University of Minnesota Athletics
Saturday, October 19
Duluth, MN
6:00 PM
University of Minnesota
3-1-0
5
at
1
Minnesota Duluth
1-4-0
1
2
3
F
Minnesota
2
1
2
5
Minn. Duluth
1
0
0
1
Team Stats
MIN
UMD
Shots
34
32
PPG
1
0
SHG
0
0
Penalties
5
3
Penalty Mins
10
6
Faceoffs Won
32
28
Game Leaders
Skaters
+/-
2
Goals
1
Sh
3
A
2
+/-
2
Goals
1
Sh
3
A
1
+/-
2
Goals
1
Sh
2
A
1
+/-
0
Goals
0
Sh
1
A
2
Players Mentioned
Defense
/ Men's HockeyForward
/ Men's HockeyForward
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's HockeyForward
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Goaltender
/ Men's HockeyForward
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Photo by: Clint Austin / Duluth News Tribune
'U' Secures Road Sweep in 5-1 Win at UMD
10/19/2024 9:30:00 PM | Men's Hockey
Three-point night from Kurth
DULUTH, Minn. - The sixth-ranked Golden Gophers men's hockey team secured a road series sweep at Minnesota Duluth, winning 5-1 Saturday evening inside AMSOIL Arena.
Connor Kurth's three-point night, including the eventual game-winning goal, helped Minnesota (3-1-0 overall) shut down the Bulldogs (1-4-0 overall), backstopped by a 31-save effort from goaltender Liam Souliere. It was the first sweep at UMD since Oct. 2011 when the Gophers won back-to-back games by a 5-4 scoreline.
Going for the weekend sweep, Minnesota had the jump on the home side with Oliver Moore and Brodie Ziemer rushing behind the UMD defense during a 2-on-1. An extra pass was knocked away as the game remained scoreless in the early stages. The Bulldogs made a push on the next shift only to be denied by Souliere. The graduate transfer came up clutch a minute later stopping a solo attempt in front of the crease. The visitors broke the deadlock at the 9:24 mark of the opening frame when Moore skated through a check and put a perfect pass to the stick of Ziemer, who buried the opening tally for the second-straight night.
After taking the lead, the Gophers were whistled for a penalty and promptly erased the chance before going right back into the box 13 seconds later. The Maroon and Gold killed off that man advantage and skated even strength where it struck for the second time in the period with 2:37 to play. Jimmy Clark started the play at center ice, sending Matthew Wood and Kurth to an odd-man rush. Wood flipped a pass to Kurth, who deked out the goalie and gave Minnesota a 2-0 edge. In the final minute of the frame with both teams having a player in the penalty box, Ryan Chesley was in the perfect spot, swiping a puck off the goal line to maintain the lead. The Bulldogs won the ensuing faceoff and scored from the right wing with just 3.4 seconds showing on the clock to cut the margin to one after 20 minutes.
Souliere opened the second period with a shoulder save from close range as the teams played 4-on-4. Back at full strength, Jimmy Snuggerud whipped a cross-ice feed to Erik Påhlsson at the right circle but his one-timer was turned aside. The Gophers kept up the pressure and created chances from Kurth and Clark, forcing UMD to ice the puck. After winning the faceoff, Minnesota cycled through and Snuggerud hammered home a loose puck while falling and the margin went back to two, 3-1. The Maroon and Gold did not relent and earned a power-play opportunity that was denied despite a Snuggerud shot off the crossbar. The final minutes of the second stanza belonged to the visitors and the Gophers took the 3-1 advantage into intermission.
Minnesota needed a pair of saves from Souliere beginning the final frame to hold off the Bulldogs and maintain the two-goal cushion. The Gophers did not do themselves any favors and were called for two penalties less than seven minutes into the period but were up to the task and erased both man advantages, aided by a UMD shot that hit the post. The Maroon and Gold drew a penalty in the middle of the frame only to see the Bulldogs get a chance at the other end as Souliere shut down a 2-on-1 with a pad save. The stop helped the Gophers turn momentum and Clark capitalized at the doorstep on a give-and-go from Kurth. The power-play goal gave Minnesota a 4-1 lead and Wood added a goal into an empty cage with more than five minutes remaining in regulation, securing the road sweep of its in-state foe, 5-1.
Souliere earned the No. 2 star of the night by making 31 saves, including several in critical moments to keep the Bulldogs from climbing back into the contest. It was his first win in two outings since joining the Gophers in the offseason.
Noteworthy
Kurth finished off his team-leading fourth goal of the campaign before posting a pair of third-period helpers for another three-point performance ... The junior from Lindstrom, Minn., has eight points this year, including two game-winning goals ... Clark scored the first power-play goal of his career to go with an assist Saturday as the sophomore has multiple points in three of four games ... For the second-consecutive outing, it was Ziemer that opened the scoring, putting home his second collegiate goal ... A night after getting his first goal as a Gopher, Wood kept the trend going with his second of the year and had an assist for his third multi-point effort in four outings ... Snuggerud collected his first goal of the year and 43rd as a Gopher during the second stanza ... After a two-point performance Friday, Brody Lamb recorded an assist, his third of the season ... Moore added two assists, pushing his point total to five, with his second multi-point game of the weekend ... Rinzel picked up an assist on the final goal and now has a four-game scoring streak to begin the campaign ... Minnesota shut down the UMD power play in all five chances Saturday ... The Gophers have scored first in all four games this season and held a 34-32 edge in shots on goal.
