Thursday, March 28
Sioux Falls, S.D.
7:30 PM
University of Minnesota
vs
Omaha
'U' Faces Omaha in NCAA Sioux Falls Regional Thursday
3/27/2024 10:00:00 AM | Men's Hockey
41st all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament
MINNEAPOLIS - The No. 7/7 Golden Gophers men's hockey team begins the 2024 NCAA Sioux Falls Regional as the No. 2 seed heading into Thursday's opening round matchup against No. 11/12 Omaha in the postseason sponsored by Affinity Plus.
Minnesota is set to battle the host Mavericks, the region's No. 3 seed, at 7:30 p.m. in game two of the action from the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center. The entire regional, which also features No. 1 Boston University and No. 4 RIT, will be available to watch on ESPNU and streaming on ESPN+, while audio coverage for the Maroon and Gold can be heard on the Gopher Radio Network 1130 KTLK-AM/103.5 FM.
The winner of each game Thursday will faceoff Saturday at 5:30 p.m. on ESPNU with a spot in the 2024 NCAA Frozen Four in St. Paul, Minn., on the line.
ON THE NATIONAL STAGE
Minnesota's win over Boston University in the 2023 NCAA Frozen Four a year ago was the program's 61st all-time victory in the NCAA Tournament, the most of any college hockey program in the country. The Gophers own a 61-41 record (.598) in 40 trips to the national stage since 1953 and are making their fourth-consecutive appearance in 2024. Under the guidance of head coach Bob Motzko, the Maroon and Gold own a mark of 6-3 in the postseason event, including at least one win in each of the last three seasons, and are going for its third-straight appearance at the NCAA Frozen Four. Minnesota has 18 players on its roster that have made at least one trip to the NCAA Tournament, 16 of which have taken the ice, while six members are returning to the national spotlight for the fourth time.
SEEING NEW SIGHTS
For the first time in the 103-year history of the Minnesota men's hockey program, it will play a game in the state of South Dakota when it takes the ice Thursday in the NCAA Sioux Falls Regional. The Gophers played in Fargo, N.D., a season ago for the NCAA regional round and will travel approximately four miles less during their trip to the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center in 2024 with the arena located 238 miles from campus.
SIOUX FALLS CONNECTIONS
For graduate student Jaxon Nelson, Sioux Falls, S.D., is as close to home as you can get for the postseason as the Magnolia, Minn., native grew up less than 40 miles from the largest city in South Dakota and played prep hockey at Luverne High School, 15 miles from the state's border. Nelson also played two seasons for Sioux Falls in the USHL, making 112 appearances between 2016-18. The Gophers have three other players that spent at least two years with the Stampede in Garrett Pinoniemi (2019-22), Max Rud (2020-23), and Cal Thomas (2020-22), while Rud's father, Eric, is the current head coach for Sioux Falls. The Gophers' Bob Motzko served as the general manager and coach of the Stampede during the team's first three seasons in the USHL (1998-2001) and was named the USHL General Manager of the Year in 2000.
POSTSEASON AWARD SHOW
The Gophers were well represented on the Big Ten Conference postseason awards list as a league-best 10 different players were honored. Jimmy Snuggerud headlined the group earning an All-B1G First Team selection, while Ryan Chesley, Rhett Pitlick, and Sam Rinzel were All-B1G Second Team honorees. Minnesota also had four named All-B1G Honorable Mention in Bryce Brodzinski, Justen Close, Luke Mittelstadt, and Jaxon Nelson. Rinzel was joined by fellow rookie Oliver Moore as B1G All-Freshman team picks and Carl Fish was given the B1G Sportsmanship Award. The Gophers have had 60 all-conference selections since the B1G formed 11 years ago, which is more than any other opponent.
BEST TEAM AT AVOIDING THE PENALTY BOX
The Gophers were called for double-digit penalty minutes in three-straight games during the season's first month but drastically changed that narrative the second half of the season. Minnesota now leads the nation, averaging 6.7 penalty minutes per game, sitting in the box for six minutes or less in 17 of the previous 19 outings, including a penalty-free contest in the final road test at Notre Dame (Feb. 17). That also incorporates a home win versus Robert Morris (Jan. 13) where the team's only penalty came on matching minors as it did not allow a single power-play opportunity. The Gophers were whistled for 19 penalty minutes in the first period against Penn State (Mar. 9), which was more time in the penalty box than the previous four games combined.
