University of Minnesota Athletics
Saturday, January 24
East Lansing, MI
5:00 PM
University of Minnesota
8-16-1, 4-10-0
2
at
3
Michigan State
19-5-0, 10-4-0
1
2
3
F
Minnesota
1
0
1
2
Michigan St.
1
1
1
3
Team Stats
MIN
MSU
Shots
31
42
PPG
1
1
SHG
0
0
Penalties
3
4
Penalty Mins
6
8
Faceoffs Won
25
31
Game Leaders
+/-
0
Goals
1
Sh
6
A
0
+/-
0
Goals
1
Sh
6
A
0
+/-
-1
Goals
0
Sh
0
A
1
Players Mentioned
Goaltender
/ Men's HockeyForward
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's HockeyDefense
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's HockeyForward
/ Men's Hockey
Photo by: Kelly Branigan
'U' Downed at No. 2 Michigan State Saturday
1/24/2026 7:45:00 PM | Men's Hockey
Gophers return home for next four games
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Golden Gophers got the opening goal of the night from Brody Lamb on the road at No. 2 Michigan State before suffering a 3-2 loss Saturday night in a Big Ten Conference men's hockey battle from Munn Ice Arena.
Minnesota (8-16-1 overall, 4-10-0 B1G, 14 points) jumped to a 1-0 lead less than three minutes into the game, only to see the Spartans (19-5-0 overall, 10-4-0 B1G, 30 points) respond with the next three, scoring once in each period. Brodie Ziemer put away a power-play goal late in the third period to cut into the deficit, but the rally came up short, as he hit the post in the closing seconds that would have forced overtime.
Despite winning the opening faceoff, the home side pounced and rang a shot off the post just eight seconds into the contest. The Maroon and Gold settled down from there and LJ Mooney had a partial breakaway to nearly open the scoring at the same time Luke Mittelstadt was taken down behind the play, generating a power play at the 2:55 mark. The man advantage was unsuccessful, but momentum stayed with the visitors and Lamb buried the go-ahead tally 6:56 into the contest. Mooney redirected a clearing attempt where Lamb picked it up and walked to the middle of the slot before ripping home a shot aided by Ziemer's netfront presence.
Holding the 1-0 edge, a penalty on the Gophers gave the Spartans an opportunity to skate 5-on-4 in the middle of the period but the best chance came as Lamb broke free on a breakaway. His shot was kicked aside, and shortly after that, the visitors were whistled for another infraction and MSU had a two-man advantage for a minute. With seconds left on the initial penalty, a rebound went right to the stick of an MSU forward and the game was tied 1-1 at 12:16. Minnesota wiped away the rest of the power play, and it stayed 1-1 at the end of the first period.
The Gophers opened the middle frame on the attack and sustained a forecheck only to see a shot from the point get through traffic and Michigan State moved in front, 2-1, at the 2:44 mark. The goal gave the home team a spark as it controlled play until Tate Pritchard dropped off an entry pass to Javon Moore for a shot and Minnesota drew another power play with 9:55 showing on the clock. The visitors were able to get shots on target before the man advantage expired and it remained a one-goal deficit. Goaltender Luca Di Pasquo had to be sharp late in the period to limit the Spartans chances, allowing his offense to get moving again for shots by Mooney and Ziemer, and the score was 2-1 in favor of MSU through 40 minutes.
It was all Di Pasquo beginning the final frame as the Gophers got caught inside their own zone and the junior delivered five saves in three minutes. He was unable to stop the next shot as the visitors failed to get the puck cleared and the Spartans pushed the margin to 3-1, 3:16 into the period. The Maroon and Gold fought back as it searched to close the gap and Lamb forced a save from in tight before Tanner Ludtke was tackled, giving the visitors a critical man advantage with 8:33 to play in regulation.
On a second-chance opportunity, it was a snipe from Ziemer that made it a one-goal game as the sophomore buried a power-play shot. He took a Mittelstadt pass and sent a wrister high over the goalie's left shoulder. With renewed energy, Minnesota pushed the pace and controlled the final 90 seconds with an extra attacker on the ice, but Ziemer's bid to tie the game with less than 10 seconds left hit the post and MSU held off the final surge for a 3-2 win.
Noteworthy
Lamb found the back of the net with his 11th goal of the year and extended his point streak to three games, tying for the team's scoring lead at 23 points ... The Byron, Minn., native's first-period goal also snapped a streak of 226 minutes and 36 seconds without a 5-on-5 goal for the Gophers that stretched across 11 periods of play ... Ziemer potted his team-high 15th tally this year, ninth coming on the man advantage, which ranks second in the NCAA ... He now has a point in five of six career games versus the Spartans and has a goal in nine of the last 13 appearances overall, totaling 23 points ... Mooney collected his team-best 14th assist and matched his longest point streak of the campaign at four games, reaching 19 points as a freshman ... Mittelstadt equaled the rookie after also picking up his 14th helper and has an assist in three of the last four games ... Di Pasquo ended the night with 39 saves, his seventh-consecutive start of at least 32 saves ... The Gophers went 1-for-3 on the power play and have scored 14 times during a man advantage over their past 12 outings, including a goal in four straight, while MSU was 1-for-2 Saturday behind its 5-on-3 goal ... Minnesota dropped to 6-6-0 this season when scoring the first goal of the contest and are just 1-8-0 in B1G road games in 2025-26.
Coach Motzko's Comments
"Our guys played their tails off tonight. It's two Saturdays in a row with the number one and two teams in the country; we go up and down the rink," Minnesota head coach Bob Motzko said. "We sure wanted a different outcome. All we have to do now is bury it and get ready for Wisconsin next week."
