It's already been 10 years?

My oh my, time sure does go by fast! It was April 9, 2003 when PrideOnIce.com went down during the week of the Frozen Four in Buffalo where our Gophers were about to repeat as NCAA Champs. If I recall correctly... I think the problem was that Matt & Kyle Barron, the guys who ran POI, were both in Buffalo following the team and could not do anything to get POI back up and running. The fans had no place to go to talk about the team. So I used my family domain to create a temporary message board so the fans had a place to go until POI came back up... That "temporary" message board celebrates 10 years of existence today.

The message board was all the site was at first. Then in August of that year I switched it over from my family domain to GopherPuckLive. Most people came here to see the highlight videos that I would post from each game. That was until someone at FOX saw the Danny Irmen penalty shot video that went a bit viral. They forced me to stop posting videos. This was long before the days of YouTube, so it sucked that I had to stop created them. But I really didn't feel like messing with lawyers. The funny thing is that many of those videos have since been posted to YouTube by other people.

GPL really took off after Matt & Kyle Barron decided to shut down POI on February 11, 2005. At the time we had about 200 registered users, but it was still pretty quiet on the site. Over the next few days GPL added over 150 new users and it's been growing slowly ever since.

I believe that Ryan Cardinal started writing articles for GPL back in the fall of 2005. Though I am not quite s...
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Yale Ends Minnesota Season 3-2 in Overtime
Schmidt and Budish Goals Force OT, But Yale Scores Nine Seconds in Extra Period

Minnesota had high expectations going into the 2012-13 season and while a MacNaughton Cup defense was a big achievement in their last season as part of the WCHA, many fans were disappointed with their early exit in the NCAA losing to Yale 3-2 in overtime.

Minnesota had a five period streak of scoreless of hockey end as Nate Schmidt scored midway into the third and then Zach Budish forced overtime with a goal minutes later. The Gophers didn’t get much of a chance in overtime though, as Yale capitalized on a giveaway and scored nine seconds into the extra period ending the number two overall’s season earlier than most expected.

Erik Haula had one of his strongest games in maroon and gold, but the team effort wasn’t enough to overcome a game where Minnesota was content to play on the edges of the ice at Van Andel Arena. The Gophers too often tried to generate chances from outside the dots, and weren’t able to generate legitimate scoring chances throughout much of the game.

Yale capitalized on two lapses in effort by the Minnesota attack. First, Yale got on the board first in the second period when the Elis took advantage of a turnover at their own blue line for a 4-on-2 rush. Kenny Agostino was the fourth player to join the rush and took a pass from Andrew Miller and snapped the puck into the top left corner at 7:08. Second, Yale added to their lead at 15:28 when they were able to get another chance a...
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PERFECTION!
Photo by: Craig Cotner

Gophers Complete Undefeated Season with 6-3 Win in National Title Game

41 wins, zero losses, zero ties. One national championship.

In perhaps the most anticipated Womens’ college hockey game in history, the Gophers did not disappoint, avoiding the tense moments of the last several games and leading wire-to-wire to capture the title. Tickets to the game were selling for $100 each on the street, and fans that paid that ransom were in for a show. Minnesota got on the board first and never looked back, methodically taking apart Boston University on their way to the NCAA championship.

After a fairly even start to the game, Minnesota struck first as Mira Jalosuo scored her 11th goal of the season on a slapshot from the top of the right circle. Rachel Ramsey and Sarah Davis assisted on the powerplay goal at 11:38 of the first. The Gophers would get out to a 2-0 lead on a shorthanded goal by Hannah Brandt, her 33rd of the season. Amanda Kessel and Baylee Gillanders got the assists, and the assist was Kessel’s 98th point of the year. BU got on the board just 16 seconds later at 18:48 of the period, on Sarah Lefort’s 24th of the year. The powerplay tally would draw the Terriers within one, but that’s as close as they’d be for the rest of the game.

The Gophers dominated possession throughout the second period, and were rewarded with late goals from Amanda Kessel and Milica McMillen (powerplay) to go into the locker room with a 4-1 lead.

BU showe...
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Gophers Shut Out

Gophers Usher Themselves Out of WCHA with Bumbling Effort

It’s probably good that this is the last Final Five for the Gophers. It’s been nothing but a mess for them in recent years and tonight was more of the same. CC continues their hot streak and whitewashes the Gophers in a 2 -0 game that officially signals the end of the road for the University of Minnesota in the WCHA.

The first period was certainly a lot different than the first game of the day. In a stark contrast, the Gophers and Tigers got after it early, with both teams skating well and pressuring the puck. The Gophers got the better of the chances early but as the period wore on, CC got their game together and evened things out. The Gophers had the only power play of the period.

But one minute into the second period things changed for the worse. The Gophers came out charged up and got a couple of good looks, but it was CC – on a harmless looking rush – that got on the board first. Rylan Schwartz soaked Adam Wilcox with a nice shot from the top of the faceoff circle, and CC had the lead they needed to have.

The Gophers didn’t seem fazed initially and charged right back with a couple of nice chances. But it only took one mistake for CC to double their lead. Mark Alt lost control of the puck near the Gopher blue line, and it was turned right over to Charlie Taft, who went five-hole on Wilcox for a 2 – 0 Tiger lead.

The game just had that feel at this point – much like last night – that CC was not the better team on the ice, but they had an edge to their game that their opponent did not have. With that said,...
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"Final" Five Kicks Off

Gophers, Huskies, Whioux, Badgers, Mavericks, Tigers battle for Broadmoor Trophy in St. Paul

The last five games of the WCHA as we know it are set. The greatest tournament in college hockey starts for the last time today.

Thursday's games feature Wisconsin battling Minnesota State-Mankato at 2PM and North Dakota taking on Colorado College at 7PM. The winner of the afteroon game faces St. Cloud State on Friday afternoon, while the winner of the Thursday night game takes on the Gophers on Friday night.

The only road team to win their series in last weekend's first round playoff matchups was Colorado College. The Tigers beat Denver on Friday and Sunday to advance to St. Paul. CC is a team that can be dangerous - they score goals with the best of the WCHA, but they've also given up the most goals of anyone in the league. They'll need to tighten up on defense against an equally high-powered but stingy North Dakota squad.

Wisconsin heads to St. Paul as maybe the hottest WCHA team. The Badgers survived a horrendous start to the season in which they won only two of their first 14 games to finish with home ice in the first round of the WCHA playoffs. The Badgers are 17-5-2 in their last 24 games, and have played their way into the NCAA Tournament bubble. They'll likely need a win or two this weekend to lock up a tournament berth.

The Badgers' first round opponent is a dark horse pick to win it all this season. The Minnesota State Mavericks have a recipe for playoff success - enough scoring when they need it and an elite goaltender. Stephon Williams was chose...
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Gophers Headed To St. Paul

Furious Rally Capped By Marshall Goal With Under a Minute Left

Photo by: Craig Cotner A.J. Michaelson about to undress Walsh to tie the game at 3 For the final WCHA game in Mariucci Arena history, it turned out to be a good one. Bemidji State had their backs against the wall tonight, and they responded with their season on the line. The Gophers did the same, and rallied for three straight goals, including the only two goals in the final period, and get a 4 – 3 win to punch their ticket to the Final Five in St. Paul next weekend.

Beaver forward Jordan George tallied the only goal of the first period. While on their first power play of the weekend, he swatted home a rebound from the goal mouth and the Beavers had a very important 1 – 0 lead. The Gophers were not very crisp to start but did turn the tables on the shot chart by the end of the frame.

The teams traded goals and momentum late in the 2nd period. After Corey Ward put Bemidji up 2 -0 with a tip in goal from the slot, Nick Bjugstad finally got the Gophers on the board, using only seven seconds of power play time to tap home a rebound, and it appeared that momentum had fully shifted. But Jeff Jubinville scored just seven seconds later himself as Wilcox could not control a rebound and Jubinville put it over his glove.

Just as it appeared the Beavers would take a two goal lead into intermission, Erik Haula and Nate Condon teamed up for a huge goal. Haula’s shot on a rush was pushed through ...
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Gophers Win in OT

Rau’s goal in OT Overcomes Stellar Effort by Andrew Walsh

Photo by: Craig Cotner Kyle Rau scores the game winning goal in overtime! “I’m glad we won, obviously” said a relieved Coach Lucia, post-game. “But I liked the way we played all game long” he continued. “It was going to take a rebound goal to beat him.”

And a rebound goal they got. Beaver goalie Andrew Walsh may have earned better tonight. On the flip side, the Gophers could have made it easier by putting away just one more goal out of their plethora of shots. Either way, a win is a win and the Gophers will take it. Kyle Rau put home a rebound of his own blocked shot with 6:42 left in the first OT session and many breathed a sigh of relief with the Gophers now up 1 – 0 in their best of three series with Bemidji State after taking them down 2 - 1 on Friday night.