HISTORY WITH THE MAVERICKS
Minnesota leads the all-time series with Omaha 5-3 (.625), with five of the games being decided by just one goal. The Gophers have won four of the last five meetings since 2012, including the only matchup in the last 12 years when they won 7-2 at the 2021 NCAA West Regional in Loveland, Colo. That was the first and only postseason contest between the two programs and a day where Brock Faber tied a single-game school record with five assists. It also was a milestone night for then freshman and current captain Mason Nevers as he registered the first two goals of his Minnesota career.
INSIDE LOOK AT OMAHA
The Mavericks are making their fifth all-time appearance in the national tournament and looking to get back to the NCAA Frozen Four for the first time since 2015. Omaha has tallied a 12-3-2 record since late January to pick up an at-large bid after reaching the NCHC Frozen Faceoff championship game for the first time, where it lost to Denver. The Mavericks are almost even when it comes to offense and defense as they rank 31st nationally in scoring offense at 2.95 goals per game, while sitting 25th in scoring defense, allowing 2.79 goals per game. Tanner Ludtke paces UNO in scoring with 28 points and is one of four players to reach double-digit goals, led by 13 goals from both Zach Urdahl and Jack Randl. Urdahl scored the team's lone hat trick this season during a four-point effort in the NCHC semifinal win over North Dakota (Mar. 22). Goaltender Simon Latkoczy has started all but six games in net for the Mavericks and recorded a 2.68 goals-against average, .912 save percentage, and two shutouts.
NELLY GETTING "HOT IN HERRE"
Jaxon Nelson has been nearly unstoppable for the Golden Gophers of late with a goal in four of his last six games, including three multi-goal performances, and has eight of his career-best 16 goals over that span. He had 10 points and a plus-8 rating during a season-long, five-game point streak and also won double-digit faceoffs in each of those outings (64-of-102), a 63 percent success rate. Against No. 16 Michigan to close the regular season, Nelson totaled six points via five goals and an assist on his way to a B1G First Star of the Week (Mar. 5) honor, the first weekly award of his five-year career. He recorded his first collegiate hat trick in Friday night's win, scoring once in each of the three periods. The Magnolia, Minn., native followed that with his third, three-point performance of the season the next night as he tallied two goals and an assist in the third period to help the Gophers overcome a three-goal deficit. No stranger to the big stage, Nelson recorded a point in all four NCAA Tournament games a season ago and has eight points (two goals, six assists) in nine career NCAA outings over the past three years.
CLOSE THE SHUTOUT STAR
Justen Close was named a Mike Richter Award semifinalist for the second-straight year thanks to a 2.33 goals-against average, a .923 save percentage, and four shutouts this season and is lined up to make the 100th appearance of his career Thursday. The graduate student was nothing short of brilliant for the Gophers in the quarterfinals sweep of Penn State where he allowed three goals on 69 shots and made a career-high 46 saves in the finale. He was named the B1G First Star of the Week for two-consecutive weeks (Feb. 6 & 13) after not allowing a goal, stopping all 66 shots, against the Nittany Lions during a weekend sweep and extended his career-long shutout streak to more than 190 minutes. Close posted consecutive shutouts for the third time in his career and second time this season. In a split at No. 4 Wisconsin, he held the opposition to one goal each night on his way to weekly accolades, stopping 62-of-64 shots. He picked up the honor for the first time on Oct. 24 after turning away 57-of-59 shots faced against No. 5 North Dakota, including a 25-save shutout Oct. 20 and remains the only goalie this season to blank UND. The Kindersley, Saskatchewan, native used the back-to-back shutouts of Penn State to tie the all-time shutouts record in Minnesota history with the 13th of his career and recently increased his career win total to 61, sitting sixth in program history. Close owns a 5-2 record in seven NCAA Tournament appearances with a 2.12 goals-against average and 172 total saves.
