Minnesota men’s hockey team’s typical offensive firepower was lacking in its Sunday matchup against Minnesota State Mankato, forcing the Gophers to attempt a comeback just as they had in the Big Ten Tournament. But on Sunday, with a trip to the Frozen Four on the line, the stakes were much higher.

And this time, Minnesota couldn’t get it done. The Gophers fell 4-0 to the Mavericks in the Loveland Regional final at the Budweiser Events Center.

Through three periods of strong forechecking and shot-blocking, Mankato all but solidified its win halfway through the third period; a goal from Nathan Smith putting them up 3-0 on the Gophers with just 10 minutes to play. The Mavericks also tallied an empty-net goal to end the night.

Mankato scored twice before the end of the first period while successfully hemming Minnesota out of its offensive zone to keep the Gophers off the scoreboard. Two power play opportunities late in the first gave Minnesota a chance to punch back early, but it was unable to convert on either chance.

The Gophers struggled to generate offensive chances into the second period as well, registering just nine shots on goal through the first two periods of play.

In net for Minnesota, senior Jack LaFontaine stopped 23 of 26 shots faced. Serving as an alternate captain in his final year alongside fellow senior Brannon McManus, Lafontaine was a cornerstone of Minnesota’s leadership all season.

Captain Sammy Walker said post game that the final result of Sunday’s game was not LaFontaine’s fault and that he played a great game, but lucky bounces for Mankato proved to be the deciding factor.

Walker also had praise for McManus, who skated about half of Sunday’s game, playing through an upper-body injury that took him out of Saturday’s game early.

“I’ll tell you what, when a player can battle through an injury like that, it fires everyone up and makes everyone want to compete more because you know what they’re going through,” Walker said.

The loss brings Minnesota’s 100th season in program history to a close, but head coach Bob Motzko said post game that he was proud of the direction they had turned the program.

“They were all in. It was a true team, and we showed that all year long. You know, this one game is gonna… you take this game to your grave. But this entire season, there were so many positives in it, by so many players and our staff… It’s just hard to look at right now, because you’re hurting,” Motzko said.

Some good did come Minnesota’s way Sunday, as freshman Brock Faber was named to the 2021 West Regional All-Tournament Team. The young defenseman tied Minnesota’s school record for single-game assists Saturday night, notching five against Omaha.

Minnesota’s men’s hockey team earned an automatic bid into the NCAA tournament when it claimed the Big Ten title last weekend, but had to wait until the tournament’s Selection Show on Sunday night to learn where it would be placed to start regional play.

The team’s success in the Big Ten Tournament, where it played three games in three nights to win it all, had some anticipating whether Minnesota would be the first seed overall in NCAAs, but it was awarded to North Dakota.

Ranked third overall, Minnesota was placed in the West Regional with Omaha, Minnesota State Mankato and Quinnipiac. The winners of each Regional will advance to the Frozen Four in Pittsburgh. Minnesota will face off against Omaha in the first round on Saturday at 7 p.m. CST.

Despite not earning the first seed overall, this year was still noteworthy for the Gophers, as it marked their 38th appearance in the national tournament, an NCAA record matched only by Michigan.

And for the first time in history, all five of the Division I programs in the state of Minnesota – Minnesota, St. Cloud State, Minnesota State, Bemidji State and Minnesota Duluth – will all compete for a national title.

Minnesota men’s hockey made the announcement via Twitter that senior goalie Jack LaFontaine was named the Big Ten Goaltender of the Year and to the First Team All-Big Ten on Tuesday.

In his second season with the Gophers, LaFontaine led the nation in multiple statistics. His 20 wins on the season place him first among all NCAA goalies, and his .937 save percentage is tied for first among those who have played in at least half of their team’s games.

LaFontaine’s 1.65 goals against average (GAA) ranks second in the NCAA. His five shutouts, including one against his former team Michigan and back-to-back shutouts against Notre Dame this season is good enough for second-best across college hockey.

A native of Mississauga, Ontario, LaFontaine’s NHL rights belong to the Carolina Hurricanes, who drafted him with their third-round pick (75th overall) in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. He is also  in the running for the Hobey Baker and Mike Richter Award.

In addition to Jack LaFontaine’s year-end accolades, Minnesota announced Tuesday that eight other players received various Big Ten awards.

Joining their goaltender on the All-Big Ten First Team are defenseman Jackson LaCombe and forward Sampo Ranta, with Minnesota representing half of the First Team selections. Only one other team, Wisconsin, earned multiple spots.

