The Gophers entered this weekend at Pegula Ice Arena already clinching the Big Ten Regular Season Championship.

All they could hope to do this weekend was amplify their national clout going into the NCAA Tournament. They succeeded with flying colors, blowing out the Nittany Lions on Friday and coming back in overtime on Saturday.

Five-goal second period blasts Gophers to victory

The homecoming to the state of Pennsylvania was picture-perfect for forward Logan Cooley. In the second period, the star freshman achieved 5 points off of a goal and four assists. No other player in the Big Ten has scored five points in a game, let alone a period.

“I think it was a solid effort by our whole team,” Cooley said. “Obviously, last weekend we didn’t like the way we backchecked, so this was a nice bounce back game.”

The start of the game played Penn State’s way, with the team leading in shots on goal five-to-two before Gophers forward Connor Kurth received a pass dead in the center slot for a score. At the conclusion of the first period, Jimmy Snuggerud added to the lead off a Carl Fish rush and Matthew Knies assist to put Minnesota at a two-goal advantage heading into the first intermission.

“Starting the game, I got a little bit of nerves — [I] hadn’t been playing as much as I’d like — but after the first few shifts, I settled right in and felt good,” Fish said, who is going to see more playing time with defenseman Brock Faber and Ryan Chesley nursing upper body injuries. “Luckily, Knies made a nice play on the blue line and it happened to go in.”

The game continued to go Minnesota’s way in the second period. Cooley made an acrobatic 360 on the left side of the crease and found Knies on the other side, 36 seconds in, bringing the score to 3-0 for the Gophers. Two minutes later, Ryan Johnson tacked on his first goal in a month, fitting in the puck from the left circle in front of a crowded net.

Penalties soon started to accrue for the Nittany Lions, including a critical five-minute major. That major penalty was the catalyst for Snuggerud to find the back of the net for a second time and Jackson LaCombe to score his eighth goal of the season as a defenseman. Halfway through the game, the score was 6-0 for Minnesota.

“I like how we practiced all week, I liked our energy,” said head coach Bob Motzko. “You can’t let Penn State get going, they’re dangerous. They want to spread the rink around and we’ve gotta stay in layers, and our defensemen did a terrific job of that tonight.”

Before the second period’s conclusion, Cooley was able to net a backhanded breakaway to give Minnesota a total of 7 goals.

Penn State managed to get on the scoreboard twice. The first goal was on Justen Close in the second and another in the third period on Owen Bartoszkiewicz who took over for Close halfway through the final frame. Close finished with 35 saves and Bartoszkiewicz pushed four shots aside in his late effort.

Minnesota won 7-2.

Knies nets two clutch goals as Minnesota comes back late

Penn State had a short memory Saturday, as they played more ruggedly defensively and were more opportunistic on offense, scoring with under 30 seconds into the contest and fending off the Gophers successfully for the rest of the opening period.

Rhett Pitlick and the rest of the Gophers woke up in the second period with Pitlick collecting the puck from the blue line and skating it home to tie the game one a piece. The Gophers nearly took the lead with Garrett Pinoniemi’s second goal of the season but it was waved off due to incidental goalie contact.

“I’m glad my linemate Connor Kurth chipped that to me and perfectly lined it up on my stick,” Pitlick said.

The final period featured stellar play from each side’s goaltending units, with both teams shooting a combined 26 shots on net. No shot cashed in until Danny Dzhaniyev received a great pass from behind the net right in front of Close and gave Penn State a 2-1 lead with two minutes remaining.

Enter Knies. The sophomore from Phoenix is no stranger to late game noise this season as he has had six game-winning goals. This time was different because he didn’t just win the game, he also tied it with 40 seconds remaining. Snuggerud maneuvered behind the net and near the left boards and somehow passed it between a flurry of skaters to an open Knies on the right crease for a one-time goal.

In 3-on-3 overtime, Knies one-timed a shot again from the right circle off of a play by Cooley, spinning around a Penn State defender and faking out goalie Liam Souliere, dishing it to his teammate for the win.

“It was a full 60 minutes from our whole group,” Knies said. “The resiliency in the last minute to find the back of the net…Snuggy made a really nice pass there for me…a really good showing for all of us.”

Knies now leads the country with seven game-winning goals and Minnesota will finish its regular season slate with a two-game series back at 3M Arena at Mariucci against No. 10 Ohio State. Friday’s game will start at 8 p.m. on ESPNU and Saturday’s 4:30 p.m. matinee will be televised on the Big Ten Network.

“Overall, I liked how our team played all week long, man-to-man, shift-to-shift,” Motzko said. In anticipation of this week’s series, Motzko said he sees the Buckeye squad is playing “awfully well.”

After a week off, the Gophers failed to secure the 2022-23 Big Ten Regular Season Championship label. They lost 3-1 on Saturday against the Badgers, splitting the weekend series in rival territory.

Close dazzles in between the pipes

The Badgers came out peppering the Gophers to a 21-3 shots on goal advantage during Friday’s game. Most of that offensive onslaught was due to a five-minute major penalty on Jackson LaCombe for game misconduct.

