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.

West Regional

Big Ten Tournament
The Minnesota Gophers suffered an upset by Ohio State last weekend losing 3-1 in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament. The Gophers had a first round bye and faced Ohio State after the Buckeye's 2-1 overtime win against Michigan State. The Gophers lone goal of the night came from Captain Kyle Rau (@KyleRau) assisted by Taylor Cammarata (@Cammy12Scores) and Travis Boyd (@Tboyd93). The Wisconsin Badgers went on to win the Big Ten Tournament defeating Ohio State 5-4 in overtime.

NCAA Tournament
The Gophers are the overall No. 1 seed in this year's NCAA Tournament. They face Robert Morris in the first round of the West Regional this Saturday. The tournament starts tomorrow, March 28, starting with Union and Vermont playing at 2:00pm. There will not be a repeat of last year seeing that Yale did not make the tournament. The tournament finishes up April 12 with the championship game being played in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

West Regional
There are four teams in the West Region including the Minnesota Gophers. The No. 2 seed is Notre Dame, the No. 3 seed is St. Cloud State, and the No. 4 seed is Robert Morris. The West Regional is being played at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. If you're still looking to purchase tickets, there are single session tickets and two day event tickets for sale here. They are also offering a deal to students - tickets are $26 (plus TicketFast fee) and Gopher Sports is providing a free bus from Mariucci to the Xcel for students. If you're interested in purchasing student tickets, they are available here.

Open Practice
Tomorrow, March 28, each of the four teams competing in the West Regional will be holding an hour-long, free open practice at the Xcel. Robert Morris kicks it off at 11:30am followed by Minnesota at 12:45pm, St. Cloud State at 2:00pm, and Notre Dame at 3:15pm.

Robert Morris
Robert Morris is 19-17-5 overall this season and are 13-9-5 in their conference. Robert Morris won the Atlantic Hockey tournament to claim their spot in the regional. This Pennsylvania based team has never faced the Gophers. This will also be Robert Morris's first tournament berth.

Saint Cloud State
After the conference switch, Minnesota and SCSU did not play a series against each other this season. The Gophers faced SCSU once this season in the Northstar College Cup. The Gophers topped SCSU 4-1 and went on to win the inaugural Northstar Cup. This was the first time brothers Michael Brodzinski (@Mbrodzinski20) and Jonny Brodzinski (@Brodzyy) faced each other in collegiate play. The Huskies are 21-10-5 overall this season and are 15-6-3 in the NCHC conference. Similar to the Gophers, SCSU claimed the inaugural regular season title in their new conference.

Notre Dame
The Notre Dame Irish are 23-14-2 overall this season and are 9-9-2 in Hockey East conference play. The Gophers faced the Irish earlier this season and split the series. The Gophers lost 4-1 the first night but came back to win 5-4 the next night. Coach Don Lucia will not only be facing off against his alma mater, but his son, Mario Lucia (@MLucia2293) is also currently on the team.

Iron Man
Goaltender Adam Wilcox continues to be the backbone of the Minnesota Gophers. He was recently named the B1G Ten's Goaltender of the Year and the B1G Ten's Player of the year. Wilcox leads the Big Ten Conference in wins at 23 and shutouts at 3 for goaltenders.Wilcox finished with a 13-2-3 conference record and allowed just 30 goals in 18 conference games. Wilcox is one of the primary reasons that the Gophers have been successful this season.

Wilcox is a finalist for the Mike Richter award that will be presented at the 2014 Frozen Four. He is also a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award. If you haven't already, vote for him here! You can vote every 24 hours.

Captain Condon
Nate Condon (@Condo16), the senior captain, is nearing the end of his collegiate career. Condon is 7-13--20 this season and 38-60--98 in his career. He remains a mere 2 points away from reaching the milestone of 100 career points. He has skated in 154 consecutive games and 155 games total in his career with the Minnesota Gophers.

Mikey Reilly
Mikey Reilly (@mreilly93) leads all B1G Ten defensemen in goals, assists, and overall points this season. He is 8-21--29 going into this weekend's play. The sophomore defenseman is tied for 6th nationally in points at this point in the season. M. Reilly was recently named the B1G Ten's Defensive Player of the year which is open to both offensive and defensive players in the conference.

