Holy Rau! Last Minute Goal Gives Gophers 3-2 Win And Sweep Over Sioux

Who doesn't love the Battle Hymn of the Republic?

The song, which is played by the Gophers band after any home sweep, came out Saturday night as the University of Minnesota hockey team beat the University of North Dakota 3-2 on a late Kyle Rau goal. The freshman scored with 46 seconds left as fifth-ranked Minnesota (8-1-0, 6-0-0 WCHA) rallied from a 2-1 third-period deficit and swept the Fighting Sioux (3-6-1, 1-5-0 WCHA) at home in the regular season for the first time since 1996.

Like Friday's game, Nick Bjugstad got Minnesota on the board first. The sophomore scored his eighth goal of the season as he took advantage of one of the bad Dell rebounds and pounded one home on the doorstep at 7:09.

However North Dakota was able to hang in early. Minnesota dominated outside of two penalties and Aaron Dell gave up multiple rebounds, but the Gophers and Sioux ended the first period tied at 1.

Several other Gophers, including Erik Haula, Seth Ambroz and Kyle Rau, had opportunities in front of Dell but were unable to get a clean shot past the North Dakota goaltender.  Despite the 19-5 shot advantage, the Fighting Sioux tied the game at 1 when Brock Nelson knocked the water bottle off (insert seconds) after an Ambroz penalty. The goal snapped Patterson's 99:26 shutout streak dating back to the second period of Saturday's Alaska-Anchorage game.

Minnesota came out flat in the second period as the North Dakota penalty kill, which had stopped the potent Maroon and Gold power play all series (going 14-15 on the top-ranked PP), stood tall as Minnesota could not take advantage. Despite the Gophers having most of the opportunities, Rocco Grimaldi was able to shine in his fourth college game and the freshman scored his first collegiate goal 8:39 into the second period. The religious Grimaldi celebrated his snipe by "Tebowing" and North Dakota responded by controlling play.

One thing which was stressed by Minnesota Coach Don Lucia after the game was the number of "dirty" goals by the Gophers. Normally Minnesota is a team which tries to score the fancy or pretty goal and North Dakota works for the rebound in front of the net; this weekend the roles were reversed.  

That was no better shown than in the two Gophers third period goals. Nick Larson started the Minnesota comeback 13:56 into the third period after the senior was in front of the net for a Travis Boyd pass. Larson's first goal of the season brought the Mariucci faithful (or the 75% who were wearing Maroon and Gold) back to life.

The Sioux, who spent most of the third period playing defensive hockey, were able to rev it up into fifth gear but Minnesota goalie Kent Patterson, as he has been all season, was phenomenal. Brock Nelson came inches away from scoring his second goal of the night on an odd-man rush only for Patterson to make a remarkable save; it was surprising enough that the North Dakota fans believed he had scored. That was preceded by the junior goaltender shutting down Mark MacMillan and Corban Knight on open looks.

"[Patterson's] on like that all year," said forward Nick Larson. "He's been given an opportunity and made the most out of it."

With Dell making saves of his own, Saturday's game looked to be heading to overtime. However, an unhinged Sioux net proved to make the game's biggest difference because a tired North Dakota team was unable to change their lines while the Gophers could. 

That meant Minnesota brought on their top guns: the Rau-Nick Bjugstad- Zach Budish line. With 46 seconds left, Budish was able to get the puck down low to Rau and he did what he's done all season: score within ten feet.

"[Rau] scored a lot of goals from that spot," said Lucia.

North Dakota deserves a lot of credit this weekend and were classy in defeat. While the series got chippy at times, as every Minnesota-UND series does, the Fighting Sioux were able to shut down the nation's best power play and they saw the emergence of Grimaldi and Brock Nelson to create a second scoring line. However, as the final seconds ticked away and it became clear to the 10,234 in Mariucci Arena that the Battle Hymn of the Republic would play once again.