Even though a chunk of the man-advantage was negated with a Wisconsin penalty, the Badgers were buzzing. However, the brick wall that is Justen Close kept them at bay for the period; he made his best save of the season, gliding from one side of the crease to the other to make a terrific glove save. With a Logan Cooley goal from a Matthew Knies forced turnover, the Gophers somehow were ahead 1-0 at the end of the first period.

The next two periods played out better for Minnesota because they were more consistent offensively. Just over a minute into the second period, Ryan Johnson found Jimmy Snuggerud near the top of the left circle to make it a 2-0 game. Bryce Brodzinski blasted a one-time shot, fed from Rhett Pitlick with about eight minutes left in the period, which would remove Badger goalie Jared Moe, who saved four of seven shots.

Brodzinski didn’t take his foot off the gas pedal as he nailed a shot from in front of new Badger goaltender Kyle McClellan. This was the senior’s second two-goal game in the last four games.

Not long after, Wisconsin broke Close’s shutout bid. Close still made 36 total saves in the game, and the Gophers closed out the match 4-1.

“Justen was the difference in the game tonight,” Minnesota head coach Bob Motzko said. “They could have really gotten some momentum early in the game. Our penalty kill did a decent job, but Justen was our best penalty killer.”

Ticky-Tack call burns Gophers

A positive for Minnesota on Saturday compared to Friday’s contest was their aggression, finding more than a few good opportunities to take a 1-0 lead. They cashed in with 92 seconds remaining in the first period with Cooley picking up the assist for a Mike Koster shot from the point. The Badgers would battle back to send the game to a 1-1 draw at the end of the first thanks to Cruz Lucius, who was formerly committed to Minnesota in summer 2022.

Wisconsin wore out the Gophers in the second period in a back-and-forth affair with shots flying on both sides of the ice at a consistent clip. Daniel Laatsch broke the tie for the Badgers and Wisconsin took its first lead of the season series. This lead would diminish, briefly.

Connor Kurth managed to get the equalizing goal, but the play was challenged by the Badgers’ bench for too many men on the ice, and the goal was wiped away. The Gophers attempted to claw back with a Brody Lamb shot ricocheting off the crossbar. Carson Bantle increased Wisconsin’s lead by juking out Jaxon Nelson and striking from the right circle.

In the final period, Minnesota put up a valiant effort to come back, putting up 14 shots compared to Wisconsin’s nine, but the Badgers walked away victorious, upsetting the top team in the nation 3-1. This is the Gophers’ first regulation Big Ten Conference loss since November.

“Wisconsin deserved to win,” Motzko said. “The ref told me our guy was at the center circle and he touched it 10 feet from the boards…they [Wisconsin] played with desperation and outworked us in stretches of the game.”

The now second ranked Gophers (Quinnipiac taking the top spot Monday) will travel to Penn State to take on the Nittany Lions on Friday and Saturday. Both games commence at 5:30 p.m. on the Big Ten Network.

Brock Faber and Jackson LaCombe have been consistent blue-line forces to be reckoned with since 2020, and this year they are finally being nationally recognized for it.

The two defensemen are leading the No. 1 ranked Gophers to Frozen Four favorite status along with being nominated for some hardware — one of the most iconic individual awards in college hockey, The Hobey Baker award.

Both skaters were drafted in the second round of the NHL Draft, with LaCombe selected by the Anaheim Ducks in 2019 and Faber chosen by the Los Angeles Kings in 2020 before being dealt to the Minnesota Wild in 2022.

“They had every reason to leave … But they came back for a reason, right here,” said head coach Bob Motzko, pointing towards the Minnesota M on his shirt. “They came back for their teammates and program and how big is it? It’s monstrous and it proves that you don’t have to leave early all the time.”

Both players hail from prominent hockey towns in Minnesota — Faber from Maple Grove and LaCombe from Eden Prairie, although he played at Shattuck St. Mary’s in high school. They’ve been around the game their entire lives, making them easy to mold into leadership positions.

Now that the waiting for the baton to pass has finished, team captain Faber and assistant team captain LaCombe are evolving.

“The biggest thing with LaCombe is now his physicality. He’s developed his body to be rock-solid to add strength to his talent, growing his confidence,” Motzko said. “Faber was kind of a manchild when he got here and he just needed to mature. But already he’s a world-class defender and now this is the first time he’s been a veteran. So now he’s not chasing older guys so he’s got a calmness and coolness of his game, making him a more complete player.”

This season, LaCombe has doubled his average season scoring total from his previous three years playing for Minnesota. The senior already has seven goals.

“Obviously Comber [LaCombe] is a very special hockey player and an even better person,” said Faber. “All the guys look up to him and his amazing work ethic. We all love him and what he’s done for this program, which is much more than what the naked eye can see. It’s something a lot deeper with the culture and the stuff he brings on a daily basis.”

