In the final series of the first half of its schedule, Minnesota faced an unpredictable matchup against Michigan, given that both teams would be losing key players temporarily to the World Junior Championship, but Minnesota prevailed to extend its win streak to seven straight to open the season.

Ben Meyers put in the work against the Wolverines on Tuesday, assisting the first two goals of the game and also scoring the final goal of the night. In post-game media availability, Meyers said that after a scoreless first period, play opened up more as the game went on, allowing the Gophers to score.

“The first period, it was just two good teams playing really hard and there were a lot of experienced guys, so there wasn’t many turnovers and not a lot of offense… just stuck to the game plan,” he said.

Michigan’s only goal of the night came directly after Meyers’ 3-0 tally in the third, with Kent Johnson getting the Wolverines on the board.

Minnesota had five chances on the powerplay on Tuesday, and it once again found the back of the net with the man advantage, this time from a gritty Sampo Ranta rebound in front of the crease. Ranta’s goal in the second period was quickly followed up with one from Bryce Brodzinski, and after a scoreless first period Minnesota went into the locker room leading 2-0 at the second intermission.

After the game, head coach Bob Motzko told the media that the game was an important win.

“It wasn’t a pretty game for us, but we did enough good things that amount to a win, and that’s what is important….You add up those little things tonight, and that’s what led us to get the win tonight,” Motzko said. “But we have a chance to be better tomorrow too.”

Minnesota will face Michigan again Tuesday night at 5:30 p.m. on the Big Ten Network.

Correction: A previous version of this story misstated the date of the game. The article has been updated with the correct date.

With the Spartans biting at their heels as the game clock wound down, a late empty net goal from Sampo Ranta secured Minnesota’s sixth win in as many games on Friday night.

Scott Reedy had another strong game for Minnesota, assisting Ranta’s late goal and securing the game winning goal in the second period with a deflection off a shot from Jackson LaCombe to put the Gophers ahead 3-2.

Minnesota was once again perfect on its penalty kill tonight, killing off two penalties on the night. The team’s flawless record is tied for first among all programs in the nation, and they are the only team to have successfully killed off more than 10 penalties without error.

The game started off with a busy first period. A pass from Bryce Brodzinski set up Ben Meyers, who has scored in three of his last four games, for a goal just five minute into the game.

Minnesota held MSU to zero shots until halfway through the first period, while getting seven shots of their own in that time. The Gophers continued to overpower the Spartans offensively in the first as well, with Jaxson Nelson securing his first goal of the year with an assist from Jack Perbix and Cullen Munson.

Michigan State was able to respond directly after with a goal from Kyle Haskins to make the score 2-1 at the end of the first period.

Head coach Bob Motzko said post game the team couldn’t have had a better night on the road, but gave Michigan State credit for putting pressure on the Gophers all game.

“Give Michigan State credit – they battled back hard…It was a good old-fashioned gut out – we had to gut one out down the stretch, “ Motzko said.

Minnesota faces Michigan on the road in Ann Arbor this upcoming Tuesday and Wednesday to round out the first half of its season.

Sixteen years removed from the last time he was in a Gophers’ sweater, Paul Martin has something in common with the players on this year’s roster: They’re all balancing hockey on top of a full course load.

A star on the Gophers’ blue line in the early 2000s, Martin left Minnesota three years into his college career to make the jump to the NHL. Martin officially retired in 2018, when the remainder of his last contract was bought out by the San Jose Sharks. Earlier this season, the team announced Martin would be returning to the team as an undergraduate assistant to finish his degree.

Martin is completing a multidisciplinary studies degree, a program in the College of Continuing and Professional Studies that allows students to combine their past credits with courses of their choosing to design a major that works for them. Leaving school when he did was a difficult decision, and part of his motivation to come back was because of a promise he had made to his mother. His time away from the game also helped him to reflect on what he wanted to do in the next chapter of his life.

“I think it was a tough time for me to leave the University after my junior year; we had just won two national championships, and I really enjoyed my experience and loved the guys, especially our class,” Martin said. “Part of the promise was to come back to school and get my degree … for mom, but over time I think it was more important to come back for me as well.”

“The time away from hockey after I retired was a good transition phase for me to really figure out what I wanted to do in the next chapter of my life. … To take advantage of the program that they had to offer here and work with [Bob] Motzko and these guys was kind of a no-brainer for me, especially if coaching is something I want to do in the future.”

