University of Minnesota Athletics
Friday, February 9
3M Arena at Mariucci
6:00 PM
University of Minnesota
17-7-5, 10-5-4
3
vs
0
Penn State
12-12-3, 4-10-3
1
2
3
F
Penn State
0
0
0
0
Minnesota
2
0
1
3
Team Stats
PSU
MIN
Shots
36
27
PPG
0
0
SHG
0
0
Penalties
5
5
Penalty Mins
10
13
Faceoffs Won
22
24
Game Leaders
Skaters
+/-
2
Goals
2
Sh
4
A
0
+/-
2
Goals
0
Sh
1
A
2
+/-
1
Goals
1
Sh
3
A
0
+/-
2
Goals
0
Sh
4
A
1
Players Mentioned
Goaltender
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Defense
/ Men's HockeyForward
/ Men's Hockey
Defense
/ Men's HockeyForward
/ Men's HockeyForward
/ Men's HockeyForward
/ Men's Hockey
Photo by: Brad Rempel
Pitlick, Close Spark Gophers' Shutout of PSU
2/9/2024 9:30:00 PM | Men's Hockey
36-save shutout from Close
MINNEAPOLIS - Rhett Pitlick scored on Minnesota's first two shots and goaltender Justen Close stopped all 36 attempts he faced, leading the No. 8/9-ranked men's hockey team to a 3-0 shutout over Penn State in front of a sellout crowd Friday night at 3M Arena at Mariucci.
After the Golden Gophers (17-7-5 overall, 10-5-4 B1G) scored twice in the first four minutes of action, it was the defense and penalty kill that secured the victory against the Nittany Lions (12-12-3 overall, 4-10-3 B1G), a team receiving votes in the national polls. Minnesota erased a pair of 5-on-3 chances by PSU late in the second period that proved pivotal in the Big Ten Conference matchup.
Close shut down the NCAA's 10th-ranked scoring offense all night long on the way to his third shutout of the season, aided by a 19-save effort in the second period, including 10 while on the penalty kill.
It didn't take long for the Maroon and Gold to bring the capacity crowd to its feet as Pitlick opened the scoring just 43 seconds into the contest. The junior buried a pinpoint pass by Oliver Moore in front of the net after Jimmy Snuggerud started the play with speed in the neutral zone. The margin doubled three minutes later, and it was Pitlick again finding the back of the net for his second of the night. This time he showed off his quick hands and pounced on a rebound following Luke Mittelstadt's shot from the blue line. The Gophers carried play for the rest of the frame and took their two-goal cushion into the locker room through 20 minutes.
Early in the second period, the teams were called for matching minors and skated 4-on-4 until the Nittany Lions gave the home side its first chance on the man advantage. The opportunity was erased but Minnesota went back to another power play in the middle of the second stanza and Pitlick nearly completed his hat trick with a shot from close range. PSU had its best look of the contest with seven minutes to play as it broke up the ice for a 3-on-1, only to see the shot hit the left post. The game took a physical turn as both sides delivered crunching hits and the Gophers were whistled for simultaneous penalties, including a five-minute major with 5:40 remaining in the period.
Minnesota killed off the two-minute penalty, igniting cheers from the student section behind Close, but were called for another infraction that gave the Nittany Lions another crack at a 5-on-3. After a sliding save across the crease from the reigning Big Ten Conference First Star of the Week, the entire crowd got to its feet in applause of the defensive effort as Close and the Gophers erased four full minutes while short two skaters. Carl Fish jumped out from the box and had a breakaway chance that needed to be turned aside and the Maroon and Gold held PSU off the board for the remainder of the period, maintaining the 2-0 edge.
As it did in the first period, Minnesota went on the attack early during the final frame and Connor Kurth put away a third-chance opportunity from the slot at the 1:16 mark. The sophomore backhanded a rebound past the netminder's pad after Mike Koster initially put the puck on target and Aaron Huglen had a shot stopped in tight. Tempers picked up down the stretch before the Gophers held off the Nittany Lions the rest of the evening, winning 3-0 for their sixth-straight home victory.
Noteworthy
Friday's announced attendance of 10,750 was the second-largest overall crowd in 3M Arena at Mariucci history, most ever during a regular-season game, and the fourth home sellout this year ... Close registered the 12th shutout of his career, moving within one of the program record of 13, as the graduate student posted his seventh outing this season with at least 35 saves ... Over his last nine appearances, Close has a 7-1-1 record behind a 1.54 goals-against average and a .946 save percentage ... Pitlick's opening tally was the 100th goal of the season for the Gophers and the junior reached the 30-point mark behind his fourth multi-goal performance of 2023-24, all of which have come since Nov. 18 ... The Chaska, Minn., product remains the B1G scoring leader with 22 points in 19 league games, including 14 goals, four more than the next closest player ... Moore's two helpers led to his eighth outing with multiple points and the freshman now has 22 assists on the season for 29 total points ... The rookie has 17 points over his last 10 games and has reached the scoresheet in nine of those contests ... Snuggerud joined Pitlick in the 30-point club for the second time in his two-year career with his 12th assist this year ... Kurth picked up his sixth goal and 18th point of the season and has six points in the past eight games ... Huglen recorded his sixth assist, while Koster added his ninth on the Huglen tally ... The Gophers entered Friday as the least-penalized team in the NCAA, averaging 6.7 penalty minutes per game, but were called for nine minutes of penalties in a three-minute stretch of the second period.