Faber, the reigning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and only 20 years old, has led the Gophers this season to a 1.71 average scoring margin against opponents, the second-highest in the nation. He also holds a +19 plus/minus margin, third on the team behind freshmen phenom forwards Logan Cooley and Jimmy Snuggerud, who are in joint first place.

“He’s a star player and obviously such a high talent and hard-working kid,” LaCombe said. “Just to see his growth over the last few years has been awesome, and I have taken some stuff from his game too, so he’s helped me a lot too.”

Only nine defensemen have won the Hobey Baker award. If Faber or LaCombe win, they would be the first Gopher to win since Jordan Leopold during the 2001-02 season when the Gophers won the first of back-to-back national championships. The Gophers haven’t won a national championship since the second half of that two-season span in 2002-03.

LaCombe currently has 7 goals and 19 assists (26 points) with a career-best nine-game point-scoring streak this year. Faber has 3 goals and 17 assists (20 points) with a career-best six-game point-scoring streak this year.

Unlike the overtime affairs with their most recent opponents, this series against No. 15 Michigan State was clockwork for the second-ranked Minnesota Gophers.

Close shuts out Sparty for a second time

On Friday, Michigan kept a tight watch on stud forward Logan Cooley. After the first faceoff, you could tell Michigan State didn’t have the same plans. Cooley won possession of the puck and lurked in the middle of Michigan State’s zone for a score nine seconds in.

“They’re having a good season too,” said head coach Bob Motzko about his opponent they have beaten handily on a consistent basis. “This is just one that went our way.”

That was how the game played out, a complete Gophers avalanche over a team they’ve consistently dominated. Everyone cashed in from the blue line down to the crease. Jimmy Snuggerud notched a goal exactly where his linemate Cooley scored his first.

Connor Kurth from the left crease, Matthew Knies tipped one in, Mike Koster banged a blue line bomb, Jackson LaCome sniped a slapshot, Huglen completed a 2-on-1 and freshman forward Garrett Pinoniemi notched his first goal as a Gopher. Eight goals to none.

“Obviously Pino scoring … all the guys love him, he’s the best and it was fun to see him get on the board,” captain Brock Faber said on Pinioniemi’s first score.

Justen Close completed his fifth shutout of the season (20 saves), which ranks fifth in the nation (second against the Spartans this year).

“It’s every game … he’s always calm no matter what,” Koster said about his goaltender. “I think he was actually really big tonight. There were a few times where we got caught, we were extended and he was able to freeze the puck … he played really good tonight.”

Snuggerud scores twice as Gophers complete season sweep

Unlike in Friday’s shellacking of the Spartans, Michigan State came out with something to prove on offense in game two on Saturday, shooting the game’s first nine shots out of ten on goal. Finally in the second period, on a Minnesota powerplay, Michigan took a 1-0 lead, which would only last for about a minute in a back-and-forth affair for the rest of the period.

Snuggerud corralled the puck and fired home his fifteenth goal of the season. But the Spartans wouldn’t back down as they perfectly executed a 3-on-1 breakaway.

“Stick to our game that we played yesterday,” said Snuggerud in the locker room message following the opening period. “They had a hot start today, and we just needed to get back to our game.”

Minnesota quickly told Sparty to sit down with five unanswered goals. Pinoniemi managed to score again, successfully following another goal review, which didn’t go the Gophers’ way earlier in the period off a Knies rebound attempt. Bryce Brodzinski would bump in a backhander to end the second and Ryan Chesley would start the third period by sending the puck bar down. Knies made his team-leading 17th goal of the season while Snuggerud shot his second score.

“It obviously helps to get that first goal away,” said Pinoniemi on his confidence after a nice weekend. “Luckily, I got one tonight too, so I hope I can continue that.”

Minnesota finished the regular season outscoring Michigan State 25-6, tallying five scores or more in each game featuring two shutouts.

“Michigan State came to play tonight,” Motzko said. “Everywhere we turned in the first period there was a green jersey between us…we played better as the game went, but we made some plays…bailed us out and you can’t always rely on that.”

Snuggerud (37) and Cooley (36) are now the highest-scoring freshman duo since Jay Barriball (43) and Kyle Okposo (40) in the 2006-07 season. The linemates will try to continue their other-worldly numbers in Madison, Wisconsin, on Feb. 10-11, taking on the bottom-placed Badgers on Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 5 p.m. In December, Minnesota outscored Wisconsin 13-5 en route to a sweep at Mariucci.

The last time the Gophers played Michigan at 3M Arena at Mariucci, the building was ablaze and was a one-score finish in the 2022 Big Ten championship. For both games in this series, the result was no different. The two hockey heavyweights split the series. Minnesota won 4-3 with eight seconds left in overtime on Friday and Michigan fought back in the second game, coming out victorious 5-4 in the early portion of overtime on Saturday.

Knies knocks in his second overtime winner
“What a big time atmosphere,” head coach Bob Motzko said. “Two high profile programs with great talent … and I felt we deserved to win. We made a couple mistakes to get down and we came back. I felt like we had a terrific third period and the right guys got the puck.”