Coach Motzko's Comments
"Tonight, we were really strong start to finish and then I liked us all weekend," Minnesota head coach Bob Motzko said. "Our down low play was great, and I think we really got on them and wore their defense down over two nights. You have to learn how to win big games; and to win on the road for a second night is really hard to do. I give our guys tons of credit."
Next Up: Home vs. St. Thomas (Oct. 25)
Minnesota hosts the Tommies for its home opener Friday night inside 3M Arena at Mariucci. Puck drop is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. with a live video broadcast on FOX9+ and streaming on B1G+. The "Pride on Ice Pregame Show" with Jim Rich and Pat Micheletti will open the coverage at 5 p.m. Fans can also tune in to Wally Shaver and Eric Schierhorn on the Gopher Radio Network 103.5 FM/AM-1130 KTLK.
Connor Kurth's three-point night, including the eventual game-winning goal, helped Minnesota (3-1-0 overall) shut down the Bulldogs (1-4-0 overall), backstopped by a 31-save effort from goaltender Liam Souliere. It was the first sweep at UMD since Oct. 2011 when the Gophers won back-to-back games by a 5-4 scoreline.
Going for the weekend sweep, Minnesota had the jump on the home side with Oliver Moore and Brodie Ziemer rushing behind the UMD defense during a 2-on-1. An extra pass was knocked away as the game remained scoreless in the early stages. The Bulldogs made a push on the next shift only to be denied by Souliere. The graduate transfer came up clutch a minute later stopping a solo attempt in front of the crease. The visitors broke the deadlock at the 9:24 mark of the opening frame when Moore skated through a check and put a perfect pass to the stick of Ziemer, who buried the opening tally for the second-straight night.
After taking the lead, the Gophers were whistled for a penalty and promptly erased the chance before going right back into the box 13 seconds later. The Maroon and Gold killed off that man advantage and skated even strength where it struck for the second time in the period with 2:37 to play. Jimmy Clark started the play at center ice, sending Matthew Wood and Kurth to an odd-man rush. Wood flipped a pass to Kurth, who deked out the goalie and gave Minnesota a 2-0 edge. In the final minute of the frame with both teams having a player in the penalty box, Ryan Chesley was in the perfect spot, swiping a puck off the goal line to maintain the lead. The Bulldogs won the ensuing faceoff and scored from the right wing with just 3.4 seconds showing on the clock to cut the margin to one after 20 minutes.
Souliere opened the second period with a shoulder save from close range as the teams played 4-on-4. Back at full strength, Jimmy Snuggerud whipped a cross-ice feed to Erik Påhlsson at the right circle but his one-timer was turned aside. The Gophers kept up the pressure and created chances from Kurth and Clark, forcing UMD to ice the puck. After winning the faceoff, Minnesota cycled through and Snuggerud hammered home a loose puck while falling and the margin went back to two, 3-1. The Maroon and Gold did not relent and earned a power-play opportunity that was denied despite a Snuggerud shot off the crossbar. The final minutes of the second stanza belonged to the visitors and the Gophers took the 3-1 advantage into intermission.
Minnesota needed a pair of saves from Souliere beginning the final frame to hold off the Bulldogs and maintain the two-goal cushion. The Gophers did not do themselves any favors and were called for two penalties less than seven minutes into the period but were up to the task and erased both man advantages, aided by a UMD shot that hit the post. The Maroon and Gold drew a penalty in the middle of the frame only to see the Bulldogs get a chance at the other end as Souliere shut down a 2-on-1 with a pad save. The stop helped the Gophers turn momentum and Clark capitalized at the doorstep on a give-and-go from Kurth. The power-play goal gave Minnesota a 4-1 lead and Wood added a goal into an empty cage with more than five minutes remaining in regulation, securing the road sweep of its in-state foe, 5-1.
Souliere earned the No. 2 star of the night by making 31 saves, including several in critical moments to keep the Bulldogs from climbing back into the contest. It was his first win in two outings since joining the Gophers in the offseason.
Noteworthy
Kurth finished off his team-leading fourth goal of the campaign before posting a pair of third-period helpers for another three-point performance ... The junior from Lindstrom, Minn., has eight points this year, including two game-winning goals ... Clark scored the first power-play goal of his career to go with an assist Saturday as the sophomore has multiple points in three of four games ... For the second-consecutive outing, it was Ziemer that opened the scoring, putting home his second collegiate goal ... A night after getting his first goal as a Gopher, Wood kept the trend going with his second of the year and had an assist for his third multi-point effort in four outings ... Snuggerud collected his first goal of the year and 43rd as a Gopher during the second stanza ... After a two-point performance Friday, Brody Lamb recorded an assist, his third of the season ... Moore added two assists, pushing his point total to five, with his second multi-point game of the weekend ... Rinzel picked up an assist on the final goal and now has a four-game scoring streak to begin the campaign ... Minnesota shut down the UMD power play in all five chances Saturday ... The Gophers have scored first in all four games this season and held a 34-32 edge in shots on goal.
Coach Motzko's Comments
"Tonight, we were really strong start to finish and then I liked us all weekend," Minnesota head coach Bob Motzko said. "Our down low play was great, and I think we really got on them and wore their defense down over two nights. You have to learn how to win big games; and to win on the road for a second night is really hard to do. I give our guys tons of credit."
Next Up: Home vs. St. Thomas (Oct. 25)
Minnesota hosts the Tommies for its home opener Friday night inside 3M Arena at Mariucci. Puck drop is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. with a live video broadcast on FOX9+ and streaming on B1G+. The "Pride on Ice Pregame Show" with Jim Rich and Pat Micheletti will open the coverage at 5 p.m. Fans can also tune in to Wally Shaver and Eric Schierhorn 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