Minnesota vs. Notre Dame Weekend Preview

The Minnesota Gophers remain ranked No. 1 in both the USCHO poll and the USA Today poll after sweeping Bemidji State at home two weeks ago and splitting the series with St. Cloud State this past weekend.

BEMIDJI STATE
Two weeks ago, the Gophers defeated Bemidji State 5-2 on Friday night, which was quickly followed by a 5-3 win on Saturday night. Unlike Friday night, Minnesota had to rally back in the third period to get the win. Bemidji State is a more developed and experienced team than last season and was able to put up a strong fight against the Gophers.

ST. CLOUD STATE
Minnesota split the series against No. 7 St. Cloud State. After a tough 1-4 loss on Friday night, they were able to bounce back in overtime to win 4-3 after Justin Kloos (@jkloos15) scored his first career hattrick. The Huskies were able to put up the challenge that the Gophers needed in order to improve their own game and become more disciplined with the puck and their penalties.

BRODZINSKI BROTHERS

A story line that has come up in the past two years has been the Brodzinski brothers. Gophers' Michael Brodzinski (@Mbrodzinski20) and Huskies' Jonny Brodzinski (@Brodzyy) have been playing hockey together since they could skate. However, the past two years have put the brothers on opposing sides. The Gophers and the Huskies have met four times thus far in the course of the Brodzinski brothers college careers. Even though the Gophers have taken three of those four games, it has never diminished the brothers' relationship.

MINNESOTA RIVALRIES
After weekends against both Bemidji State and St. Cloud State, it brings about the rivalries that the state of Minnesota holds. In Minnesota alone there are five D1 college hockey teams. From the Minnesota Gophers to the St. Cloud State Huskies, Bemidji State Beavers, Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs, and the Mankato State Mavericks, Minnesota provides almost endless college hockey entertainment.

Minnesota has their own tournament that brings all of the rivalries together under one roof at the Xcel Energy Center. Tickets for the North Star College Cup go on sale Monday, November 10th and they can be purchased here.

INJURIES
Brady Skjei (@BradySkjei) was originally assessed a day-to-day injury. However, he is now expected to be out a few weeks. Minnesota is hoping to have him back for the road trip following Thanksgiving against Boston College and Northeastern. Travis Boyd (@Tboyd93) is expected to miss a month with a lower-body injury. This will provide the opportunity for the freshmen and other players to step up and fill the gaps that Skjei and Boyd leave in the lineup.

NOTRE DAME
Minnesota faces off against No. 14/15 Notre Dame at home this weekend. This is Notre Dame's first road trip of the season. The games will be on Friday night and Sunday afternoon. The Gophers will have to play more disciplined than they have the past couple of weekends in order to come out on top against the Irish.

LUCIA X 2

A story line that both Coach Lucia and youngest son Mario Lucia (@MLucia2293) believe has played itself out is the matchup of the father and son against each other. Coach Lucia played his college hockey for Notre Dame and Mario decided to go that path as well, instead of following after older brother Tony Lucia and attending Minnesota. Mario has created a name for himself at Notre Dame, in fact he was just named Hockey East Player of the Month for October. He is ranked No. 2 in the nation for goals scored this season with 8, just one behind Bowling Green's Kevin Dufour.

MINNESOTA-NOTRE DAME CONNECTIONS
Although the Minnesota and Notre Dame matchup brings about the Lucia family connection, there are many other connections that most aren't aware of. For example, Mikey Reilly (@mreilly93) and Mario Lucia played together in the 2013 World Junior Championships where they went on to win the gold medal for the United States. The Reilly brothers (Mikey, Connor (@CReilly81), and Ryan (@rreilly08)) all played together with Lucia for a season in the BCHL for the Penticton Vees. Taylor Cammarata (@Cammy12Scores), Justin Kloos, and Notre Dame's Vinnie Hinostroza (@Hinostroza12) played together for the Waterloo Black Hawks. Cammarata and Hinostroza got especially close that they started calling each other "big bro" and "little bro."

They even look alike if you ask me. Along with those connections, there are seven Irish that call Minnesota home. With the series being on Friday night and Sunday afternoon, Saturday will provide a good opportunity for some of the players to travel home if it works out.