It was a pretty tame first period, although looking at the shots-on-net stat it wouldn’t appear that way. The Gophers lead 14 – 3 in that category, but outside of a nice stretch early that generated a couple of scoring chances, they didn’t do a whole lot. They did take Bemidji State completely out of their zone though – besides the one breakaway that Adam Wilcox thwarted there were literally no chances by the Beavers.

“Just Coxy being Coxy” said Ben Marshall, of Wilcox’s sharp play when not seeing many shots. “Nothing new.”

The second period was very similar to the first. The Gophers put on an additional fourteen shots on net and held t...
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Second-Season Seconds: Gophers face Bemidji Again

#2 Seed Gophers face #11 Seed Beavers in WCHA First Round Series

If nothing else, the Gophers should be familiar with their first-round playoff opponent this weekend.

After sweeping the Beavers in Bemidji last weekend and winning a share of the MacNaughton Cup as league champions, Minnesota (24-7-5 Overall, 16-7-5 WCHA) will play host to Bemidji State (6-20-8 Overall, 5-16-7 WCHA) in the first round of the WCHA playoffs. The winner of the series will advance to the last Final Five tournament ever in St. Paul next weekend.

The Beavers are the same team they were last weekend. They like to play defense, a more Wisconsin-style team than the run-and-gun that fans see out of teams like Minnesota, UMD or CC. As mentioned during last week's preview, 11 of the Beavers' 34 games this season have gone into overtime. They may find defensive play hard to come by this weekend against Minnesota on the bigger, olympic-size ice. With more room for the Gophers to move, Bemidji could have a tough time clogging up passing and shooting lanes to try and slow down the fast-paced Minnesota transition game.

Minnesota swept only its second WCHA series of the season last weekend at Bemidji, and they picked a good time to do it. Those four points, coupled with a SCSU split at Wisconsin, tied the Gophers with the Huskies for first place in the league. The Minnesota coaching staff's biggest decision this weekend could be on whether to play Brady Skjei or Jake Parenteau as the 6th defenseman in the lineup. However, with repo...
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Four Gophers Garner All-WCHA Awards
Schmidt 1st, Haula 2nd, Bjugstad and Wilcox 3rd

Minnesota had four players receive honors from the WCHA on Thursday. Nate Schmidt and Nick Bjugstad were repeat honorees this season, while these were the first awards for Erik Haula and Adam Wilcox.

St. Cloud State forward Drew LeBlanc was named league player of the year, and defenseman Nick Jensen was named league defensive player of the year. Minnesota State goalie Stephon Williams was named the league rookie of the year, while his coach Mike Hastings was named coach of the year.

Repeat members of all-WCHA teams from 2011-12 were Bjugstad All-WCHA First Team, Schmidt All-WCHA Second Team, LaLeggia All-WCHA Second Team and All-WCHA Rookie Team, Jensen All-WCHA Third Team and Olkinuora All-WCHA Rookie Team.

Voters for the WCHA awards are composed of WCHA coaches, players, sports information directors and local media. Each team receives eight ballots for a total of 96 voters. Points for awards and all-league teams are awarded on a 5-point (for a 1st team vote), 3-point (for a 2nd team vote), and 1-point (for a 3rd team vote) basis. Faculty Athletic Representatives select the WCHA Outstanding Student-Athlete of the Year award winner and league coaches select the WCHA Defensive Player of the Year.

First Team
Ryan Walters-Jr-UNO-16g-24a, Drew LeBlanc-Sr-SCSU-10g-25a, Danny Kristo-Sr-UND-17g-20a
Nate Schmidt-Jr-UMN-7g-19a, Nick Jensen-Jr-SCSU-4g-19a
Stephon Willams-Fr-MSU-1.93 GAA-.927 Sv %

Second Team
Corban Knight-Sr-UND-12g-23a, Erik ...
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Minnesota MacNaugton Cup Co-Champs
Gopher Sweept at Bemidji and Huskies Split at Wisconsin

Minnesota has had numerous chances to sweep conference opponents on Saturday nights this season. Against Bemidji State, the Gophers didn’t leave any doubt besting the Beavers 5-1 in front of a record crowd of 4,415 to earn their second conference sweep of the season.

The win secured Minnesota the second seed in the league and after Wisconsin defeated St. Cloud State 3-2, the Gophers finished as co-champions for the MacNaughton Cup. The Gophers will face the Beavers again next weekend in the WCHA Playoffs at Mariucci Arena.

Minnesota outshot Bemidji State 40-24 and took a disciplined approach with their game Saturday night. The team didn’t force play as often as they have this season, settling into a 1-2-2 forecheck at times, and were able to control the pace of play effectively throughout the night.

Erik Haula got Minnesota on the board first at 4:04 of the first period. Kyle Rau had lead a rush down the ice hitting the pipe, but the Gophers maintained possession and Ben Marshall fed Haula coming late into the zone, who one-timed into the lower-left part of the net for his 16th goal of the year.

Later in the first Nick Bjugstad got his 20th goal of the season while on a 2-on-1 with Christian Isackson. The defenseman committed to Isackson, who dished it across to Bjugstad, and the junior had all the time need to wrist one over the keeper’s glove at 14:42.

The Beavers got a goal back early in the second period when they got a 4-...
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Third Period Goals Lead Gophers to Victory

Holl, Bjugstad Erase One-Goal Deficit

Photo by: Craig Cotner Nick Bjugstad with 2 powerplay goals to lead the Gophers to a 4-3 victory over BSU In the Gophers' recent swoon, their #1 ranked powerplay was stagnant. Only two for their last 20 attempts, the Gophers often gave up as many chances as they produced with the extra attacker.

Friday night's powerplay was a real advantage.

Nick Bjugstad scored twice from his patented left faceoff dot position on the powerplay, and the Gophers overcame a third period deficit to defeat the Beavers 4-3.

The Gophers took an early lead in the first period, with Ben Marshall firing a puck that beat Beaver goalie Andrew Walsh at 5:09 of the period. Before the Gophers could gain a bigger lead, Bemidji answered as Matt Prapavessis put a rebound past Adam Wilcox. The Beaver goal at 9:29 would close the scoring in the first period.

Minnesota would yet again notch an early period goal in the second, as Nick Bjugstad picked the corner on the powerplay at 2:21. Christian Isackson and Erik Haula assisted on the goal. The Gophers would hold onto this lead for nearly the whole period, but a Bemidji goal in the last two minutes of the game knotted the game at 2-2 heading into the 3rd period.

The final frame was Bemidji's time to score an early goal, and Cody Ward got his second tally of the game at 2:30 to give the Beavers their first lead of the game. Minnesota would respond five minutes later, as a gr...
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Minnesota Takes On Bemidji State

WCHA Title in the Balance for the Gophers

This should be a fun weekend of hockey.

While Minnesota's best high school teams duke it out in the State Tournament the X, the Gophers travel to Bemidji to face the 11th place Beavers for the last weekend series of the regular season. Sitting just two points back of St. Cloud and tied with North Dakota, Minnesota will hope to win their games and get a little help from Wisconsin (hosting SCSU) and Mankato (hosting UND) in order to win the MacNaughton Cup for a second consecutive year.

Bemidji State likes to play close games. The Beavers have had numerous close shaves this season - 11 of their 32 games have gone into overtime this year, and BSU holds an 0-3-8 record in those contests. As they don't score a lot (just five games all season scoring more than three goals), the Beavers do best when they limit scoring for their opponents, which is likely what they'll try to do against the high-flying Gophers. BSU is 1-11-0 in games where they allow four or more goals, but they're a much more respectable 5-7-8 in games allowing 3 or less. They'll look to clog up the slot and play the same sort of trap style that teams like Wisconsin and Alaska-Anchorage have had success against the Gophers with in the past. In terms of personnel, the Beavers' leading scorer is Brance Orban, with 8G-13A-21P on the season. Danny Mattson leads the team in points per game with .72 points per game. Andrew Walsh has taken over the goaltending responsibilities from senior Mathieu Dugas, posting a solid ...
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Minnesota Defeats Denver 5-1
Gophers Salvage a Split with Pioneers

Friday night Don Lucia gave his team a sermon following a flat Friday effort and afterwards he noted the team might not feel better, but at least he did. Saturday the whole locker room felt better as #2 Minnesota rode a four goal third period to a 5-1 win over #10/11 Denver.

“It wasn’t pretty last night after the game obviously,” said Erik Haula. “We didn’t play like we’re supposed to, we didn’t have the effort like we should, and it’s understandable the coaches are going to be on us because they know what we are capable of and I think today was a great effort.”