In a back and forth affair, Minnesota was in control for most of the game with the Wolverines having brief bursts of potency. Minnesota finally broke through after a five-minute game misconduct on Michigan’s Eric Ciccolini for contact to the head. Jimmy Snuggerud took advantage of the major penalty and tallied his 13th goal of the season with 36 seconds remaining in the period.

The Gophers at this point dominated in shots on goal 22-13. Michigan’s forwards fought back with Ciccolini making up for his costly penalty by firing in a rebound. Not long after, Matthew Knies patrolled his way near the boards on the left side and tallied his first score of the game on the top left shelf of the net.

Immediately after Knies’ goal, Michigan’s Adam Fantilli took over. He nailed a one-timer from the right circle, and on their next puck possession, he found his wingmate Gavin Brindley, who sniped the puck from the blue line. In less than a minute, a 2-1 Gophers lead transformed into a 3-2 lead for the Wolverines.

The Gophers came out for blood in the third period, outshooting Michigan 18-6. Blue-line scoring specialist Jackson LaCombe slinged through his sixth goal of the season to tie the game at 3 with 4:20 left in regulation. The Gophers went into overtime leading shots on goal 46-30.

“When you might be a little more aggressive, for us, we just try to stay calm,” LaCombe said. “Obviously, we get a lot of shots in and the goalie is playing well; we just have to stay on our game and play the same way.”

Three-on-three overtime soon turned into a unique 4-on-3 overtime when Jackson Hallum was called for hooking. After that penalty, a shootout loomed as Logan Cooley fired a shot that rebounded directly to Knies, who slid home the overtime winner. With 8.8 seconds to spare.

“Not a lot,” said Knies on how much they practice rare 4-on-3 situations. “The last time might’ve been when Benny Meyers scored against Michigan … Honestly I had no idea how much time was left. I think we had a minute, I lost track of time.”

Fantilli and Truscott even series with two goals apiece
Most likely fueled by their narrow loss, Michigan’s offensive command was much more consistent in game two. Ethan Edwards skated to a hole in the middle of Minnesota’s zone and fired a one-timer to the top right shelf of the net. Not long after, Fantilli continued to cause havoc for the Gophers’ defense, scoring his second goal of the series. Minnesota in the middle of the opening period was down in shots on goal 7-2 and faced a 2-0 deficit.

Bryce Brodzinski blasted in a goal through the five-hole. That score, coupled with a colossal check by Brock Faber, bringing Luke Hughes down on the ice, boosted the Gophers back up on the scoreboard.

“You wanna get him the puck wherever you can in those high scoring areas, he doesn’t miss those very often, you see it everyday in practice,” Mason Nevers said about his linemate Brodzinski. “When he gets hot, it’s scary, and hopefully he can stay hot.”

Aaron Huglen opened the second period maneuvering around the front of Michigan’s net and made use of the powerplay opportunity, tying the game. Nevers followed with a tip-in, giving the Gophers their first lead of the contest. Fantilli finished the frenetic timeframe by shooting through his third goal of the series.

After Minnesota fended off a Michigan powerplay, Jacob Truscott collected a perfect rebound and shot in a wide open net with Justen Close out of position. Things would only spiral out for the Gophers when Snuggerud was ejected for game misconduct (contact to the head) and the Wolverines started the third with a five-minute major advantage.

Down a skater for a quarter of the final period, the Gophers somehow outshot the Wolverines 4-3. As soon as Michigan’s powerplay ended, Luke Hughes was called for tripping, and the sold-out building (for the second straight night) roared.

Erik Portillo stood strong between the pipes during the final stretch until Cooley used his speed to corral a near icing call and circled behind the Michigan net. Brodzinski would bring in the puck from Cooley for a prime chance to tie the game and it rang true.

“It felt good to get that goal,” said Brodzinski, who hadn’t tallied a point in his last five games on the ice. “Cools (Logan Cooley) beat it out and sort of found some ice in the middle, and he’s such a skilled player that they (Michigan) went to him and left me wide open.”

Overtime on Friday lasted four minutes and 52 seconds, while on Saturday it only took 47 seconds. Truscott snuck behind Jaxon Nelson and sailed in the puck from the left circle, and Michigan avoided the season sweep with a 5-4 victory.

“Michigan deserved to win,” Motzko said. “I give our guys credit for battling back. I don’t say it often, but we were flat to start the game tonight … We caught a break in the first period. We could’ve been down 6-1 instead of 2-1.”

Motzko was critical of the referees in Saturday’s match, citing a lot of Wolverines flopping that the stripes were “buying into.”

The Gophers will host Michigan State next Friday and Saturday. Game one starts at 7 p.m. and game two commences at 4 p.m. Minnesota swept the Spartans at East Lansing in December, outscoring them 11-3.

Since 2013, the Big Ten Conference has constantly lived in the shadow of the broken-up Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) when it comes to men’s hockey. However, the Big Ten has steadily gained steam. Four teams, including the Minnesota Gophers, are ranked in this week’s USCHO top 10 poll.

