University of Minnesota Athletics
Wednesday, March 11
University Park, PA
6:00 PM
University of Minnesota
at
Penn State
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Photo by: Brad Rempel
Gophers Open Postseason Wednesday at Penn State
3/10/2026 11:00:00 AM | Men's Hockey
'U' enters B1G Tournament as No. 6 seed
MINNEAPOLIS - The No. 6 seed Minnesota men's hockey team begins its postseason journey presented by Affinity Plus Federal Credit Union on Wednesday. The Maroon and Gold take the ice for a Big Ten Conference Tournament Quarterfinal matchup with the third-seeded Nittany Lions of Penn State.
The Golden Gophers need to win three games to capture the tournament title and extend their NCAA Tournament streak to six years. That starts Wednesday at Pegula Ice Arena at 6 p.m. (CT), streaming live on B1G+ and featuring audio coverage through the Gopher Radio Network on AM-1130 KTLK only.
LAST TIME ON THE ICE
Minnesota closed the regular season at home against No. 2/3 Michigan State, falling 7-1 Thursday as the Spartans broke the game open with four second-period goals to clinch their third-straight B1G regular-season title. On Friday, the Gophers responded on Senior Night with a 3-3 tie before claiming the shootout victory after erasing a two-goal deficit. Brodie Ziemer and Mason Moe led the charge with a goal and an assist each. LJ Mooney had a pair of assists, while he and fellow freshman Javon Moore scored in the shootout. Luca Di Pasquo turned aside two attempts to secure the team's third-consecutive shootout win.
GOPHERS IN THE B1G TOURNEY
Minnesota holds an all-time record of 15-12 during the B1G Tournament, winning titles in 2015 and 2021, and are 3-3 when facing Penn State in the postseason. The two teams last met in the 2024 quarterfinals where the Gophers won both games of the three-game series and have won three-consecutive meetings during the conference event. This year marks the first time the 'U' enters the tournament as a seed lower than fifth and just the third time ever being lower than a No. 3 seed. Wednesday also will be the first true road tilt for the Maroon and Gold since losing in overtime at Notre Dame in the 2019 championship game, holding a 0-2 record on the road.
ZIEMER KEEPS LIGHTING THE LAMP
Brodie Ziemer is operating at a more than point-per-game pace and is leading the Gophers in scoring with 36 points in 35 games, while his 11 power-play goals still owns the NCAA's top spot. The sophomore closed 2025 on a blistering run, lighting the lamp in six of the final seven outings with a pair of three-game goal streaks and piled up eight goals and 11 points across that stretch. The Chaska, Minn., native delivered back-to-back multi-goal efforts at Ohio State in December to earn B1G First Star honors (Dec. 9). Ziemer has continued that trend in 2026, finding the back of the net 11 times in 16 games for a career-best 23 goals, which ranks fourth in the country and tied for the most of any B1G skater. His two-goal effort in the upset win at No. 2 Michigan on Feb. 26 stretched his point streak to a career-best eight games and gave him 18 goals in a 21-game span since Nov. 14.
MOONEY MAGIC
LJ Mooney's breakaway goal to close the sweep of the Fighting Irish on Nov. 8 highlighted the speed and skill of the Gophers' rookie. It was the first multi-point night of his young career, and he has taken off down the stretch, tallying eight more multi-point performances to put up 23 points in the last 20 games. He has more outings of multiple points than times being left off the scoresheet during that stretch. The West Mifflin, Pa., native has at least one point in 15 of 17 series played, totaling seven goals and a team-leading 23 assists, which ranks fourth among NCAA freshmen. Eighteen of those points have come during Minnesota's 27 total power-play goals where his vision and creativity are on full display. His two points in the series opener versus Ohio State (Feb. 6) stretched Mooney's point streak to seven games, the third-longest of any Gopher this season.