The effort was enough to put Minnesota in a tie for second with North Dakota, and keeping their pursuit of the MacNaughton Cup alive as they got help across the WCHA.

“We needed the two points, and it sounds like around the WCHA we got lucky with some scores, so that was nice,” said Nick Bjugstad.

Michigan Tech topped St. Cloud State 5-1, Wisconsin wailed on Omaha 6-2, and even Bemidji State battled to a 2-2 tie with North Dakota. As the final weekend approaches just four points separate the league’s top five teams. SCSU leads the league with 35 points, Minnesota is right behind with North Dakota at 33 points, Wisconsin and Minnesota State are tied at 31 points, Omaha has the last home playoff spot with 30 points and Denver is in 7th with 29 points.

Lucia shuffled the lines twice on Saturday, first releasing a lineup splitting up Kyle Rau and Bjugstad, who played together for almost the entir...
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Gophers Shut Out

Terrible Effort, Typical Result against Pioneers

This was neither the time nor place for this type of showing.

“When you get outshot 8 – 2 on your own power play on the night” Coach Lucia started. “That’s not going to be your night.”

Denver is a solid team, but an effort like this with two weeks to go in the season is puzzling. The Gophers looked totally lost versus Denver’s neutral zone lock and defensive zone pressure, and lose 2 – 0 on Friday night in front of the quietest group of 10,094 (supposedly) people that you’ll find.

Denver led 10 – 4 in shots on goal after the first period. Neither team had any sustained attack; Denver did a good job in the neutral zone, and easily neutralized the slumping Gopher power play by pressuring the puck.

The game remained scoreless after two periods; the second stanza featured a bit more action but only a few scoring chances for both teams. The second period has not been that friendly to the Gophers this season but they seemed to gain some momentum towards the end with their best zone possession time of the game.

Yet, just when it seemed like the Gophers could take advantage in the third, they give up a goal 18 seconds into the period and it destroyed the game. Adam Wilcox – on the most harmless shot possible – gives up a huge, juicy rebound and Shawn Ostrow – untouched – poked it through. Just an awful goal to give up, but not surprising as Wilcox, over the last couple of weeks, has not been able to control many shots.

The Gophers began working and skating quite a bit harder post-Denver goal but could get little through to the...
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Gophers Host Denver, Hope to End Recent Struggles

Minnesota is 4-3-2 in their last 9 games, 3-13-1 in last 17 against the Pioneers

Yes, that stat above is correct.

Since 2007, the Gophers (21-6-5 Overall, 13-6-5 WCHA) have lost 13 of 17 games against the Denver Pioneers (16-10-5 Overall, 11-8-5 WCHA). This will certainly be a story heading into the weekend. The storylines in the WCHA standings also loom over this series, and they get better and better with each passing week. Six points separate first place from seventh, three points separate first from fourth, and two points lie between the second-place Gophers and the WCHA-leading Huskies. There is a pretty clear separation between seventh and eighth place, which means that seven teams are fighting for the six home-ice spots in the first round of the WCHA playoffs. Denver (along with Wisconsin) is tied for sixth with 27 points. Both teams desparately need points this weekend to achieve their goals (winning the league for the Gophers and avoiding a first-round road series for Denver), so this weekend should have a playoff-like feel to it as both teams take the ice at Mariucci.

Denver, a team that is normally near the top of the league standings year-in and year-out, is having a very un-Denver like season. The team started out strong, going 9-1-0 in their first ten games, then suffered an eight-game winless string before righting the ship and going 7-4-2 in their last 13 contests. That sort of inconsistency seems to pervade the Pioneer lineup, as Denver has scored five or more goals 12 times on t...
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Minnesota Ties Duluth 2-2
Gophers Lose Ground on Huskies

Photo by: Craig Cotner Tom Serratore gets blasted in the 3rd period, in what looks interference to those of us with maroon colored glasses. Gopher coach Don Lucia has left the rink disappointed the past couple Saturday nights. His team has won three consecutive Friday night games only to let points get away the next night. This Saturday, goals from Mike Reilly and Tom Serratore gave Minnesota a third period lead, but the Gophers couldn’t hold on and tied Duluth 2-2.

“I think in the past we haven’t gotten four point weekends, and that’s really hurting us coming down in the standings,” said Reilly. “With just how tight the standings are, I don’t think we’re satisfied with just three of four points this weekend.“

Bulldogs coach Scott Sandelin came away pleased with his team’s effort this weekend. Duluth blocked 15 shots on Friday night and then followed it up getting in the way of 23 Saturday. The coach wished his team would bring that kind of intensity every weekend.

“Those are the little things in the game that build a lot of emotion on the bench, when guys block shots it’s a big play,” said Sandelin.

Reilly credited the Bulldogs with a great effort, noting it was obvious Duluth wanted the points and that’s why they were sacrificing their body. It didn’t hurt to get a good performance from their number one net minder either. Matt McNeely wasn’t named one of the three stars of the game...
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Gophers Struggle, Beat Bulldogs 5-3 on Rau's Third Period Goal

Photo by: Craig Cotner Travis Boyd whacks at a loose puck as UMD goalie, Matt McNeely, thinks it's already behind him. . Condon, Warning and Haula (2) Added Tallies for the Gophers

Although it was tough at times, it's good to be home.

After splitting on the road last weekend, the friendly confines of Mariucci Arena were kind to the Gophers in the end. UMD came back from an early two-goal deficit and again tied it at three-all at the end of the second period, but Minnesota's offensive prowess won out in the third. The Gophers put away the Bulldogs by a 5 to 3 score.

After a testy first few minutes, Minnesota started the scoring, as Nate Condon streaked into the zone on a one-on-one break before firing a wrist shot that squirted through UMD goalie Matt McNeely's glove and just barely snuck across the line. The goal, at 4:04 from Ben Marshall and Sam Warning, put the Gophers up 1-0 in the period.

For a brief moment it appeared Travis Boyd had given the Gophers a 2-0 lead with 1:42 left in the period, but the goal was waived off because of goaltender interference. Tom Serratore bumped into McNeely just prior Boyd's wrister denting the twine, and although it appeared that Serratore was checked into the goaltender the referees waived off the goal. Boyd would have another point-blank chance with just seconds remaining on the clock, but the mad scramble in front of the net was halted by the buzzer. UMD outshot ...
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Six Regular Season Games Remain as Gophers Host Bulldogs

With just six games left before the WCHA playoffs begin, the Minnesota Gophers (20-6-4 Overall, 12-6-4 WCHA) take on the UMD Bulldogs (10-16-4 Overall, 8-12-4 WCHA), with four points critical for the Gophers against a down Duluth team.

Just two seasons removed from a National Championship victory, the Bulldogs are sitting down towards the bottom of the league. Duluth is 0-6-1 in their last seven games, and have really struggled all season long. UMD has only done better than a split in three series all season long, winning all four games this season against Michigan Tech and sweeping UAA in Anchorage. Both of Duluth's goaltenders have struggled, with freshman Matt McNeely starting 20 games to junior Aaron Crandall's 10. McNeely has better peripherals, with a 2.68 GAA and .898 Sv%, but last weekend coach Scott Sandelin started third-stringer Alex Fons last Friday to send a message to his team. They are struggling to score, with no players averaging more than .90 points per game (senior winger Mike Seidel leads the team at .90 PPG).

UMD's wins have been generally when they are able to dent the twine, which has been tough to do against the Gophers this season. Minnesota has given up more than two goals in just eight of their 30 games (Minnesota is 1-5-2 in those games). The Gophers are only 3-3-1 in their last seven games, but with just three series left to catch the league-leading St. Cloud State Huskies who have a three-point edge they'll need to start winning games. The #42 penalty kill that Duluth has will need to stop the #1 Gopher powerplay this weekend...
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Minnesota’s Chicago Comeback Comes Up Short
Badgers Win 3-2 to Get Series Split

Don Lucia struggled to get his team off Soldier Field’s outdoor ice as their Saturday night practice ended. Sunday night Gopher fans were hoping the team could stay out there just a little longer to complete their comeback attempt. Seth Ambroz and Zach Budish each scored in the third period, but Wisconsin held on for a 3-2 win at the Hockey City Classic.

“I thought their resolve was a little better than ours. I thought their shot blocking was better than ours today, and normally we’re a very good shot blocking team,” said Lucia. “I think Tom Serratore took one, it didn’t feel great, but other than that I didn’t see very many times where guys stepped in front of shots and got in those shooting lanes.”

Gopher goaltender Adam Wilcox has bailed out his team time and time all year, but Sunday the puck didn’t bounce his way. Wisconsin got three goals in the second as teammates failed to block shots, Wilcox struggled to control rebounds, and Gopher defensemen weren’t able to keep Badgers from pouncing on them.