Alongside the No. 2 ranked Gophers, Penn State, Ohio State and Michigan round out 6th through 8th place. Michigan State stands at No. 15 and Notre Dame, the newest Big Ten member, sits just outside the rankings and has been a member of the top 20 for most of the year.

Unlike other hockey programs mentioned that have been long-standing NCAA regulars, Penn State joined Division I play in 2012. In the PairWise ranking, which simulates how the NCAA tournament selects teams, the Nittany Lions sit third in the nation due to a strong strength of schedule.

With the birth of the Big Ten, one of the most historic hockey conferences slowly broke down and eventually became no more. Critics called the Gophers’ move out of the WCHA motivated by money.

The Big Ten is a favorable option to nationally televise games through their TV network. Yet, Gophers Head Coach Bob Motzko still takes every opportunity to schedule old conference rivals. For example, this season Minnesota State-Mankato, North Dakota and St. Cloud State have all visited Mariucci Arena.

In the bigger picture, there was a noticeable talent gap. Penn State and Ohio State have not experienced much postseason success compared to the goliaths of Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin, who all have six or more NCAA titles to their names.

Minnesota would conquer regular season play during the first four seasons, coming out as champs every year. The Gophers have only won the regular season crown once since their win in 2017, with four different opposing squads taking the title. Minnesota reclaimed their supremacy last year.

Upstart Penn State and Ohio State have surprisingly been the Gophers’ most challenging conference opponents this year. Those schools, which have been below-average programs that have had their moments, have made the conference more competitive as a whole this year. This will hopefully yield more positive NCAA tournament results from the Big Ten.

The Frozen Four has recently been dominated by teams from the NCHC and Hockey East conferences. The two teams from the NCHC that have had the most success have been former WCHA members and common Golden Gophers opponents Denver and Minnesota-Duluth. With 6 out of 7 Big Ten teams being active members in this season’s USCHO top 20 rankings, this is the prime year for the conference to make a successful splash in the NCAA Tournament.

Minnesota will try to continue its path to win back-to-back regular season titles entering a massive two-game tilt versus Michigan at Mariucci Arena.

“This is two powerhouses going at it,” Gophers freshman defenseman Ryan Chesley said. “Kind of a rivalry that’s been created throughout the years so it’ll be a fun one.”

The Gophers tallied eleven goals in their first series with the Wolverines in November. Both games will begin at 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

“They got Hughes on the backend and those younger guys too up front so we’re going to have to be ready,” junior defenseman Ryan Johnson said. “It’ll be a challenge for sure, [Michigan] sure love[s] to play their best games against us.”

With four players returning from playing in the 2023 World Junior Championships and eight players suffering from food poisoning, head coach Bob Motzko dubbed his squad “rusty.” Yet, the No. 3 ranked Gophers played a veteran-led and defensively sound No. 4 ranked St. Cloud State team down to the wire in each game, winning one literally nearing the buzzer.

“Our guys just sucked it up,” Motzko said. “Adversity. You gotta handle it, and I give our guys a ton of credit.”

Caster: Cold as ice
Minnesota came out hot in game one Saturday night. Jimmy Snuggerud nearly completed a backhanded score, but like many shots this series, St. Cloud’s netminder, Jaxon Castor, halted it. The period continued to be a scoreless draw.

With less than three minutes, Jaxon Nelson pushed the puck past Castor’s pads, but it was called off due to high sticking. At the end of the first period, St. Cloud led in shots on goal 13-10.

In the second frame and on, it continued to be a defensive duel the Huskies narrowly won. For the rest of the game, St. Cloud would have fewer shots on goal than in the first period, but still managed to take the victory.

Aidan Spellacy, a fifth-year undrafted forward was the key cog in the Husky win, scoring at the halfway point of the middle period. The Gophers would shoot up 10 shots and fail to muster a score, featuring Snuggerud notching the crossbar.

“Everyone is a great player on our team and playing with those guys (his linemates: Molenaar and Rosborough) is awesome,” Spellacy told The Rink Live. “We simplify. We’re not trying to do too much.”

With lingering penalties on both sides from the last minute of the middle period, the Gophers took on 4-on-4 play with force but to no avail. The young guns of Minnesota for the rest of the period were halted defensively by the far-more experienced Huskies. In the end, the Gophers couldn’t generate the tying goal as the Huskies took a 3-0 win by finding two empty net goals in the final minute of regulation.

“I got no fault with how the Gophers played tonight, that was one hard-fought hockey game,” Motzko said. “We made one mistake and they scored on it.”

Cooley cashes in late overtime vistory
Minnesota finally broke the Castor curse in game two back at home. After being shut out by the senior goaltender from Phoenix, Arizona, another Phoenix skater broke his streak in the final frame.

Minnesota outshot St. Cloud 5-4 in a physical first period. The Gophers created offensive opportunities, but most of their shots were wide.