LAMB PILES ON POINTS
Senior captain Brody Lamb has been a driving force behind the Gophers' offense, tying for second on the team with a career-best 30 points on 14 goals and 16 assists. He reached double-digit goals for the third-straight season with the 15th power-play tally of his career versus Michigan (Jan. 17). The Byron, Minn., native posted consecutive three-point outings at Denver (Nov. 29) and Ohio State (Dec. 4), recording four multi-point performances over the final eight games of 2025 before adding his team-leading eighth multi-point effort of the season against Wisconsin (Jan. 31). By reaching the scoresheet in both outings at Notre Dame, Lamb pushed his point streak to a career-long nine games, the 10th-longest in the NCAA this season, and had five goals and six helpers during that stretch.
LUKE DOING IT ALL
In the late stages of his final college hockey campaign, captain Luke Mittelstadt continues to bear a heavy workload while playing at an exceptionally high level. He's put up 21 points this season in nearly 27 minutes of ice time per game against the nation's top forward groups. The Eden Prairie, Minn., native is second for the Gophers with 19 assists, leading the B1G and 13th among all NCAA defensemen, with 15 of those points coming while running the blue line on the man advantage. His first goal of the year, a power-play game winner against Notre Dame (Nov. 8), ended a 23-game scoring drought and capped the series sweep, while his second goal was also the winner to finish a B1G sweep of No. 8/7 Wisconsin (Jan. 31). Behind his two-assist effort in the upset over No. 2 Michigan on Feb. 26, the senior crossed the 20-point mark for the third time in his four-year career, becoming the 15th defenseman to record such a feat in program history.
LUDTKE PROVIDES LATE SPARK
Junior Tanner Ludtke has provided a timely boost to the Gophers' offense down the stretch, finding a rhythm as the regular season closed. The forward recorded two goals in the last four games and carried a three-game point streak into the season finale, helping generate momentum in the lineup. The Lakeville, Minn., native finished the final nine games of the regular season with five points, showcasing an uptick in production at a key moment, adding scoring depth heading into the postseason, while all six of his goals scored this season have come against top-10 opponents.
AN INSIDE LOOK AT PENN STATE
The Nittany Lions closed the regular season at home getting swept by Wisconsin and have struggled down the stretch, holding a 2-5-3 record over their last 10 outings with five of those contests going into overtime. Penn State continues to produce at a high level offensively, averaging 3.7 goals per game thanks to a power play that converts 27.3 percent of its chances, both of which rank seventh in the country. The team remains the NCAA leader in penalty minutes per game at 19.3 a night and 656 total minutes, which is nearly 400 minutes more than the Gophers' total of 276. Freshman Gavin McKenna sits second nationally at 48 points to pace the B1G and his 34 helpers are the most in the nation. Matt DiMarsico leads the team with 17 goals and has totaled 40 points this year. Goaltenders Joshua Fleming and Kevin Reidler continue to split the minutes with Fleming holding the statistical edge behind a 2.59 goals-against average and a .924 save percentage, but Reidler has 11 victories.
HISTORY WITH THE NITTANY LIONS
Minnesota holds a 33-22-1 (.598) record in the all-time series versus Penn State that dates back to the 2013-14 campaign. The Gophers dropped the final three meetings in the 2025-26 season series after claiming an upset in the first matchup back on Nov. 21. Under Coach Motzko, the Maroon and Gold are just 6-7-1 in games at Pegula Ice Arena having lost four of the last five road games with the only win coming in the regular-season finale a year ago that clinched a share of the B1G title for Minnesota. This season, Brodie Ziemer is the only Gopher to record multiple goals versus PSU, while Javon Moore has a team-best three points in the four games. Goaltender Luca Di Pasquo owns a remarkable .941 save percentage and a 2.46 goals-against average when facing the Nittany Lions in two appearances.
STREAK FINALLY SNAPPED
After more than 2,000 days without a shootout goal or victory, Minnesota ended both droughts against Boston College on Oct. 10 thanks to a pair of newcomers. LJ Mooney and Tanner Ludtke each converted in the shootout, while goaltender Nathan Airey turned aside both Eagles' attempts to secure the Gophers' first shootout win since Feb. 14, 2020, at Notre Dame. The victory snapped an 11-shootout skid during which Minnesota had gone 28 consecutive attempts without a goal. The Maroon and Gold have kept that winning trend with victories at Notre Dame on Feb. 13 and Mar. 6 against Michigan State to close the regular season. Mooney and fellow freshman Javon Moore provided the goals in both of those shootout wins where the Gophers converted 2-of-3 attempts.