While no Minnesota player was named to the All-Big Ten Second Team, five were awarded honorable mention: forwards Ben Meyers, Scott Reedy, Sammy Walker, and defensemen Ryan Johnson and Brock Faber. Faber was also named to the All-Freshman team.

Cullen Munson was Minnesota’s team recipient of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.

For the second night in a row, Minnesota men’s hockey needed more than three periods of play to settle the final score.

The overtime heroes of their quarterfinal game, Jaxon Nelson and Sampo Ranta teamed up once again, this time scoring the tying goal to send Minnesota to extra play. Taking a pass from Nelson, Ranta whipped the puck on net and under the right pad of Wolverines’ goaltender Strauss Mann.

Not to be outdone, captain Sammy Walker scored the game-winner in overtime from his knees; rebounding a shot on a chance created by Ben Brinkman and Scott Reedy.

Just as in their first game of the tournament, the Gophers were not rattled by playing from behind. Michigan scored two unanswered goals, one in each of the first two periods, before Minnesota got on the scoreboard.

Junior Nathan Burke struck first for the Gophers, netting their first goal of the game four minutes into the final frame. Jack Perbix registered the only assist on the goal, marking his fifth assist of the season.

With the win, Minnesota moves on to the Championship game of the Big Ten Tournament to face its border rival Wisconsin for the first time in tournament history.

Gophers head coach Bob Motzko said postgame that his team played strong in the third period to reach overtime.

“Give our guys a lot of credit – they stuck with it being down by two and had a terrific third period to get back in it,” Motzko said. “And Sammy Walker – your best players have to come through in big games, and I thought he was outstanding tonight.”

With its postseason dreams on the line, Sampo Ranta punched the Gophers men’s hockey team’s ticket to the Big Ten semifinal with his game-winning goal in overtime against the Michigan State Spartans on Sunday night.

Halfway through the overtime period, Jaxon Nelson fed a pass through traffic to Ranta, who took a shot and missed it. He quickly recovered, corralling the puck on his stick and sending it past the Michigan State goaltender for the win.

In net for the Spartans, freshman goaltender Pierce Charleson stifled Minnesota’s offense with solid play. Charleson stopped 48 of 50 Minnesota shots-on-net. The defensemen in front of him also put in the work, blocking 28 shot attempts by the Gophers.

Michigan State also had the edge over Minnesota on the scoreboard for most of the game. Dennis Cesana’s goal in the first period would be the only tally through nearly two whole play periods, but there was little frustration on the Minnesota bench, said sophomore Bryce Brodzinski.

“No one was really frustrated. Everyone was getting their chances; everyone knew [a goal] was coming. The coaches kept telling us it was coming, and finally it did – late,” Brodzinski said.

Brodzinski himself delivered the tying goal with just five minutes remaining in regulation with assists from Mike Koster and Matt Staudacher. The goal marked his fourth-straight game with at least one point, setting a new career-best streak.

He attributed his hot streak to eating breakfast, something he only started doing recently at his roommates’ behest. Taking notes from Scott Reedy, Brodzinski began making eggs every morning, which he said may have helped give him a boost on the ice.

Don’t worry, #Gophers…we made sure to get Brodzy his eggs this morning!

: https://t.co/xWXxTWj6pQ pic.twitter.com/lgwMvINAEG

— Minnesota Men’s Hockey (@GopherHockey) March 15, 2021

Minnesota will face Michigan in the semifinal round of the Big Ten Ice Hockey Tournament on Monday at 7:30 p.m.

In its first of three consecutive road games, the Gophers soccer team’s young talent stood tall against Iowa on Sunday to deliver the team’s third win of the season.

The win placed Minnesota third in conference rankings with a 3-1-2 record. After two weeks of turf play inside the Recreation and Wellness Sports Field Complex that serves as its temporary home on campus, Minnesota headed outdoors in Iowa City to face the Hawkeyes.

The first half was scoreless for both teams, but Minnesota outshot the Hawkeyes 6-4 and held a 4-1 advantage in corner kick opportunities.

Freshman midfielder Sophia Boman got the Gophers on the scoreboard in the middle of the second half. Kicking from the top of the box, Boman sent the ball arcing over the head of Iowa’s goalie into the top left corner of the net to score.

A native of Edina, Minnesota, Boman was glad to help her team secure the win.

“It’s really nice to see the team’s hard work pay off, and I was so happy to help the team get three points this weekend,” she said.