Martin’s NHL resume and the longevity of his professional career brings a wealth of experience to the team, and Minnesota head coach Bob Motzko said having him on staff to help guide a young defensive core is an exciting opportunity for the Gophers. Typical team meetings have been more difficult to set up with new COVID-19 guidelines, but Motzko is still looking forward to having Martin available as a sounding board for the team and having the team’s young defensemen learn from him.

Having Martin back in the organization is also something of a full-circle moment for both him and Motzko, who was hired as an assistant coach with the Gophers during Martin’s sophomore year. Looking back on his first few weeks on the job, Motzko said while initially he was underwhelmed with what he saw from Martin on the ice, he was quickly proven wrong.

“It was either the second or third practice, and I come in and I go, ‘I don’t see it.’ Because Paul is a very reserved, laid-back guy,” Motzko said. “And about a month later I saw it: He was as special as any player I’ve ever been around and completely controlled the game with his brain and his athleticism.”

The college game has changed since Martin’s day, and it looks especially different on the back end. From what he saw at the beginning of the team’s practices, Martin said the defensemen overall looked promising.

“I like the way that they skate. They all move the puck well, especially the younger defensemen coming in — a lot of promise there. I feel like the older guys that have been around have been very open to me and able to communicate what they’re all about,” Martin said. “So I’m just kind of excited to be here right now in that feeling-out process and am looking forward to spending more time with them as the weeks go on.”

Monday

For the second time in its short season, Minnesota put up four goals on its opponent on Monday, winning 4-1 against Ohio State.

The Gophers put consistent pressure on the Buckeyes all game, pushing to add to their lead even when they were on the penalty kill in the final minute of the game, getting goal number four thanks to a successful empty-netter from Meyers.

Minnesota went on the powerplay three times in the second period, and they finally cashed in on its third time around, with Mike Koster shooting through traffic from the blue line to get the puck up to forward Bryce Brodzinski, who deflected it into the net.

“We’re clicking pretty good on our power play right now… we had opportunities, and then we finally buried one there in a shot we have to take from the point to open things up,” Motzko said. “So, I’m real happy with where our power play is right now, and it will continue to grow and get better.”

Minnesota had an early chance halfway through the first when Burke got the puck past Ohio State’s goal, but it was waved off.

Brock Faber’s first career goal got Minnesota on the board first, as he scored off a cross-ice pass from Ryan Johnson.

Minnesota held the Buckeyes to just one shot on goal through the first, and were also able to capitalize off of their mistakes. Sammy Walker padded their lead in the first period, scoring off a rebound to put Minnesota up 2-0 heading into the first intermission.

Tuesday

Building off a successful first night, Minnesota held down the fort on Tuesday to secure its fourth win of the season. The strong play from the team’s defensemen was crucial in keeping Ohio State at bay throughout the game and supporting goalie Jack LaFontaine’s play in net.

“They did a phenomenal job backchecking and getting to the house, so I’m not gonna say it was 100% a goalie shutout, I think this week especially you saw a team contribution shutout,” LaFontaine said post-game.

The first period of Tuesday’s game was all Gophers. Scott Reedy opened the scoring just two minutes in, and his goal stood despite a challenge from Ohio State. From there, Minnesota continued to dominate, putting up 15 shots and winning 10 of 16 faceoffs.

Despite scoring so early in the first, the second period proved a bit more challenging for Minnesota, as its rounds of shots were all unsuccessful, but head coach Bob Motzko said his team played well through the frustration.

“You could see a little frustration leak into the bench… there was a little pressure from that goaltender so we were missing the net, but our guys buckled right back down,” Motzko said.

The Gophers were able to reconnect for a goal halfway though the third period. Ben Meyers started off the play by taking the puck around the back of the net before taking his shot, and when Nappier deflected, Nathan Burke was waiting in front and scored off the rebound.

The team nearly ended the night with another goal, but a shot from Reedy was waved off for a high stick. Even without the extra goal, Minnesota walked away with another tally in the win column, and are now 4-0 to start the season for the first time since the 2014-15 season.

The 4-0 Gophers will return to the ice Dec. 3-4 when they take on Michigan State in East Lansing.

Monday

For the second time in its short season, Minnesota put up four goals on its opponent on Monday, winning 4-1 against Ohio State.

The Gophers put consistent pressure on the Buckeyes all game, pushing to add to their lead even when they were on the penalty kill in the final minute of the game, getting goal number four thanks to a successful empty-netter from Meyers.