TOP 10 VICTORIES
Thanks to a sweep of No. 8/7 Wisconsin at home to close January and another road upset of No. 2 Michigan last Thursday, the Gophers have now logged six victories over top-10 opponents, accounting for more than half of their total wins this season. The stretch began with a road triumph at No. 8 North Dakota on Oct. 18 and continued with a home victory over No. 5 Penn State on Nov. 21. Minnesota then delivered an upset of No. 4 Denver in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game on Nov. 29 to close the first half of the season, before the wins against the Badgers snapped a seven-game skid. The victory over the Wolverines marked the 53rd top-10 win of Head Coach Bob Motzko's tenure.
PROVEN PATH TO THE PROS
Minnesota continues to make its mark on professional hockey, as 36 players with ties to the program participated in NHL training camps for the 2025-26 season, representing 20 different organizations. The group, which spans back to the 2009 roster, features 15 former team captains and 10 All-Americans. The Gophers' NHL presence remains unmatched across college hockey. A total of 25 alumni skated in the league last season, pushing the all-time number of Minnesota players to reach the NHL to an NCAA-best 131. Four more joined the list in 2024-25, as Oliver Moore, Sam Rinzel, Jimmy Snuggerud, and Matthew Wood each made their professional debut following their collegiate seasons in Maroon and Gold.
HOCKEY IN THE FAMILY
Family ties run deep in Minnesota men's hockey, with four current players continuing the Gophers tradition. John and Luke Mittelstadt followed their older brother, Casey, who played at Minnesota during the 2017-18 season. Together, the three Mittelstadt siblings have totaled 104 points across 249 career games. Sophomore Beckett Hendrickson also carries on a legacy, his father, Darby, and uncle, Dan, combined for 124 points while each spending at least two seasons in the Maroon and Gold. Beckett is also making a uniform change this year and will wear the same No. 7 sweater as his dad. Freshman LJ Mooney adds to the lineage as well, joining his cousin, Logan Cooley, as two of the program's three Pennsylvania-born players. Cooley left his mark as a First Team All-American after a 60-point freshman season in 2022-23.
The Golden Gophers need to win three games to capture the tournament title and extend their NCAA Tournament streak to six years. That starts Wednesday at Pegula Ice Arena at 6 p.m. (CT), streaming live on B1G+ and featuring audio coverage through the Gopher Radio Network on AM-1130 KTLK only.
LAST TIME ON THE ICE
Minnesota closed the regular season at home against No. 2/3 Michigan State, falling 7-1 Thursday as the Spartans broke the game open with four second-period goals to clinch their third-straight B1G regular-season title. On Friday, the Gophers responded on Senior Night with a 3-3 tie before claiming the shootout victory after erasing a two-goal deficit. Brodie Ziemer and Mason Moe led the charge with a goal and an assist each. LJ Mooney had a pair of assists, while he and fellow freshman Javon Moore scored in the shootout. Luca Di Pasquo turned aside two attempts to secure the team's third-consecutive shootout win.
GOPHERS IN THE B1G TOURNEY
Minnesota holds an all-time record of 15-12 during the B1G Tournament, winning titles in 2015 and 2021, and are 3-3 when facing Penn State in the postseason. The two teams last met in the 2024 quarterfinals where the Gophers won both games of the three-game series and have won three-consecutive meetings during the conference event. This year marks the first time the 'U' enters the tournament as a seed lower than fifth and just the third time ever being lower than a No. 3 seed. Wednesday also will be the first true road tilt for the Maroon and Gold since losing in overtime at Notre Dame in the 2019 championship game, holding a 0-2 record on the road.