HUGLEN COMING UP HUGE
Forward Aaron Huglen is putting together his best offensive run as a Gopher late in the year, picking up a point in seven of the past nine games, totaling nine points. The junior scored a goal in three-straight contests from Mar. 2-9, the longest streak of his career, with nine of his career-best 12 total goals coming over the previous 15 outings. He became the ninth Minnesota player to reach the 20-point mark after tallying the game-winning goal against Penn State in the B1G quarterfinals (Mar. 9). Thanks to his first collegiate multi-goal outing against the Nittany Lions (Jan. 10), Huglen surpassed his previous career best in goals at eight. He also tacked on an assist in the series opener to finish with three points during the weekend and earned B1G Third Star of the Week honors (Feb. 13), his first weekly award as a Gopher. Since Jan. 20, the Roseau, Minn., native is tied for the NCAA lead in game-winning goals as he has four in that stretch. In seven NCAA Tournament appearances, Huglen has accounted for five points and reached the scoresheet in four of those outings.
BRODZINSKI SET NEW PROGRAM RECORD
There is a new leader in all-time games played in Minnesota men's hockey history after Bryce Brodzinski took the ice for the 183rd time in the B1G Tournament, passing Larry Olimb (1988-92). He has not missed a game since Jan. 30, 2021, playing in 129-straight contests. The fifth-year senior remains the NCAA's active leader in games played (183) and is third in goals (59), while sitting 13th among Division I players with 115 career points. The Blaine, Minn., native joined an elite company as the 61st Minnesota player to reach the 50-goal milestone when he scored twice in a home win over Minnesota Duluth (Nov. 3). He is the first Gopher to hit the scoring mark since Tyler Sheehy did so on Dec. 8, 2018, and is one of five to score 50 goals since 2010. He reached 100 career points with the game-winning goal at Penn State (Dec. 1), the first Gopher to reach the milestone since Blake McLaughlin in 2022, and the 88th player to hit the century mark for career points with the Maroon and Gold. Brodzinski is second among active NCAA Tournament participants with eight career points, thanks to his first collegiate hat trick and four points in last year's regional win over Canisius. That performance helped land him a spot on the NCAA Fargo Regional All-Tournament Team, where he was voted the Most Outstanding Player.
MITTELSTADT MAKING MOVES
Luke Mittelstadt continues to make himself a key contributor when the pressure ramps up late in the season as the sophomore has been playing his best hockey down the stretch. That increased confidence is also showing up on the scoresheet as he scored a goal in back-to-back games for the first time in his career to open the month of March, starting his current five-game point streak, which is tied for the longest of his young tenure. He also ranks second among Minnesota defensemen with 19 points and is third on the team totaling 49 blocked shots. The Eden Prairie, Minn., product has a knack for postseason scoring, registering seven points, including three of his seven career goals, in nine career playoff contests. In the 2023 NCAA Frozen Four, he scored his lone game-winning goal during a victory over Boston University, part of the only multi-goal performance of his career, as he scored twice in a span of 1:49 in the third period. Mittelstadt's three-point effort in the semifinals landed him on the NCAA Frozen Four All-Tournament Team.
HAT TRICK HEROES
Minnesota is one of 12 NCAA men's hockey teams to have three players record a hat trick during a game this season. All three of the hat tricks have come after the calendar flipped to 2024 and been inside 3M Arena at Mariucci. Jimmy Snuggerud picked up the Gophers' first of the year when he found the back of the net three times in a win over Colorado College (Jan. 8) for the second hat trick of his collegiate career. Rhett Pitlick followed suit just three games later, recording the first three-goal performance of his career during a four-point outing versus Ohio State (Jan. 19). Jaxon Nelson waited until the last regular season series of his five-year career to set a new career high with his first hat trick against Michigan (Mar. 1) as part of a five-goal weekend.