In just her fourth start, goaltender Megan Plaschko made saves on all five attempts made by Iowa to put up yet another shutout for Minnesota. It marked her fourth shutout this season and was a continuation of the performances that earned her Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Week earlier this month.

Head coach Stefanie Golan said postgame that she was very proud of the effort her team put into the win.

“Boman had a fantastic finish, and several players battled their way through a tough game. This team fights for one another and lifts each other up, and we are very happy with the win today,” Golan said.

Minnesota will travel to University Park to face Penn State Thursday at 4:30 p.m. The Nittany Lions sit at the top of the conference standings.

Gophers take first game 5-1 Friday

In their first game on the road against the Buckeyes, the Gophers’ offensive prowess continued, with five different skaters scoring in their 5-1 win Friday night.

After coming out strong with two goals in the first period, Minnesota’s Ben Meyers and Blake McLaughlin rounded out the scoring for Minnesota in the third. Despite their struggles, Ohio State was also able to get on the board in the final frame. After going to the power play following a Gophers penalty, Quinn Preston scored for the Buckeyes to put the final score at 5-1.

Mclaughlin also contributed with key assists, setting up Sammy Walker’s second-period goal and assisting Jackson LaCombe in the first period. LaCombe’s goal came when the Gophers were on the penalty kill early and forced a neutral zone turnover to create a shorthanded chance. LaCombe rebounded a shot from McLaughlin that deflected off Ohio State’s goaltender to score.

Sampo Ranta scored his 11th of the season in the first period, taking a pass from Meyers in from the neutral zone himself and using his speed to bypass the Buckeyes’ defense.

Gophers bring out brooms with 5-2 win on Saturday

Special teams were key in Minnesota’s second meeting with Ohio State, and capitalizing on power play opportunities gave them added insurance en route to their 5-2 win to complete a sweep of the Buckeyes.

A late empty-net goal tucked away from Walker padded Minnesota’s lead further in the third period to secure another five-goal performance for the Gophers. Ohio State’s young squad had a better outing on Saturday, outshooting Minnesota and scoring at a key moment in the third period, but their mistakes caught up with them.

In the second period, two Buckeyes were called for penalties on the same play, resulting in extended power play time for Minnesota. At one end of the ice, Collin Peters illegally checked Minnesota’s Mike Koster from behind, while Ryan O’Connell was called for tripping Scott Reedy at the other. Collin’s hit resulted in a five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct, ejecting him from the game.

With O’Connell’s minor penalty tacked on, this gave Minnesota a 5-on-3 advantage for two minutes, and a regular power play chance for another three. They fully capitalized on the opportunity, with Ranta and Jaxon Nelson scoring to bring Minnesota’s lead to 3-0 in short order.

In the first period, LaCombe scored shorthanded for the second time this weekend to get Minnesota on the board first. LaCombe said after the game that to do so two nights in a row was awesome, but credited McLaughlin for setting up the play.

“Blake [McLaughlin] made a great play there on the two-on-one and I just happened to be there, so great play by him, and a lucky goal,” he said.

Minnesota will return to home ice next weekend for a rematch with Wisconsin on Feb. 5-6.

After losing both games to Notre Dame at home, Gophers men’s hockey coach Bob Motzko said he hoped the wake-up call would “turn us around.” His players returned to face Arizona State and walked away with twenty goals.

Gophers dominate in 10-0 shutout Thursday

If the first game of the week was any indication, Minnesota seems to have learned its lesson after its struggles against Notre Dame last series. A four-goal first period wasn’t enough for the Gophers, and they kept the pressure until the final whistle to walk away with a 10-0 win.

The offensive side of the Gophers’ game was clearly firing on all cylinders, but holding it down defensively to prevent a Sun Devils comeback was also important to the team. Securing the shutout for goaltender Jack LaFontaine after playing poorly in front of him last weekend was something they were determined to deliver on, Scott Reedy said.

“He’s had our back all season long, and last weekend was a little bit disappointing and it’s hard letting that guy down, the way he works… It was nice and there was an emphasis on that late in the game,” Reedy said.

With 10 goals tallied, it comes as no surprise that many players had multi-point nights. Captain Sammy Walker scored the final goal of the night with assists from Reedy – who was back in the lineup for the first time after missing games due to injury – and Carl Fish. The goal was Walker’s third of the night, making him one of two players to earn hat tricks Thursday for Minnesota.