Minnesota celebrating a sweep of North Dakota (photo/Nathan Wells)

Next weekend Minnesota heads across the St. Croix to face their other major rival, the Wisconsin Badgers. Both games start at 7 PM with Friday's game being broadcast on Fox Sports North and Saturday's game broadcast on the Big Ten Network.

SB Nation Minnesota 3 Stars:

1. Kyle Rau (MIN)
2. Rocco Grimaldi (UND)
3. Nick Larson (MIN)

Minnesota vs. North Dakota Saturday Night Line Combinations

For the third straight game, the Minnesota Golden Gophers are icing the same squad for Saturday’s game. That includes freshman Seth Ambroz remains in the lineup after being ejected for a checking from behind penalty Friday night.

The only change for either team is North Dakota’s Rocco Grimaldi being in for Taylor Dickin. The WCHA Preseason Freshman of the Year is returning from a lower body injury which has limited him to three games this season for the Fighting Sioux.

Line Combinations:
University of Minnesota Golden Gophers
Forwards:
Tom Serratore – Travis Boyd – Nick Larson
Nate Condon – Taylor Matson © – Seth Ambroz
Sam Warning – Erik Haula – Jake Hansen
Kyle Rau – Nick Bjugstad – Zach Budish

Defense:
Ben Marshall – Mark Alt
Jake Parenteau – Nate Schmidt
Seth Helgeson – Justin Holl

Goalies (bold indicates starter):
Kent Patterson
Michael Shibrowski
Jake Kremer

Scratches:
Joe Miller
Nico Sacchetti
Jared Larson
Chris Student
Christian Isackson
Blake Thompson

University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux
Forwards:
Mark MacMillan – Corban Knight (A) – Danny Kristo
Mario Lamoureuex © – Carter Rowney – Derek Rodwell
Rocco Grimaldi – Brock Nelson – Michael Parks
Dan Senkbeil – Stephane Pattyn – Joe Gleason

Defensemen:
Derek Forbort – Ben Blood (A)
Andrew MacWilliam (A) – Nick Mattson
Dillon Simpson – Andrew Panzarella

Goalies (bold indicates starter):
Aaron Dell
Brad Eidsness

Scratches:
Connor Gaarder
Taylor Dickin
Brendan O’Donnell
Tate Maris

Remember that tonight’s game is being broadcast on BTN instead of Fox Sports North. Dan Kelly, Rob Andringa and Mark Strobe have the call. As always, you can follow me on Twitter @gopherstate as I'll be tweeting live from Mariucci Arena and don't forget to follow @sbnminnesota for all things Minnesota sports.

Dan Kelly, Rob Andringa and Mark Strobe

Gophers Hockey: Defense Shines In 2-0 Minnesota Friday Win Over North Dakota

Nine games into the season and I think it's safe to say the Minnesota Golden Gophers are a good hockey team. Or at least they're making me smile.

After three consecutive seasons of missing the postseason, the Gophers are 8-1 (5-0-0 WCHA) with their latest victory, a 2-0 shutout over hated rival North Dakota (3-5-1, 1-4-0 WCHA). For a team which came into the game leading the nation in offense with 5.38 goals per game, it was the defense which shined Friday night. Nick Bjugstad and Tom Serratore scored for Minnesota as Kent Patterson made 24 saves and  tied Rob Stauber's single season record with his fifth shutout this year. He's done that in a month and now has a .945 save percentage while playing every minute this season.

The game took a while to start. For the second time all season, the dominant Gophers offense was shut out. Both teams took a while to warm up as nervous energy led to sloppy play and missed passes. However, Minnesota seemed to settle down after Erik Haula almost scored on a North Dakota giveaway and Andrew MacWilliams went off for slashing midway through the period. The Maroon and Gold were able to out-shoot UND 10-6 in the opneing twenty minutes but goaltender Aaron Dell stood tall between the pipes and did not allow Minnesota any rebounds despite six shots below the faceoff circle.    

Bjugstad's power play goal made it 1-0 Gophers with 7:16 left in the second  period after he took advantage of a 3x0 caused by defenseman Nate Schmidt hitting Sioux captain Mario Lamoureux twice with slap shots and shot it over Dell.