GETTING THE WINNER
In its 22 wins this season, the game-winning goal for Minnesota has come from nine different sources and it is one of just four NCAA programs with three skaters that have four or more game winners. Jimmy Snuggerud is leading the way with six game-winning goals, two of which have come in overtime, to lead the conference and rank fourth in the NCAA. All four times Brody Lamb has claimed the deciding goal, it has been when the Maroon and Gold have been on the road and three were against teams ranked inside the top 10; No. 5 North Dakota (Oct. 20), No. 8/9 Michigan (Nov. 10) and No. 4 Wisconsin (Feb. 2). Aaron Huglen has caught fire of late, accounting for four of the team's last nine game winners since his first this season on Jan. 20. Bryce Brodzinski and Oliver Moore also have multiple game-winning goals with two, while Ryan Chesley, Jimmy Clark, Mike Koster, and Rhett Pitlick have tallied the other four game winners for the Gophers in 2023-24.
ANOTHER YEAR WITH 20
It's the fourth-consecutive season under head coach Bob Motzko that Minnesota has won at least 20 games during the season and 10th time over the past 13 campaigns. The sustained success of the Gophers has been a point of emphasis as the program has reached the 20-win mark 41 times in 51 years dating back to 1973-74, a year when the Maroon and Gold claimed the first of its five national championships.
FACING THE NATION'S BEST
Thanks to the rise in quality of hockey across the Big Ten Conference, the full schedule for the Maroon and Gold again has been a challenge from start to finish. After facing the nation's No. 2 strength of schedule according to USCHO last year, the 2023-24 slate is no different as 31 of 37 games have come against opponents ranked in the top 20 or receiving votes in the national polls. Minnesota holds a 5-2-3 record against top-10 opponents this season and faced seven-consecutive opponents ranked in the top 20 from Oct. 20 to Dec. 2. The Gophers have battled the fourth-toughest schedule in the NCAA this year and have totaled 10 victories over ranked opponents.
PUTTING IN THE CLASSROOM WORK
Not only have the Gophers shown success on the ice during the 2023-24 season, the student-athletes have put in work in the classroom as well, leading to 15 Academic All-Big Ten selections. To be eligible for the honor, students must have been enrolled full time at the institution for a minimum of 12 months and carry a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or higher. Last fall, Minnesota set a program record as the squad boasted a semester GPA of 3.45.
SHOWCASING THE STATE OF HOCKEY
With five of the six members of the Gophers freshman class hailing from the State of Hockey as well as graduate transfer Nick Michel, the 2023-24 roster now features nearly 90 percent homegrown talent. Of the 26 players on the team, 23 grew up and played youth hockey inside the state lines, including all 22 skaters. Even more impressive is the fact that 17 of the Minnesotans on the team are from within 40 miles of campus. In total, 233 student-athletes on NCAA rosters are from the Land of 10,000 Lakes, nearly 100 more than any other state in the country.
DRAFT SPOTLIGHT FOR 13
Thirteen of Minnesota's 26 rostered players have heard their names called in the NHL Entry Draft since 2019, including a pair of first-round selections that are part of this year's freshmen class. The Gophers have had the most all-time draft selections (239) by any NCAA men's hockey program after adding four over the summer. At least one Gopher has been drafted in 49 of the last 50 NHL Entry Drafts dating back to 1974, with 2001 being the only exception. Boston College and Boston University are the only teams in the nation that have more draft picks (14) on their NCAA rosters for the 2023-24 season than Minnesota.
YEAR SIX FOR COACH MOTZKO
The 2023 Spencer Penrose Coach of the Year award winner, Minnesota head coach Bob Motzko recently received a two-year contract extension to remain with the Maroon and Gold through 2027-28. He currently owns a 135-70-17 record after leading the Gophers to back-to-back trips to the NCAA Frozen Four and now four-straight, 20-plus-win campaigns. He is the seventh coach in program history to reach the 100-win milestone and has earned the title of B1G Coach of the Year three times in the last four seasons. His all-time record as a head coach stands at 411-262-66 in 19 seasons and is a seven-time conference coach of the year honoree during his illustrious tenure.
GOPHER PIPELINE TO THE NHL
After 33 players took part in National Hockey League training camps, 21 former Golden Gophers men's hockey players earned an opening-night roster spot for the 2023-24 season, while five more have been called up since the regular season started. Minnesota had an NCAA-best 26 former skaters in the NHL last season, increasing the all-time number of Gophers in the NHL to an NCAA-best 123 before Logan Cooley and Johnson made their debuts as No. 124 and 125, respectively. This year the Maroon and Gold has begun the campaign as one of two NCAA programs with 20 or more players with a lineup spot in the NHL.