Just two minutes before Walker secured his hat trick, sophomore Ben Meyers joined the scoring party with help from Robbie Stucker and Fish to put Minnesota ahead of the Sun Devils 9-0.

Earlier in the third period, Brannon McManus followed up two back-to-back goals in the second period with one more to secure his own hat trick on the night. His third goal was assisted by Sampo Ranta, who also had the primary assist on his second goal of the night alongside Meyers. McManus’ first goal, bringing the score to 6-0, was scored on the power play after Arizona State’s Gvido Jansons penalty for cross-checking.

Walker also added another goal to the pile in the second period, and his second of the night put the Gophers ahead 5-0 just two minutes into the middle frame. The assists on his goal went to Jackson LaCombe and Reedy.

In the first period, the Gophers got to work right away, cementing a 4-0 lead over the Sun Devils before first intermission. Blake McLauglin bookended the scoring, getting Minnesota on the board within the first five minutes of play, and again finding the back of the net at the end of the period. In the interim, Walker scored his first of the night with assists from McLaughlin and Ben Brinkman, and Arizona native Nathan Burke scored his second of the season.

Minnesota drilled the Sun Devils’ crease with 52 shots on goal by the end of the night, forcing Arizona State to rotate through all three of its available goaltenders. LaFontaine stopped all 14 shots he faced in net to earn his third career shutout.

Gophers add 10 more goals Friday

Although they anticipated more of a response from the Sun Devils in their second meeting, the Gophers were still able to take advantage of their depleted roster to complete their sweep.

A relatively new Division I program, the Sun Devils play independent of any one college hockey conference, and COVID-19 has made their independent status a logistical nightmare, forcing them on long road trips around the Midwest to face off against Big Ten opponents. The pandemic has also impacted their roster as of late, with protocol requirements whittling their injury-stricken roster even further. Motzko made a point to mention those factors in his post-game presser Friday night.

“I gotta say, that’s not indicative of where Arizona State’s program is right now, I and our whole league has a lot more respect [for] what they’ve done, they were a tournament team the past couple of years,” he said. “They’re awful beat up right now with injuries and COVID … on a competitive side we caught them at the right time, because they’re wounded.”

After allowing Arizona State to score their second of the night in the final moments of the second period, Minnesota thoroughly finished the Sun Devils off in the third, scoring six unanswered goals to hit double digits for the second night in a row. Meyers was back on the scoresheet for the second night, alongside Reedy, Bryce Brodzinski and Jack Perbix, who scored two goals in the third period.

McLaughlin kicked off the third period run, orchestrating a two-on-one play with Walker, scoring while the Gophers were short handed.

Classic short-handed fun. pic.twitter.com/S9h19I5k7V

— Minnesota Men’s Hockey (@GopherHockey) January 22, 2021

In line with the coaching staff’s decision earlier in the week, back-up goaltender Jared Moe took the ice for the Gophers on Friday, splitting the weekend between him and LaFontaine. Moe faced 21 shots from the Sun Devils and Motzko said he made important saves that kept the tempo of the game from tipping into Arizona State’s favor.

Scoring in the second period was crucial for the Gophers’ success, with McLaughlin breaking the 1-1 tie made in the first to Ranta following the goal with one of his own, which would be the eventual game-winner. Fish also secured his first goal of his collegiate career with his 4-1 tally. A St. Paul native, Fish said being able to represent his high school program St. Paul Johnson was a huge moment for him.

“I know I wouldn’t be here especially if it wasn’t for the coaching staff over in St. Paul. I especially want to give a huge thanks to my head coach, Moose. He kind of helped me grow up when I was coming into high school, he wasn’t really just my coach, he was kind of like a father figure to me.” Fish said.

Minnesota will face Ohio State on the road next week, dropping the puck at 5 p.m. on Friday and 4 p.m. on Saturday.

Gophers fall 3-2 in series opener Friday

Minnesota came into this weekend’s series against Notre Dame knowing that it would likely be a close, one-goal game and the Fighting Irish showed up ready to battle for it. The physicality started early, with one shoving match breaking out between Bryce Brodzinski and Notre Dame’s Max Ellis before the first puck drop. Minnesota got on the board first and was able to keep pace with a determined Notre Dame squad until the third period, when the Irish took over possession to score the game-winning goal and secure the 3-2 victory.