Academic All-Big Ten Team
The Minnesota Gophers had 14 student athletes on the Academic All-Big Ten Team this year. To be eligible for this, student athletes must be letterwinners who are in at least their second academic year and carry a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher. The 14 Gophers that made the cut included 4 repeat winners. Seniors Nate Condon, Justin Holl (@12JHoll), Tommy Serratore (@Serratore1489), and Michael Shibrowski (@shibby_01) are all repeat winners. In fact, all four of them are three-time Academic All-Big Ten selections. The other Gophers that were selected to the Academic All-Big Ten Team were Seth Ambroz (@Ambroz17), Travis Boyd (two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection), Christian Isackson (@ChristianIsacks), Jake Parenteau (@jacobjames6), Kyle Rau (two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection), Connor Reilly (@CReilly81), Ryan Reilly (@rreilly08), Brady Skjei (@BradySkjei), Sam Warning, and Adam Wilcox.

Good luck to the Gopher Men's Hockey Team as they compete in the West Region of the NCAA Tournament this weekend. They play at 4:30pm on Saturday against Robert Morris. If the Gophers win, they will play the winner of the Notre Dame and SCSU matchup at 6:30pm on Sunday. Both games will be at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. All of the NCAA Tournament games will be broadcast by the ESPN networks. The Gophers will be on ESPN2 Saturday night. The winners of Minnesota/Robert Morris and Notre Dame/SCSU will faceoff on ESPNU Sunday night. Saturday night's game will be streamed (listen) on 1500 ESPN. 

B1G Ten Champs

The Minnesota Gophers claimed the inaugural Big Ten Title this past Friday with their 3-2 overtime win against the Michigan Wolverines. The Gophers' three goals came from Brady Skjei (@BradySkjei), Justin Kloos (@jkloos15), and Kyle Rau @KyleRau). The Gophers fell to the Wolverines 6-2 on Saturday night with two goals from Skjei.

Ohio State
The Ohio State Buckeyes are 16-13-5 this season and they finished 6-9-5 in the Big Ten Conference. The Buckeyes are seeded No. 4 in the Big Ten Tournament this upcoming weekend. Earlier this season Minnesota swept Ohio State at home with a 1-0 win at TCF Bank Stadium and a 4-2 win at Mariucci. The Gophers faced the Buckeyes again in Columbus and came away with a 5-1 win and a 2-2 tie (shootout loss).

Michigan State
The Michigan State Spartans are 11-17-7 this season and they finished 5-9-6 in the Big Ten Conference. The Spartans are seeded No. 5 in the Big Ten Tournament. Earlier this season the Gophers fell in a 2-2 tie (shootout loss) in East Lansing, Michigan. They prevailed the next night with a 3-2 win over the Spartans. It was almost an identical story as the Spartans traveled to Mariucci. Minnesota fell in a 2-2 tie (shootout loss) on Friday night but came out with a 1-0 win the next night.

Wisconsin
The Wisconsin Badgers are 22-10-2 this season and they finished 13-6-1 in the Big Ten Conference. The Badgers are seeded No. 2 in the Big Ten Tournament. Earlier this season the Gophers swept Wisconsin at home with a 4-1 win Friday night and a 4-3 win Saturday night. The Gophers then fell to the Badgers 2-1 on both nights at the Kohl Center later in the season.

Michigan
The Michigan Wolverines are 18-12-4 this season and they finished 10-8-2 in the Big Ten Conference. The Wolverines are seeded No. 3 in the Big Ten Tournament. Earlier this season Minnesota swept Michigan at Mariucci with a 5-3 win on Friday night and a 4-1 win on Saturday night. This past weekend the Gophers pulled out the 3-2 overtime win on Saturday but fell to the Wolverines 6-2 on Saturday night.

Penn State
The Penn State Nittany Lions are 7-25-2 this season and they finished 3-16-1 in the Big Ten Conference. The Nittany Lions are seeded No. 6 in the Big Ten Tournament. Earlier this season the Gophers came out with a 3-2 win on Friday night and a 5-2 win on Saturday night in Pennsylvania. Minnesota then swept the Nittany Lions at Mariucci with 5-1 and 2-1 wins.

Captain Condon
The senior forward, Nate Condon (@Condo16), is 7-13--20 this season and 38-60--98 in his career with the Gophers. With his assist on Kloos's goal Friday night, the captain is a mere 2 points away from reaching the milestone of 100 career points. Condon has skated in 153 consecutive games as a Minnesota Gopher and 154 games in his career.

Skjeiserrr
Brady Skjei had a big weekend for Minnesota as the sophomore defenseman scored 3 goals against Michigan which earned him the Big Ten weekly honor of Third Star of the Week. Skjei had the first goal on Friday night, unassisted. He followed that up with the two lone goals for the Gophers on Saturday night, the first assisted by Seth Ambroz (@Ambroz17) and Travis Boyd (@Tboyd93) and the second assisted by his defensive partner Justin Holl (@12JHoll). Skjei is 6-5--11 this season.

