University of Minnesota Athletics
Friday, October 20
Grand Forks, N.D.
7:00 PM
University of Minnesota
at
North Dakota
Players Mentioned
Defense
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Goaltender
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'U' Renews Rivalry at UND for Weekend Series
10/19/2023 11:30:00 AM | Men's Hockey
Gophers off to Grand Forks Oct. 20-21
MINNEAPOLIS - The nation's top-ranked Minnesota men's hockey team hits the road for a top-five matchup against the No. 5 Fighting Hawks of North Dakota as a historic rivalry will be restored Oct. 20-21 at Ralph Engelstad Arena.
Puck drop is slated for Friday night at 7 p.m. and again Saturday night at 6 p.m. with local video coverage on FOX 9 and FOX 9+, respectively. Wally Shaver and Frank Mazzocco will have the audio call on the Gopher Radio Network 1130 KTLK-AM/103.5 FM for both contests.
HOW TO WATCH ALL SEASON
Minnesota and FOX 9 have agreed to a local television broadcast partnership for 10 home games and four road games in 2023-24. This is in addition to the 11 games picked by the Big Ten Network, seven home and four away, along with one airing on FS1 during the campaign. As always, check the schedule page on GopherSports.com for all the latest information and viewing options for every contest.
STARRING "SNUGGY SNIPES"
Jimmy Snuggerud put on a show during the Gophers' opening weekend sweep of St. Thomas, totaling five points on four goals and one assist and was named Big Ten Conference First Star of the Week for his efforts. The sophomore scored twice in each contest, including the game winner both nights, and recorded the sixth, three-point performance of his career in the season opener Friday. It was the first time he registered back-to-back, multi-goal games for the Maroon and Gold, and he now has three weekly awards from the league over his career.
ONE STEP CLOSER
Goaltender Justen Close turned away all 24 shots he faced against the Tommies Saturday night, recording the 10th shutout of his Minnesota career. After entering the 2023-24 campaign four shutouts shy of tying the team record of 13 set by Kellen Briggs and Adam Wilcox, the Kindersley, Saskatchewan, native moved one step closer to that mark and stands alone in sixth place all-time with 10. Only twice has Close gone back-to-back outings allowing three or more goals during his tenure as a Gophers netminder.
EARLY CHEMISTRY
The line of Oliver Moore centering Brody Lamb and Jimmy Snuggerud provided the Gophers with an offensive explosion to begin the year as they combined for 13 points in two games. All three skaters had at least one point in each contest, while Snuggerud led the way with five points. Lamb posted three goals and an assist, recording the first multi-goal game of his career, and Moore chipped in four helpers.
CAREERS OFF AND RUNNING
Five members of the Maroon and Gold made their college hockey debuts over the course of the weekend and chipped in six points. Oliver Moore's four assists paces the squad thanks to a three-point night in his first game, while Sam Rinzel had two points in the opener. Jimmy Clark won 17 of his 25 faceoffs (68 percent) and Max Rud combined with Axel Begley along the blue line to block four shots.
MAKING IT SPECIAL
Special teams were pivotal to Minnesota's success over its series sweep of the Tommies. The Gophers converted 50 percent of their power-play chances (3-of-6) and held St. Thomas scoreless on its six opportunities for a perfect penalty kill. Jimmy Snuggerud put away two goals on the man advantage, one in each contest, while Jaxon Nelson had the other. It was the 11th-career power-play goal for Nelson and Snuggerud is quickly climbing the ranks as he has 10 in his career.
HISTORY WITH THE FIGHTING HAWKS
Minnesota owns a 150-136-16 record in the all-time series versus UND, dating back to 1930, and have four wins over the last 10 meetings. The Fighting Hawks are one of five teams the Gophers have 150 or more wins against in program history. The teams split a pair of overtime games at 3M Arena at Mariucci last year as Matthew Knies provided the game winner in the series opener. The last four trips for the Maroon and Gold to Grand Forks, N.D., have resulted in a series split.
