University of Minnesota Athletics
Thursday, October 26
3M Arena at Mariucci
8:00 PM
University of Minnesota
3-2-0, 0-1-0
2
vs
5
Wisconsin
6-1-0, 1-0-0
1
2
3
F
Wisconsin
2
2
1
5
Minnesota
1
1
0
2
Team Stats
WIS
MIN
Shots
34
24
PPG
1
0
SHG
0
0
Penalties
2
3
Penalty Mins
4
17
Faceoffs Won
28
27
Game Leaders
Skaters
+/-
0
Goals
1
Sh
2
A
0
+/-
1
Goals
1
Sh
1
A
0
+/-
1
Goals
0
Sh
1
A
1
+/-
0
Goals
0
Sh
1
A
1
Players Mentioned
Defense
/ Men's HockeyForward
/ Men's Hockey
Goaltender
/ Men's HockeyForward
/ Men's HockeyForward
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's HockeyForward
/ Men's Hockey
Photo by: Brad Rempel
'U' Drops B1G Opener Thursday
10/26/2023 11:00:00 PM | Men's Hockey
Strobel nets first collegiate goal
MINNEAPOLIS - The No. 1-ranked Golden Gophers dropped their Big Ten Conference men's hockey opener at home to No. 14/18 Wisconsin, 5-2, Thursday night inside 3M Arena at Mariucci.
Minnesota (3-2-0 overall, 0-1-0 B1G) got the opening goal just 15 seconds into the contest before the Badgers (6-1-0 overall, 1-0-0 B1G) stormed back to take the series opener. Jaxon Nelson scored the first goal of the night and Charlie Strobel added his first collegiate tally to make it 2-2 in the second period but the visitors scored the night's final three goals.
The Maroon and Gold faithful barely had time to find their seats before Nelson struck first, tipping in a Ryan Chesley shot from the point. Mason Nevers, in his season debut, used the side boards to push the puck back to Chesley, who ripped a one-timer to the slot. After the Gophers were whistled for a penalty 48 seconds following the goal, the visitors became the first team to break through and score a power-play goal against Minnesota this season, coming at the 1:38 mark. The Badgers got timely saves from their netminder before scoring the go-ahead tally in the middle of the opening stanza for a 2-1 lead.
The Gophers' third and fourth lines got the offense moving in the middle stages of the second frame as Rhett Pitlick and Strobel created chances around the net. It was the sophomore Strobel that pulled Minnesota even at the 9:59 mark when he rifled a shot from the left faceoff dot under the goaltender's glove for his first career goal. Justen Close was the star of the next three minutes as he delivered six saves to keep the game tied, earning praise from the student section behind him. A puck chipped off the glass eluded the home defense and Wisconsin found its third goal with 3:29 to play in the period and added another 62 seconds later for a 4-2 edge at intermission.
The final frame was a back-and-forth affair as both netminders held the opposing attacks at bay. A video review at the 10:39 mark gave the Badgers a five-minute man advantage and forced the Gophers to sit back and defend. After nearly three minutes of the power play was gone, the visitors were called for their first penalty of the night, but Wisconsin scored during the 4-on-4 action to finish off the contest, winning 5-2.
Noteworthy
Nelson's opening tally was his third of the season and extended his point-scoring streak to all five games ... It was the third time the Magnolia, Minn., native has scored a goal in two-straight games during his career ... Nevers picked up an assist in his season debut after missing the first two weeks with an injury ... Jimmy Clark earned his first collegiate point with the primary assist on Strobel's goal ... The Gophers lost the opening B1G game last season before going 19-3-1 the rest of the year to claim the league title ... Minnesota entered the contest a perfect 16-for-16 on the penalty kill this season.
Coach Motzko's Comments
"I hate to be critical after a loss you know, but that was as bad as we could play from start to finish," Minnesota head coach Bob Motzko said. "Wisconsin just played hard. We scored on the first shift and we just went easy."
Next Up: Home vs. Wisconsin (Oct. 27)
Minnesota and Wisconsin play the final game of the conference series Oct. 27 live on Big Ten Network at 8 p.m. Fans also can stream the action on the Fox Sports app or tune into audio coverage on the Gopher Radio Network 103.5 FM/AM-1130 KTLK.
Minnesota (3-2-0 overall, 0-1-0 B1G) got the opening goal just 15 seconds into the contest before the Badgers (6-1-0 overall, 1-0-0 B1G) stormed back to take the series opener. Jaxon Nelson scored the first goal of the night and Charlie Strobel added his first collegiate tally to make it 2-2 in the second period but the visitors scored the night's final three goals.
The Maroon and Gold faithful barely had time to find their seats before Nelson struck first, tipping in a Ryan Chesley shot from the point. Mason Nevers, in his season debut, used the side boards to push the puck back to Chesley, who ripped a one-timer to the slot. After the Gophers were whistled for a penalty 48 seconds following the goal, the visitors became the first team to break through and score a power-play goal against Minnesota this season, coming at the 1:38 mark. The Badgers got timely saves from their netminder before scoring the go-ahead tally in the middle of the opening stanza for a 2-1 lead.
The Gophers' third and fourth lines got the offense moving in the middle stages of the second frame as Rhett Pitlick and Strobel created chances around the net. It was the sophomore Strobel that pulled Minnesota even at the 9:59 mark when he rifled a shot from the left faceoff dot under the goaltender's glove for his first career goal. Justen Close was the star of the next three minutes as he delivered six saves to keep the game tied, earning praise from the student section behind him. A puck chipped off the glass eluded the home defense and Wisconsin found its third goal with 3:29 to play in the period and added another 62 seconds later for a 4-2 edge at intermission.
The final frame was a back-and-forth affair as both netminders held the opposing attacks at bay. A video review at the 10:39 mark gave the Badgers a five-minute man advantage and forced the Gophers to sit back and defend. After nearly three minutes of the power play was gone, the visitors were called for their first penalty of the night, but Wisconsin scored during the 4-on-4 action to finish off the contest, winning 5-2.
Noteworthy
Nelson's opening tally was his third of the season and extended his point-scoring streak to all five games ... It was the third time the Magnolia, Minn., native has scored a goal in two-straight games during his career ... Nevers picked up an assist in his season debut after missing the first two weeks with an injury ... Jimmy Clark earned his first collegiate point with the primary assist on Strobel's goal ... The Gophers lost the opening B1G game last season before going 19-3-1 the rest of the year to claim the league title ... Minnesota entered the contest a perfect 16-for-16 on the penalty kill this season.
Coach Motzko's Comments
"I hate to be critical after a loss you know, but that was as bad as we could play from start to finish," Minnesota head coach Bob Motzko said. "Wisconsin just played hard. We scored on the first shift and we just went easy."
Next Up: Home vs. Wisconsin (Oct. 27)
Minnesota and Wisconsin play the final game of the conference series Oct. 27 live on Big Ten Network at 8 p.m. Fans also can stream the action on the Fox Sports app or tune into audio coverage on the Gopher Radio Network 103.5 FM/AM-1130 KTLK.
2025-26 Non-Conference Schedule
Monday, August 11
Herb Brooks Statue
Wednesday, August 06
Meet the Newcomers: Teddy Townsend
Friday, July 18
Meet The Newcomers: Jacob Rombach
Friday, July 11