"I'm not sure what happened," the sophomore said, "but if I didn't score I'd catch heat from the guys."

Gophers-Sioux series are known for their physical play and tonight's game did not disappoint. (List of players) were involved in three separate fights Patterson was ran over diving for a puck. By the end of the full metal mayhem, 5 North Dakota players and 4 Minnesota players were in the penalty box; causing for a humorous exchange when all left.

4 separate fights over one play...or just another Minnesota-North Dakota series (Photo taken by Nathan Wells)

Despite Bjugstad's goal, Minnesota struggled at times on the power play. Much of the third period was spent trading off penalties and the two teams combined Friday night to go 1-14 with the man advantage. Just when it seemed like Aaron Dell and Kent Patterson would stop everything in sight, Nick Larson fed fourth-line forward Tom Serratore on a breakaway and the sophomore was able to get the puck past Dell for his first goal this season.

"It's nice to see a guy like Tom Serratore get rewarded," said Gophers head coach Don Lucia. "We played well and [for tomorrow] we need to continue to give ourselves a chance to win."

North Dakota had a couple late chances to ruin Patterson's fifth shutout - most notably junior Danny Kristo had a golden opportunity in front of the crease - but the Gophers were able to hold out and get the win. The Maroon and Gold may not have shown the offense which has won them games this season, but killing a five minute penalty, some great defense are traits which good hockey teams have. It's not easy to beat North Dakota, but Minnesota did.

And that brings a smile to my face.

The Minnesota Golden Gophers go for the sweep tomorrow night against the North Dakota Fighting Sioux. Game time is at 7:30 PM Central and it will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network. For more Gophers coverage, be sure to check out The Daily Gopher and for more college hockey coverage, check out Western College Hockey Blog.

Minnesota vs. North Dakota: Friday Night Line Combinations

Although the Gophers are keeping the same lines which worked for them in last weekend’s sweep over Alaska-Anchorage, North Dakota is going tonight without heralded freshman Rocco Grimaldi. Grimaldi, who has only played in 3 games this season with a lower body injury, was expected to play but is missing another game.

Line Combinations:

University of Minnesota Golden Gophers
Forwards:
Tom Serratore – Travis Boyd – Nick Larson
Nate Condon – Taylor Matson © – Seth Ambroz
Sam Warning – Erik Haula – Jake Hansen
Kyle Rau – Nick Bjugstad – Zach Budish

Defense:
Ben Marshall – Mark Alt
Jake Parenteau – Nate Schmidt
Seth Helgeson – Justin Holl

Goalies:
Kent Patterson
Michael Shibrowski
Jake Kremer

Scratches:
Joe Miller
Nico Sacchetti
Jared Larson
Chris Student
Christian Isackson
Blake Thompson

University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux
Forwards:
Mark MacMillan – Corban Knight (A) – Danny Kristo
Mario Lamoureuex © – Carter Rowney – Derek Rodwell
Taylor Dickin – Brock Nelson – Michael Parks
Dan Senkbeil – Stephane Pattyn – Joe Gleason

Defensemen:
Derek Forbort – Ben Blood (A)
Andrew MacWilliam (A) – Nick Mattson
Dillon Simpson – Andrew Panzarella

Goalies:
Aaron Dell
Brad Eidsness

Scratches:
Connor Gaarder
Rocco Grimaldi
Brendan O’Donnell
Tate Maris

Getting To Know Your Opposition: University of North Dakota

The University of North Dakota is located just across the Red River from Minnesota in Grand Forks. Their sports teams are nicknamed the Fighting Sioux, at least for now, and play in a $110 million state of the art arena (every seat is leather and has granite floors), named after Ralph Engelstad  (the man who donated the $110 million). 