Minnesota went on the powerplay three times in the second period, and they finally cashed in on its third time around, with Mike Koster shooting through traffic from the blue line to get the puck up to forward Bryce Brodzinski, who deflected it into the net.

“We’re clicking pretty good on our power play right now… we had opportunities, and then we finally buried one there in a shot we have to take from the point to open things up,” Motzko said. “So, I’m real happy with where our power play is right now, and it will continue to grow and get better.”

Minnesota had an early chance halfway through the first when Burke got the puck past Ohio State’s goal, but it was waved off.

Brock Faber’s first career goal got Minnesota on the board first, as he scored off a cross-ice pass from Ryan Johnson.

Minnesota held the Buckeyes to just one shot on goal through the first, and were also able to capitalize off of their mistakes. Sammy Walker padded their lead in the first period, scoring off a rebound to put Minnesota up 2-0 heading into the first intermission.

Tuesday

Building off a successful first night, Minnesota held down the fort on Tuesday to secure its fourth win of the season. The strong play from the team’s defensemen was crucial in keeping Ohio State at bay throughout the game and supporting goalie Jack LaFontaine’s play in net.

“They did a phenomenal job backchecking and getting to the house, so I’m not gonna say it was 100% a goalie shutout, I think this week especially you saw a team contribution shutout,” LaFontaine said post-game.

The first period of Tuesday’s game was all Gophers. Scott Reedy opened the scoring just two minutes in, and his goal stood despite a challenge from Ohio State. From there, Minnesota continued to dominate, putting up 15 shots and winning 10 of 16 faceoffs.

Despite scoring so early in the first, the second period proved a bit more challenging for Minnesota, as its rounds of shots were all unsuccessful, but head coach Bob Motzko said his team played well through the frustration.

“You could see a little frustration leak into the bench… there was a little pressure from that goaltender so we were missing the net, but our guys buckled right back down,” Motzko said.

The Gophers were able to reconnect for a goal halfway though the third period. Ben Meyers started off the play by taking the puck around the back of the net before taking his shot, and when Nappier deflected, Nathan Burke was waiting in front and scored off the rebound.

The team nearly ended the night with another goal, but a shot from Reedy was waved off for a high stick. Even without the extra goal, Minnesota walked away with another tally in the win column, and are now 4-0 to start the season for the first time since the 2014-15 season.

The 4-0 Gophers will return to the ice Dec. 3-4 when they take on Michigan State in East Lansing.

Thursday

With the anticipation of their first game of the season building for months, it finally arrived on Thursday when the Gophers faced off against Penn State, who they were meant to play in the Big Ten semifinals last March before, well, you know. The Gophers did not disappoint.

While the first period was scoreless for both teams, Minnesota got right to work in the middle frame. St. Louis Park native Jonny Sorenson’s first of the season came just five minutes in, with assists from Ben Meyers and Brannon McManus. Scott Reedy added to the lead shortly after with assists from Nathan Burke and Matt Staudacher.

Penn State had the last word in the second period, as Kevin Wall scored in the last thirty seconds with assists from Connor McMenamin and Evan Bell to get Penn State on the board for a 2-1 score into the intermission.

This late momentum wasn’t enough to deter the Gophers, and they came back to the third period hungry. Senior forward Cullen Munson took advantage of an early net-front scramble and snuck one past Penn State goalie Oskar Autio, which was called good after a review. Assists on the play came from Staudacher and Jaxon Nelson.

A review also came on an end-to-end goal from Gophers’ junior forward Sampo Ranta, this time causing much more confusion on-ice, as the officials were looking back at the start of the play for a potential handpass. There was none, but the initial call indicated the goal did not count. It did, and the Gophers ended the night with a 4-1 victory over the Nittany Lions. Minnesota goaltender Jack LaFontaine made 26 saves on 27 shots for a .963 save percentage on the night.

Friday

In its second game of the series, Minnesota found some success on the power play, and their first opportunity came early when Penn State’s Evan Bell was called for slashing in the first few minutes of the game. It took them a few shot attempts, but the power play unit hit their mark on a shot from Reedy, who tallied his second goal of the series with help from McManus and Blake McLaughlin.

The scoreboard remained at a 1-0 Gophers lead until late in the period, when Penn State’s Christian Sarlo tied the game with three minutes to go in the first. Minnesota was able to respond before the buzzer, with captain Sammy Walker regaining the lead with 0.8 seconds left on the clock.