ZIEMER KEEPS LIGHTING THE LAMP
Brodie Ziemer is operating at a more than point-per-game pace and is leading the Gophers in scoring with 36 points in 35 games, while his 11 power-play goals still owns the NCAA's top spot. The sophomore closed 2025 on a blistering run, lighting the lamp in six of the final seven outings with a pair of three-game goal streaks and piled up eight goals and 11 points across that stretch. The Chaska, Minn., native delivered back-to-back multi-goal efforts at Ohio State in December to earn B1G First Star honors (Dec. 9). Ziemer has continued that trend in 2026, finding the back of the net 11 times in 16 games for a career-best 23 goals, which ranks fourth in the country and tied for the most of any B1G skater. His two-goal effort in the upset win at No. 2 Michigan on Feb. 26 stretched his point streak to a career-best eight games and gave him 18 goals in a 21-game span since Nov. 14.
MOONEY MAGIC
LJ Mooney's breakaway goal to close the sweep of the Fighting Irish on Nov. 8 highlighted the speed and skill of the Gophers' rookie. It was the first multi-point night of his young career, and he has taken off down the stretch, tallying eight more multi-point performances to put up 23 points in the last 20 games. He has more outings of multiple points than times being left off the scoresheet during that stretch. The West Mifflin, Pa., native has at least one point in 15 of 17 series played, totaling seven goals and a team-leading 23 assists, which ranks fourth among NCAA freshmen. Eighteen of those points have come during Minnesota's 27 total power-play goals where his vision and creativity are on full display. His two points in the series opener versus Ohio State (Feb. 6) stretched Mooney's point streak to seven games, the third-longest of any Gopher this season.
LAMB PILES ON POINTS
Senior captain Brody Lamb has been a driving force behind the Gophers' offense, tying for second on the team with a career-best 30 points on 14 goals and 16 assists. He reached double-digit goals for the third-straight season with the 15th power-play tally of his career versus Michigan (Jan. 17). The Byron, Minn., native posted consecutive three-point outings at Denver (Nov. 29) and Ohio State (Dec. 4), recording four multi-point performances over the final eight games of 2025 before adding his team-leading eighth multi-point effort of the season against Wisconsin (Jan. 31). By reaching the scoresheet in both outings at Notre Dame, Lamb pushed his point streak to a career-long nine games, the 10th-longest in the NCAA this season, and had five goals and six helpers during that stretch.
LUKE DOING IT ALL
In the late stages of his final college hockey campaign, captain Luke Mittelstadt continues to bear a heavy workload while playing at an exceptionally high level. He's put up 21 points this season in nearly 27 minutes of ice time per game against the nation's top forward groups. The Eden Prairie, Minn., native is second for the Gophers with 19 assists, leading the B1G and 13th among all NCAA defensemen, with 15 of those points coming while running the blue line on the man advantage. His first goal of the year, a power-play game winner against Notre Dame (Nov. 8), ended a 23-game scoring drought and capped the series sweep, while his second goal was also the winner to finish a B1G sweep of No. 8/7 Wisconsin (Jan. 31). Behind his two-assist effort in the upset over No. 2 Michigan on Feb. 26, the senior crossed the 20-point mark for the third time in his four-year career, becoming the 15th defenseman to record such a feat in program history.
LUDTKE PROVIDES LATE SPARK
Junior Tanner Ludtke has provided a timely boost to the Gophers' offense down the stretch, finding a rhythm as the regular season closed. The forward recorded two goals in the last four games and carried a three-game point streak into the season finale, helping generate momentum in the lineup. The Lakeville, Minn., native finished the final nine games of the regular season with five points, showcasing an uptick in production at a key moment, adding scoring depth heading into the postseason, while all six of his goals scored this season have come against top-10 opponents.
AN INSIDE LOOK AT PENN STATE
The Nittany Lions closed the regular season at home getting swept by Wisconsin and have struggled down the stretch, holding a 2-5-3 record over their last 10 outings with five of those contests going into overtime. Penn State continues to produce at a high level offensively, averaging 3.7 goals per game thanks to a power play that converts 27.3 percent of its chances, both of which rank seventh in the country. The team remains the NCAA leader in penalty minutes per game at 19.3 a night and 656 total minutes, which is nearly 400 minutes more than the Gophers' total of 276. Freshman Gavin McKenna sits second nationally at 48 points to pace the B1G and his 34 helpers are the most in the nation. Matt DiMarsico leads the team with 17 goals and has totaled 40 points this year. Goaltenders Joshua Fleming and Kevin Reidler continue to split the minutes with Fleming holding the statistical edge behind a 2.59 goals-against average and a .924 save percentage, but Reidler has 11 victories.