Lucia thought the game was a good primer for what playoff hockey would be like for his team, and a good learning experience. The coach noted his team would need better resolve blocking shots, getting pucks to the net, and getting the hard goals games like these require.

“Give Wisconsin credit, they went to the net and they made plays,” said Budish. “Whether it was off their stick, off a shin pad, they were in position to make plays.”

Joel...
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Gophers, Power Play, Take Down Bucky

Three for Four Effort Nails down Huge Friday Night Win

When it comes to close, tight hockey games, everyone knows how important special teams can be, especially as February turns to March. The Gophers made sure everyone knows how dangerous they are going to be as they turned the Badgers inside-out with three power play goals in a 3 – 2 win on Friday night over the Badgers.

Wisconsin took the lead in the first with a typical Badger goal – one seemingly coming from nowhere as they certainly weren’t putting on much pressure. Nic Kerdiles deposited a rebound from a shot by Mark Zengerle as Adam Wilcox was way too far out of his net and Kerdiles was wide open for an easy tap in.

The game started to ramp up quite a bit just after this, with both teams connecting on some big hits. The Gophers were able to take advantage of the rougher play by drawing a power play, which lead to a tie game at intermission. Sam Warning tapped in a goal similar to the first goal by Bucky, after Ben Marshall put a great shot on net. The puck bounced off of Badger goalie Joel Rumpel’s toe, and bounced right to Warning, who slapped it in.

The only sustained pressure in the 2nd period for the Gophers lead to a double-penalty call on Joe Labate. The Gophers actually started losing significant momentum as the four minutes wound down, landing only a couple of shots on net. But they settled into the Badger zone, and Nate Schmidt set up Nick Bjugstad for a laser beam sent past Rumpel which put the Gophers up 2 – 1 after two periods.

The Badgers put on some pressure to start the third...
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Gophers, Badgers to Fight for Crucial WCHA Points

Minnesota Down Five with Eight Games Remaining

Points are on the mind of every player and coach as time ticks away on the WCHA season.

The Minnesota Gophers (19-5-4 overall, 11-5-4 WCHA) travel to Madison (Friday) and Chicago (Sunday) this weekend to battle the Wisconsin Badgers (12-9-7 overall, 9-6-7 WCHA), with vital league points up for grabs.

Wiconsin sits tied for fifth place in the league with 25 points, but is just three points out of second place and in danger of dropping out of home ice for the playoffs. The Gophers, on the other hand, sit tied for third at 26 points (with two games in hand on the rest of the league), five points out of first and two points out of seventh. Both teams ahead of Minnesota in the league standings are off this weekend, so the Gophers can close to within one point of first place St. Cloud State with a road sweep of Bucky.

We know who these teams really are with 3/4 of the league schedule already completed. Wisconsin is a grind-it-out team that wins ugly. Having scored more than three goals in just six games this season (CC, UAA x 2, Alabama-Huntsville x 2, Mankato), the Badgers will not be confused for an offensive juggernaut. However, they're only one point back of the Gophers this year because they play great team defense. Wisconsin has given up only 57 goals on the season, but they've only scored 63. Bucky has only lost twice since being swept at home by Mankato on November 24th, and defense is the key: through the Manakato sweep in late November, the Badge...
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Furious Gopher Comeback Falls One Goal Short

Huskies Win 4-3 To Maintain Hold on WCHA Race

As the WCHA season winds down, it's looking more and more like the road to the MacNaughton Cup goes through St. Cloud.

Minnesota came into the weekend down five points on the St. Cloud State Huskies in the WCHA race. With two games in hand, the Gophers needed two points at a minimum to stay in the race and three or four to pull closer to the Husky lead. After a Friday win, a Minnesota win or a tie would help them gain ground on the first place Huskies. However, a three-goal third period lead for St. Cloud State proved too much for the Gophers to come back from, and Minnesota dropped the Saturday rematch to remain five points back with only eight games remaining in the regular season.

The game itself was marked by fast-paced, up-and-down action. The first period produced 19 shots on goal (12 for the Gophers, 7 for the Huskies) but no goals. St. Cloud would light the lamp first, as Joey Holka potted his third goal of the season at just 2:39 of the second. Holka grabbed a floating puck out of the air and threw it down at his feet, before half-fanning the bouncing puck towards Gopher goalie Adam Wilcox. The puck fluttered over Wilcox' glove and into the back of the net.

More action followed, and although both teams had quality chances it was St. Cloud's Nic Dowd who found the twine for the Huskies late in the second period to widen the SCSU lead to two. However, two boarding penalties on the same play in the final two minutes of the second period gave Minneso...
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Gophers Take Opener

Haula, Schmidt's Big 3rd Period, Wilcox's Stellar Play Lead Way

Coming off of a bye week, playing on the road in a tough arena against a top-ten team (and conference leader)? No problem. The Gophers doubled up St. Cloud, playing a complete game from start to finish, to a 4 – 2 final, and moved within three points of the conference lead on Friday night.

The first period was one of the stranger twenty minutes you’ll find. At the end, it was tied at one but if not for a couple of controversial calls, the Gophers would have been up 3 – 1. St. Cloud came out with expected energy in the first few minutes. They held the zone well and even rang iron but couldn’t break through. It appeared the Gophers did quickly after but Zach Budish’s put back was disallowed as it was ruled Huskie goalie Ryan Faragher’s helmet had come off.

Nick Bjugstad would not be denied shortly thereafter as he put the Gophers officially on the board at the 8:45 mark with his 14th of the year.

The Gophers appeared to take a 2 – 0 lead on a power play goal by Budish, but he had his second goal of the night taken back as it was ruled Kyle Rau was in the crease and interfered with the goaltender. And as one could predict when watching a lot of hockey – the momentum turned as Joey Benik scored his first career goal towards the end of the period. While the Gophers could have been up more than one at this point, the game was tied at the break.

Erik Haula broke the tie with a nice wrist shot through traffic, soon after the second period began. It was a wildly entertaining period, with a lot of good skati...
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WCHA Heavyweight Clash this Weekend as Huskies Host Gophers

The #1 team in the country squares off against the #1 team in the league this weekend.

The Gophers (18-4-4 overall, 10-4-4 WCHA) have been the #1 ranked team in the nation for six straight weeks, but find themselves looking up at the St. Cloud State Huskies (17-10-1 overall, 14-5-1 WCHA) in the league standings. Minnesota cannot afford to get less than two points in this series and have any hope of winning the MacNaughton cup, while a home sweep would go a long way toward locking up the league title for the Huskies.

St. Cloud has been something of a Jekyll and Hyde team this season. They stand at the top of the WCHA standings by virtue of playing very well in the conference, but a schedule full of impressive conference wins is also dotted with some curious losses. Home sweeps of Denver, Minnesota State and Colorado College as well as taking three of four points on the road in Grand Forks have been big for the Huskies, but their record also includes a home split against RPI, away splits against a terrible Alaska-Anchorage team (UAA's only WCHA win on the year) and a very mediocre Minnesota-Duluth, and being swept at home against Northern Michigan and away by a good New Hampshire team.

For all their interesting losses, though, St. Cloud has not fallen in the conference since the start of the new year. The Huskies are riding a six-game unbeaten streak that includes an impressive sweep of Denver (the first time DU had been swept in 60 WCHA series'). SCSU features a balanced attack that includes a talented freshman tandem of Kalle Kossila (12G-13A-25P) and Jo...
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Gophers Survive Late Mankato Surge to Earn Weekend Split

Holl, Schmidt, Budish, Haula Score in Victory

The Minnesota Gophers had not lost two games in a row all season leading into this weekend’s home-and-home series against the Minnesota State Mavericks. After losing Friday’s game on a last minute Maverick goal, Minnesota would need a win Saturday in Mankato to escape the series with an important two points in the WCHA race.

Luckily, the outcome of Saturday night’s affair was only in doubt for only a few short minutes in the third.

The rematch between the Gophers (18-4-4 overall, 10-4-4 WCHA) and Mavericks (16-9-3 overall, 10-9-1 WCHA) was a high-intensity affair from the opening whistle. Both teams opened the period skating hard and creating chances. However, the Gophers were able to capitalize on several opportunities early to build a lead they’d never look back from.

Justin Holl broke the ice for the Gophers at 12:35 of the first, as he carried a breakaway from his own blue line and fired a shot that squirted through Maverick goalie Stephon Williams, the puck crossing the goal line just before the net was knocked off its’ moorings. The unassisted goal was Holl’s first of the year, and one well deserved, as the converted defenseman has been putting in yeoman’s work on the Gopher third and fourth line all year long.