In the second period, more shots hit the net, but none fell through. Logan Cooley visibly shouted in anger when he left a shift late in the period as it was a frustrating start to 2023 for the Gophers without a goal. At the end of two, Castor had saved an impressive 37 saves through 5 periods in this series.

The third period was a needed light to a whimpering offensive flame for both teams. Matthew Knies took advantage of a Husky slashing penalty and rang in the Gophers’ first goal of 2023. The Gophers had another powerplay opportunity from another slashing call, but did not succeed.

After the second penalty kill of the period, St. Cloud’s Brendan Bushy came out of the box to a sudden 3-on-1 breakaway and Chase Brand tied the contest. The Gophers continued to apply pressure with a Ryan Chesley shot banging off the pipe. Regulation would end with the Gophers leading shots on goal 26-22 in the 1-1 tie.

Minnesota dominated overtime in puck possession; the Huskies didn’t tally a single shot on goal. Cooley grabbed a puck saucered by captain Brock Faber and all the way from the right side of the St. Cloud blue line, the Pittsburgh product maneuvered his way to the left circle and sent home the game-winning goal.

“Brock Faber was a beast tonight,” Motzko said. “He may have been the best player on the rink. He makes the play in the defensive zone, stays on top of the puck, breaks it up and Cooley does what only a guy like Cooley can do.”

The Gophers will look ahead to the No. 20 ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Minnesota swept the Irish handily at Mariucci in November. Both games will be broadcast on NBC’s Peacock streaming service with a 6 p.m. start time on Friday and a 5 p.m start time on Saturday.

Star forward Cooley was originally committed to play for Notre Dame and decommitted for the Gophers, but he will now play in South Bend, Indiana

“That’s in the past now,” Cooley said. “I don’t really have much to say, we’re just going to try and get two wins.”

Thursday was a fitting swan-song to two long-time Gopher football icons, Mohamed Ibrahim and Tanner Morgan. Sixth-year QB Morgan filled in for injured redshirt-freshman Athan Kaliakmanis, who threw 7-9 for 80 yards through 1.25 quarters.

“The thing I just keep coming back to is gratefulness,” Morgan said on playing his final game for Minnesota. “I’m grateful for every teammate I’ve had. I’m grateful for every coach I’ve had.”

The first quarter was all defense as neither team struck gold in the scoring column. Both squads ran for a meager 2.5 (Minnesota) and 2.8 (Syracuse) yards per carry with the Gophers doubling the Syracuse Orange’s time of possession 10 minutes to five.

Kaliakmanis did lead the Minnesota offense down to the Syracuse 16 to end the quarter on a high note. Kaliakmanis completed the longest pass of his short-lived bowl game, 21 yards to Daniel Jackson, who would be a constant force in the Bronx on Thursday.

The drive capped off in the early second quarter with Ibrahim running for a four-yard touchdown. This would be Ibrahim’s 20th touchdown of the season, breaking the Minnesota single-season program record held by Garry Russell. Earlier, he ran past David Cobb’s single-season rushing yards record (1,626) and finished the day with 1,665 in the 2022 season.

He would later break the Minnesota career rushing yards record held by Darrell Thompson and finished his Gophers career with 4,668 yards on the ground. Additionally, Ibrahim broke Cobb’s single-season carries record at 320 (passing 314) and broke the single-season points record with 120.

“Taking it one step at a time,” Ibrahim said on his journey back from his 2021 season-ending injury. “Don’t rush it, don’t look at the finish line…that was my mindset this whole season.”

Ibrahim finished the day running 16 times for 71 yards and with a touchdown. Morgan said he believes Ibrahim’s number 24 should be retired.

With 10:41 left in the second, after passing a 12-yard completion to Le’Meke Brockington, Kaliakmanis would take a low blow following the throw and have to be helped off the field, entering Morgan, who hadn’t seen playing time since Nov. 5 in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Morgan would finish the drive in style, throwing a perfectly placed ball to Jackson for 20 yards. That would be Morgan’s first passing touchdown since Sept. 24 at Michigan State.

Syracuse continued their scoring struggles as Cody Lindenberg would keep the Orange at bay all day…or until he left with a leg injury in the fourth quarter. Lindenberg totaled 11 tackles.

“Questionable for next week,” bluffed head coach P.J. Fleck on Kaliakmanis’ and Lindenberg’s injuries. “They’re going to be okay. I can’t say they’re minor (injuries), but they’re not major. If it was a normal season, maybe a few weeks. So that’s definitely a blessing.”

The Cuse would end the half with their first successful offensive possession of the game with Garrett Shrader passing 4/4 for 85 yards and running in for a 1-yard touchdown, all under 55 seconds.

After notching a field goal to close the Gophers’ lead to 14-10, true freshman defensive back Coleman Bryson picked off Shrader’s pass for a 70-yard return to the house. This was Bryson’s first career start, and he finished with 8 tackles, a PBU leading to player of the game honors.

“Unreal,” Bryson said. “I looked up at the screen, actually, because I couldn’t believe it.”