INSIDE LOOK AT NORTH DAKOTA
The Fighting Hawks enter the weekend with a perfect 2-0-0 record following a tournament title in the 2023 Ice Breaker on their home ice, taking down Army West Point 7-2 Friday before a 2-0 shutout of Wisconsin Saturday. UND scored a shorthanded goal in each game this year but went 1-for-8 on the man advantage. Thirteen different players have a point for the team with Hunter Johannes' three goals leading the way. Ludvig Persson was in goal for both wins and stopped 40-of-42 shots faced to begin the year.
SHOWCASING THE STATE OF HOCKEY
With five of the six members of the Gophers freshman class hailing from the State of Hockey as well as graduate transfer Nick Michel, the 2023-24 roster now features more than 90 percent homegrown talent. Of the 25 players on the team, 23 grew up and played youth hockey inside the state lines, including all 22 skaters. Even more impressive is the fact that 17 of the Minnesotans on the team are from within 40 miles of campus. In total, 233 student-athletes on NCAA rosters are from the Land of 10,000 Lakes, nearly 100 more than any other state in the country.
DRAFT SPOTLIGHT FOR 13
Thirteen of Minnesota's 25 rostered players have heard their names called in the NHL Entry Draft since 2019, including a pair of first-round selections that are part of this year's freshmen class. The Gophers have had the most all-time draft selections (239) by any NCAA men's hockey program after adding four over the summer. At least one Gopher has been drafted in 49 of the last 50 NHL Entry Drafts dating back to 1974, with 2001 being the only exception. Boston College and Boston University are the only teams in the nation that have more draft picks (14) on their NCAA rosters for the 2023-24 season than Minnesota.
OPENING WITH SUCCESS
In program history, the Maroon and Gold have gotten off to quick starts to seasons, owning a 64-37-2 all-time record in the first game of the year. That record includes a 31-18-2 mark away from home and a 5-1-0 record in season openers played at Xcel Energy Center. The Gophers have even more success in their home openers behind a record of 69-31-3, which contains a 21-8-2 mark in home openers at 3M Arena at Mariucci.
READY FOR THE CHALLENGE
Thanks to the rise in quality of hockey across the Big Ten Conference, the full schedule for the Maroon and Gold will again be a challenge from start to finish. After facing the nation's No. 2 strength of schedule according to USCHO last year, the 2023-24 slate will be no different as 32 of 34 games are against opponents ranked in the top 20 or receiving votes in the preseason national polls. Ten of the contests are against teams currently sitting in the top 10 as the Gophers face No. 5 North Dakota, No. 7 Michigan, and No. 8 Michigan State.
Puck drop is slated for Friday night at 7 p.m. and again Saturday night at 6 p.m. with local video coverage on FOX 9 and FOX 9+, respectively. Wally Shaver and Frank Mazzocco will have the audio call on the Gopher Radio Network 1130 KTLK-AM/103.5 FM for both contests.
HOW TO WATCH ALL SEASON
Minnesota and FOX 9 have agreed to a local television broadcast partnership for 10 home games and four road games in 2023-24. This is in addition to the 11 games picked by the Big Ten Network, seven home and four away, along with one airing on FS1 during the campaign. As always, check the schedule page on GopherSports.com for all the latest information and viewing options for every contest.
STARRING "SNUGGY SNIPES"
Jimmy Snuggerud put on a show during the Gophers' opening weekend sweep of St. Thomas, totaling five points on four goals and one assist and was named Big Ten Conference First Star of the Week for his efforts. The sophomore scored twice in each contest, including the game winner both nights, and recorded the sixth, three-point performance of his career in the season opener Friday. It was the first time he registered back-to-back, multi-goal games for the Maroon and Gold, and he now has three weekly awards from the league over his career.
ONE STEP CLOSER
Goaltender Justen Close turned away all 24 shots he faced against the Tommies Saturday night, recording the 10th shutout of his Minnesota career. After entering the 2023-24 campaign four shutouts shy of tying the team record of 13 set by Kellen Briggs and Adam Wilcox, the Kindersley, Saskatchewan, native moved one step closer to that mark and stands alone in sixth place all-time with 10. Only twice has Close gone back-to-back outings allowing three or more goals during his tenure as a Gophers netminder.
