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For more Gophers coverage, check out The Daily Gopher.
The Gophers are making a couple lineup changes from last night's 2-1 win over St. Cloud State. Minnesota head coach Don Lucia is bringing in Joe Miller and Christian Isackson in place of Tom Serratore and Travis Boyd. I'm not surprised to see Boyd out because he played poorly Friday but Serratore had his moments. Everything else remains the same, with Kent Patterson making his 50th straight start in net for the Gophers
St. Cloud State, on the other hand, is making wholesale changes throughout their lineup after Travis Novak was injured last night. He's out and the Huskies are left with only ten healthy forwards. Two defensemen, Sam Zabkowicz and Brandon Burrell, are on the SCSU fourth forward line tonight instead.
As Bob Motzko said last night, Ryan Faragher gets the start for St. Cloud State after Mike Lee made 24 saves in a losing effort Friday.
Minnesota Golden Gophers Line Combinations
Forwards:
Kyle Rau - Nick Bjugstad - Zach Budish
Sam Warning - Erik Haula - Jake Hansen
Nate Condon - Taylor Matson - Seth Ambroz
Joe Miller - Christian Isackson - Nico Sacchetti
Defense:
Seth Helgeson - Justin Holl
Ben Marshall - Mark Alt
Jake Parenteau - Nate Schmidt
Goalies (bold indicates starting):
Kent Patterson
Michael Shibrowski
St. Cloud State Huskies Line Combinations
Forwards
Nick Oliver - Ben Hanowski - Jared Festler
Cory Thorson - Nic Dowd - Dave Eddy
Garrett Milan - Joe Rehkamp - Joey Holka
Sam Zabkowicz - Brandon Burrell - Brooks Bertsch
Defense:
Andrew Prochno - Nick Jensen
Kevin Gravel - Tim Daly
Taylor Johnson - Jarrod Rabey
Goalie:
Ryan Faragher
Mike Lee
Tonight's game starts at 7:00 PM and is being televised on Fox Sports North. You can follow me on Twitter for in-game hockey updates @gopherstate and follow @sbnminnesota for the best in Minnesota sports.
For most of the first period, however, it looked like the Minnesota that has gone 2-7 in their last nine Friday night games was back. The Gophers struggled early on, looking slow and getting beat to the puck by St. Cloud State to the point where returning Huskies goaltender Mike Lee, playing his first game since October 22nd, could have read a book.
Minnesota only put one shot on net in the first ten minutes while SCSU made senior goalie Kent Patterson work hard. His biggest save, a diving sprawl to his left on a 2 on 1 chance by David Eddy, kept the game scoreless.
Things started to turn around for Minnesota about a minute later when a pinch in by Nate Schmidt that sprung an opportunity for Travis Boyd. He was unable to do anything but it was the play that gave Minnesota momentum and they began to create more opportunities against Lee, who made 24 saves in Friday's game. Eventually Jake Hansen was rewarded on a 2 on 1 of his own with Erik Haula and with 6:34 left in the first period scored his first goal since December 30th (coincidentally the last time that line has scored an even-strength goal).
The goal was reviewed after it went off of Hansen's shin past Lee but was eventually ruled in Minnesota's favor for a 1-0 lead.
"I was a little nervous," said Hansen about the review. Obviously it took a while. I didn't know what they were looking for like goalie interference or if I kicked it in."
St. Cloud State was able to tie things up early in the second period. After Tom Serratore was called for cross-checking in the Huskies' offensive zone 2:42 into the period, captain Ben Hanowski scored his 13th goal of the season on a laser that beat Patterson 95 seconds later.This came a few seconds after a previous Hanowski shot hit the post.
"Kent played really good," said Nick Bjugstad after the game. "[St. Cloud State] only had 13 shots but he made some great saves."
Minnesota is going with the same line combinations tonight as they did against Colorado College last Saturday. Nico Sacchetti gets another chance in the lineup, replacing the injured Nick Larson, after scoring the game-winning goal for the Gophers while Kent Patterson once again is between the pipes.
St. Cloud State, on the other hand, has a couple surprises in their lineup. Junior goaltender Mike Lee is returning to the Huskies tonight for the first time since getting injured October 22nd against New Hampshire. He has been practicing lately but was not cleared until now. Lee takes over for freshman Ryan Faragher, who had 40 saves against the Gophers in November.
In addition, sophomore forward Cory Thorson is playing tonight after being injured last weekend against North Dakota.