HISTORY WITH THE NITTANY LIONS
Minnesota holds a 33-22-1 (.598) record in the all-time series versus Penn State that dates back to the 2013-14 campaign. The Gophers dropped the final three meetings in the 2025-26 season series after claiming an upset in the first matchup back on Nov. 21. Under Coach Motzko, the Maroon and Gold are just 6-7-1 in games at Pegula Ice Arena having lost four of the last five road games with the only win coming in the regular-season finale a year ago that clinched a share of the B1G title for Minnesota. This season, Brodie Ziemer is the only Gopher to record multiple goals versus PSU, while Javon Moore has a team-best three points in the four games. Goaltender Luca Di Pasquo owns a remarkable .941 save percentage and a 2.46 goals-against average when facing the Nittany Lions in two appearances.
STREAK FINALLY SNAPPED
After more than 2,000 days without a shootout goal or victory, Minnesota ended both droughts against Boston College on Oct. 10 thanks to a pair of newcomers. LJ Mooney and Tanner Ludtke each converted in the shootout, while goaltender Nathan Airey turned aside both Eagles' attempts to secure the Gophers' first shootout win since Feb. 14, 2020, at Notre Dame. The victory snapped an 11-shootout skid during which Minnesota had gone 28 consecutive attempts without a goal. The Maroon and Gold have kept that winning trend with victories at Notre Dame on Feb. 13 and Mar. 6 against Michigan State to close the regular season. Mooney and fellow freshman Javon Moore provided the goals in both of those shootout wins where the Gophers converted 2-of-3 attempts.
TOP 10 VICTORIES
Thanks to a sweep of No. 8/7 Wisconsin at home to close January and another road upset of No. 2 Michigan last Thursday, the Gophers have now logged six victories over top-10 opponents, accounting for more than half of their total wins this season. The stretch began with a road triumph at No. 8 North Dakota on Oct. 18 and continued with a home victory over No. 5 Penn State on Nov. 21. Minnesota then delivered an upset of No. 4 Denver in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game on Nov. 29 to close the first half of the season, before the wins against the Badgers snapped a seven-game skid. The victory over the Wolverines marked the 53rd top-10 win of Head Coach Bob Motzko's tenure.
PROVEN PATH TO THE PROS
Minnesota continues to make its mark on professional hockey, as 36 players with ties to the program participated in NHL training camps for the 2025-26 season, representing 20 different organizations. The group, which spans back to the 2009 roster, features 15 former team captains and 10 All-Americans. The Gophers' NHL presence remains unmatched across college hockey. A total of 25 alumni skated in the league last season, pushing the all-time number of Minnesota players to reach the NHL to an NCAA-best 131. Four more joined the list in 2024-25, as Oliver Moore, Sam Rinzel, Jimmy Snuggerud, and Matthew Wood each made their professional debut following their collegiate seasons in Maroon and Gold.
HOCKEY IN THE FAMILY
Family ties run deep in Minnesota men's hockey, with four current players continuing the Gophers tradition. John and Luke Mittelstadt followed their older brother, Casey, who played at Minnesota during the 2017-18 season. Together, the three Mittelstadt siblings have totaled 104 points across 249 career games. Sophomore Beckett Hendrickson also carries on a legacy, his father, Darby, and uncle, Dan, combined for 124 points while each spending at least two seasons in the Maroon and Gold. Beckett is also making a uniform change this year and will wear the same No. 7 sweater as his dad. Freshman LJ Mooney adds to the lineage as well, joining his cousin, Logan Cooley, as two of the program's three Pennsylvania-born players. Cooley left his mark as a First Team All-American after a 60-point freshman season in 2022-23.
Coming Home: Danny Hendrickson
Tuesday, March 10
Highlights: Gophers 3, Michigan State 3
Friday, March 06
Highlights: Gophers 2, Michigan 4
Friday, February 27
Highlights: Gophers 4, Michigan 2
Thursday, February 26