University of Minnesota Athletics
Friday, November 21
3M Arena at Mariucci
7:00 PM
University of Minnesota
6-8-1, 3-2-0
3
vs
2
Penn State
10-5-0, 3-4-0
1
2
3
F
Penn St.
2
0
0
2
Minnesota
0
3
0
3
Team Stats
PSU
MIN
Shots
29
29
PPG
0
1
SHG
0
0
Penalties
7
7
Penalty Mins
33
33
Faceoffs Won
32
30
Game Leaders
+/-
2
Goals
0
Sh
3
A
2
+/-
2
Goals
0
Sh
1
A
2
+/-
-1
Goals
1
Sh
3
A
0
Players Mentioned
Goaltender
/ Men's Hockey
Defense
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's HockeyForward
/ Men's Hockey
Defense
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's HockeyForward
/ Men's Hockey
Photo by: Matt Krohn
Photo by: Matt Krohn
Photo by: Matt Krohn
Photo by: Matt Krohn
Photo by: Matt Krohn
Photo by: Matt Krohn
Photo by: Matt Krohn
Photo by: Matt Krohn
Photo by: Matt Krohn
Photo by: Matt Krohn
Photo by: Matt Krohn
Photo by: Matt Krohn
Photo by: Matt Krohn
Photo by: Matt Krohn
Photo by: Matt Krohn
Photo by: Matt Krohn
Photo by: Matt Krohn
Photo by: Matt Krohn
Photo by: Matt Krohn
Photo by: Matt Krohn
Photo by: Matt Krohn
Photo by: Matt Krohn
Photo by: Matt Krohn
Photo by: Matt Krohn
Photo by: Matt Krohn
'U' Rallies to Down No. 5 Penn State Friday
11/21/2025 11:00:00 PM | Men's Hockey
Gophers score final three goals for upset
MINNEAPOLIS - The Minnesota men's hockey team claimed a signature victory, erasing a two-goal deficit to take down No. 5 Penn State, 3-2, Friday night inside 3M Arena at Mariucci. Mason Moe capped off a three-goal second period with the eventual game winner, while John Mittelstadt and Javon Moore each posted two assists in the upset.
The Golden Gophers (6-8-1 overall, 3-2-0 B1G) secured their eighth-straight home victory over the Nittany Lions (10-5-0 overall, 3-4-0 B1G) thanks to Axel Begley's first career goal that kickstarted the offense early in the middle period. Brodie Ziemer followed up Begley's goal by adding a power-play tally to pull even at 2-2 after PSU scored twice in the first period.
The Maroon and Gold came out of the gates with intensity and less than two minutes into the contest, Beckett Hendrickson's rebound attempt rang off the right post. It was a relentless forecheck that helped the home side sustain pressure before PSU got its first shot on goal after nearly seven minutes had gone by. The early chances did not pay off, and the visitors struck for the opening goal at the 9:31 mark, capitalizing on a turnover in the defensive zone. The Nittany Lions doubled their lead with 6:57 to play in the frame as a harmless-appearing shot from the point snuck through a screened netminder. Tate Pritchard skated around a PSU defenseman late in the period, but his backhand bid was kicked aside and the visitors held the 2-0 cushion at intermission.
Despite carrying play for most of the game, the Gophers were finally rewarded for that effort during a three-goal second period. The game's first penalty was assessed to the home team in the first minute of the middle stanza and was quickly erased by the Maroon and Gold. Shortly after the penalty kill, Minnesota returned the favor as Begley's shot from the point got through traffic and into the back of the net, making it a 2-1 contest at 3:38. Moe started the play with a faceoff win before Mittelstadt and Moore picked up assists on the first-career tally for Begley.