Minnesota Golden Gophers Line Combinations
Forwards:
Kyle Rau - Nick Bjugstad - Zach Budish
Sam Warning - Erik Haula - Jake Hansen
Nate Condon - Taylor Matson - Seth Ambroz
Tom Serratore - Travis Boyd - Nico Sacchetti
Defense:
Seth Helgeson - Justin Holl
Ben Marshall - Mark Alt
Jake Parenteau - Nate Schmidt
Goalies (bold indicates starting):
Kent Patterson
Michael Shibrowski
Jake Kremer
St. Cloud State Huskies Line Combinations:
Forwards:
Ben Hanowski - Travis Novak - Jarrod Rabey
Jared Festler - Nic Dowd - David Eddy
Nick Oliver - Cory Thorson - Brooks Bertsch
Garrett Milan - Joe Rehkamp - Joey Holka
Defense:
Andrew Prochno - Nick Jensen
Kevin Gravel - Taylor Johnson
Sam Zabkowicz - Tim Daly
Goalies:
Mike Lee
Ryan Faragher
Tonight's game starts at 7:00 PM and is being televised on BTN. You can follow me on Twitter for in-game hockey updates@gopherstate and follow @sbnminnesota for the best in Minnesota sports.
Although the Gophers are ranked third in both major polls, they are barely in the NCAA tournament right now according to the Pariwise rankings that decide the 16 teams and at-large bids (the winner of the conference tournaments all receive automatic bids). Unlike basketball, there are no smoke-filled back rooms in hockey deciding the teams. 17-9-0 Minnesota is presently 13th, which if the season ended today would make them a fourth seed in regional play and give them a much tougher first-round match-up.
Minnesota does have the luxury of hosting the Western Regional at Xcel Energy Center this year but that only helps so much when facing a team like UMD or Notre Dame in the first round.
One reason why the Gophers are so far back despite leading the WCHA is their 4-4-1 non-conference record. With so few non-conference games, they end up weighing more in the formula used to comprise the Pairwise. So those early-season losses to Vermont and Notre Dame hurt even more and make the next few series that much more important.
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(Photo via @goldengopherhky)
Gopher hockey has really been on the forefront of social media this year, whether they have been showing the depth chart on Facebook, answering fan questions on Twitter or hosting a live blog on Gophersports.com. It's a good case study for how teams can further connect with their fanbase in the 21st century.
However, Minnesota has gone one step further this week, posting their Twitter handle @goldengopherhky behind the Gophers bench. They are the first University of Minnesota team to do something like that according to Gophers Athletics, although in this modern world I'm sure they won't be the last.
Other Links:
-Dave Starman, who announces games for CBS Sports Network, wrote a commentary on USCHO.com praising Minnesota goalie Kent Patterson.
-Both Gophers beat writer for the Star Tribune Roman Augustoviz and USCHO.com columnist Brian Halverson predict the Gophers to sweep St. Cloud State.
-College Hockey News sees sophomore forward Nick Bjugstad fourth in the Hobey Baker race for the top player in college hockey.
The 17-9-1 University of Minnesota Golden Gophers play two hockey games this weekend in a home-and-home series against 10-12-4 St. Cloud State Huskies. Friday's game is in Minneapolis, Minnesota while Saturday's rematch is 90 miles up the road in St. Cloud, Minnesota.
Both teams split their series last weekend. The Huskies beat North Dakota 3-1 Friday before losing 3-2 and Minnesota lost and won against Colorado College by matching 2-1 scores.
The Gophers enter this weekend ranked third in both major polls while St. Cloud State is unranked.
Details for this weekend's series are below.
For more Gophers coverage, check out The Daily Gopher. For WCHA news and opinion go to Western College Hockey.
After playing their biggest rival and a team on the cusp of the top ten, it's strange to think this weekend's series against a sub-.500 team might be bigger than both.
For the second time in three weekends, the University of Minnesota (17-9-1, 13-5-0 WCHA) faces a team for the second time this season in the St. Cloud State University Huskies (10-12-4, 7-8-3 WCHA). The home team won the last time these two teams met, with St. Cloud State winning 4-3 November 18th and the Gophers getting their revenge the next night 5-0 on the heels of a Nick Bjugstad hat trick.
This weekend's series is also a home-and-home. Friday's game will be played at Mariucci Arena and Saturday's game is at the National Hockey Center in St. Cloud.
Third-ranked Minnesota is coming off of a split at home to Colorado College last weekend in which two high-powered offenses combined for six goals in two games. It was a great showing for the much underrated Gophers' defense, who only allowed one goal from the high-powered Jaden Schwartz, Rylan Schwartz and Jeff Collett line, and their fourth straight game allowing two goals or less.
Unfortunately Minnesota is only 2-2 in their last four games because the offensive output has not been matched. They've scored ten goals over that stretch, with six of them coming in a win against North Dakota, but despite going up against a couple tough defenses and hot goalies there were positive signs. A third goal on Saturday was overturned and the Gophers have out-shot their opponents in each of the last four games while depth players like Nate Condon, Taylor Matson and Nico Sacchetti (who scored the game-winning goal Saturday) stepping up to score.
St. Cloud State came into the first series with Minnesota battling injuries and that problem has only continued as the season rolls on. At one point last weekend the Huskies were down to ten healthy forwards after Jordy Christian and Cody Thorson were injured. Thorson is questionable for this weekend's series and is more likely to play than Christian, who missed practice on Wednesday.