Good luck to the Gopher Men's Hockey team as they face the Notre Dame Irish this weekend. They play Friday night at 7:00pm and Sunday afternoon at 4:00pm. Friday night's game will be broadcasted (watch) on BTN and Sunday afternoon's game will be on ESPNU. John Buccigross and Barry Melrose will be in town to call Sunday's game. Both games will also be streamed (listen) on 1500 ESPN.

Minnesota vs. Bemidji State Weekend Preview

The No. 1 ranked Minnesota Gophers return to Mariucci this weekend to face Bemidji State after a bye week. The Gophers have started the season 2-0-0 after the Ice Breaker Tournament in South Bend, Indiana.

ICE BREAKER TOURNAMENT

The Gophers started off the season with some hardware. They are two-time Ice Breaker Tournament champions. Last season, Minnesota hosted the tournament against Clarkson, Mercyhurst, and New Hampshire. This year the tournament was in South Bend at Coach Don Lucia's alma mater, Notre Dame. Minnesota, Minnesota Duluth, Notre Dame, and Rensselaer competed in the tournament and Minnesota came out on top. Minnesota defeated Duluth 4-3 and went on to defeat Rensselaer 3-0 two days later.

HUDSON RIVER FASCHING

Hudson Fasching (@Hfasching22) was named the Ice Breaker Tournament Most Valuable Player after going 2-1--3 over the weekend. He scored the eventual game winning goal against Duluth. Many people thought Fasching would turn pro after his freshman year, but along with many others, he believes there's unfinished business to take care of. One of the aspects that could have contributed to his decision to stay with the Gophers was having his NHL rights traded from the LA Kings to the Buffalo Sabres last season. Fasching will still have a dominant role with the team up front after his impressive freshman year (14-16--30).

FRESHMEN

The freshmen class brings in three drafted players. Jack Glover (@JackGlover8) is drafted to the Winnipeg Jets, Steve Johnson (@Steviej5) is drafted to the Los Angeles Kings, and Ryan Collins (@Ryan_Collins_6) is drafted to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Along with these NHL draftees, there are two Swedish players on the roster. Leon Bristedt (@Leonbristedt) and Robin Höglund (@Hoogi29) are the first two Swedish players to play for the University of Minnesota. Freshman goalie Nick Lehr (@LehrBear) is a native of Roseville, Minnesota and has spent the last three years with the Austin Bruins in the NAHL. This freshmen class brings in a ton of talent, similar to last year. The freshmen will have a different role than last year's freshmen did, but they will have a significant role nonetheless.

B1G TEN

Friday night's game against Bemidji State will also be the unveiling of the 2014 Big Ten regular season championship banner. Last season was the inaugural season for the Big Ten Hockey League and Minnesota was able to win their 15th regular season championship, which was also their third straight.

MIKEY REILLY

Saturday night's game against Bemidji State will honor Mike Reilly (@mreilly93) who was named First Team All-American last season. Not only was he named First Team All-American, but he was also named to the First Team All-Big Ten team and was named the Big Defensive Player of the Year. The last Minnesota player to be named First Team All-American was Ryan Stoa in 2009. M. Reilly went 9-24--33 last year during his sophomore season.

FAMILY AFFAIR

According to Bemidji State Athletics, there are just three sets of twins playing this season out of the 59 college hockey teams. Jonah and Nathan Renouf are freshmen on Quinnipiac University's hockey team, replacing Connor and Kellen Jones. Tyson and Tylor Spink are juniors on Colgate University's hockey team. And last but not least, Connor (@CReilly81) and Ryan (@rreilly08) Reilly are on the University of Minnesota's hockey team.

This weekend will be the first time the Reilly's (Connor, Ryan, and younger brother Mikey) will face three other siblings in college hockey all at once. Leo, Gerry, and Myles Fitzgerald are all freshmen on the Bemidji State hockey team. Although this is the first time the Reilly's have faced three siblings in college hockey, it is not the first time they have played the Fitzgerald's. As a part of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL), the Reilly's who were a part of the Penticton Vee's faced the Victoria Grizzlies, or the former team of the Fitzgerald's.