Coach Lucia seemed to agree. “Justin’s been a real team guy all year long. I put the third line out first tonight because I thought they were the best line last night, creating chances. He’s had a lot of chances this year, good to...
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Gophers Lose In Crushing Fashion

Poor Defense Dooms Goldy, Mavericks Get Winner Late

Both coaches were dead-on in their pre-series thoughts. This was a very tight game tonight, one that the Gophers had within their reach; but they couldn’t maintain their play for sixty minutes, and that costs them in a 2 – 1 loss to the Mavericks on Friday night at Mariucci Arena, giving up a brutal goal with 44 seconds left.

Some were worried about a hangover after their three point weekend against UND last weekend. But, the Gophers came out strong and took play to the Mavericks, getting some decent looks. But Maverick goalie Stephon Williams was up to the task and as the first period went on, the game evened up quite a bit.

It looked good when Nate Schmidt snuck past the Maverick defense and roofed one on an in-close opportunity, about halfway through the 2nd period. But Mankato battled back, and with Nate Condon and Tom Serratore falling asleep at the wheel and ignoring Johnny McInnis at the goal mouth, the Mavericks tied the game after 40 minutes and had all the momentum to steal a game on the road.

Mankato had a lot of play in the first part of the third, but the Gophers battled back themselves and had some chances late. But Mankato took advantage of a massive mental lapse, as freshman Brett Knowles pinched in from the half wall and dumped in a rebound with just 44 seconds left. The Gophers actually had pressure after that – their best maybe all game – but could not tie it up.

Their 10 game unbeaten streak over, the Gophers will now head to Mankato to face what will be a super amped up Maverick te...
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Gophers Face Mankato as WCHA Race Enters Home Stretch

To say that the race for the MacNaughton Cup is tight this season would be a big understatement.

With teams having either 10 or 12 games left to gain valuable WCHA points, eight teams are within five points of first place - which means every game is meaningful. This weekend pits the first-place Gophers (17-3-4 overall, 9-3-4 WCHA) against the sixth-place Minnesota State Mavericks (15-8-3 overall, 9-8-1 WCHA), in a series thick with potential playoff implications.

Minnesota State is probably sick of overtime after their last several weeks. The Mavericks have played four OT games out of their last six contests, going 1-2-1 in those affairs. Since the holiday break, the Mavs have played four conference games, losing twice at home in overtime against Wisconsin before taking three out of four points up in Anchorage. Playing for new coach Mike Hastings, this Minnesota State team has loads of young talent and the chance to place better in the league than they have in a long time. In fact, the Mavericks haven't posted an overall record above .500 since the 2007-2008 season. Their young roster is certainly looking to reverse the losing trend at Minnesota State. The Mavericks are led by a pair of dynamic sophomores: Matt Leitner (10G-19A-29P) and Jean-Paul Lafontaine (8G-16A-24P) are the team's scoring leaders, though senior Eriah Hayes leads Minnesota State with 12 goals on the season. Sophomore Defenseman Zach Palmquist (5G-13A-18P) paces the blueline scoring for the Mavs. In fact, the team only has three seniors that get significant ice time, which means that this...
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Minnesota Ties North Dakota 4-4
Gopher Unbeaten Streak Now 10 Games

Photo by: Craig Cotner The boys celebrate as Nate Condon saves the day and ties the game up at 4. One of college hockey’s great conference rivalries came to a close Saturday night, at least for the regular season. Minnesota and North Dakota entertained all 10,256 fans at Mariucci Arena with a back and forth game ending the series in a 4-4 tie. However, there’s a decent chance these two teams might see each other again.

“It was kind of fitting final at least regular season game of the WCHA between us,” said Lucia. “I wouldn’t be surprised if we see each other down the line here this year.”

The Gophers re-inserted Erik Haula back into the lineup for the series and put him on a wing with Nick Bjugstad and Kyle Rau, but it was the line of Sam Warning, Nate Condon, and Zach Budish that was the most productive for the maroon and gold. Condon tallied two goals and three assists, Budish had a goal and two assists, while Warning had one goal and one assist this weekend. Lucia thought the line was a big reason Minnesota extended their unbeaten streak to 10 games and their effort helped push the Gophers into at least a first place tie in the WCHA.

“I thought Nate was our best player tonight. That line was outstanding and it was kind of fitting that he scored that tying goal,” said Lucia. “Nate is a big reason we just finished this run as we did.”

Condon, Budish, and Rocco Grimaldi all...
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Gophers Finish Strong, Beat North Dakota

Wilcox’s Strong & Timely Goaltending, Condon’s Scoring Lead the Way

Photo by: Craig Cotner UND's goalie, Clarke Saunders, looks over his shoulder for the puck as Nate Condon scores shorthanded. While it was a very tight game and bubbled on the intensity meter, for the most part this game didn’t play out as expected. But the result was a very strong finish in all aspects; Adam Wilcox stopped 24 shots, and Nate Condon had a goal and two assists to lead the pace in a 5 – 1 Gopher win on Friday night to open the much anticipated last regular season series between the rivals as conference opponents.

The crowd was ready to go in the first period…but didn’t have a whole lot to get excited about. It was a feeling each other out type of period, although things bubbled for a short stretch or two. The Gophers had two power plays in the period but didn’t get much going. They did, however, a much better job in the faceoff circle, winning 9 of 16 draws which would continue on the night.

“When the game started, it was kind of tentative on both sides, it was cautious” said Coach Lucia afterwards.

Things got amped up a notch in the second, as was expected. North Dakota was very much the better team for the first part of the period, and they got on the board first after a very fortunate non-off sides call and an even more fortunate bounce. After it appeared Danny Kristo had not cleared the zone, Michael Parks tried a pass to the slot from the...
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Gophers to Battle North Dakota One Last Time in WCHA Play

Photo by: Craig Cotner Nate Condon finishes off UND with the Gophers 5th goal in the NCAA Regional Final last season. The series that many Gopher fans circle on the calendar every year has arrived. Minnesota squares off against North Dakota one last time for WCHA points this weekend, and a lot is on the line.

The Gophers (16-3-3 overall, 8-3-3 WCHA) emerged victorious from two must-win games last weekend against Alaska-Anchorage, while North Dakota (13-6-3 overall, 8-3-3 WCHA) split at home against Colorado College. Those results mean that the two teams are tied for second place (with two games in hand on the rest of the league) in the WCHA standings heading into this weekend. There's more than two rivalry games on the line - a sweep by either team in this series would make them the favorite to win the WCHA heading down the stretch.

The last time these two teams met, the Gophers won 5-2 in the West Regional Final to advance to last year's Frozen Four. The weekend before, Minnesota had built a 3-0 lead in the second period of a WCHA Final Five's semifinal, but North Dakota came storming back, scoring six unanswered goals to win 6-3. North Dakota would go on to win the Final Five. Minnesota has a 144-130-14 all-time record against North Dakota, but the teams have traded wins for the last few years. Minnesota swept North Dakota at home last year, but prior to that their last sweep was in 2005. North Dakota swept Minnesota last in 2009, and last swept the Gophers at Mariucci in 2...
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Gophers Score Seven Sweeping Seawolves
7-1 Win Extends Unbeaten Streak to Eight

Minnesota may have been looking ahead to its upcoming series with North Dakota last night, but left no room for doubt Saturday. The Gophers scored twice in the first and never looked back en route to a 7-1 win over Alaska Anchorage.

Three Gophers got healthy on the stat sheet in the team’s first WCHA sweep of the season. Kyle Rau scored three goals, Nate Schmidt tallied four assists, and Sam Warning picked up three assists. Minnesota controlled play from the drop of the puck, allowing Alaska Anchorage only two shots in the first period, and ended up outshooting the Seawolves 31-13.

“Better start for us tonight, they played so hard last night and maybe losing a heartbreaker like that took a little out of them,” said Lucia. “Our guys came out and played much better and dominated the first period.”

The Gophers are enjoying a streak of eight games without a loss, and more importantly to their coach, are 3-0 without Erik Haula in the lineup. Lucia wasn’t confident if Haula will be back in the lineup next weekend against North Dakota and the Finnish forward will likely test his injury in practice and may be a game-time decision.

The sweep pushes Minnesota’s first half conference record to 8-3-3 and the team welcomes North Dakota to Mariucci Arena next weekend for a series that will play a big factor into their defense of the MacNaughton Cup. This weekend will be North Dakota’s last trip to Minneapolis for at least a few years, and will put one o...
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Gophers Trail in the Third, Rally Late to Beat UAA 4-3

Despite the thrilling win, Don Lucia cannot be happy with his team's effort tonight.

Photo by: Craig Cotner Seth Ambroz watches as Ben Marshall's shot beats Alaska Anchorage goalie Rob Gunderson for the game winner. After rallying back from a 1-0 deficit at the end of a horrible first period, the Gophers led after two but seemed to stop playing in the third, giving up two goals in the final stanza of the game before rallying back with two of their own on a late five-minute-major to beat last-place UAA 4-3

"Sometimes you have to win this way" said Lucia, who seemed more willing to praise his players' efforts than to display any anger at their performance.