Having cut into the deficit, the Gophers earned their first man advantage at the 7:23 mark as LJ Mooney was cross checked after the whistle. Ziemer made the Nittany Lions pay for the penalty as he hammered home a one-timer from the left circle, igniting the "Ice Out" crowd thanks to Mooney's perfect, cross-ice feed. Momentum stayed with the Maroon and Gold and just two minutes later, the dogged determination of the fourth line paid dividends as Moe scored on a rebound from the slot, pushing the home side to a 3-2 lead. A late penalty on PSU carried into the final frame as Minnesota took its one-goal lead back to the locker room through 40 minutes.
The remainder of the man advantage was wiped away by the Nittany Lions opening the third period. Goaltender Nathan Airey stood tall as the visitors made a push for the equalizer and a penalty to the Gophers, that was unliked by the fans in attendance, gave PSU another chance on the man advantage. The penalty kill brought the crowd to its feet as Moore and Ziemer helped shut down the opportunity.
The rest of the night belonged to Minnesota as it held off a late charge and Airey closed the door on any comeback from the Nittany Lions, securing the series-opening win, 3-2. Airey finished the night with 27 saves, including 14 during a critical second period.
Noteworthy
Skating in the 39th game of this career, Begley picked up his first NCAA point and goal to kickstart the Minnesota offense Friday ... Ziemer struck for his fourth power-play tally this season and pushed his point total to 12 behind his seventh goal ... The Chaska, Minn., product has four points during a three-game point streak and is tied for the team's goal and point lead ... For the first time in his young career, Moe has found the back of the net in consecutive games thanks to his fourth goal ... It was his first-ever game winner and he is the sixth different player this year to record a game-winning goal ... After collecting his first point of the season last Saturday, Mittelstadt made it two-straight outings with a helper, recording multiple points for the second time in his career ... The senior also had two assists at home versus Mercyhurst on Jan. 4, 2025 ... Moore extended his season-long point streak to four games with an assist on Begley's tally for the first multi-point effort of his rookie campaign ... The freshman now has five assists and seven points overall ... Mooney became the third Gopher to reach double-digit points on his sixth power-play assist and seventh total assist ... Luke Mittelstadt picked up a power-play assist, stretching his point streak to four games, with his team-leading ninth helper of 2025-26, and also hit double-digit points on the play ... The Gophers won the special teams battle going 1-for-3 on the power play, while killing off all three Penn State chances ... The Maroon and Gold are now 5-1-0 when not allowing its opposition to score on the power play ... Already leading the country in blocked shots, Minnesota added 19 to that total with a full-team effort Friday as 13 different skaters blocked at least one.
Coach Motzko's Comments
"Our players earned that thing; start to finish," Minnesota head coach Bob Motzko said. "We had a really good first period, but we found ourselves down 2-0 and then they held strong. We got great goaltending tonight and special teams were critical."
Next Up: Home vs. Penn State (Nov. 22)
The Gophers skate on home ice for the final time during the 2025 calendar year as they close the series against the fifth-ranked Nittany Lions Saturday night at 7 p.m. live on FOX9+ and streaming on B1G+. Minnesota will host its annual "Teddy Bear Toss" presented by White Bear Mitsubishi following the contest.
The Golden Gophers (6-8-1 overall, 3-2-0 B1G) secured their eighth-straight home victory over the Nittany Lions (10-5-0 overall, 3-4-0 B1G) thanks to Axel Begley's first career goal that kickstarted the offense early in the middle period. Brodie Ziemer followed up Begley's goal by adding a power-play tally to pull even at 2-2 after PSU scored twice in the first period.
The Maroon and Gold came out of the gates with intensity and less than two minutes into the contest, Beckett Hendrickson's rebound attempt rang off the right post. It was a relentless forecheck that helped the home side sustain pressure before PSU got its first shot on goal after nearly seven minutes had gone by. The early chances did not pay off, and the visitors struck for the opening goal at the 9:31 mark, capitalizing on a turnover in the defensive zone. The Nittany Lions doubled their lead with 6:57 to play in the frame as a harmless-appearing shot from the point snuck through a screened netminder. Tate Pritchard skated around a PSU defenseman late in the period, but his backhand bid was kicked aside and the visitors held the 2-0 cushion at intermission.
