Jan. 4 (355-240-60) before adding his 75th win with the Gophers on Saturday, Jan. 5 (79-48-11). The five-time conference coach of the year, who agreed to a three-year extension that will keep him with Minnesota through the 2025-26 season, is in his fourth season with the Maroon & Gold and 17th season as a Division I head coach.

GOPHERS MAKE ROSTER ADJUSTMENTS
Minnesota has made a number of roster adjustments over the weeks. Four-year Gopher letter winner Sam Rossini re-joined the program on Jan. 19 -- the defenseman has played in 49 games with 13 points (three goals, 10 assists). Owen Bartoszkievicz was added to the roster as a freshman on Jan. 14 -- the goaltender most recently played in the USHL with Youngstown while he was an All-NAHL Rookie First Team honoree in 2020-21 with Wichita Falls. Jack LaFontaine signed an entry-level contract with the Carolina Hurricanes on Jan. 9 and made his NHL debut with the organization on Jan. 13.

PRIDE ON ICE HISTORY
While the Gophers celebrated the program's 100th season in 2020-21, a number of notable milestones will actually occur during the 2021-22 season. First among them, Jan. 9, 2022 marked 100 years since the University of Minnesota Board of Regents and the University Athletic Board of Control officially granted men's hockey varsity status (Jan. 9, 1922). Meanwhile, Minnesota's first varsity hockey game celebrated the century mark on Jan. 17, 2022 (a 2-1 loss to Hamline before a string of five-straight wins -- four of them coming against Wisconsin). Minnesota got its revenge against Hamline in the season finale to finish its inaugural season with a 6-3-1 record.

NHL UPDATE: GOPHERS PACE COLLEGE HOCKEY
Minnesota leads all NCAA programs with 118 all-time NHL alums including 24 already this season (also the most in college hockey). Tommy Novak, Scott Reedy and Jack LaFontaine have all made their NHL debuts in 2021-22 while Sampo Ranta debuted during last year's Stanley Cup playoffs (Ranta, Reedy and LaFontaine were all on the Gophers roster last year).

WEARING THE 'C'
The 101st season of Gopher Hockey will see two familiar faces and college hockey veterans leading the 'U' as Sammy Walker and Ben Meyers have been named team captains for the 2021-22 season. Walker will enter his senior season wearing a "C" for the third-straight season for the Maroon & Gold while Meyers was elevated to share the honor after serving as alternate captains during the 2020-21 campaign. With all both players returning to the Minnesota leadership group, Gopher Hockey has now featured 175 captains dating back to the school's first season of play in 1921-22 when Chet Bros led the Maroon & Gold as team captain.

IN THE NHL DRAFT
Fourteen of Minnesota's 27 players on the 2021-22 roster have been selected in the NHL Entry Draft including five newcomers -- Chaz Lucius (2021), Matthew Knies (2021), Tristan Broz (2021), Aaron Huglen (2019) and Rhett Pitlick (2019). Lucius is the 22nd Gopher Hockey prospect selected in the first round (18th overall by Winnipeg), joining 2019 first rounder Ryan Johnson on this year's roster for Minnesota. Meanwhile, Knies and Broz were selected with back-to-back picks in the second round this year.

PRESEASON BIG TEN PROSPECTUS
The Gophers landed on the top spot of the 2021-22 Big Ten Hockey Coaches' Poll earlier this season ahead of Michigan, Wisconsin, Notre Dame, Penn State, Michigan State and Ohio State. In the eight-year history of the Big Ten Conference, the Gophers have claimed a league-high four regular-season conference championships as well as two Big Ten tournament titles including last year's thrilling playoff run by the Maroon & Gold.

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Players Mentioned

Ben Brinkman

Bryce Brodzinski

Tristan Broz

Grant Cruikshank

Matt Denman

Brock Faber

Aaron Huglen

Ryan Johnson

Matthew Knies

Jack LaFontaine

Chaz Lucius

Blake McLaughlin

Ben Meyers

Rhett Pitlick

Sampo Ranta

Scott Reedy

Sam Rossini

Sammy Walker