BEMIDJI STATE UNIVERSITY

Bemidji State is 1-1-0 so far this season after splitting a series with University of North Dakota. Bemidji won the first game 5-1 and lost the second game 1-2. Last season when the Gophers played the Beavers, Minnesota was able to sweep them on their home ice. The scores were 6-3 the first night and 5-1 the second night. As a freshman, Justin Kloos (@jkloos15) went 1-4--5 in that series. Kloos hopes to continue that streak this weekend.

Good luck to the Gopher Men's Hockey team as they face the Bemidji State University Beavers this weekend. They play Friday night at 8:00pm and Saturday night at 7:00pm. Friday night's game will be broadcasted (watch) on BTN and Saturday night's game will be on FSN+.

Welcome to The U

The Gopher Hockey season is just one month away, and we have some people that need an introduction and a warm welcome to the program. They are entering a program with a lot of history and tradition, and I hope they fall in love with it as much as both past and current players, coaches, and fans have.

Leon Bristedt (No. 18) - Waxholm, Sweden

Leon Bristedt (@Leonbristedt) enters Minnesota as a freshman forward. He was the first Swedish player to commit to Minnesota, soon followed by Robin Höglund who will also be a freshman this year. For the past three seasons he has skated with Linköping, one of the top clubs in Sweden. Bristedt was not selected in the 2013 NHL Draft, but he was ranked 68th amongst European prospects in Central Scouting's final rankings. He was ranked 24th amongst European prospects in Central Scouting's final rankings prior to the 2014 NHL Draft.

Ryan Collins  (No. 6) - Bloomington, Minnesota

Ryan Collins (@Ryan_Collins_6) is a freshman defenseman from Bloomington, MN. For the last two seasons he has played for the U.S. National Development Team (USNTDP) in Ann Arbor, Michigan. In 2012 he helped Benilde-St. Margaret's to the Minnesota Class AA Title. Collins was the first Gopher to be taken in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft by the Columbus Blue Jackets. He was chosen 47th overall in the second round. Collins will join two other Blue Jackets prospects on the Gophers - Seth Ambroz (@Ambroz17) and Mikey Reilly (@mreilly93).

Jack Glover (No. 3) - Golden Valley, Minnesota

Jack Glover (@JackGlover8) from Golden Valley, MN will be a freshman defenseman for the Gophers as well. He has been Ryan Collins' teammate on both the Benilde-St. Margaret's state championship team and the U.S. National Development team. In 2012-2013, Glover's first year with the USNTDP, he was the leading goal scorer amongst the defensemen on the team. Glover was drafted by the Winnipeg Jets in the 2014 NHL Entry draft. He is just the third Gopher to be drafted by the Jets and the first since they relocated to Winnipeg.

Robin Höglund (No. 29) - MöIndal, Sweden

Robin Höglund (@Hoogi19) hails from MöIndal, Sweden. The incoming freshman will be a forward for Minnesota. Last season he played in the North American Hockey League (NAHL) with the Janesville Jets. Höglund committed just months after Bristedt did. Höglund said his goal when he came to the United States was to play college hockey at the highest level possible and he found it with the Gophers.

Steve Johnson (No. 4) - Excelsior, Minnesota

Steve Johnson (@Steviej5) a native of Excelsior, MN will be another freshman defenseman for the Gophers. Last season he skated with the Omaha Lancers of the United States Hockey League (USHL). Before playing in the USHL, Johnson played for the Aberdeen Wings in the (NAHL) where he scored 23 points - six goals, 17 assists. Johnson played high school hockey at Minnetonka where current Gopher Vinni Lettieri (@19Lettieri95) played and Gopher recruit Jack Ramsey (@Ramsey_16) played. Johnson was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.

Nick Lehr (No. 34) - Roseville, Minnesota

Nick Lehr (@LehrBear) will join Adam Wilcox and Ryan Coyne (@rmcoyner) as a goalie for Minnesota. For the last three seasons he has played in the NAHL with the Austin Bruins. Last season he had a .932 save percentage and was a big reason why the Bruins had a winning season. Lehr replaces the graduated Michael Shibrowski (@shibby_01).

Mitch Rogge (No. 27) - Eden Prairie, Minnesota

Mitch Rogge makes the 15th forward on the Minnesota Gophers roster. Rogge played high school hockey for Eden Prairie and was a part of the 2009 state championship team with current Gopher Kyle Rau (@KyleRau). Rogge spent three years in the NAHL before going to Sacred Heart University last year. Rogge should help fill the gap that the former Number 27, Gabe Guertler (@gabeguerts8), left when he was granted his release over the summer.

