University of Minnesota Athletics
Saturday, November 2
3M Arena at Mariucci
7:00 PM
University of Minnesota
7-1-0, 2-0-0
1
vs
0
Penn State
4-3-0, 0-2-0
1
2
3
F
Penn State
0
0
0
0
Minnesota
0
0
1
1
Team Stats
PSU
MIN
Shots
28
12
PPG
0
0
SHG
0
0
Penalties
3
4
Penalty Mins
6
19
Faceoffs Won
28
28
Game Leaders
Skaters
+/-
1
Goals
1
Sh
3
A
0
+/-
1
Goals
0
Sh
0
A
1
+/-
0
Goals
0
Sh
3
A
0
Players Mentioned
Forward
/ Men's HockeyForward
/ Men's HockeyDefense
/ Men's Hockey
Goaltender
/ Men's Hockey
Photo by: Bjorn Franke
Souliere Shines in Gophers' 1-0 Shutout of Nittany Lions
11/2/2024 11:00:00 PM | Men's Hockey
Clark nets winner in final minute to secure B1G sweep
MINNEAPOLIS - Liam Souliere put on a goaltending clinic Saturday leading the No. 4 Golden Gophers men's hockey team to a 1-0 shutout of No. 18 Penn State from 3M Arena at Mariucci. Jimmy Clark scored the game winner on a redirect in the final minute of regulation to seal Minnesota's sweep of the Nittany Lions.
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The nation's leader in scoring offense averaging more than five goals per game, Minnesota (7-1-0 overall, 2-0-0 B1G) could only muster one on the Nittany Lions (4-3-0 overall, 0-2-0 B1G), but that proved to be enough. Souliere was up to the task all night during a 28-save shutout, facing his former team for the first time since transferring to the Gophers. It was special teams that keyed Minnesota's sixth-consecutive victory, this time it was the penalty kill that shined, erasing seven minutes of penalties in the second period.
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Trying to avoid its sixth-straight loss to the Maroon and Gold, PSU started the night with sustained pressure in its offensive zone and were stopped each time by the graduate transfer Souliere. After the home side settled in, it went to work with a strong forecheck from each line and led to its first power play of the contest at the 8:09 mark.
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Minnesota was unable to generate any quality looks and the man advantage was erased by the visitors. Thirty seconds after their first 5-on-4 opportunity expired, the Gophers went right back to a power play, only to be held off again despite chances from the slot. The Maroon and Gold were assessed a five-minute major penalty 14 seconds before the period ended scoreless.
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With an extended man advantage and a fresh sheet of ice, PSU nearly conceded a shorthanded tally as Brody Lamb forced a neutral-zone turnover, but a toe save prevented the opening goal. The Gophers killed off all five minutes of the penalty, bringing life into the 3M Arena at Mariucci crowd. A bad line change allowed a near breakaway from the Nittany Lions, only to have the right pad of Souliere deliver a critical save as momentum stayed with the visitors. Minnesota needed to fend off another PSU power play in the final minutes of the stanza as the game remained tied, 0-0, at the second intermission.
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The Gophers started the third period with renewed energy and sustained an offensive attack, leading to a Lamb shot that ricocheted off the crossbar four minutes into the frame. The Nittany Lions fought back and used an odd-man rush after a turnover that made Souliere push for another impressive save. The netminder came through again on a point-blank shot from the slot as the ice tilted in favor of the visitors.
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As the prospect of overtime loomed close, the Gophers were not content to play for the extra session. Luke Mittelstadt quickly gathered a long rebound and threw the puck towards the net where Clark was charging from the left circle. With one outstretched hand on his stick, the Edina, Minn., product directed the puck on target where it flew past a sliding PSU netminder, giving the home side the winning goal with just 26.0 seconds showing on the clock. Minnesota held on for the 1-0 shutout and rushed to celebrate the sweep with Souliere.
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Noteworthy
Souliere turned away all 28 shots he faced Saturday, picking up the fourth shutout of his career and first in four starts at Minnesota ... He lowered his goals-against average to 1.25 this year to go with a .948 save percentage and a 3-1-0 record ... It was the Montreal, Quebec, native's first shutout since blanking Michigan Tech in the NCAA Allentown Regional on Mar. 24, 2023, in his junior season at Penn State ... Clark scored for the second-straight night in the conference-opening series, getting his first game-winning goal of the campaign and second of his career ... The sophomore has already reached double-digit points in just eight games, totaling three goals and seven assists in 2024-25 ... After going five games without a point to start the year, Mittelstadt posted his second assist in his last three outings ... For the first time in his Gophers' career, Leo Gruba found his name on the final box score as the freshman recorded his first NCAA point with the secondary assist on the winning tally ... After allowing a power play goal on the road at Minnesota Duluth Oct. 18, the Maroon and Gold have killed off each of the last 13 man advantages over the past five outings, improving the penalty kill to 89.5 percent (17-of-19) ... Minnesota secured its first six-game win streak since winning nine-in-a-row from Feb. 4 to Mar. 12, 2022 ... It was the team's first 1-0 win in regulation since Nov. 26, 2016, at home versus Minnesota State ... The Gophers were held below 33 shots for the first time this year and finished with just 12 shots on goal.