The first period was not a good one. Sloppy passing, lethargic skating and a general lack of urgency marked what was ultimately an utterly forgettable first. Alaska-Anchorage won the shots battle 12-8 and, more importantly, won the scoreboard battle 1-0 when Quinn Sproule banged in a wraparound attempt at 5:17 of the period for his second goal of the year.

Although Coach Lucia didn't let on, Nick Bjugstad mentioned the ire the team drew from the coaching staff after that first frame: "We started out a little slow in the first, and we got a well-deserved talking to between periods"

After that talking-to, the second period was all Minnesota. The Gophers drew a penalty early and capitalized at 2:10 when Kyle Rau, in his usual position at the weak-side p...
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Gophers Return to WCHA Play Against Last Place UAA Seawolves

It feels like a long time since the Gophers took the ice against a WCHA opponent. That most recent game, a 4-4 overtime tie in Colorado Springs against the CC Tigers, took place more than a month ago on December 9th. The Gophers are hoping a new year means better luck in the conference, where Minnesota sits in sixth place at 6-3-3.

It could be argued that the Gophers (14-3-3 overall) are a different team now than they were a month ago. Minnesota is riding a three game winning streak coming out of the break, which includes victories over then #1 Boston College and then #2 Notre Dame. The Gophers are playing with a swagger that many predicted they'd have before the start of the year. Minnesota is currently the #3 offense in the country posting a robust 3.65 goals per game, and they're also the #4 defense in the land, averaging 1.8 goals allowed. However, within the WCHA Minnesota has struggled, averaging only 3.0 GPG while giving up 2.5. The team needs to get healthy in the conference and start racking up points.

There's no better team to get healthy against than the University of Alaska-Anchorage Seawolves. The Seawolves are last in the conference with just five points (3-11-4 overall, 1-10-3 WCHA). UAA is on the opposite end of the spectrum when it comes to virtually any statistic you care to look at: third to last in the country at 1.94 goals scored per game, T-46 of 59 teams in total defense at 3.06 goals allowed per game, 54th in powerplay at 10.17%, 47th on the penalty kill at 79%. This should be a team that Minnesota ha...
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Gophers Ice Irish 4-1
Minnesota Finishes Non-Conference Schedule 8-0

While the rest of the WCHA has struggled in non-conference play going 36-31-5, Minnesota knocked off second ranked Notre Dame 4-1 to finish its out of league schedule undefeated. Gopher wins over Michigan State, Canisus, Vermont, and Air Force may not be impressive, but convincing wins over highly ranked Boston College and Notre Dame put Minnesota in good position for pairwise rankings.

“That 8-0 [non-conference record], especially the last two games with BC and Notre Dame, two real high quality wins that’s going to help us at the end,” said Lucia. “Now we got to get back into the league, we’ve got a difficult league schedule the second half when you look at who we have to play coming up.”

The team’s 16-game WCHA schedule starts with Alaska Anchorage and will include games against North Dakota, Minnesota State, St. Cloud State, Wisconsin, Minnesota Duluth, Denver, and Bemidji State. The team starts the stretch hoping they won’t be without leading scorer Erik Haula for too long. Haula’s injury from the BC game kept him out of the lineup Tuesday against Notre Dame and will keep him out of the Alaska Anchorage series before Lucia lets him practice for a potential return against North Dakota.

In the meantime Nate Condon took the Finn’s place on the second line and Mike Reilly manned Haula’s right wing circle spot on the power play. While the team played well during five-on-five situations, the Gophers struggled going scoreless on six opportunities with t...
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#1 Gophers Face-Off Against #2 Irish in Rare Tuesday Tilt

Coming off a dominating performance against former-number one ranked Boston College, the Minnesota Gophers may have expected a reprieve from the fierce competition that BC provided.

At this point in the season, though, the games don't get any easier.

Minnesota (13-3-3 Overall, 6-3-3 WCHA) hosts the #2 ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish (14-4-0 Overall, 10-1-0 CCHA) for a second clash of the college hockey titans in as many games.

About halfway through the season, there's no doubt that Notre Dame deserves its place in this year's upper eschelon of college hockey. The Irish are on a roll, having won six games in a row heading into the holiday break. Their last loss came at North Dakota (they split in South Bend earlier this year), and the Irish have also lost at Boston College and at home against UMD and WMU (with the exception of UMD, all teams ranked in the Top Ten of the most recent USCHO.com Poll.

Notre Dame is led on offense by a pair of Minnesota players. Junior Anders Lee leads the team with 17 points (11G-6A) while freshman Mario Lucia leads the team in points per game at 1.11 (5G-5A-10P in 9GP). Lucia, of course, is the son of Minnesota head coach Don Lucia. He missed the first nine games of the season with a broken leg but has bounced back quickly from the injury, even helping Team USA to a gold medal in the World Junior championship. Junior TJ Tynan is also a dangerous player for the Irish - he may remind many Gopher fans of our own Kyle Rau.

Minnesota currently sits in fifth place in the WCHA, but their strong non-conference showing has them sit...
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Gophers Rout #1 Eagles 8-1

Wilcox Named Tournament MVP, Stopping 49 of 50 Shots

Photo by: Craig Cotner Nick Bjugstad undresses the BC defenseman and scores to put Minnesota up 3-0 in the 1st period. The Gopher coaching staff viewed tonight's game against defending national champion and current #1 Boston College as a measuring stick, to see where the team was at the midway point of the season.

Minnesota measured up pretty well.

The Gophers scored early and often, routing the Eagles in what was a close game on the ice (if not on the scoreboard) through the first two frames.

Boston College controlled the first minute of play, creating several good scoring chances before Minnesota could regain control of the puck. The Gophers took the puck down the ice and drew a penalty right away, and unlike last years' Frozen Four loss to the Eagles, Minnesota cashed in on its chances. Nick Bjugstad pushed BC goalie Parker Milner into the net as the puck fell underneath his body, and the goals poured in from there. Two more in the first (Rau on the powerplay and Bjugstad again on a 1-on-1 break), another in the second (Condon on the powerplay), and four in the third (Schmidt on the powerplay, Ambroz, Rau again and Warning shorthanded). Boston College scored on a 5-on-3 in the third, but it was all over but the shouting.

Bjugstad, Rau, Erik Haula, Jake Parenteau, and Nate Schmidt made the all-tournament team, while Wilcox took home the goalie of the tournament and MVP honors.

BC Coach Jerry Yo...
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Gophers Cruise Over Air Force 4-0
Ryan Reilly Gets First Goal As Gopher

Photo by: Craig Cotner Ryan Reilly celebrates his first goal as a Gopher with Justin Holl. Minnesota was cautioned this week not to overlook Air Force, as assistant coach Mike Guenzel led the team through a video compilation highlighting the Falcons as a team with a habit of grinding out tight games and frustrating top opponents. The message got across and Minnesota got four goals from four different players to beat the Falcons 4-0 in their opening game of the Mariucci Classic.

“We didn’t put a scare into ‘em,” said Air Force Coach Frank Serratore. “The script played out the way everybody thought it would play out. It was 1-0 after the first. It was 2-0 after the second.”

Minnesota defenseman Jake Parenteau started the play to get the Gophers on the board first. The junior defenseman avoided a shot blocker at the point, put the puck off the back wall where Erik Haula collected the puck and from the side of the goal he banked a shot off an Air Force player’s skate into the net at 6:58 of the first period. The goal was Haula’s team leading ninth of the season.

Ryan Reilly got his first goal as a Golden Gopher, converting a Christian Isackson pass into a wrister over Air Force goaltender Jason Torf’s blocker at 5:34 of the second period.

“I’ve been doing really good in practice, I knew this was my chance to play well,” said Reilly. “I felt good getting a goal and having t...
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Gophers Return to the Ice in Mariucci Classic

Will Face Air Force Saturday, Boston College Sunday in Holiday Tournament

Most years, the Minnesota Gophers' annual holiday tournament consists of a couple lower-echelon teams brought in to give the home team a better chance of winning before launching into a rigorous second half of the WCHA season.

Not this year.

Minnesota will play host to the Air Force Academy on Saturday night before squaring off against #1 ranked Boston College in Sunday's finale. Alabama-Huntsville is the fourth team invited to the tournament.

The Gophers (6-3-3 WCHA, 11-3-3 Overall) were very Jekyll and Hyde in the first half - great at some times and disappointing at others. All in all, the team stands in fifth place in the WCHA going into the second half. Preseason All-American Nick Bjugstad has been frustrated and underperforming in the first half. He is tied for the team lead in goals with eight, but at 13 points in 17 games played he is not where he needs to be for this team to reach the lofty expectations many had for it prior to the season starting.