Nick Seeler (No. 12) - Eden Prairie, Minnesota

Nick Seeler makes one more defensemen for Minnesota. According to NCAA transfer rules, he must sit out the 2014-2015 season. He will still have two years of eligibility remaining after he sits this season out. In high school, Seeler helped Eden Prairie win a pair of state championships in 2009 and 2011. He will join Rogge and Rau at Minnesota who he played with in high school. Seeler spent a year in the USHL and two seasons with the University of Nebraska - Omaha Mavericks. Seeler was drafted by the Minnesota Wild in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.

The wait for the Gopher Hockey season is almost over. Here's to hoping that this year will bring as many memories as last year. With six seniors and eight new additions to the roster, it should be a great season in the making.

The Beginning of the End

The Minnesota Men's Hockey Team finished 28-7-6 overall this season and 14-3-3 in Big Ten Conference play. 

Union College is a phenomenal hockey team. You can't deny them that. They earned their way into the final game of the season and in the end, they also earned the National Championship title. Union has one drafted hockey player, who just transitioned from college hockey to the AHL to play with the Adirondack Phantoms (Philadelphia Flyers affiliate). Union does not have any players with athletic scholarships. And last but not least, the enrollment at the college is just under 2500.

In comparison to the Minnesota Gophers, yeah, Union could be considered the "underdog." But, they weren't. In fact, the Vegas odds had the Gophers as the underdog in the championship game. Union entered the NCAA Championship games ranked No. 1 in the nation by USCHO and USA Today. Many people underestimated what they were capable of, sure. But Union was certainly not an underdog. The Minnesota Gophers fell to Union College 7-4 in the NCAA Championship Game after a thrilling win over long time rival, North Dakota.

Etched in Stone

Senior defenseman, Justin Holl (@12JHoll), played the hero's role in the Gopher's storied season. With just 0.6 seconds left on the clock, Holl put one past North Dakota's goaltender to earn his way into Gopher Hockey history and the NCAA Championship Game. Minnesota was on the penalty kill and were just trying to make it to overtime alive. In fact, many of the players were already mentally preparing themselves for overtime during those final seconds of regulation. Holl's goal just further proved that you need to show up and play for all 60 minutes of the game. If not that, then at least 59.94 minutes.

Check out the video of Holl's goal below.

As heartbreaking as the loss to Union was, and how electrifying Justin Holl's buzzer beater goal was, one game or one moment should not define a season's worth of successes.

Filling The Role
After last season's loss to Yale in the first round of the NCAA games and the early departures of five Gophers, the 2013-2014 season was meant to be a rebuilding year. Nick Bjugstad (@NBjugstad72), Erik Haula (@EHaula), Nate Schmidt (@nateschmidt29), Zach Budish (@Burdish24), and Mark Alt (@MarkAlt20) all decided to leave the program early to pursue a professional career. The loss of five players along with senior, Seth Helgeson (@SHelgeson04), left a lot of gaps in the roster. However, the players that were left and the incoming freshmen stepped up to the plate. It was no secret that they had some big shoes to fill. Schmidt was a great defensemen and leader on the team, along with leading scorers Bjugstad and Haula. But, the Gophers exceeded everyone's expectations. 

Fresh-what?
One of the key reasons the Gophers were so successful this season is because of the freshmen class. This rookie class led all other NCAA freshmen classes at the end of the season with 59 goals scored. In fact, out of the 143 goals that the Gophers scored this season, the freshmen class made up 41.3% of those goals. Freshman, Justin Kloos (@jkloos15) ended the season with 16 goals, Minnesota's leading goal scorer. Hudson Fasching (@Hfasching22) ended with 14 goals which was tied with Sam Warning, Kyle Rau (@KyleRau), and Seth Ambroz (@Ambroz17) for the second most goals on the team. The freshman class was able to even out the offense across all four lines. Kloos and Taylor Cammarata (@Cammy12Scores) provided some extra speed on the roster, and the chemistry the freshmen brought was an additive to the successful Minnesota team.