The first period shots were low for both teams; with six minutes remaining, Minnesota had only registered four shots to Notre Dame’s seven. After generating several good chances, the fourth line set up Jackson LaCombe for his first goal of the season. Assisted by Mike Koster and Jack Perbix, LaCombe wound his way around the Fighting Irish until he found an angle near the top of the zone. The goal gave Minnesota a 1-0 lead it would maintain nearly through to the end of the first, but Notre Dame scored directly off a face off with about 30 seconds remaining in the period. The teams headed to the locker room tied 1-1.

Minnesota’s two goals came from all over the roster, which was something of a testament to the Gophers’ depth as a team, even if the final outcome wasn’t in their favor. In the second period, a strong shot down from the middle by Brannon McManus was followed up by a shot to the same place by Sampo Ranta, who connected to put the Gophers up 2-1. Ranta’s goal was assisted by Jaxon Nelson.

After a fruitless power play chance, Minnesota was killing off a hooking call against Nelson when Notre Dame was able to score to tie the game 2-2. The score remained tied into the second intermission. Notre Dame’s Graham Slaggert scored the game-winner with just under five minutes remaining in the game.

Unranked Notre Dame secures the sweep over No. 1 Minnesota

Returning from Friday’s loss, Minnesota once again had trouble getting through Notre Dame’s stifling defense, with the team’s first and only goal of the night coming with just over two minutes left in the game.

Minnesota pulled goaltender Jack LaFontaine from net to allow Nelson to take the ice as an extra skater and Nelson scored with assists from Ryan Johnson and Sammy Walker. But it came too late, as Notre Dame held on to its lead to secure the sweep with a 2-1 victory.

The lack of scoring wasn’t for lack of effort on Minnesota’s part; the chippy back-and-forth with the Fighting Irish granted the Gophers five power play opportunities, but they were unable to convert on any of them. After the game, head coach Bob Motzko said while the team’s main power play unit had a solid attack plan in mind, Notre Dame had done its homework watching game film and was well prepared to counter it.

In the second period, Minnesota outshot Notre Dame 11-6, but a hooking penalty called on junior Blake McLaughlin proved costly. The Gophers were unable to kill off the penalty, allowing Ellis to score and put the Irish ahead by two goals.

The second period was the most penalty-filled of the game, and while the roughness of play was something the Gophers weren’t quite accustomed to seeing in their earlier games this season, Motzko said it was something he hoped the team would learn from going forward.

“We hope this is the weekend that we’re going to grow up from and turn us around,” Motzko said. “We didn’t have a series like this week or last week in the first half, you know, physical, hard. And we responded last week on Saturday, and we did tonight in the second two periods, but it wasn’t enough.”

The Gophers will look to bounce back from the sweep in their upcoming series against Arizona State on Jan. 21-22.

In their final game of the first half of their regular season, Minnesota outworked Michigan on both ends of the puck.

The Gophers scored four goals on the Wolverines while the defense and goaltender Jack LaFontaine denied their scoring chances to leave Ann Arbor with a shutout.

While their goal scoring was firing on all cylinders, the most notable storyline in this game would be that of Jack LaFontaine. He started his career in Michigan, playing two seasons with the Wolverines before spending a year in the British Columbia Hockey League and then returning to collegiate hockey with Minnesota.

LaFontaine stood on his head in goal for the Gophers on Wednesday, but returning to play his former team and leave with a shutout was also gratifying on a personal level. In an emotional post-game interview, LaFontaine said that to get a shutout in Michigan meant a lot to him.

“I’m super proud of my team right now, I’m probably the luckiest goalie in the entire country… we’ve got something special here, we’ve got a really good culture, and we’re just going to keep going.” LaFontaine said.

Back-to-back scoring in the second period helped build Minnesota’s early lead, and the momentum was started by forward Jaxon Nelson. While on the powerplay, Nelson cashed in on a rebound off a shot by Sampo Ranta to put the Gophers ahead 3-0.

Twenty seconds after that goal, freshman Mike Koster scored his first collegiate goal against Michigan veteran Strauss Mann, who was relieved of his duties following Koster’s goal.

The Gophers had a familiar hot start in their second game against the Wolverines, with Scott Reedy and Sammy Walker scoring in the first period.

Wednesday’s game was the last on the schedule for the first half of the season.

In post-game media availability, Gophers head coach Bob Motzko said that while the teams were currently in the dark on when the next half of the schedule would be released, “I’ve been told it could come yet this week, you’re sure hoping [it does], because we can’t make any plans until we know when we have to be back….but you know what, it’s fitting for 2020, right now.” Motzko said.