Another Orange field goal would go through the uprights, but Quentin Redding returned the Minnesota momentum, making his longest kick return of 2022, notching 72 yards. This would set up a 25-yard touchdown from Morgan, once more to Jackson, this time on a screen pass. The Gophers extended their lead to 28-13.

The fourth quarter was relatively quiet but featured some gems such as Darius Green intercepting an errant Shrader pass, solidifying a positive day for the future of Minnesota defensive backs as Michael “Flip” Dixon recently entered the transfer portal.

Shrader would manage to cut the score back to one-score with 2:30 remaining, but it was a little too late as the Gophers would coast to their sixth-straight bowl win, running out the clock on the final possession of the game thanks to a Syracuse penalty on a 3rd and 2, giving Minnesota a first down with less than a minute to go.

“It was a well-fought game on both sides,” Fleck said. “It could have gone either way. I’m just really glad it came out the way it did for us. We couldn’t have asked for a better week, one of the greatest bowl experiences I’ve ever had.”

The (8-4, 5-4) Minnesota Gophers will travel to New York City on Dec. 29 to play the (7-5, 4-4) Syracuse Orange from the ACC Conference. The game will be televised on ESPN at 1 p.m. CST. Here is how both teams stack up against each other.

Offense
Both teams own different situations pertaining to their starting quarterbacks. For Minnesota, they have the decision to start either sixth-year stalwart Tanner Morgan or redshirt-freshman Athan Kaliakmanis, who recently threw for 319 yards and two touchdowns en route to secure Paul Bunyan’s Axe from Wisconsin for the second year in a row. It remains unclear if Morgan will be healthy due to the upper-body injury he sustained against Illinois.

For the Orange, Mississippi State transfer Garrett Shrader will take the reins under center. Shrader has started 11 games for the Orange, missing one due to a shoulder injury that left him out versus Pittsburgh and limited in contests versus Notre Dame and Florida State.

At running back (RB) and offensive line, the Gophers have an obvious advantage with Rimington Award finalist and center John Michael Schmitz and Doak Walker semifinalist RB Mohamed Ibrahim. RB Sean Tucker for Syracuse on nearly 100 less carries had around 500 less yards than Ibrahim. Tucker still averaged 5.1 yards per carry in 2022 and was one of the better backs in the ACC, earning second team conference honors.

Syracuse’s largest advantage on offense is in the form of a receiving threat. Oronde Gadsden II has torched opposing ACC defenses this year for 891 yards and six touchdowns on 54 catches (6th highest yardage in the conference). Outside of Gadsden II, the Orange have a corral of receivers who are middle of the road. Luckily for the Gophers, receivers Daniel Jackson and Dylan Wright both had identically impressive showings in Madison, both catching five passes for 86 yards and finally finding chemistry with young gun Kaliakmanis.

The Gophers also have a much better receiving threat at tight end than the Orange. Brevyn Spann-Ford was another name who lit up the Badgers secondary for seven receptions, totalling 95 yards.

Defense
Minnesota’s biggest strength last season was its defensive line; this year it was its biggest weakness with it’s leading tackler, Kyler Baugh, only accruing 33 total tackles. Yet, the Gophers make up for that with a hard hitting secondary led by defensive backs Jordan Howden and Tyler Nubin, who both have accumulated over 50 tackles on the year and six takeaways between the two. The heart of the Minnesota defense lies in Mariano Sori-Marin, who leads the team in tackles with 78.

Syracuse on the other hand has two moguls as linebackers. Marlowe Wax and Mikel Jones both wrapped up more than 80 tackles on the year and have at least one forced fumble and fumble recovery to their names. The Orange overall have higher tackling numbers than Minnesota, leading 826-627.

Syracuse supplies a deep front seven that can sub players in and out on a whim, but its secondary hasn’t generated as many takeaways as the Gophers. It will be interesting to see if the Gophers want to spam Ibrahim against this impressive rush defense, or if they want to let Kaliakmanis cook like he did in Madison. Wisconsin had very similar defensive attributes.

Special Teams
Both teams’ kickers have been 100% on the season for extra points. Minnesota’s Matthew Trickett is 42/42, while Andre Szmyt is 38/38. The difference lies in their field goal opportunities. Trickett has hit 15/18 field goals with his season-long being 50 yards. Szmyt on the other hand is 18/24 with his season-long being 54 yards. Trickett is 1/1 from 50+; Szmyt is 2/4.

At punter, Gophers’ Mark Crawford and Orange’s Max Von Marburg both average 40 yards per punt, placing themselves as middle of the road in the country. On returns, Minnesota averages 21.3 yards per kickoff return and 6.3 yards per punt return. Syracuse averages 26.6 yards per kickoff return and 7.5 yards per punt return.

“We talk about bowl experiences … one of my top three favorite bowl experiences was in New York,” said Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck, who coached on Rutgers’ staff when the Scarlet Knights defeated the Iowa State Cyclones 27-13 in the 2011 Pinstripe Bowl. “It’s so different from other bowl experiences, some are ‘here’s the beach see you in five days.’ This is something that’s really in-depth with the culture, the excitement, Times Square, being in Manhattan.”