Despite carrying play for most of the game, the Gophers were finally rewarded for that effort during a three-goal second period. The game's first penalty was assessed to the home team in the first minute of the middle stanza and was quickly erased by the Maroon and Gold. Shortly after the penalty kill, Minnesota returned the favor as Begley's shot from the point got through traffic and into the back of the net, making it a 2-1 contest at 3:38. Moe started the play with a faceoff win before Mittelstadt and Moore picked up assists on the first-career tally for Begley.
Having cut into the deficit, the Gophers earned their first man advantage at the 7:23 mark as LJ Mooney was cross checked after the whistle. Ziemer made the Nittany Lions pay for the penalty as he hammered home a one-timer from the left circle, igniting the "Ice Out" crowd thanks to Mooney's perfect, cross-ice feed. Momentum stayed with the Maroon and Gold and just two minutes later, the dogged determination of the fourth line paid dividends as Moe scored on a rebound from the slot, pushing the home side to a 3-2 lead. A late penalty on PSU carried into the final frame as Minnesota took its one-goal lead back to the locker room through 40 minutes.
The remainder of the man advantage was wiped away by the Nittany Lions opening the third period. Goaltender Nathan Airey stood tall as the visitors made a push for the equalizer and a penalty to the Gophers, that was unliked by the fans in attendance, gave PSU another chance on the man advantage. The penalty kill brought the crowd to its feet as Moore and Ziemer helped shut down the opportunity.
The rest of the night belonged to Minnesota as it held off a late charge and Airey closed the door on any comeback from the Nittany Lions, securing the series-opening win, 3-2. Airey finished the night with 27 saves, including 14 during a critical second period.
Noteworthy
Skating in the 39th game of this career, Begley picked up his first NCAA point and goal to kickstart the Minnesota offense Friday ... Ziemer struck for his fourth power-play tally this season and pushed his point total to 12 behind his seventh goal ... The Chaska, Minn., product has four points during a three-game point streak and is tied for the team's goal and point lead ... For the first time in his young career, Moe has found the back of the net in consecutive games thanks to his fourth goal ... It was his first-ever game winner and he is the sixth different player this year to record a game-winning goal ... After collecting his first point of the season last Saturday, Mittelstadt made it two-straight outings with a helper, recording multiple points for the second time in his career ... The senior also had two assists at home versus Mercyhurst on Jan. 4, 2025 ... Moore extended his season-long point streak to four games with an assist on Begley's tally for the first multi-point effort of his rookie campaign ... The freshman now has five assists and seven points overall ... Mooney became the third Gopher to reach double-digit points on his sixth power-play assist and seventh total assist ... Luke Mittelstadt picked up a power-play assist, stretching his point streak to four games, with his team-leading ninth helper of 2025-26, and also hit double-digit points on the play ... The Gophers won the special teams battle going 1-for-3 on the power play, while killing off all three Penn State chances ... The Maroon and Gold are now 5-1-0 when not allowing its opposition to score on the power play ... Already leading the country in blocked shots, Minnesota added 19 to that total with a full-team effort Friday as 13 different skaters blocked at least one.
Coach Motzko's Comments
"Our players earned that thing; start to finish," Minnesota head coach Bob Motzko said. "We had a really good first period, but we found ourselves down 2-0 and then they held strong. We got great goaltending tonight and special teams were critical."
Next Up: Home vs. Penn State (Nov. 22)
The Gophers skate on home ice for the final time during the 2025 calendar year as they close the series against the fifth-ranked Nittany Lions Saturday night at 7 p.m. live on FOX9+ and streaming on B1G+. Minnesota will host its annual "Teddy Bear Toss" presented by White Bear Mitsubishi following the contest.
Highlights: Gophers 1, Penn State 2
Saturday, November 22
Timelapse: Gopher Hockey Ice Out
Saturday, November 22
Highlights: Gophers 3, Penn State 2
Friday, November 21
Rink Roots: Lakeville
Thursday, November 20