The Waiting Game
After the successful season that Minnesota had, now begins the waiting game. The wait to see if any players decide to leave the program early in order to further pursue their professional careers. Defensemen such as Brady Skjei (@BradySkjei) and Mikey Reilly (@mreilly93) will be in high demand. Rau, Fasching, and Wilcox will also get some looks. Last year, it was never expected that the Gophers would lose five players. It seems as if every year is a "rebuilding" year for Minnesota. Coach Don Lucia is trying to prevent that by recruiting some program guys that will stick around and set an example for others. As the spring and summer progress, we will find out more about the players and their decision.

Serratore
The first, and only, professional contract that has been signed by a Minnesota player so far this year is senior, Tommy Serratore (@Serratore1489) . Serratore signed an Amateur Try Out contract with the Adirondack Phantoms (Philadelphia Flyers, AHL affiliate). He reported to the team the same day he signed. In only his second game, he scored his first professional goal to give the Phantoms a 3-2 lead over the Syracuse Crunch. The Phantoms went on to win the game 5-4 in a shootout.

The Beginning of the End
It's been a great year for the Minnesota Gopher Men's Hockey team.

The Gophers won the outdoor game against Ohio State in the Hockey City Classic.

The Gophers won the inaugural North Star College Cup against in-state rivals University of Minnesota-Duluth, St. Cloud State, and Mankato State University.

The Gophers won the inaugural Big Ten Regular Season Conference Title.

The Gophers won the West Regional championship game against St. Cloud State and were the West Regional Champions.

And although the ending wasn't what everyone had hoped, the Gophers landed themselves in the final game of the season.

Minnesota is graduating five seniors - Justin Holl, Tommy Serratore, Jake Parenteau (@jacobjames6), Nate Condon (@Condo16), and Michael Shibrowski (@shibby_01). Although there are still decisions to be made regarding players and their pursuit of professional careers, this team has the potential to become even more successful in the future. It truly is just the beginning of the end.

See you next season, Gophers.

The Battle Continues

Send the Minnesota Gophers off tomorrow, Tuesday April 8, at 11:00am as they leave for Philadelphia. Head out to Mariucci Arena at the Sundet Entrance to wish the Gophers luck!

Frozen Four

The Minnesota Gophers hold a record of 27-6-6 this season and they finished 14-3-3 in the B1G Ten Conference. The Minnesota Gophers are heading to Philadelphia to compete in the Frozen Four. Information on the Frozen Four can be found here. Thursday's games will be broadcast live on ESPN2. Boston College and Union will faceoff at 4:00pm CT. Minnesota and North Dakota will follow at 7:30pm CT. The Gophers' game will also be streamed (listen) on 1500 ESPN. The NCAA Championship game will be broadcast live on ESPN on Saturday, April 12, at 6:30pm CT.

Boston College

The Boston College Eagles are 28-7-4 this season and ended 16-2-2 in conference play. Minnesota and Boston College spent much of the year trading off at the No. 1 and No. 2 spots in the nation. Earlier this season in October, the Gophers and Eagles tied 3-3 the first night of the series. However, the second night the Gophers defeated Boston College 6-1. Boston College has the top two point leaders in the nation. Hobey Baker favorite Johnny Gaudreau is 35-42--77 this season while his linemate, Kevin Hayes, is 27-36--63. 

Union

Union is 30-6-4 overall this season and ended their conference play 18-3-1. Going into Thursday's game, Union is on a 10 game win streak. Union defeated Providence 3-1 to advance to the Frozen Four. This will be Union's second appearance in the Frozen Four after making their debut in 2012. Union and Boston College have only played each other once in their history, last year in the first round of the NCAA tournament. The Union Dutchmen defeated the Eagles last season 5-1 before being eliminated from the NCAA Tournament by Quinnipiac. 

North Dakota

As the Gophers punched their ticket to the Frozen Four, they also punched their ticket straight to an old WCHA rivalry. North Dakota is 25-13-3 overall this season and they finished 15-9-0 in NCHC conference play. Earlier this season, Minnesota and North Dakota announced that they would renew their rivalry starting in the 2016-2017 season. However, the Hockey Gods had other plans in mind. Minnesota and North Dakota have played each other 283 times in their storied history, and this year the freshmen will get to experience the rivalry for themselves.