Coach Motzko's Comments
"Obviously, I am real happy with what we did tonight," Minnesota head coach Bob Motzko said. "We dodged a bullet there in the second period. Killing off a 5-on-3 can help with momentum, and I give our guys credit."
Next Up: Home vs. Penn State (Feb. 10)
Minnesota and Penn State meet for the fourth and final time during the 2023-24 regular season Saturday afternoon sponsored by Affinity Plus. Puck drop is slated for 3 p.m. live on Big Ten Network with an audio broadcast through the Gopher Radio Network 1130 KTLK-AM/103.5 FM.
After the Golden Gophers (17-7-5 overall, 10-5-4 B1G) scored twice in the first four minutes of action, it was the defense and penalty kill that secured the victory against the Nittany Lions (12-12-3 overall, 4-10-3 B1G), a team receiving votes in the national polls. Minnesota erased a pair of 5-on-3 chances by PSU late in the second period that proved pivotal in the Big Ten Conference matchup.
Close shut down the NCAA's 10th-ranked scoring offense all night long on the way to his third shutout of the season, aided by a 19-save effort in the second period, including 10 while on the penalty kill.
It didn't take long for the Maroon and Gold to bring the capacity crowd to its feet as Pitlick opened the scoring just 43 seconds into the contest. The junior buried a pinpoint pass by Oliver Moore in front of the net after Jimmy Snuggerud started the play with speed in the neutral zone. The margin doubled three minutes later, and it was Pitlick again finding the back of the net for his second of the night. This time he showed off his quick hands and pounced on a rebound following Luke Mittelstadt's shot from the blue line. The Gophers carried play for the rest of the frame and took their two-goal cushion into the locker room through 20 minutes.
Early in the second period, the teams were called for matching minors and skated 4-on-4 until the Nittany Lions gave the home side its first chance on the man advantage. The opportunity was erased but Minnesota went back to another power play in the middle of the second stanza and Pitlick nearly completed his hat trick with a shot from close range. PSU had its best look of the contest with seven minutes to play as it broke up the ice for a 3-on-1, only to see the shot hit the left post. The game took a physical turn as both sides delivered crunching hits and the Gophers were whistled for simultaneous penalties, including a five-minute major with 5:40 remaining in the period.
Minnesota killed off the two-minute penalty, igniting cheers from the student section behind Close, but were called for another infraction that gave the Nittany Lions another crack at a 5-on-3. After a sliding save across the crease from the reigning Big Ten Conference First Star of the Week, the entire crowd got to its feet in applause of the defensive effort as Close and the Gophers erased four full minutes while short two skaters. Carl Fish jumped out from the box and had a breakaway chance that needed to be turned aside and the Maroon and Gold held PSU off the board for the remainder of the period, maintaining the 2-0 edge.
As it did in the first period, Minnesota went on the attack early during the final frame and Connor Kurth put away a third-chance opportunity from the slot at the 1:16 mark. The sophomore backhanded a rebound past the netminder's pad after Mike Koster initially put the puck on target and Aaron Huglen had a shot stopped in tight. Tempers picked up down the stretch before the Gophers held off the Nittany Lions the rest of the evening, winning 3-0 for their sixth-straight home victory.
Noteworthy
Friday's announced attendance of 10,750 was the second-largest overall crowd in 3M Arena at Mariucci history, most ever during a regular-season game, and the fourth home sellout this year ... Close registered the 12th shutout of his career, moving within one of the program record of 13, as the graduate student posted his seventh outing this season with at least 35 saves ... Over his last nine appearances, Close has a 7-1-1 record behind a 1.54 goals-against average and a .946 save percentage ... Pitlick's opening tally was the 100th goal of the season for the Gophers and the junior reached the 30-point mark behind his fourth multi-goal performance of 2023-24, all of which have come since Nov. 18 ... The Chaska, Minn., product remains the B1G scoring leader with 22 points in 19 league games, including 14 goals, four more than the next closest player ... Moore's two helpers led to his eighth outing with multiple points and the freshman now has 22 assists on the season for 29 total points ... The rookie has 17 points over his last 10 games and has reached the scoresheet in nine of those contests ... Snuggerud joined Pitlick in the 30-point club for the second time in his two-year career with his 12th assist this year ... Kurth picked up his sixth goal and 18th point of the season and has six points in the past eight games ... Huglen recorded his sixth assist, while Koster added his ninth on the Huglen tally ... The Gophers entered Friday as the least-penalized team in the NCAA, averaging 6.7 penalty minutes per game, but were called for nine minutes of penalties in a three-minute stretch of the second period.
Coach Motzko's Comments
"Obviously, I am real happy with what we did tonight," Minnesota head coach Bob Motzko said. "We dodged a bullet there in the second period. Killing off a 5-on-3 can help with momentum, and I give our guys credit."
Next Up: Home vs. Penn State (Feb. 10)
Minnesota and Penn State meet for the fourth and final time during the 2023-24 regular season Saturday afternoon sponsored by Affinity Plus. Puck drop is slated for 3 p.m. live on Big Ten Network with an audio broadcast through the Gopher Radio Network 1130 KTLK-AM/103.5 FM.
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