University of Minnesota Athletics
Friday, January 26
East Lansing, Mich.
5:00 PM
University of Minnesota
14-7-4, 7-5-3
2
at
3
Michigan State
17-5-3, 11-2-2
1
2
3
F
Minnesota
1
1
0
2
Michigan State
0
0
3
3
Team Stats
MIN
MSU
Shots
30
30
PPG
0
0
SHG
0
1
Penalties
1
5
Penalty Mins
2
10
Faceoffs Won
33
33
Game Leaders
Skaters
+/-
1
Goals
0
Sh
6
A
2
+/-
0
Goals
1
Sh
3
A
0
+/-
1
Goals
1
Sh
1
A
0
+/-
2
Goals
0
Sh
2
A
1
Players Mentioned
Goaltender
/ Men's HockeyDefense
/ Men's HockeyDefense
/ Men's HockeyForward
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's HockeyForward
/ Men's Hockey
Minnesota Falters Late at MSU
1/26/2024 7:45:00 PM | Men's Hockey
Win streak snapped at five
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The No. 9 Minnesota men's hockey team saw a two-goal lead evaporate in the third period of a 3-2 loss at No. 8/7 Michigan State Friday evening from Munn Ice Arena.
Mike Koster and Oliver Moore scored the first two goals of the game for the Golden Gophers (14-7-4 overall, 7-5-3 B1G) and they carried that margin into the final frame before the Big Ten Conference-leading Spartans (17-5-3 overall, 11-2-2 B1G) responded. MSU scored a shorthanded goal with less than five minutes to play that tied the score, 2-2, and added the winning goal in the closing seconds to complete the comeback.
After the home side generated a pair of chances, it was Koster, a Maroon and Gold captain, that silenced the capacity crowd just 1:28 into the contest. Luke Mittelstadt faked a shot from the blue line and slipped a pass down to Koster, where the senior jumped into the play and fired over the blocker to the top corner, giving the Gophers a 1-0 advantage. Each team had a power play during the middle of the opening frame and were promptly shut down by the opposing defenses. Minnesota netminder Justen Close stopped a late flurry by MSU and the visitors skated back to the locker room with a one-goal cushion.
The second period kept the same high-paced action up and down the ice but bouncing pucks led to turnovers for both sides. In a matchup of programs known for their scoring, it was the defense that was a noticeable factor through a majority of the stanza, leading to block shots combined with strong goaltending. Jaxon Nelson nearly doubled Minnesota's advantage as his attempt from a sharp angle rang off the right post with six minutes to play in the frame. The Gophers maintained their pressure, forcing back-to-back icing calls on MSU that made the home side defend its own zone, building up to their second goal of the night.
Jimmy Snuggerud intercepted an errant pass before toe-dragging around a Spartan defender and flipping a pass into the path of a streaking Moore. The freshman ripped home a quick shot to the blocker side and as the clock read 1:17 left in the period, it was a 2-0 margin for the Maroon and Gold. Thanks to a Spartan slash, the visitors went to a man advantage six seconds after the goal, and the power play carried over into the final frame where it was erased. MSU used the momentum from another successful kill to go on the attack and finally broke through on a rebound at the 2:36 mark, its sixth shot during the period, closing the gap to 2-1.
With the crowd back into the game, the Spartans kept Minnesota on its heels until they took their fourth penalty and delivered another kill. The Gophers went right back to the man advantage 17 seconds after the previous chance, but an offensive-zone turnover allowed MSU a shorthanded tally with 4:58 to play in regulation that evened the score, 2-2. As the game neared the finish, both teams had chances to break the deadlock. The Spartans capitalized on another Minnesota giveaway as they put away their third rebound goal with just four seconds on the clock, escaping with the 3-2 victory.
Noteworthy
Koster put away his second goal of the year, both of which have come in the last four games, and became the 11th Gopher to reach double-digit scoring in 2023-24 ... Mittelstadt picked up his 12th assist this season and 10th over the last 13 games ... Snuggerud reached the scoresheet for the sixth time during the past seven outings, pushing his point total to 27 with the 23rd multi-point effort of his career ... Moore scored for the fourth time on the season and his first B1G goal as a Gopher, which extended his season-long scoring streak to six games ... Close made 14 of his 27 total saves in the third period ... Minnesota saw its streak of five-straight games with a power-play tally stopped as it went 0-for-5 ... The Gophers entered Friday with an 11-0-1 record when leading after two periods, suffering their first regulation loss this year, and snapped a 16-game unbeaten streak against the Spartans.
