University of Minnesota Athletics
Friday, February 9
3M Arena at Mariucci
6:00 PM
University of Minnesota
vs
Penn State
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Defense
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Photo by: Brace Hemmelgarn
'U' Hosts Penn State in B1G Series Feb. 9-10
2/8/2024 12:00:00 PM | Men's Hockey
Only two home series remain in regular season
MINNEAPOLIS - After a challenging four-game road stretch, the No. 8/9 University of Minnesota men's hockey team returns to 3M Arena at Mariucci for a home series against Penn State, a team receiving votes, Feb. 9-10 sponsored by Affinity Plus.
Game one of the Big Ten Conference matchup is slated for 6 p.m. Friday night airing live on FS1 before the finale is scheduled for puck drop at 3 p.m. Saturday on Big Ten Network. Both outings will be available to stream via the Fox Sports app, while a free audio broadcast can be heard on the Gopher Radio Network 1130 KTLK-AM/103.5 FM.
TRAFFIC & PARKING ADVISORY:
Numerous events are occurring on campus and all fans are encouraged to arrive early for the men's hockey game, while allocating additional time for arriving.
*Fans who have not obtained a parking pass are encouraged to purchase their parking in advance HERE.
*Valet parking is available on the north side of 4th Street between 3M Arena at Mariucci and Williams Arena. Valet parking passes must be purchased in advance HERE.
*Fans who arrive on campus without a parking pass should park in the Gold, Gopher, Ski-U-Mah, or Victory lots on the east side of Huntington Bank Stadium.
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. Other FOX affiliates around the area have added Gopher hockey to their coverage with select games available on KTTC (Rochester, Mason City, Austin, Albert Lea), KVRR (Fargo), KQDS (Duluth), and KCRG (Cedar Rapids).
NATION'S BEST AT AVOIDING THE PENALTY BOX
The Gophers were called for double-digit penalty minutes in three-straight games during the season's first month but has drastically changed that narrative over the last three months. Minnesota now leads the nation, averaging 6.68 penalty minutes per game, sitting in the box for six minutes or less in 11 of the previous 12 outings. That includes not allowing a single power-play opportunity during a home win versus Robert Morris (Jan. 13) where the team's only penalty came on matching minors. The penalty kill has improved of late and only allowed four power-play goals over the past nine contests and just seven since the middle of November.
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 is again 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 is no different as 32 of 34 games are against opponents ranked in the top 20 or receiving votes in the preseason national polls. Minnesota holds a 5-2-3 record against top-10 opponents this season and faced seven-consecutive opponents ranked in the top 20 from Oct. 20 to Dec. 2. After playing a road series versus a top-10 team in each of the last two weeks, the Gophers have battled the second-toughest schedule in the country. Minnesota closed that stretch on the road against No. 8/7 Michigan State and No. 4 Wisconsin with a 2-1-1 record.
GETTING THE WINNER
In its 16 wins this season, the game-winning goal for Minnesota has come from eight different sources and it is one of two NCAA programs with multiple skaters that have four or more game winners. Brody Lamb and Jimmy Snuggerud are leading the way with four game-winning goals apiece, which tops the Big Ten Conference and ranks sixth in the NCAA. All four times Lamb has factored into the deciding goal, it has been when the Maroon and Gold have been on the road and three were against teams ranked inside the top 10; No. 5 North Dakota (Oct. 20), No. 8/9 Michigan (Nov. 10) and No. 4 Wisconsin (Feb. 2). On the flip side, three of Snuggerud's four game winners have come inside the friendly confines of 3M Arena at Mariucci. Bryce Brodzinski and Aaron Huglen also have multiple game-winning goals with two, while Ryan Chesley, Jimmy Clark, Mike Koster and Oliver Moore have tallied the other four game winners for the Gophers in 2023-24.
CLOSE A STAR AGAIN
Justen Close was recently named to the Mike Richter Award Watch List for the third-straight season and was selected as a semifinalist in each of the previous two years. The graduate student was brilliant for the Gophers during a split at No. 4 Wisconsin and limited the opposition to one goal each night on his way to B1G First Star of the Week honors (Feb. 6). He posted a 0.95 goals-against average and stopped 62-of-64 shots for a .969 save percentage, while recording his second game of the year with at least 40 saves during the overtime win (Feb. 2). It's his second time being named the B1G First Star of the Week as he picked up the honor Oct. 24 after turning away 57-of-59 shots faced against No. 5 North Dakota for a 1.01 goals-against average and a .966 save percentage. Close made 25 saves Oct. 20 in a road shutout and remains the only goalie this season to shutout UND. That was his second-straight shutout before his streak was snapped at 153:58 in the second period Oct. 21. The Kindersley, Saskatchewan, native sits two shutouts shy of the program record of 13 held by Kellen Briggs and Adam Wilcox. Close became the 13th goaltender in program history to reach 50 career victories during a home win over Colorado College (Jan. 8) and was the first to reach the milestone since Eric Schierhorn on Nov. 4, 2017. He has since increased his career win total to 55 games, ranking eighth all-time at Minnesota, and held each of the last three opponents to just one goal as he has a 1.73 GAA over his last eight starts.