Iron Man
Adam Wilcox, the Big Ten Player and Goaltender of the Year, is a finalist for the Mike Richter Award.

Wilcox ranks second nationally in save percentage (.934), third in goals against average (1.89), third in wins (25) and eighth in shutouts (4). Wilcox has a 25-5-6 overall record this season and is 50-13-11 in his career with Minnesota. He notched his 50th win at Minnesota in the Gophers shutout win against St. Cloud State in the West Region Championship game. Wilcox was a five-time Big-Ten Star of the Week.

The Kloos is Loose

Justin Kloos (@jkloos15) was named the Most Outstanding Player of the West Region after he scored three goals in the games against Robert Morris and St. Cloud State. The freshman not only leads the Gophers in goals scored this season, but he also leads all of the Big Ten freshmen in goals scored. The Lakeville native is 15-15--30 so far this season.

Captain Condon
The senior captain notched 100 career points this season after the Gophers West Regional games. Nate Condon (@Condo16) has skated in 156 consecutive games for the Gophers and 157 games in his career at Minnesota. He is 40-62--102 in his career at the University of Minnesota. Condon is only the third non-Minnesotan to wear the C on his jersey.

Coach Lucia
Coach Don Lucia notched his 650th career win after the Gophers victory against SCSU. Lucia's record is 371-190-65 since coming to Minnesota in 1999. Lucia was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year after its inaugural season.

City of Brotherly Love

The Frozen Four is taking place in none other than Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love. Three of the four teams appearing in the Frozen Four feature brothers on their roster. Boston College has the Gaudreaus, Johnny and Matthew. North Dakota has the MacMillans, Mark and Mitch. And last but not least, Minnesota has the Reillys, Connor, Ryan, and Mikey.

Good luck to the Gopher Men's Hockey team as they face North Dakota this Thursday in the Frozen Four. They play Thursday at 7:30pm. Thursday night's game will be broadcast (watch) on ESPN2 and streamed (listen) on 1500 ESPN. The NCAA Championship game will be played on Saturday night at 6:30pm and will be broadcast on ESPN. 

Minnesota is Frozen Four Bound

The Minnesota Gophers are Frozen Four bound! After a great weekend from the top team in the nation, the Gophers are heading to Philadelphia. Fourteen Gophers managed to get on the score sheet this weekend as Minnesota topped Robert Morris 7-3 and shutout St. Cloud State University 4-0. Congratulations to all of the college hockey programs that had tremendous seasons and the four that are moving on to the NCAA Frozen Four.

Robert Morris
Minnesota topped Robert Morris on Saturday night 7-3. Nate Condon (@Condo16) had two goals on the night while Michael Brodzinski (@Mbrodzinski20), Kyle Rau (@KyleRau), Justin Kloos (@jkloos15), Hudson Fasching (@Hfasching22), and Mikey Reilly (@mreilly93) also got on the board. Brodzinski had a beautiful one-timer from the blue line that put the Gophers up 2-0 in the second period and the goals kept coming from there. Minnesota fans at the Xcel applauded Robert Morris as they left the ice Saturday night as a sign to congratulate them on a great season.

Michael Brodzinski (20)

Notre Dame/SCSU

The hopes for a Lucia vs. Lucia West Regional final was ended on Saturday night as St. Cloud State University defeated Notre Dame 4-3 in overtime. The second game on Saturday night proved to be action packed as the two teams continued to tradeoff goals. An eventual overtime goal from SCSU's Hobey Baker finalist, Nic Dowd (@JimmyDowder26), put the Huskies in the West Regional final against Minnesota. Although Coach Don Lucia didn't get to face his son Mario (@MLucia2293), there was still a family story to be told in the Minnesota and SCSU matchup.

Brodzinski vs. Brodzinski

Earlier this season in the North Star College Cup, Michael and Jonny Brodzinski (@Brodzyy) faced off for the first time in their collegiate hockey careers. Michael earned the bragging rights as the Gophers topped the Huskies 4-1 in the North Star College Cup. There was a lot of family love going around on Twitter as Michael received the following text from his brother, Jonny, after SCSU's win over Notre Dame. 