Both teams share a mutual hatred of each other, as shown by the Gophers SB Nation blog The Daily Gopher:

This year COULD be about crushing the Sue and getting back to the top of the conference and the college hockey world where the Minnesota Gopher program belongs. The Gophs had a stellar first month against a weak schedule (just one top 20 opponent in UMD) while UND struggled against a tougher slate- loss to #1 BC at home, win and tie against #20 Maine, swept at the Kohl Center by Bucky, and a split last weekend with...St Cloud State? AT HOME?!? You do not lose at the soon-to-be Sioux-less Ralph!

Watch this for a gentle reminder on how a Sioux fan reacts to Michigan at the Frozen Four. That one just never gets old...

Words of love and words every Gophers fan (including this writer) can agree. The video is great too.

Minnesota leads the overall series between the two teams 140-128-14. Unfortunately after decades of being in the WCHA together, there are only two more seasons before Minnesota leaves for the Big Ten Hockey Conference and North Dakota joins the newly-create NCHC. Of course that won't stop UND fans from hating Minnesota and here's what their blogosphere and mainstream media has to say.

Gopher Sports has an interview with Grand Forks Herald beat writer Brad Schlossman which gives a lot of insight into how North Dakota has played.

Over at the Sioux Blog, they make it personal about Minnesota's women and obsession with North Dakota (in a long blog which has everything to do with the Gophers and nothing to do with UND).

This weekend’s series is being played at Mariucci Arena, and whether you’re watching it on TV or going in person, don’t be fooled: it’s not that full all the time. It only seems that way because the only time UND fans pay attention to Minnesota is when the two teams play, and the only time Minnesota fans go to games is when the two teams play. What you’ll also notice is that the ice sheet at Mariucci is so large you can barely see the fans across the ice. And thank god because have you seen U of M girls? However, you can still hold a perfectly normal conversation with one of them from your seat, given that it is usually as quiet as a church service in there (assuming said fan can understand vocabulary above an elementary school level). In fact, when checking how often Minnesota fans talk about North Dakota compared to the inverse, you’d think that it was UND who was the Big 10 school and Minnesota was the school only good at one sport. (Well, that’s half right: the Gophers have a pretty bad ass women’s hockey team)

Finally, Goon's World brings up Dave Hakstol's record against the Gophers and the fact that neither team has won a national championship since he has taken over in 2004-2005. He also brings up his favorite UND goal on the Gophers, which surprisingly is not Robbie Bina on Jeff Frazee but Evan Trupp on Alex Kangas.

Gophers Vs. North Dakota: Game Time, TV Schedule, Radio & More

The 7-1 University of Minnesota Golden Gophers hockey team take on the 3-4-1 University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux for two games this weekend at Mariucci Arena. One of the biggest college hockey rivalries in the nation and a key early series for the two teams, the Gophers and UND both look to gain four points in a tight race for the WCHA title.

Both teams enter this weekend ranked nationally in the college hockey polls with Minnesota being ranked fifth and North Dakota ranked fifteenth. However the teams are on opposite ends of the WCHA standings. First-place Minnesota is coming off a road sweep of Alaska-Anchorage last weekend and are 4-0 with four road victories. North Dakota is ninth out of twelve teams at 1-3 after splitting two games at home with St. Cloud State last weekend.

Details for this weekend's series:

Location For Both Games: Mariucci Arena, Minneapolis, MN
Game #1 Date/Time: Friday November 4, 7:00 p.m. CDT
TV Schedule: Fox Sports North (Find Your Channel Here)
Announcers: Anthony LaPanta and Kevin Gorg
Radio: ESPN 1500

Game #2 Date/Time: Saturday November 5, 7:30 p.m. CDT
TV Schedule: BTN (Find Your Channel Here)
Announcers: Dan Kelly, Rob Andringa and Mark Strobel
Radio: ESPN 1500

For more Gophers coverage, be sure to check out The Daily Gopher and for more college hockey coverage, check out Western College Hockey Blog.

Gophers Hockey: Minnesota Welcomes North Dakota To Mariucci Arena

From the fans to the fights, Minnesota-North Dakota has it all. With the 7-1 Gophers coming off a sweep and hosting this weekend, SB Nation Minnesota previews the latest installment in this storied rivalry.