GIVE US MOORE
Known for his blazing speed around the rink, the play-making ability of Oliver Moore also has been on full display for the Gophers in 2023-24. The freshman leads all Minnesota forwards with 20 assists and posted 15 points during a career-long, eight-game point streak from Jan. 8 to Feb. 2, the longest streak by a Minnesota skater all year. After his second-consecutive, four-point weekend, he was named the Big Ten Conference Second Star of the Week (Jan. 30) with three goals and an assist in a road split at league-leading Michigan State. Moore tallied the first multi-goal effort of his career Saturday (Jan. 27) along with his third three-point game of the year. He scored in back-to-back games for the first time as a Gopher following his first B1G goal in the series opener. The Mounds View, Minn., product tallied the first game-winning goal of his tenure against Robert Morris (Jan. 12) that snapped a 13-game goalless drought and started a run of five goals across a seven-game stretch.
HISTORY WITH THE NITTANY LIONS
Minnesota and Penn State first met with the inception of the Big Ten Conference in 2014 and the Gophers lead the all-time series with a record of 25-18-1 (.580). All 44 meetings between the two teams have come with at least one team ranked and this series is no different as the Maroon and Gold are ranked No. 8/9 in the national polls. Minnesota and PSU are both 6-6-0 in the last 12 regular-season meetings at 3M Arena at Mariucci, including a split in four of the last six series in Minneapolis. The Gophers have won the final game of each home series versus the Nittany Lions in six of the past seven matchups. Earlier this season, Minnesota won the opener on the road at PSU, 4-1, before falling in the finale, 6-3. Rhett Pitlick paced the Gophers with five points on two goals and three assists against the Nittany Lions, while Bryce Brodzinski, Luke Mittelstadt, and Jimmy Snuggerud all had points in both games of the weekend series back in December.
INSIDE LOOK AT PENN STATE
The Nittany Lions swept a home series with Ohio State in their last action in late January, winning both games by a 4-3 scoreline, and come to 3M Arena at Mariucci following their bye week. The wins over OSU snapped a six-game losing streak in Big Ten play as Penn State sits in sixth place in the league standings. Despite holding the 10th-best scoring offense in the nation, averaging 3.6 goals per game, the team is 59th in the country defensively as it allows 3.7 goals per game to the opposition. Aiden Fink remains one of the NCAA's top scoring freshmen and leads the Nittany Lions with 32 points, aided by eight power-play tallies, and is averaging a point per game in B1G outings. Three other PSU players have reached the 20-point mark this year, while Liam Souliere is back to being the full-time netminder. The senior has registered a 9-7-1 record in goal behind a 3.53 goals-against average and a .862 save percentage.
PLAYING IN FRONT
During their recent string of success, going unbeaten in eight of the last nine games, the Gophers have enjoyed playing with a lead. Minnesota only trailed for 2 minutes and 29 seconds in the first eight games of that span until falling behind for 28:39 in the series finale at No. 4 Wisconsin (Feb. 3). The Maroon and Gold needed 2:03 to erase an early deficit against Colorado College (Jan. 8) and faced another quick deficit versus Robert Morris (Jan. 12) that lasted just 23 seconds until Jaxon Nelson pulled the home side even in the first period. The Gophers never faced a deficit against Ohio State (Jan. 19-20) on the way to their first Big Ten Conference sweep of the season, trailed for only four seconds during a road split at Michigan State (Jan. 26-27), and never fell behind in game one versus the Badgers (Feb. 2).
MOTZKO'S HOME COOKING
Under head coach Bob Motzko's guidance, the Gophers hold a 71-37-6 (.649) record on home ice, including a 38-15-1 (.713) mark across the previous three years. That recent stretch of quality play is aided by Minnesota dominating Big Ten foes, going 23-8-1 (.734) in conference outings inside 3M Arena at Mariucci since the start of 2021.
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 nearly 90 percent homegrown talent. Of the 26 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.