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Coach Motzko's Comments
"I thought it was a great, gutsy effort from both teams and I'm really proud of how we just continued to dig in," Minnesota head coach Bob Motzko said. "Both goalies were dueling it out and both looked great. The few times (Liam) was really under pressure, he never felt it, and then made some critical saves."
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Next Up: Away at Wisconsin (Nov. 8-9)
Minnesota is back on the road for a Border Battle against rival Wisconsin inside Kohl Center Nov. 8-9. Both games will be streamed via B1G+ with audio coverage available on the Gopher Radio Network 103.5 FM/AM-1130 KTLK.
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The nation's leader in scoring offense averaging more than five goals per game, Minnesota (7-1-0 overall, 2-0-0 B1G) could only muster one on the Nittany Lions (4-3-0 overall, 0-2-0 B1G), but that proved to be enough. Souliere was up to the task all night during a 28-save shutout, facing his former team for the first time since transferring to the Gophers. It was special teams that keyed Minnesota's sixth-consecutive victory, this time it was the penalty kill that shined, erasing seven minutes of penalties in the second period.
Â
Trying to avoid its sixth-straight loss to the Maroon and Gold, PSU started the night with sustained pressure in its offensive zone and were stopped each time by the graduate transfer Souliere. After the home side settled in, it went to work with a strong forecheck from each line and led to its first power play of the contest at the 8:09 mark.
Â
Minnesota was unable to generate any quality looks and the man advantage was erased by the visitors. Thirty seconds after their first 5-on-4 opportunity expired, the Gophers went right back to a power play, only to be held off again despite chances from the slot. The Maroon and Gold were assessed a five-minute major penalty 14 seconds before the period ended scoreless.
Â
With an extended man advantage and a fresh sheet of ice, PSU nearly conceded a shorthanded tally as Brody Lamb forced a neutral-zone turnover, but a toe save prevented the opening goal. The Gophers killed off all five minutes of the penalty, bringing life into the 3M Arena at Mariucci crowd. A bad line change allowed a near breakaway from the Nittany Lions, only to have the right pad of Souliere deliver a critical save as momentum stayed with the visitors. Minnesota needed to fend off another PSU power play in the final minutes of the stanza as the game remained tied, 0-0, at the second intermission.
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The Gophers started the third period with renewed energy and sustained an offensive attack, leading to a Lamb shot that ricocheted off the crossbar four minutes into the frame. The Nittany Lions fought back and used an odd-man rush after a turnover that made Souliere push for another impressive save. The netminder came through again on a point-blank shot from the slot as the ice tilted in favor of the visitors.
Â
As the prospect of overtime loomed close, the Gophers were not content to play for the extra session. Luke Mittelstadt quickly gathered a long rebound and threw the puck towards the net where Clark was charging from the left circle. With one outstretched hand on his stick, the Edina, Minn., product directed the puck on target where it flew past a sliding PSU netminder, giving the home side the winning goal with just 26.0 seconds showing on the clock. Minnesota held on for the 1-0 shutout and rushed to celebrate the sweep with Souliere.
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Noteworthy
Souliere turned away all 28 shots he faced Saturday, picking up the fourth shutout of his career and first in four starts at Minnesota ... He lowered his goals-against average to 1.25 this year to go with a .948 save percentage and a 3-1-0 record ... It was the Montreal, Quebec, native's first shutout since blanking Michigan Tech in the NCAA Allentown Regional on Mar. 24, 2023, in his junior season at Penn State ... Clark scored for the second-straight night in the conference-opening series, getting his first game-winning goal of the campaign and second of his career ... The sophomore has already reached double-digit points in just eight games, totaling three goals and seven assists in 2024-25 ... After going five games without a point to start the year, Mittelstadt posted his second assist in his last three outings ... For the first time in his Gophers' career, Leo Gruba found his name on the final box score as the freshman recorded his first NCAA point with the secondary assist on the winning tally ... After allowing a power play goal on the road at Minnesota Duluth Oct. 18, the Maroon and Gold have killed off each of the last 13 man advantages over the past five outings, improving the penalty kill to 89.5 percent (17-of-19) ... Minnesota secured its first six-game win streak since winning nine-in-a-row from Feb. 4 to Mar. 12, 2022 ... It was the team's first 1-0 win in regulation since Nov. 26, 2016, at home versus Minnesota State ... The Gophers were held below 33 shots for the first time this year and finished with just 12 shots on goal.
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Coach Motzko's Comments
"I thought it was a great, gutsy effort from both teams and I'm really proud of how we just continued to dig in," Minnesota head coach Bob Motzko said. "Both goalies were dueling it out and both looked great. The few times (Liam) was really under pressure, he never felt it, and then made some critical saves."
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Next Up: Away at Wisconsin (Nov. 8-9)
Minnesota is back on the road for a Border Battle against rival Wisconsin inside Kohl Center Nov. 8-9. Both games will be streamed via B1G+ with audio coverage available on the Gopher Radio Network 103.5 FM/AM-1130 KTLK.
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