Minnesota's first opponent on the weekend is the Air Force Academy Falcons. Air Force is tied for sixth place in Atlantic Hockey, sporting a 4-4-2 record in-conference and a 5-7-4 overall mark. They hold an 0-2-1 record against the WCHA, tying Alaska-Anchorage in their season-opening tournament while losing to Denver and Colorado College by a combined score of 11-4 in a mid-October series. Perhaps the most interesting storyline from Saturday's tilt is that of Frank and Tom Serratore. Frank is the head coach of Fa...
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Minnesota Ties Colorado College 4-4
Tigers Tally Three in Third to Tie

Minnesota closed out the first half of their season with a 4-4 tie to Colorado College and sits second in the WCHA standings heading into finals week. However, much like Saturday night’s tie almost felt like a loss because of giving up a three goal lead, the team may feel like they’ve squandered their soft schedule by losing nine points in their first 12 conference games.

Minnesota jumped out to a terrific first period getting goals from Tom Serratore driving to the net and forcing one home, Erik Haula tipping in a Kyle Rau shot from a face-off play while on the man-advantage, and then Seth Ambroz getting a seeing-eye goal after he traded places with Nate Schmidt on another face-off play. The Gophers controlled play most of the opening period, despite Colorado College tying them in shots 11-11, and were playing their best hockey since a their season opening series against Michigan State. After the first 20 minutes, the Gophers looked to be in great shape for their first WCHA sweep of the season.

Then 8:30 into the second period the Tigers got on the board to make it 3-1, as Rylan Schwartz tallied a power play goal, beating Adam Wilcox up top from the right wing circle. Minnesota lost their rhythm in the middle of the second losing battles all over the ice until Travis Boyd created a turnover and an opportunity for two defensemen playing forward. Mike Reilly rushed up the ice on a two-on-one rush with Justin Holl and while the Tiger defenseman blocked...
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Gophers Take Down Tigers

Warning, Serratore Goals Hold Up in Road Win

It was reported before the game that the flu was making its way through the team towards the end of the week. No signs of it at all during the game tonight as the Gophers power their way through Colorado College to the tune of a 4 – 2 win on Friday night, netting two huge league points with just one game remaining before the finals/winter break.

The Gophers started out focused and strong, attacking in the offensive zone and played most of the period in the Tiger end. Their fore-check got them an early power play, and while they won’t get credit for it, it basically got them a goal. Sam Warning gained possession of the puck in the neutral zone, skated the puck in the Tiger goalie Joe Howe’s right side and snapped a shot over his shoulder for his first goal of the season. The goal happened only a second after the penalty expired.

Just as the game was evening out as the second period started, Warning duplicated his effort in the second period to double the Gopher lead. Taking a pass at center ice, he crossed up the Tiger defender and flipped the puck to himself, coming down the ice to Howe’s right again. He waited and made Howe commit, and basically scored the exact same goal as a period earlier.

And it was a good thing he got that 2nd goal because after a couple of typical 2012 Gopher mental breakdowns, the game was tied at intermission.

After four Gophers were caught lowing trying for a scoring chance, Mark Alt – who was just a stalwart last season on the back end – couldn’t figure himself out covering a two on one, b...
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Gophers Travel to the Springs to take on Colorado College
Conference Clash will be Minnesota's Last Series before the Holiday Break

In their last games before the break, the Gophers (5-3-2 WCHA, 10-3-2 Overall) travel to Colorado Springs to face the Colorado College Tigers (5-3-0, 8-7-1).

The Tigers have always played a style similar to the Gophers, and this two-game set should be no different. Both teams like to play fast-paced hockey, so expect to see a lot of scoring chances and odd-man rushes as the two teams square off this weekend. CC has scored 59 goals in their 16 games thus far this season, an average of nearly 3.7 GPG. However, they've allowed 55 goals on the year (3.4 GPG), which means that they're comfortable playing in high-scoring affairs. The Tigers feature four upperclassmen forwards that are averaging more than one point per game - Seniors Rylan Schwartz, William Rapuzzi (8G-11A-19P each), and Scott Winkler (10-8-18), as well as junior Alexander Krushelnyski (6-10-16). On the blue line, CC is led by Mike Boivin (6-7-13) and Eamonn McDermott (2-10-12).

In contrast, the Gophers have been content playing low-scoring games throughout the first half. Minnesota has scored 49 goals on the year (3.3 GPG) but has only allowed 28 (1.9 GPG). Look for both numbers to rise after this weekend. Junior Erik Haula (7-12-19) still leads the team in scoring, and so far he's been the best player on the team. Kyle Rau (6-8-14) and Nick Bjugstad (8-5-13) are both having decent seasons, but need to step up their output. The biggest surprise in the first ha...
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Minnesota Holds Off Omaha
Haula Leads Team With 1g, 1a Night

Minnesota started off Saturday night nearly the same way they did Friday night, leading by a goal after 20 minutes. But unlikely Friday night, the Gophers maintained their lead earning a 3-2 win and a split with Omaha.

“We did our stats and we had 50 turnovers and 17 hits last night,” said Lucia. “And guess what, that’s not a very good recipe for winning hockey games and that had to be reversed a bit.”

Minnesota’s coaching staff put it on the team to play smarter with the puck and it showed.

“That was definitely a major emphasis with Coach Guentzel when he talked to our defensemen today,” said Nate Schmidt. “Not only that our forwards get the puck in deep, but it’s on us as a defensive corps to take care of the puck and give ourselves a chance to win.”

The Gophers played more conservatively on the rush protecting the puck, played more dump and chase hockey, and kept a third forward high hockey most of the night to protect their lead. Lucia also departed from his tendency to four roll lines, as he often mixed and matched forwards and defensive pair combinations. Eventually he shortened the bench down the stretch relying heavily on three lines and defensemen Ben Marshall and Schmidt.

“We got down to the last 10, 12 minutes and it was going to be a three line game so we just took our nine guys we felt were playing the best and that was who was going to play,” said Lucia. “I thought the guys did a good job adjusting, because one shift they’re playing right wing...
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Gophers Flat in Loss

Gophers Look Pedestrian as Streak is Snapped

“Well, the chain fell off the bike tonight” said Coach Lucia after the game, accurately describing the action, or lack thereof.

Sloppy, flat and for the most part, uninspired - a good way to describe what transpired at Mariucci Arena tonight. After a 4 – 0 – 2 run that seemed could jump start this team to a longer streak, the Gophers played about as bad of a game as can be imagined in a 3 - 2 loss to UNO on Friday night.

The first period was fairly fast paced; however it led to a bit of sloppy play. Initially both teams just seemed intent on one-upping each other on who could hit the other the hardest and/or most. It lacked flow although the Gophers did get out of the period with a lead. UNO got on the board first, aided by a poor back-check. The Mavericks came up ice on a three-on-two and unfortunately for the Gophers, Christian Isackson couldn’t tie up Dominic Zombo, who tapped in a cross ice pass from Josh Archibald. It was a bad all-around shift for Isackson, who totally botched a Maverick turnover behind their net just seconds before.

“Get it in, get it out” said UNO coach Dean Blais with a big smile after the game, explaining the simplicity that his teams always have played with.

Zach Budish answered quickly for the Gophers on a really bad defensive breakdown in the UNO zone. The puck was headed up the boards but was turned around quickly by Sam Warning, who slid it across to Budish, who was uncovered in the slot. Budish calmly skated in and snapped a shot over John Faulkner’s glove and the game was tied up.

Isa...
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Gophers Host Red-Hot Mavericks in Conference Clash

Riding high on a six-game unbeaten streak, the Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks (4-1-1 WCHA, 8-3-1 Overall) stomp into Mariucci this weekend to take on the continually enigmatic Gophers (4-2-2 WCHA, 9-2-2 Overall).

The Mavericks' three losses on the year have all come at home: against a good Notre Dame team, decent Northern Michigan, and struggling Bemidji State. However, the Mavs seem to be taking care of business when they're supposed to, and have won their last six games (at Michigan Tech, vs. UMD, vs. Alabama-Huntsville). They'll face their first real tough road test this weekend (and second road series of the season) against the Gophers.

The Mavericks have never been awful under fourth-year head coach Dean Blais (63-53-15 as coach of UNO), but last year was Blais' first season with a losing record while coaching the Mavs. Despite losing a lot from last year's squad, Blais appears to have put a very good team on the ice this year. UNO boasts a balanced offensive attack, with eight players averaging at least .8 points per game. So far on the year, the Mavs are led by former Gopher recruit Ryan Walters (6G-10A-16P). Keep an eye out for Dominic Zombo, Zahn Raubenheimer and Matt White on offense as well. On the blue-line, no player in college hockey cuts a more intimidating figure than the 6'8" Andrej Sustr. Sustr has 3 goals and 7 assists on the year to lead all Maverick defensemen in points, but don't look past his fellow junior defenseman Michael Young (3-6-9). All told, 13 different players have scored at least one goal for the Mavs this season.