Coach Motzko's Comments
"Very disappointed," Minnesota head coach Bob Motzko said. "We did everything we had to do for 40 minutes. They had 12 shots on goal and we had a 2-0 lead. That's a disappointing way to end that."
Next Up: Away at Michigan State (Jan. 27)
The Gophers close their weekend trip to Michigan State Saturday afternoon with a 3 p.m. (CT) puck drop from Munn Ice Arena live on Big Ten Network and the Gopher Radio Network 1130 KTLK-AM/103.5 FM.
Mike Koster and Oliver Moore scored the first two goals of the game for the Golden Gophers (14-7-4 overall, 7-5-3 B1G) and they carried that margin into the final frame before the Big Ten Conference-leading Spartans (17-5-3 overall, 11-2-2 B1G) responded. MSU scored a shorthanded goal with less than five minutes to play that tied the score, 2-2, and added the winning goal in the closing seconds to complete the comeback.
After the home side generated a pair of chances, it was Koster, a Maroon and Gold captain, that silenced the capacity crowd just 1:28 into the contest. Luke Mittelstadt faked a shot from the blue line and slipped a pass down to Koster, where the senior jumped into the play and fired over the blocker to the top corner, giving the Gophers a 1-0 advantage. Each team had a power play during the middle of the opening frame and were promptly shut down by the opposing defenses. Minnesota netminder Justen Close stopped a late flurry by MSU and the visitors skated back to the locker room with a one-goal cushion.
The second period kept the same high-paced action up and down the ice but bouncing pucks led to turnovers for both sides. In a matchup of programs known for their scoring, it was the defense that was a noticeable factor through a majority of the stanza, leading to block shots combined with strong goaltending. Jaxon Nelson nearly doubled Minnesota's advantage as his attempt from a sharp angle rang off the right post with six minutes to play in the frame. The Gophers maintained their pressure, forcing back-to-back icing calls on MSU that made the home side defend its own zone, building up to their second goal of the night.
Jimmy Snuggerud intercepted an errant pass before toe-dragging around a Spartan defender and flipping a pass into the path of a streaking Moore. The freshman ripped home a quick shot to the blocker side and as the clock read 1:17 left in the period, it was a 2-0 margin for the Maroon and Gold. Thanks to a Spartan slash, the visitors went to a man advantage six seconds after the goal, and the power play carried over into the final frame where it was erased. MSU used the momentum from another successful kill to go on the attack and finally broke through on a rebound at the 2:36 mark, its sixth shot during the period, closing the gap to 2-1.
With the crowd back into the game, the Spartans kept Minnesota on its heels until they took their fourth penalty and delivered another kill. The Gophers went right back to the man advantage 17 seconds after the previous chance, but an offensive-zone turnover allowed MSU a shorthanded tally with 4:58 to play in regulation that evened the score, 2-2. As the game neared the finish, both teams had chances to break the deadlock. The Spartans capitalized on another Minnesota giveaway as they put away their third rebound goal with just four seconds on the clock, escaping with the 3-2 victory.
Noteworthy
Koster put away his second goal of the year, both of which have come in the last four games, and became the 11th Gopher to reach double-digit scoring in 2023-24 ... Mittelstadt picked up his 12th assist this season and 10th over the last 13 games ... Snuggerud reached the scoresheet for the sixth time during the past seven outings, pushing his point total to 27 with the 23rd multi-point effort of his career ... Moore scored for the fourth time on the season and his first B1G goal as a Gopher, which extended his season-long scoring streak to six games ... Close made 14 of his 27 total saves in the third period ... Minnesota saw its streak of five-straight games with a power-play tally stopped as it went 0-for-5 ... The Gophers entered Friday with an 11-0-1 record when leading after two periods, suffering their first regulation loss this year, and snapped a 16-game unbeaten streak against the Spartans.
Coach Motzko's Comments
"Very disappointed," Minnesota head coach Bob Motzko said. "We did everything we had to do for 40 minutes. They had 12 shots on goal and we had a 2-0 lead. That's a disappointing way to end that."
Next Up: Away at Michigan State (Jan. 27)
The Gophers close their weekend trip to Michigan State Saturday afternoon with a 3 p.m. (CT) puck drop from Munn Ice Arena live on Big Ten Network and the Gopher Radio Network 1130 KTLK-AM/103.5 FM.
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