GOPHER PIPELINE TO THE NHL
After 33 players took part in National Hockey League training camps, 21 former Golden Gophers men's hockey players earned an opening-night roster spot for the 2023-24 season, while five more have been called up since the regular season started. Minnesota had an NCAA-best 26 former skaters in the NHL last season, increasing the all-time number of Gophers in the NHL to an NCAA-best 123 before Logan Cooley and Johnson made their debuts as No. 124 and 125, respectively. This year the Maroon and Gold has begun the campaign as one of two NCAA programs with 20 or more players with a lineup spot in the NHL.
Game one of the Big Ten Conference matchup is slated for 6 p.m. Friday night airing live on FS1 before the finale is scheduled for puck drop at 3 p.m. Saturday on Big Ten Network. Both outings will be available to stream via the Fox Sports app, while a free audio broadcast can be heard on the Gopher Radio Network 1130 KTLK-AM/103.5 FM.
TRAFFIC & PARKING ADVISORY:
Numerous events are occurring on campus and all fans are encouraged to arrive early for the men's hockey game, while allocating additional time for arriving.
*Fans who have not obtained a parking pass are encouraged to purchase their parking in advance HERE.
*Valet parking is available on the north side of 4th Street between 3M Arena at Mariucci and Williams Arena. Valet parking passes must be purchased in advance HERE.
*Fans who arrive on campus without a parking pass should park in the Gold, Gopher, Ski-U-Mah, or Victory lots on the east side of Huntington Bank Stadium.
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. Other FOX affiliates around the area have added Gopher hockey to their coverage with select games available on KTTC (Rochester, Mason City, Austin, Albert Lea), KVRR (Fargo), KQDS (Duluth), and KCRG (Cedar Rapids).
NATION'S BEST AT AVOIDING THE PENALTY BOX
The Gophers were called for double-digit penalty minutes in three-straight games during the season's first month but has drastically changed that narrative over the last three months. Minnesota now leads the nation, averaging 6.68 penalty minutes per game, sitting in the box for six minutes or less in 11 of the previous 12 outings. That includes not allowing a single power-play opportunity during a home win versus Robert Morris (Jan. 13) where the team's only penalty came on matching minors. The penalty kill has improved of late and only allowed four power-play goals over the past nine contests and just seven since the middle of November.
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 is again 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 is no different as 32 of 34 games are against opponents ranked in the top 20 or receiving votes in the preseason national polls. Minnesota holds a 5-2-3 record against top-10 opponents this season and faced seven-consecutive opponents ranked in the top 20 from Oct. 20 to Dec. 2. After playing a road series versus a top-10 team in each of the last two weeks, the Gophers have battled the second-toughest schedule in the country. Minnesota closed that stretch on the road against No. 8/7 Michigan State and No. 4 Wisconsin with a 2-1-1 record.
GETTING THE WINNER
In its 16 wins this season, the game-winning goal for Minnesota has come from eight different sources and it is one of two NCAA programs with multiple skaters that have four or more game winners. Brody Lamb and Jimmy Snuggerud are leading the way with four game-winning goals apiece, which tops the Big Ten Conference and ranks sixth in the NCAA. All four times Lamb has factored into the deciding goal, it has been when the Maroon and Gold have been on the road and three were against teams ranked inside the top 10; No. 5 North Dakota (Oct. 20), No. 8/9 Michigan (Nov. 10) and No. 4 Wisconsin (Feb. 2). On the flip side, three of Snuggerud's four game winners have come inside the friendly confines of 3M Arena at Mariucci. Bryce Brodzinski and Aaron Huglen also have multiple game-winning goals with two, while Ryan Chesley, Jimmy Clark, Mike Koster and Oliver Moore have tallied the other four game winners for the Gophers in 2023-24.
CLOSE A STAR AGAIN
Justen Close was recently named to the Mike Richter Award Watch List for the third-straight season and was selected as a semifinalist in each of the previous two years. The graduate student was brilliant for the Gophers during a split at No. 4 Wisconsin and limited the opposition to one goal each night on his way to B1G First Star of the Week honors (Feb. 6). He posted a 0.95 goals-against average and stopped 62-of-64 shots for a .969 save percentage, while recording his second game of the year with at least 40 saves during the overtime win (Feb. 2). It's his second time being named the B1G First Star of the Week as he picked up the honor Oct. 24 after turning away 57-of-59 shots faced against No. 5 North Dakota for a 1.01 goals-against average and a .966 save percentage. Close made 25 saves Oct. 20 in a road shutout and remains the only goalie this season to shutout UND. That was his second-straight shutout before his streak was snapped at 153:58 in the second period Oct. 21. The Kindersley, Saskatchewan, native sits two shutouts shy of the program record of 13 held by Kellen Briggs and Adam Wilcox. Close became the 13th goaltender in program history to reach 50 career victories during a home win over Colorado College (Jan. 8) and was the first to reach the milestone since Eric Schierhorn on Nov. 4, 2017. He has since increased his career win total to 55 games, ranking eighth all-time at Minnesota, and held each of the last three opponents to just one goal as he has a 1.73 GAA over his last eight starts.