EARLY CHEMISTRY
The line of Oliver Moore centering Brody Lamb and Jimmy Snuggerud provided the Gophers with an offensive explosion to begin the year as they combined for 13 points in two games. All three skaters had at least one point in each contest, while Snuggerud led the way with five points. Lamb posted three goals and an assist, recording the first multi-goal game of his career, and Moore chipped in four helpers.
CAREERS OFF AND RUNNING
Five members of the Maroon and Gold made their college hockey debuts over the course of the weekend and chipped in six points. Oliver Moore's four assists paces the squad thanks to a three-point night in his first game, while Sam Rinzel had two points in the opener. Jimmy Clark won 17 of his 25 faceoffs (68 percent) and Max Rud combined with Axel Begley along the blue line to block four shots.
MAKING IT SPECIAL
Special teams were pivotal to Minnesota's success over its series sweep of the Tommies. The Gophers converted 50 percent of their power-play chances (3-of-6) and held St. Thomas scoreless on its six opportunities for a perfect penalty kill. Jimmy Snuggerud put away two goals on the man advantage, one in each contest, while Jaxon Nelson had the other. It was the 11th-career power-play goal for Nelson and Snuggerud is quickly climbing the ranks as he has 10 in his career.
HISTORY WITH THE FIGHTING HAWKS
Minnesota owns a 150-136-16 record in the all-time series versus UND, dating back to 1930, and have four wins over the last 10 meetings. The Fighting Hawks are one of five teams the Gophers have 150 or more wins against in program history. The teams split a pair of overtime games at 3M Arena at Mariucci last year as Matthew Knies provided the game winner in the series opener. The last four trips for the Maroon and Gold to Grand Forks, N.D., have resulted in a series split.
INSIDE LOOK AT NORTH DAKOTA
The Fighting Hawks enter the weekend with a perfect 2-0-0 record following a tournament title in the 2023 Ice Breaker on their home ice, taking down Army West Point 7-2 Friday before a 2-0 shutout of Wisconsin Saturday. UND scored a shorthanded goal in each game this year but went 1-for-8 on the man advantage. Thirteen different players have a point for the team with Hunter Johannes' three goals leading the way. Ludvig Persson was in goal for both wins and stopped 40-of-42 shots faced to begin the year.
SHOWCASING THE STATE OF HOCKEY
With five of the six members of the Gophers freshman class hailing from the State of Hockey as well as graduate transfer Nick Michel, the 2023-24 roster now features more than 90 percent homegrown talent. Of the 25 players on the team, 23 grew up and played youth hockey inside the state lines, including all 22 skaters. Even more impressive is the fact that 17 of the Minnesotans on the team are from within 40 miles of campus. In total, 233 student-athletes on NCAA rosters are from the Land of 10,000 Lakes, nearly 100 more than any other state in the country.
DRAFT SPOTLIGHT FOR 13
Thirteen of Minnesota's 25 rostered players have heard their names called in the NHL Entry Draft since 2019, including a pair of first-round selections that are part of this year's freshmen class. The Gophers have had the most all-time draft selections (239) by any NCAA men's hockey program after adding four over the summer. At least one Gopher has been drafted in 49 of the last 50 NHL Entry Drafts dating back to 1974, with 2001 being the only exception. Boston College and Boston University are the only teams in the nation that have more draft picks (14) on their NCAA rosters for the 2023-24 season than Minnesota.
OPENING WITH SUCCESS
In program history, the Maroon and Gold have gotten off to quick starts to seasons, owning a 64-37-2 all-time record in the first game of the year. That record includes a 31-18-2 mark away from home and a 5-1-0 record in season openers played at Xcel Energy Center. The Gophers have even more success in their home openers behind a record of 69-31-3, which contains a 21-8-2 mark in home openers at 3M Arena at Mariucci.
READY FOR THE CHALLENGE
Thanks to the rise in quality of hockey across the Big Ten Conference, the full schedule for the Maroon and Gold will again be a challenge from start to finish. After facing the nation's No. 2 strength of schedule according to USCHO last year, the 2023-24 slate will be no different as 32 of 34 games are against opponents ranked in the top 20 or receiving votes in the preseason national polls. Ten of the contests are against teams currently sitting in the top 10 as the Gophers face No. 5 North Dakota, No. 7 Michigan, and No. 8 Michigan State.
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