Next Up: Home vs. No. 5 Wisconsin (Jan. 30-31)
Minnesota returns home for its next two league series, starting with the second half of the Border Battle rivalry against fifth-ranked Wisconsin Jan. 30-31 sponsored by Affinity Plus Federal Credit Union. Fans can watch both games live on FOX9 and streaming on B1G+ or tune into audio coverage from the Gopher Radio Network 103.5 FM/AM-1130 KTLK.
Minnesota (8-16-1 overall, 4-10-0 B1G, 14 points) jumped to a 1-0 lead less than three minutes into the game, only to see the Spartans (19-5-0 overall, 10-4-0 B1G, 30 points) respond with the next three, scoring once in each period. Brodie Ziemer put away a power-play goal late in the third period to cut into the deficit, but the rally came up short, as he hit the post in the closing seconds that would have forced overtime.
Despite winning the opening faceoff, the home side pounced and rang a shot off the post just eight seconds into the contest. The Maroon and Gold settled down from there and LJ Mooney had a partial breakaway to nearly open the scoring at the same time Luke Mittelstadt was taken down behind the play, generating a power play at the 2:55 mark. The man advantage was unsuccessful, but momentum stayed with the visitors and Lamb buried the go-ahead tally 6:56 into the contest. Mooney redirected a clearing attempt where Lamb picked it up and walked to the middle of the slot before ripping home a shot aided by Ziemer's netfront presence.
Holding the 1-0 edge, a penalty on the Gophers gave the Spartans an opportunity to skate 5-on-4 in the middle of the period but the best chance came as Lamb broke free on a breakaway. His shot was kicked aside, and shortly after that, the visitors were whistled for another infraction and MSU had a two-man advantage for a minute. With seconds left on the initial penalty, a rebound went right to the stick of an MSU forward and the game was tied 1-1 at 12:16. Minnesota wiped away the rest of the power play, and it stayed 1-1 at the end of the first period.
The Gophers opened the middle frame on the attack and sustained a forecheck only to see a shot from the point get through traffic and Michigan State moved in front, 2-1, at the 2:44 mark. The goal gave the home team a spark as it controlled play until Tate Pritchard dropped off an entry pass to Javon Moore for a shot and Minnesota drew another power play with 9:55 showing on the clock. The visitors were able to get shots on target before the man advantage expired and it remained a one-goal deficit. Goaltender Luca Di Pasquo had to be sharp late in the period to limit the Spartans chances, allowing his offense to get moving again for shots by Mooney and Ziemer, and the score was 2-1 in favor of MSU through 40 minutes.
It was all Di Pasquo beginning the final frame as the Gophers got caught inside their own zone and the junior delivered five saves in three minutes. He was unable to stop the next shot as the visitors failed to get the puck cleared and the Spartans pushed the margin to 3-1, 3:16 into the period. The Maroon and Gold fought back as it searched to close the gap and Lamb forced a save from in tight before Tanner Ludtke was tackled, giving the visitors a critical man advantage with 8:33 to play in regulation.
On a second-chance opportunity, it was a snipe from Ziemer that made it a one-goal game as the sophomore buried a power-play shot. He took a Mittelstadt pass and sent a wrister high over the goalie's left shoulder. With renewed energy, Minnesota pushed the pace and controlled the final 90 seconds with an extra attacker on the ice, but Ziemer's bid to tie the game with less than 10 seconds left hit the post and MSU held off the final surge for a 3-2 win.
Noteworthy
Lamb found the back of the net with his 11th goal of the year and extended his point streak to three games, tying for the team's scoring lead at 23 points ... The Byron, Minn., native's first-period goal also snapped a streak of 226 minutes and 36 seconds without a 5-on-5 goal for the Gophers that stretched across 11 periods of play ... Ziemer potted his team-high 15th tally this year, ninth coming on the man advantage, which ranks second in the NCAA ... He now has a point in five of six career games versus the Spartans and has a goal in nine of the last 13 appearances overall, totaling 23 points ... Mooney collected his team-best 14th assist and matched his longest point streak of the campaign at four games, reaching 19 points as a freshman ... Mittelstadt equaled the rookie after also picking up his 14th helper and has an assist in three of the last four games ... Di Pasquo ended the night with 39 saves, his seventh-consecutive start of at least 32 saves ... The Gophers went 1-for-3 on the power play and have scored 14 times during a man advantage over their past 12 outings, including a goal in four straight, while MSU was 1-for-2 Saturday behind its 5-on-3 goal ... Minnesota dropped to 6-6-0 this season when scoring the first goal of the contest and are just 1-8-0 in B1G road games in 2025-26.
Coach Motzko's Comments
"Our guys played their tails off tonight. It's two Saturdays in a row with the number one and two teams in the country; we go up and down the rink," Minnesota head coach Bob Motzko said. "We sure wanted a different outcome. All we have to do now is bury it and get ready for Wisconsin next week."
Next Up: Home vs. No. 5 Wisconsin (Jan. 30-31)
Minnesota returns home for its next two league series, starting with the second half of the Border Battle rivalry against fifth-ranked Wisconsin Jan. 30-31 sponsored by Affinity Plus Federal Credit Union. Fans can watch both games live on FOX9 and streaming on B1G+ or tune into audio coverage from the Gopher Radio Network 103.5 FM/AM-1130 KTLK.
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Highlights: Gophers 1, Michigan 5
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Highlights: Gophers 2, Penn State 5
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