GIVE US MOORE
Known for his blazing speed around the rink, the play-making ability of Oliver Moore also has been on full display for the Gophers in 2023-24. The freshman leads all Minnesota forwards with 20 assists and posted 15 points during a career-long, eight-game point streak from Jan. 8 to Feb. 2, the longest streak by a Minnesota skater all year. After his second-consecutive, four-point weekend, he was named the Big Ten Conference Second Star of the Week (Jan. 30) with three goals and an assist in a road split at league-leading Michigan State. Moore tallied the first multi-goal effort of his career Saturday (Jan. 27) along with his third three-point game of the year. He scored in back-to-back games for the first time as a Gopher following his first B1G goal in the series opener. The Mounds View, Minn., product tallied the first game-winning goal of his tenure against Robert Morris (Jan. 12) that snapped a 13-game goalless drought and started a run of five goals across a seven-game stretch.
HISTORY WITH THE NITTANY LIONS
Minnesota and Penn State first met with the inception of the Big Ten Conference in 2014 and the Gophers lead the all-time series with a record of 25-18-1 (.580). All 44 meetings between the two teams have come with at least one team ranked and this series is no different as the Maroon and Gold are ranked No. 8/9 in the national polls. Minnesota and PSU are both 6-6-0 in the last 12 regular-season meetings at 3M Arena at Mariucci, including a split in four of the last six series in Minneapolis. The Gophers have won the final game of each home series versus the Nittany Lions in six of the past seven matchups. Earlier this season, Minnesota won the opener on the road at PSU, 4-1, before falling in the finale, 6-3. Rhett Pitlick paced the Gophers with five points on two goals and three assists against the Nittany Lions, while Bryce Brodzinski, Luke Mittelstadt, and Jimmy Snuggerud all had points in both games of the weekend series back in December.
INSIDE LOOK AT PENN STATE
The Nittany Lions swept a home series with Ohio State in their last action in late January, winning both games by a 4-3 scoreline, and come to 3M Arena at Mariucci following their bye week. The wins over OSU snapped a six-game losing streak in Big Ten play as Penn State sits in sixth place in the league standings. Despite holding the 10th-best scoring offense in the nation, averaging 3.6 goals per game, the team is 59th in the country defensively as it allows 3.7 goals per game to the opposition. Aiden Fink remains one of the NCAA's top scoring freshmen and leads the Nittany Lions with 32 points, aided by eight power-play tallies, and is averaging a point per game in B1G outings. Three other PSU players have reached the 20-point mark this year, while Liam Souliere is back to being the full-time netminder. The senior has registered a 9-7-1 record in goal behind a 3.53 goals-against average and a .862 save percentage.
PLAYING IN FRONT
During their recent string of success, going unbeaten in eight of the last nine games, the Gophers have enjoyed playing with a lead. Minnesota only trailed for 2 minutes and 29 seconds in the first eight games of that span until falling behind for 28:39 in the series finale at No. 4 Wisconsin (Feb. 3). The Maroon and Gold needed 2:03 to erase an early deficit against Colorado College (Jan. 8) and faced another quick deficit versus Robert Morris (Jan. 12) that lasted just 23 seconds until Jaxon Nelson pulled the home side even in the first period. The Gophers never faced a deficit against Ohio State (Jan. 19-20) on the way to their first Big Ten Conference sweep of the season, trailed for only four seconds during a road split at Michigan State (Jan. 26-27), and never fell behind in game one versus the Badgers (Feb. 2).
MOTZKO'S HOME COOKING
Under head coach Bob Motzko's guidance, the Gophers hold a 71-37-6 (.649) record on home ice, including a 38-15-1 (.713) mark across the previous three years. That recent stretch of quality play is aided by Minnesota dominating Big Ten foes, going 23-8-1 (.734) in conference outings inside 3M Arena at Mariucci since the start of 2021.
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 nearly 90 percent homegrown talent. Of the 26 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.
GOPHER PIPELINE TO THE NHL
After 33 players took part in National Hockey League training camps, 21 former Golden Gophers men's hockey players earned an opening-night roster spot for the 2023-24 season, while five more have been called up since the regular season started. Minnesota had an NCAA-best 26 former skaters in the NHL last season, increasing the all-time number of Gophers in the NHL to an NCAA-best 123 before Logan Cooley and Johnson made their debuts as No. 124 and 125, respectively. This year the Maroon and Gold has begun the campaign as one of two NCAA programs with 20 or more players with a lineup spot in the NHL.
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