Minnesota is set to battle the host Mavericks, the region's No. 3 seed, at 7:30 p.m. in game two of the action from the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center. The entire regional, which also features No. 1 Boston University and No. 4 RIT, will be available to watch on ESPNU and streaming on ESPN+, while audio coverage for the Maroon and Gold can be heard on the Gopher Radio Network 1130 KTLK-AM/103.5 FM.
The winner of each game Thursday will faceoff Saturday at 5:30 p.m. on ESPNU with a spot in the 2024 NCAA Frozen Four in St. Paul, Minn., on the line.
ON THE NATIONAL STAGE
Minnesota's win over Boston University in the 2023 NCAA Frozen Four a year ago was the program's 61st all-time victory in the NCAA Tournament, the most of any college hockey program in the country. The Gophers own a 61-41 record (.598) in 40 trips to the national stage since 1953 and are making their fourth-consecutive appearance in 2024. Under the guidance of head coach Bob Motzko, the Maroon and Gold own a mark of 6-3 in the postseason event, including at least one win in each of the last three seasons, and are going for its third-straight appearance at the NCAA Frozen Four. Minnesota has 18 players on its roster that have made at least one trip to the NCAA Tournament, 16 of which have taken the ice, while six members are returning to the national spotlight for the fourth time.
SEEING NEW SIGHTS
For the first time in the 103-year history of the Minnesota men's hockey program, it will play a game in the state of South Dakota when it takes the ice Thursday in the NCAA Sioux Falls Regional. The Gophers played in Fargo, N.D., a season ago for the NCAA regional round and will travel approximately four miles less during their trip to the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center in 2024 with the arena located 238 miles from campus.
SIOUX FALLS CONNECTIONS
For graduate student Jaxon Nelson, Sioux Falls, S.D., is as close to home as you can get for the postseason as the Magnolia, Minn., native grew up less than 40 miles from the largest city in South Dakota and played prep hockey at Luverne High School, 15 miles from the state's border. Nelson also played two seasons for Sioux Falls in the USHL, making 112 appearances between 2016-18. The Gophers have three other players that spent at least two years with the Stampede in Garrett Pinoniemi (2019-22), Max Rud (2020-23), and Cal Thomas (2020-22), while Rud's father, Eric, is the current head coach for Sioux Falls. The Gophers' Bob Motzko served as the general manager and coach of the Stampede during the team's first three seasons in the USHL (1998-2001) and was named the USHL General Manager of the Year in 2000.
POSTSEASON AWARD SHOW
The Gophers were well represented on the Big Ten Conference postseason awards list as a league-best 10 different players were honored. Jimmy Snuggerud headlined the group earning an All-B1G First Team selection, while Ryan Chesley, Rhett Pitlick, and Sam Rinzel were All-B1G Second Team honorees. Minnesota also had four named All-B1G Honorable Mention in Bryce Brodzinski, Justen Close, Luke Mittelstadt, and Jaxon Nelson. Rinzel was joined by fellow rookie Oliver Moore as B1G All-Freshman team picks and Carl Fish was given the B1G Sportsmanship Award. The Gophers have had 60 all-conference selections since the B1G formed 11 years ago, which is more than any other opponent.
BEST TEAM AT AVOIDING THE PENALTY BOX
The Gophers were called for double-digit penalty minutes in three-straight games during the season's first month but drastically changed that narrative the second half of the season. Minnesota now leads the nation, averaging 6.7 penalty minutes per game, sitting in the box for six minutes or less in 17 of the previous 19 outings, including a penalty-free contest in the final road test at Notre Dame (Feb. 17). That also incorporates a home win versus Robert Morris (Jan. 13) where the team's only penalty came on matching minors as it did not allow a single power-play opportunity. The Gophers were whistled for 19 penalty minutes in the first period against Penn State (Mar. 9), which was more time in the penalty box than the previous four games combined.