The third-ranked Minnesota Gophers tallied 13 goals against their struggling rival the Wisconsin Badgers on Friday and Saturday. The two bordering schools are now on opposite ends of the Big Ten Men’s Ice Hockey Standings as the first half of the season ends, with Minnesota on top and Wisconsin rock bottom.

Gophers go crazy
Friday night was the best offensive hockey the Gophers have played all season. They started off fast and furious and never took their foot off the gas pedal.

The first goal was acrobatically achieved by Logan Cooley, who slid and deked his way over multiple Badger defenders from the left circle to the right and pounded the puck into a wide open net. With a snipe from Jaxon Nelson, a powerplay strike from Bryce Brodzinski and a breakaway from Cooley, the Gophers entered the first intermission up 4-1.

“It’s been a rivalry for a long time now and the guys kind of got us pumped up who are seniors that’ve been in this position before and it was fun to be out there,” Cooley said.

Second period was still all gas, no breaks. Rhett Pitlick quickly skated down the left of the Badgers’ zone and brought home the Gophers’ fifth score of the game. This blowout would prompt a switch-up at netminder for Wisconsin with Kyle McClellan replacing Jared Moe with 15 minutes remaining in the second period.

At this point, Wisconsin led Minnesota in shots on goal 19-18. The problem was that Minnesota was generating more open shots due to a shaky Badger defense. Freshman Ryan Chesley would put an end to the period’s score-fest with the first goal of his collegiate career.

“I just saw a good play in front,” Chesley said. “Cools [Cooley] had a good chance to score and got the rebound, thought I could sneak down a little bit, hit me with a great pass, so maybe a little bit of a roommate connection there.”

In the third period, the Gophers were now gassed and put one in the scoring column. Aaron Huglen on a breakaway casually slid the puck in the net for the Gophers’ seventh score of the night. They would end the night with a dominant 7-1 win over Wisconsin even though the Badgers led in shots on goal 38-30.

“We made some plays early in the game, but it was not a 7-1 game at all,” Minnesota head coach Bob Motzko said. “[Justen] Close had to make way too many saves tonight to keep it close.”

Stramel’s ejection sparks Gophers offense
The second chapter of this border battle proved to be more of a challenge for the boys in Maroon and Gold. Wisconsin opened the game with two goals with the first on a 5-on-3 powerplay. After the second goal, Minnesota was down in shots on goal 8-3 and seemed sluggish compared to an energized Badger bunch. Then the tables turned.

After a scuffle between Wisconsin forward Charlie Stramel and Gophers defenceman and captain Brock Faber, where Stramel slightly headbutted Faber, Stramel was ejected from the game with a major penalty for game misconduct.

With 2:23 left in the first period, the Gophers found a way to take the lead off of three straight powerplay goals. Pitlick and Jimmy Snuggerud quickly got in the scoring column, 30 seconds apart from one another’s goals.

Finishing off an eventful first period, Luke Mittelstadt sniped a shot from the left circle, beating the buzzer, placing the puck in the top left shelf of the Badgers net. After a period where Wisconsin was for the most part the better team, Minnesota led 3-2 at the conclusion.

“We just had belief that we know how to play hockey the right way,” Cal Thomas said. “Fall back to our roots, focus on the D-zone and everything will come from there.”

A lingering Liam Malmquist penalty stung for the Badgers in the second as high school teammate Mason Nevers (Edina) connected on a shot right in front of the Wisconsin net. Even when the Badgers returned to full strength, the Gopher scoring avalanche continued on as Connor Kurth and Cooley both scored, Kurth from a terrible angle behind the Badgers net to the right. The Badgers who were once up 2-0 in six minutes of game action were now down 6-2 at the end of the second period.

In the third period, Wisconsin managed to cut Minnesota’s lead in half and gave the Gophers a late scare as Sam Stange nearly completed a breakaway chance to make the game 6-5, but Justen Close stood strong between the pipes. The final score would be 6-4 with the Gophers leading in shots on goal 26-20. Gophers goalie Close finished the weekend saving 53 of 58 shots.

“A lot of craziness in the first period,” Motzko said. “I thought it was a tremendous first half for us, we grew immensely. We’re halfway up a mountain. We still got the tough half to go but we’re on solid ground right now.”

When Minnesota returns, it will play the United States National Under-18 Team and Bemidji State in a pair of exhibition matches before resuming regular season play. Their next opponent that will affect their record will be in-state rival No. 4 St. Cloud State in a home-and-home series on Jan. 7-8. The first game will be played in St. Cloud at 6 p.m. and be televised on the CBS Sports Network. The second game will be played in Minneapolis at 3 p.m. and be televised on Bally Sports North.

“Over break, it’s not a physical break it’s a mental break,” Mike Koster said. “Guys will be here training, guys will go home and train. It’s a mental refresh, and we’ll be ready after a couple of exhibition games for St. Cloud.”