He joins Drew Leblanc, Mike Lee (who were both injured before the November series against the Gophers) and the departed Cam Reid and Mitch MacMillan as holes in the Huskies' lineup. Reid, who scored against Minnesota in their first series, left St. Cloud State over winter break to join the Portland Winterhawks of the WHL and MacMillan transferred to North Dakota.
That's not to say St. Cloud State are pushovers. Freshman goalie Ryan Faragher has continued to shine after a 40 save performance in the Huskies'4-3 win over Minnesota with a .914 save percentage. The same can be said for freshman defenseman Andrew Proncho who has 4 goals and 16 assists in 25 games.
At the same time, the Huskies have gone 4-6-2 since their win against the Gophers although they've split series with the same two teams Minnesota faced.
This weekend's series should be a benchmark for the Gophers. They've continued to struggle on Friday nights, going 1-3 in their four Friday games, and with the series starting at home Friday it would be a good game to break the streak in front of 10,000 fans at Mariucci Arena. Putting together a sixty minute effort from both the offense and defense in one game is key; especially with their postseason chances not being a guarantee.
Minnesota and St. Cloud State face off in a home-and-home series Friday and Saturday at 7 PM. Friday's game is broadcast on BTN from Mariucci Arena while Saturday's is on Fox Sports North live from the National Hockey Center in St. Cloud.
For more Gophers coverage read The Daily Gopher. For more general coverage on the WCHA, check out Western College Hockey.
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clairity, and
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Gophers Hockey: Warning Comes Through When It Matters As Minnesota Wins 3-2
With how things were going Saturday night, it was going to take a lot to get past St. Cloud State goalie Ryan Faragher. The freshman made 43 saves on 45 Minnesota shots but it was the 46th which gave the Maroon and Gold their first sweep since December 2-3 against Minnesota State.
Sam Warning scored the winning goal with 1:12 left after missing a chance earlier in the third period and the Gopher hockey team won 3-2 Saturday. Ben Marshall and Erik Haula also scored for Minnesota (19-9-1, 13-5-0 WCHA) while Ben Hanowski scored twice in a losing effort for St. Cloud State (10-14-4, 7-10-3 WCHA)
The win, coupled with Michigan Tech beating Minnesota Duluth 5-0, means the Gophers now have a five point lead in the WCHA over the Bulldogs. However, Minnesota Duluth has two games in hand.
The Huskies have been battling injuries all season and played two defensemen as forwards tonight because of an injury to Travis Novak Friday. Despite that and being outshot 14-5 in the first period, they led 1-0 at the end of the twenty minutes on a Hanowski goal with just over six minutes remaining.
The junior captain took advantage of an odd-man rush created after Nate Condon was hauled down with no penalty called and was able to get the puck past Gophers goalie Kent Patterson on a second effort.
Minnesota has been struggling lately with both their power play and scoring from the second line of Warning, Erik Haula and Jake Hansen and they were able to get help from both. Faragher looked like a man on a mission Saturday, having great positioning throughout the night and getting help from the crossbar. After Nick Oliver went off for hooking, however, Ben Marshall finally broke through with a slap shot from the blue line to tie the game at 1 8:29 into the second period.
Seven minutes later Minnesota took a 2-1 lead when Kyle Rau set up Haula for his 11th goal of the season. The goal, which came after Nick Bjugstad was hooked by Nic Dowd, gave the Gophers goals on consecutive power plays and were more goals with the man advantage than the last five games combined. Despite that, Ben Hanowski scored with 1:02 left in the second period from behind the net to tie the game at 2.
That looked to be the story of the game throughout the third period - Minnesota controlled the flow of play and got shots on Ryan Faragher while St. Cloud State scored twice on 12 shots - and wasn't helped by Taylor Matson hitting the post and an open net missed by Sam Warning. However Warning was able to go from potential scapegoat to hero when he ended up being the open man on an odd-man rush and did what he could not do before: score.
It was Warning's first goal since October 21st against Vermont and the difference, although Andrew Prochno came close in the last minute when his shot got past Patterson but hit the post.
Despite that, it was a great effort from the Gophers Saturday. While Faragher was hot enough to steal a game for the Huskies, Minnesota was able to keep the pressure on him and use their depth to their advantage. St. Cloud State looked gassed in the third, only mustering three shots on net, and were even outworked by the Gopher fourth line of Joe Miller, Christian Isackson and Nico Sacchetti. The defense continued to frustrate SCSU's offense and best of all, they found a way to win with yet another unexpected player stepping up.
From Nico Sachhetti last week to Sam Warning this week, everyone on the Gophers is capable of being a hero. The Huskies deserve credit for staying in the game but Minnesota was the better team Saturday and came away with a much needed sweep.
Minnesota is off next weekend but resumes WCHA play Friday and Saturday February 10-11 on the road against Denver. Friday's game starts at 8:30 CT and Saturday's starts at 8 PM while both are broadcast on Fox Sports North.
For more Gophers coverage, check out The Daily Gopher. For WCHA coverage, be sure to read Western College Hockey.
Jan 29 12:18a by Nathan Wells