HISTORY WITH THE MAVERICKS
Minnesota leads the all-time series with Omaha 5-3 (.625), with five of the games being decided by just one goal. The Gophers have won four of the last five meetings since 2012, including the only matchup in the last 12 years when they won 7-2 at the 2021 NCAA West Regional in Loveland, Colo. That was the first and only postseason contest between the two programs and a day where Brock Faber tied a single-game school record with five assists. It also was a milestone night for then freshman and current captain Mason Nevers as he registered the first two goals of his Minnesota career.
INSIDE LOOK AT OMAHA
The Mavericks are making their fifth all-time appearance in the national tournament and looking to get back to the NCAA Frozen Four for the first time since 2015. Omaha has tallied a 12-3-2 record since late January to pick up an at-large bid after reaching the NCHC Frozen Faceoff championship game for the first time, where it lost to Denver. The Mavericks are almost even when it comes to offense and defense as they rank 31st nationally in scoring offense at 2.95 goals per game, while sitting 25th in scoring defense, allowing 2.79 goals per game. Tanner Ludtke paces UNO in scoring with 28 points and is one of four players to reach double-digit goals, led by 13 goals from both Zach Urdahl and Jack Randl. Urdahl scored the team's lone hat trick this season during a four-point effort in the NCHC semifinal win over North Dakota (Mar. 22). Goaltender Simon Latkoczy has started all but six games in net for the Mavericks and recorded a 2.68 goals-against average, .912 save percentage, and two shutouts.
NELLY GETTING "HOT IN HERRE"
Jaxon Nelson has been nearly unstoppable for the Golden Gophers of late with a goal in four of his last six games, including three multi-goal performances, and has eight of his career-best 16 goals over that span. He had 10 points and a plus-8 rating during a season-long, five-game point streak and also won double-digit faceoffs in each of those outings (64-of-102), a 63 percent success rate. Against No. 16 Michigan to close the regular season, Nelson totaled six points via five goals and an assist on his way to a B1G First Star of the Week (Mar. 5) honor, the first weekly award of his five-year career. He recorded his first collegiate hat trick in Friday night's win, scoring once in each of the three periods. The Magnolia, Minn., native followed that with his third, three-point performance of the season the next night as he tallied two goals and an assist in the third period to help the Gophers overcome a three-goal deficit. No stranger to the big stage, Nelson recorded a point in all four NCAA Tournament games a season ago and has eight points (two goals, six assists) in nine career NCAA outings over the past three years.
CLOSE THE SHUTOUT STAR
Justen Close was named a Mike Richter Award semifinalist for the second-straight year thanks to a 2.33 goals-against average, a .923 save percentage, and four shutouts this season and is lined up to make the 100th appearance of his career Thursday. The graduate student was nothing short of brilliant for the Gophers in the quarterfinals sweep of Penn State where he allowed three goals on 69 shots and made a career-high 46 saves in the finale. He was named the B1G First Star of the Week for two-consecutive weeks (Feb. 6 & 13) after not allowing a goal, stopping all 66 shots, against the Nittany Lions during a weekend sweep and extended his career-long shutout streak to more than 190 minutes. Close posted consecutive shutouts for the third time in his career and second time this season. In a split at No. 4 Wisconsin, he held the opposition to one goal each night on his way to weekly accolades, stopping 62-of-64 shots. He picked up the honor for the first time on Oct. 24 after turning away 57-of-59 shots faced against No. 5 North Dakota, including a 25-save shutout Oct. 20 and remains the only goalie this season to blank UND. The Kindersley, Saskatchewan, native used the back-to-back shutouts of Penn State to tie the all-time shutouts record in Minnesota history with the 13th of his career and recently increased his career win total to 61, sitting sixth in program history. Close owns a 5-2 record in seven NCAA Tournament appearances with a 2.12 goals-against average and 172 total saves.