Even Mike Brodzinski  (@DadBrodzy2220), father of the two, got involved.

Michael earned the bragging rights again this past Sunday as the Gophers shutout the Huskies 4-0. However, the Brodzinski's were able to give us all a friendly reminder: Family > Everything.

Jonny Brodzinski's tweet to brother Michael after Sunday's game

St. Cloud State
The Gophers topped the Huskies once again this season. Adam Wilcox earned his 50th career win in a 4-0 shutout against SCSU. Justin Kloos had two goals on the night as Seth Ambroz (@Ambroz17) and Kyle Rau netted the other two goals. Coach Lucia also earned his 650th career win on Sunday night. In the second period, the Gopher's second line of Kloos, Cammarata (@Cammy12Scores) and Condon had a beautiful tic-tac-toe goal that can be seen here (GIF). With the Gopher's win over SCSU, the Gophers are the West Regional Champs.

Captain Condon
Nate Condon, the senior captain, had two goals on Saturday night followed up by two assists on Sunday night. Condon, who has skated in 156 consecutive games for the Gophers and 157 games total in his career, reached 100 career points on Saturday night after his second goal. The captain is now 40-62--102.

The Kloos is Loose
Justin Kloos was named the Most Outstanding Player of the West Region after he led the Gophers to victory against the SCSU Huskies. Kloos had three goals this weekend and had a huge impact on his team's play. The freshman now leads the Gophers in scoring with 15 goals passing both Rau and fellow freshman Fasching. The Lakeville native is 15-15--30 in his freshman season.

Justin Kloos (25)

Iron Man
Minnesota goaltender Adam Wilcox earned his 50th career win on Sunday, in a shutout no less. The B1G Goaltender and Player of the Year is a Hobey Baker award finalist and a Mike Richter award finalist. Wilcox finished with a 13-2-3 conference record and allowed just 30 goals in 18 conference games. Wilcox is 25-5-6 so far this season and is one of the primary reasons the Gophers have had such a successful season. The Hobey Baker Hat Trick will be announced soon, and the award will be presented Friday April 11th.

Multi-Point Night
As fourteen Gophers made it on the score sheet this weekend, eight of them had multi-point nights either Saturday or Sunday. Condon had two goals on Saturday followed by two assists on Sunday. Brodzinski, Rau, and M. Reilly went 1-1--2 on Saturday while Cammarata and Skjei (@BradySkjei) went 0-2--2. Marshall, Warning, Holl (@12JHoll), Ambroz, and Boyd (@Tboyd93) all tallied an assist in Saturday night's win against Robert Morris University. Kloos went 2-0--2 on Sunday while Boyd went 0-2--2. Rau and Ambroz both netted a goal on Sunday night's win against SCSU while Cammarata, Holl, M. Reilly, and Parenteau (@jacobjames6) tallied an assist.

West Region All-Tournament Team
The West Region All-Tournament Team (selected by the media) was made up of all but one Minnesota Gopher. SCSU forward Nic Dowd is the lone non-Gopher on the team. The other All-Tournament Team selections were Justin Kloos, Nate Condon, Brady Skjei, Mikey Reilly, and Adam Wilcox. Kloos was named the Most Outstanding Player.

Rivalry Renewed

As the Gophers punched their ticket to the Frozen Four, they also punched their ticket straight to an old WCHA rivalry. Earlier this season Minnesota and North Dakota announced the renewed rivalry starting in the 2016-2017 season. However, you can't stop the inevitable from happening. The Gophers will face North Dakota in the first round of the Frozen Four. Only one former WCHA team can move on.

The Battle Continues

Frozen Four
The Minnesota Gophers are heading to Philadelphia to compete in the Frozen Four. Information on the Frozen Four can be found here. Union and Boston College will faceoff on ESPN2 on Thursday, April 10, at 4:00pm CT. Minnesota and North Dakota will follow on ESPN2 at 7:30pm CT. The game will also be streamed (listen) on 1500ESPN. The NCAA Championship game will be broadcast on ESPN Saturday, April 12, at 6:30pm CT.

If the Minnesota team that played St. Cloud State this past weekend shows up in Philadelphia, they will be a tough team to beat. Good luck to the Gopher Men's Hockey Team as they compete against their former WCHA rival in the Frozen Four.