Minnesota found more success on the power play in the second period with teamwork from Walker and McLauglin to assist on the eventual game-winning goal by McManus. With so much time left on the clock Minnesota had to fight to keep its lead through the end, but their efficiency on the penalty kill helped keep the lead after Penn State scored early in the third period.

Walker said post-game that a good penalty kill was important for the team’s momentum.

“The penalty kill is huge. To be able to be good on that and kill off penalties, I think that gives momentum to us and kind of deflates other teams… That’s huge for us,” Walker said.

Minnesota will return to play a pre-Thanksgiving series against Ohio State at home this coming Monday and Tuesday.

Big Ten hockey is back for the 2020-21 season, and could start as soon as Nov. 13, the conference office announced Tuesday.

The season will consist of a 24-game schedule against other member schools, with each Big Ten team having additional four games to host Arizona State University, who play without belonging to a conference. The season will end at approximately the same date as usual, with the Big Ten Tournament slated for March 18-20.

Gophers head coach Bob Motzko said his team couldn’t wait to drop the puck on the team’s 100th season.

“Now we finally have a good idea of when we’ll be playing, and I have no doubt that the team will be ready to go when the time comes,” he said in a press release.

This is a breaking news report. More information may be added as it becomes available.

As the presidential election draws nearer, reminders to vote are everywhere: lawn signs, commercials and pop-ups on Instagram. But for many, being able to take time off work to make sure their vote is counted just isn’t feasible, and the possibility of standing in line for hours is even less appealing than usual due to the pandemic.

Wanting to ensure their athletes and staff had the full day to get their votes in, the athletics department cleared their schedules for Nov. 3. A coordinated social media post declared that the Gophers’ teams “only had one drill to run” on Election Day.

Only one drill to run on November 3rd: #GoVote https://t.co/8XPM5CDfnc

— Minnesota Gophers (@GopherSports) September 15, 2020

Basketball took it one step further, registering every team member on both the men’s and women’s teams to vote. Women’s head coach Lindsay Whalen said that her team had been working to get all athletes and staff registered to vote throughout the summer, noting that assistant coach Carly Thibault-DuDonis worked with the athletes and members of the staff directly to get their registration paperwork set up correctly.

“We wanted to be the first on campus to have our whole team registered to vote, obviously the men’s team is as well. We’re in sports so we’re competitive, I’m not sure who was exactly first but it doesn’t matter at this point,” Whalen said. “What matters is that everybody’s registered and will be able to go and vote that day.”

Grace Cumming, a redshirt freshman on the women’s basketball team, appreciated that the athletics department cleared schedules for Election Day to make it as easy as possible for them to vote, as a regular schedule that day would have made it much more challenging,

“I know that athletic programs want to be leaders in their communities, and I think that’s a great way to start, to make voting really easy for student-athletes … A regular day — especially in early November — for a basketball player is crazy busy,” Cumming said.

As a first-time voter in a presidential election, Cumming has noticed a lot of enthusiasm for voting among her teammates and peers, saying that voting and being more politically aware is much more commonplace in young people, and that politics are something that are more openly discussed and normalized.

For sophomore guard Jasmine Powell, there is a direct correlation between voting and larger-scale social justice movements.

“It’s not just our team, but our community that’s not very happy with what’s going on. This election in particular, we’re voting not just for social change, but equity. We have a Black woman as candidate for vice president. That’s huge,” Powell said.

“And we want someone in office who will help with these matters, because at the end of the day, who we vote in and who we’re expecting to help during times like this, like the George Floyd’s and the Breonna Taylor’s, it depends who is in office.”

Having Whalen leading the team through this had been impactful as well. When Philando Castille was shot and killed by Falcon Heights police in 2016, Whalen was, at the time, a captain of the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx.

Seeking change after the deaths of Castille as well as Alton Sterling, they wore shirts displaying their names and the statement “Black Lives Matter” in pregame warmups. Minneapolis Police Department officers who were staffing the game as security were offended by the action and walked off their posts.

“That was huge,” Powell said of Whalen’s protest. “She was one of the only, you could say, white players who were really voicing their opinion on that, and just really stuck by her teammates.”

“And that’s what she’s been preaching to us, to always be there for your teammate no matter whether you understand or not. And that’s been great, to not just hear that but to see that from her. That’s exactly what she was doing [as a player], and she’s still doing it for us.”