HUGLEN COMING UP HUGE
Forward Aaron Huglen is putting together his best offensive run as a Gopher late in the year, picking up a point in seven of the past nine games, totaling nine points. The junior scored a goal in three-straight contests from Mar. 2-9, the longest streak of his career, with nine of his career-best 12 total goals coming over the previous 15 outings. He became the ninth Minnesota player to reach the 20-point mark after tallying the game-winning goal against Penn State in the B1G quarterfinals (Mar. 9). Thanks to his first collegiate multi-goal outing against the Nittany Lions (Jan. 10), Huglen surpassed his previous career best in goals at eight. He also tacked on an assist in the series opener to finish with three points during the weekend and earned B1G Third Star of the Week honors (Feb. 13), his first weekly award as a Gopher. Since Jan. 20, the Roseau, Minn., native is tied for the NCAA lead in game-winning goals as he has four in that stretch. In seven NCAA Tournament appearances, Huglen has accounted for five points and reached the scoresheet in four of those outings.
BRODZINSKI SET NEW PROGRAM RECORD
There is a new leader in all-time games played in Minnesota men's hockey history after Bryce Brodzinski took the ice for the 183rd time in the B1G Tournament, passing Larry Olimb (1988-92). He has not missed a game since Jan. 30, 2021, playing in 129-straight contests. The fifth-year senior remains the NCAA's active leader in games played (183) and is third in goals (59), while sitting 13th among Division I players with 115 career points. The Blaine, Minn., native joined an elite company as the 61st Minnesota player to reach the 50-goal milestone when he scored twice in a home win over Minnesota Duluth (Nov. 3). He is the first Gopher to hit the scoring mark since Tyler Sheehy did so on Dec. 8, 2018, and is one of five to score 50 goals since 2010. He reached 100 career points with the game-winning goal at Penn State (Dec. 1), the first Gopher to reach the milestone since Blake McLaughlin in 2022, and the 88th player to hit the century mark for career points with the Maroon and Gold. Brodzinski is second among active NCAA Tournament participants with eight career points, thanks to his first collegiate hat trick and four points in last year's regional win over Canisius. That performance helped land him a spot on the NCAA Fargo Regional All-Tournament Team, where he was voted the Most Outstanding Player.
MITTELSTADT MAKING MOVES
Luke Mittelstadt continues to make himself a key contributor when the pressure ramps up late in the season as the sophomore has been playing his best hockey down the stretch. That increased confidence is also showing up on the scoresheet as he scored a goal in back-to-back games for the first time in his career to open the month of March, starting his current five-game point streak, which is tied for the longest of his young tenure. He also ranks second among Minnesota defensemen with 19 points and is third on the team totaling 49 blocked shots. The Eden Prairie, Minn., product has a knack for postseason scoring, registering seven points, including three of his seven career goals, in nine career playoff contests. In the 2023 NCAA Frozen Four, he scored his lone game-winning goal during a victory over Boston University, part of the only multi-goal performance of his career, as he scored twice in a span of 1:49 in the third period. Mittelstadt's three-point effort in the semifinals landed him on the NCAA Frozen Four All-Tournament Team.
HAT TRICK HEROES
Minnesota is one of 12 NCAA men's hockey teams to have three players record a hat trick during a game this season. All three of the hat tricks have come after the calendar flipped to 2024 and been inside 3M Arena at Mariucci. Jimmy Snuggerud picked up the Gophers' first of the year when he found the back of the net three times in a win over Colorado College (Jan. 8) for the second hat trick of his collegiate career. Rhett Pitlick followed suit just three games later, recording the first three-goal performance of his career during a four-point outing versus Ohio State (Jan. 19). Jaxon Nelson waited until the last regular season series of his five-year career to set a new career high with his first hat trick against Michigan (Mar. 1) as part of a five-goal weekend.
GETTING THE WINNER
In its 22 wins this season, the game-winning goal for Minnesota has come from nine different sources and it is one of just four NCAA programs with three skaters that have four or more game winners. Jimmy Snuggerud is leading the way with six game-winning goals, two of which have come in overtime, to lead the conference and rank fourth in the NCAA. All four times Brody Lamb has claimed the deciding goal, it has been when the Maroon and Gold have been on the road and three were against teams ranked inside the top 10; No. 5 North Dakota (Oct. 20), No. 8/9 Michigan (Nov. 10) and No. 4 Wisconsin (Feb. 2). Aaron Huglen has caught fire of late, accounting for four of the team's last nine game winners since his first this season on Jan. 20. Bryce Brodzinski and Oliver Moore also have multiple game-winning goals with two, while Ryan Chesley, Jimmy Clark, Mike Koster, and Rhett Pitlick have tallied the other four game winners for the Gophers in 2023-24.