The Gophers ...
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Gophers Sweep Out East

Gopher fans are thankful for their team putting together back-to-back efforts. And the team is thankful for getting two big wins against a Hockey East squad as Minnesota earned a sweep over Vermont with a 3-1 win Saturday at Gutterson Fieldhouse.

Tom Serratore got Minnesota on the board first in the second period as Rau found Marshall from the corner, and Marshall threw it out front to Serratore. A.J. Michaelson got the game winner just 1:10 later at 3:59 of the second as he converted a Travis Boyd pass.

Vermont stayed tighter than they did Friday night as Jacob Fallon scored a four-on-four goal at 4:15, but Nate Condon tallied an empty netter with 54 seconds left in regulation.

Adam Wilcox picked up the win as Minnesota stretched its unbeaten streak to six games. The rookie netminder made 26 saves to improve to 8-1-2 on the season. The Gophers went 0-for-5 on the power play Saturday night, went 4-for-4 on the penalty kill, and outshot the Catamounts 33-27.

Minnesota returns to Mariucci Arena and welcomes Nebraska-Omaha for a pair of games televised by FSN and carried by ESPN 1500....
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Gophers Overwhelm Catamounts

Bjugstad, Rau & Budish Lead Way

Vermont is clearly not a very good hockey team at this point, but as it is the Gophers needed a game like this. They were all over Vermont from start to finish tonight, and while it took a little while to gain full control of the game, as soon as it happened, the floodgates opened for the first time since opening weekend. Nick Bjugstad, Kyle Rau and Zach Budish each netted a goal and an assist as the Gophers rolled to a 5 – 1 win over the Catamounts on Friday night.

The teams played a fairly fast paced first period without many whistles. The Catamounts had an early power play and a heavy shots-on-goal advantage early, but it was the Gophers who came on and had a plethora of quality chances. After consecutive pipe-shots, Seth Ambroz flashed some patience and nice hands, driving the net on a two on one and tapping home his 4th goal of the season.

After a defensive lapse allowed Vermont to tie the game, Kyle Rau gave the Gophers the lead for good, late in the period. A defensive lapse of their own, the Catamounts – instead of getting a whistle as the puck lay on the back of their net – they decided to loosen it with Zach Budish standing by. Budish chipped it over to Rau, who snapped a tough-angle shot over Vermont goalie Brody Hoffman.

The second period is when the barrage started producing goals. The Gophers tallied three times, in somewhat methodical fashion. Out of the gate, Zach Budish popped in a power play goal through traffic from the slot. Then, just after his penalty expired, Nick Bjugstad corralled a pass while c...
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No Use Crying Over Spilled Points
Gophers Move Into 2nd Place in WCHA with Three Points From Bucky

Minnesota sits near the top of the polls and the WCHA, but the message boards have spent the past few Sunday mornings crying over the Gopher’s spilled points. Junior Tom Serratore stepped onto the ice at the right time to change the discussion Saturday night, scoring the game-winner and securing three of four points in a 3-1 win over Wisconsin.

“For us it was great to see a guy that doesn’t score a lot, score a big goal, “said Gopher coach Don Lucia.

After a long shift in his own end, captain Zach Budish finally broke the pressure with a pass to Erik Haula. Haula narrowly avoided a knee-to-knee check from Wisconsin defenseman John Ramage at the blue line and found Serratore fresh off the bench. The fourth liner converted his chance, using the defenseman as a screen and ripping a wrister past Badger goalie Joel Rumpel.

“Last night we felt we had some chances, and didn’t capitalize on them,” said Nick Bjugstad. “Tonight we were missing the net a little bit, but luckily we executed on some of those goals, and Tom Serratore came up big with the game winner.”

The Gophers controlled the game early, but Bucky got on the board first with a shorthanded goal. Minnesota lost the puck at the top of the slot to Wisconsin forward Ryan Little. Little led a two on one rush up the rink, snuck a pass through Mike Reilly to Brendan Woods, and Woods one-timed the puck past Wilcox at 16:24 of the first period.

Christian Isackson sparked the Gophers midway in the second perio...
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Gophers, Badgers Skate to Tie

Gophers Offensive Struggles Continue

The Gophers are certainly not playing poorly. But something just isn’t right at this moment with our favorite squad as the offense is still coming up fairly dry. They put 43 shots on net but fail to break through the Badger wall more than twice in a 2 – 2 tie to open the weekend series with Wisconsin on Friday night.

The first period was somewhat odd in that the Badgers were the team with the jump initially, and even to the degree of being more aggressive than the Gophers for the first twenty minutes. Bucky certainly was ready to play and not in a good mood – possibly due to what Coach Lucia referred to post-game concerning the breaks in the Badger schedule this early in the season.

The teams traded goals just seconds apart, about five minutes in. The Gophers got on the board first, Zach Budish scoring his second goal of the season after a non-Badger like defensive breakdown. Mike Mersch tied it up immediately afterwards, banging home his own rebound after a very Gopher like defensive breakdown.

“A couple of key points in the game” said Coach Lucia after the game. “When we scored, they had good shifts after that.”

The Gophers had a goal disallowed later in the period, a fairly questionable call as Seth Ambroz appeared to poke home a loose puck on the power play, but the referee behind the net blew his whistle early and upheld his no-goal call after replay.

The second period showed more of the same, Gopher talent and warts. Erik Haula netted his 6th goal of the season, on the power play, with a nice wrist shot through ...
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Gophers Face Depleted Badger Squad in Border Battle

Coming off three disappointing weekends that still netted the team seven league points, the Gophers (6-2-1 Overall, 3-2-1 WCHA) return home for their first full home series in more than a month to renew their rivalry with the Wisconsin Badgers (1-4-1, 1-2-1).

The Badgers have had a rough go of it thus far, both in league play and overall. Wisconsin will likely be missing their best player in junior forward Mark Zengerle (2G-4A-6P on the season thus far), as well as NCAA-suspended forward Nic Kerdiles. The Badgers have had pretty solid goaltending from sophomore Joel Rumpel (2.37 GAA, .919 Sv%), but have scored more than two goals just once on the year, and have scored a paltry 11 goals in six games. They will need to lean on forwards Michael Mersch (4-0-4) and Tyler Barnes (1-2-3) to ignite their offense in Zengerle's absence.

The Gophers, on the other hand, don't seem to have much trouble putting the puck in the net. Minnesota has scored 31 goals in nine games (just over 3.5 per game), led by Erik Haula (5-6-11) and Nick Bjugstad (5-2-7). However, after the first series of the season against Michigan State, the U has only averaged just over 2.5 goals per game (19 in 7 games). The Gophers are giving up two goals per game (18 in nine games played), but they seem to fall prey to giving up goals in bunches off of defensive breakdowns. They'll need Nick Bjugstad get better as the season progresses - yes he's leading the team with five goals, but the preseason All-American needs to step up his game and be an offensive leader of the team on the ice night in and night...
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Minnesota Earns Saturday Night Point
After a dominating win on Friday night, the Gophers put themselves into the box and into a battle with Alaska Anchorage Saturday. The Seawolves capitalized with a power play goal in the first, added another goal early in the third, but Erik Haula’s game tying goal in the third allowed the Gophers to leave Alaska with three points.

The Seawolves chose to live dangerously early in the first period, taking a penalty just 18 seconds into the game after giving up four power play goals on Friday night. Travis Boyd led a power play breakout up the rink, dished to Seth Ambroz on the left wing, who got his third goal of the year by firing one from off one knee past Seawolves goalie Rob Gunderson.

Alaska Anchorage, 0-2 on power play Friday night, got three chances in the first period Saturday, and tied the game on their third chance when Jordan Kwas found some open space in the slot and Blake Tatchell found Kwas to tie the game.

Alaska Anchorage took a lead in the third period as Alex Gellert banked one off a shin pad to beat Adam Wilcox at 5:38 in to the third. Haula then tied the game at 13:31 of the third when Mark Alt found him during a neutral zone regroup and the Finn broke into the zone to beat Gunderson with a quick release wrist shot.

The only lineup change for the Gophers from Friday to Saturday was Justin Holl dressing instead of AJ Michaelson. Also, after picking up his second collegiate shutout, Wilcox got a back-to-back start and his sixth consecutive start for the Gophers. He was steady in net for Coach Don Lucia making 21 saves.

Minnesota currently sits in fourth place in th...
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