ANOTHER YEAR WITH 20
It's the fourth-consecutive season under head coach Bob Motzko that Minnesota has won at least 20 games during the season and 10th time over the past 13 campaigns. The sustained success of the Gophers has been a point of emphasis as the program has reached the 20-win mark 41 times in 51 years dating back to 1973-74, a year when the Maroon and Gold claimed the first of its five national championships.
FACING THE NATION'S BEST
Thanks to the rise in quality of hockey across the Big Ten Conference, the full schedule for the Maroon and Gold again has been a challenge from start to finish. After facing the nation's No. 2 strength of schedule according to USCHO last year, the 2023-24 slate is no different as 31 of 37 games have come against opponents ranked in the top 20 or receiving votes in the national polls. Minnesota holds a 5-2-3 record against top-10 opponents this season and faced seven-consecutive opponents ranked in the top 20 from Oct. 20 to Dec. 2. The Gophers have battled the fourth-toughest schedule in the NCAA this year and have totaled 10 victories over ranked opponents.
PUTTING IN THE CLASSROOM WORK
Not only have the Gophers shown success on the ice during the 2023-24 season, the student-athletes have put in work in the classroom as well, leading to 15 Academic All-Big Ten selections. To be eligible for the honor, students must have been enrolled full time at the institution for a minimum of 12 months and carry a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or higher. Last fall, Minnesota set a program record as the squad boasted a semester GPA of 3.45.
SHOWCASING THE STATE OF HOCKEY
With five of the six members of the Gophers freshman class hailing from the State of Hockey as well as graduate transfer Nick Michel, the 2023-24 roster now features nearly 90 percent homegrown talent. Of the 26 players on the team, 23 grew up and played youth hockey inside the state lines, including all 22 skaters. Even more impressive is the fact that 17 of the Minnesotans on the team are from within 40 miles of campus. In total, 233 student-athletes on NCAA rosters are from the Land of 10,000 Lakes, nearly 100 more than any other state in the country.
DRAFT SPOTLIGHT FOR 13
Thirteen of Minnesota's 26 rostered players have heard their names called in the NHL Entry Draft since 2019, including a pair of first-round selections that are part of this year's freshmen class. The Gophers have had the most all-time draft selections (239) by any NCAA men's hockey program after adding four over the summer. At least one Gopher has been drafted in 49 of the last 50 NHL Entry Drafts dating back to 1974, with 2001 being the only exception. Boston College and Boston University are the only teams in the nation that have more draft picks (14) on their NCAA rosters for the 2023-24 season than Minnesota.
YEAR SIX FOR COACH MOTZKO
The 2023 Spencer Penrose Coach of the Year award winner, Minnesota head coach Bob Motzko recently received a two-year contract extension to remain with the Maroon and Gold through 2027-28. He currently owns a 135-70-17 record after leading the Gophers to back-to-back trips to the NCAA Frozen Four and now four-straight, 20-plus-win campaigns. He is the seventh coach in program history to reach the 100-win milestone and has earned the title of B1G Coach of the Year three times in the last four seasons. His all-time record as a head coach stands at 411-262-66 in 19 seasons and is a seven-time conference coach of the year honoree during his illustrious tenure.
GOPHER PIPELINE TO THE NHL
After 33 players took part in National Hockey League training camps, 21 former Golden Gophers men's hockey players earned an opening-night roster spot for the 2023-24 season, while five more have been called up since the regular season started. Minnesota had an NCAA-best 26 former skaters in the NHL last season, increasing the all-time number of Gophers in the NHL to an NCAA-best 123 before Logan Cooley and Johnson made their debuts as No. 124 and 125, respectively. This year the Maroon and Gold has begun the campaign as one of two NCAA programs with 20 or more players with a lineup spot in the NHL.