Freshmen
The Minnesota Gophers freshmen are combined for 119 points so far this season. They lead the Big Ten Conference in goals, assists, and points at 51-68--119. The Gophers continue to lead all NCAA teams for most goals scored by a rookie class this year. Boston College follows with 45 goals scored by their freshmen class. The Gophers are ranked No. 5 nationally for points scored by a freshman class.

Big Ten Postseason Honors
The Gophers cleaned house when it came to the Big Ten postseason honors.

Coach Don Lucia was honored with the Coach of the Year award after leading the Gophers to a 25-5-6 season and a 14-3-3 record in the Big Ten.

Adam Wilcox was named the Big Ten's Goaltender of the year and the Big Ten's Player of the Year. 

Wilcox led the conference in every goaltending category which ultimately led to the Big Ten Title. Wilcox was the Gophers backbone this season and was able to keep the Gophers in many of their games. The sophomore goaltender allowed just 30 goals in 18 conference games. Wilcox finished with a 13-2-3 conference record. 

 

Mikey Reilly (@mreilly93) was named the Big Ten's Defensive Player of the Year. Reilly leads all B1G Defensemen in goals, assists, and points at 8-21--29 this season. 

Wilcox and Reilly were both named to the All-Big Ten First Team. Kyle Rau was named to the All-Big Ten Second Team. Hudson Fasching (@Hfasching22), Sam Warning, Ben Marshall, and Brady Skjei were Honorable Mention. Fasching was also named to the All-Big Ten Freshman Team. Nate Condon was a Big Ten Sportsmanship Award Honoree. 

B1G Ten Regular Season Title
Minnesota came away with the inaugural season Big Ten Title on Friday night against Michigan. The B1G Title was their third straight regular season conference championship, a first in program history. The Gophers won the WCHA title the last two years and were able to clinch the B1G Title outright this year. The seniors have been able to capture a conference title their last three years with the Gophers while the junior class has captured a title every year they have worn the 'M'.

B1G Tournament
The Gophers will return to the Xcel Energy Center this weekend to play in the Big Ten Tournament. Minnesota is seeded No. 1 and will play Friday, March 21, at 7:00pm. The Gophers will face the winner of the Ohio State/Michigan State game. Wisconsin also earned a first round bye and will play the winner of the Michigan/Penn State game. The championship game will be played on Saturday, March 22, at 7:00pm. You can find B1G Tournament single game tickets and five event package tickets here.

Good luck to the Gopher Men's Hockey team who will play in the Big Ten Tournament this weekend. The Gophers will play at 7:00pm on Friday March 21. All five games will be broadcast live by BTN.

Minnesota vs. Michigan Weekend Preview

As the regular season comes to an end, just remember what your favorite season is.

The Minnesota Gophers remain ranked No. 1 in both the USCHO poll and the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll. The Gophers were in Columbus last weekend facing the Ohio State Buckeyes. They defeated Ohio on Friday night 5-1 with goals from Justin Kloos (@jkloos15), Kyle Rau (@kylerau), Taylor Cammarata (@Cammy12Scores), Connor Reilly (@CReilly81), and Vinni Lettieri (@19Lettieri95). The Gophers lost 3-2 in a shootout on Saturday night with goals from Kyle Rau and Gabe Guertler (@gabeguerts8). The Gophers will face the No. 13 ranked Michigan Wolverines this weekend for the final regular-season series of the season.

Michigan
Minnesota faced Michigan exactly a month ago at Mariucci Arena. They came out on top with 5-3 and 4-1 victories. The Gophers are 24-4-6 this season and 13-2-3 in conference play while the Wolverines are 17-11-4 this season and 9-7-2 in B1G conference play. The Gophers overall record against Michigan is 130-117-14 and they have the most wins over Michigan than any other team in college hockey. Minnesota is Michigan's second oldest rivalry. Both teams were a part of the WCHA from 1951-1981 before Michigan moved to the CCHA before the 1981-82 season. A month ago, the Gophers were awarded the Mariucci-Renfrew Trophy for their sweep over Michigan.

ESPN
ESPN will be doing the play-by-play for the game on Friday night between Minnesota and Michigan, you can catch the game on ESPNews. John Buccigross (@Buccigross) himself will be at Yost Arena on Friday. #cawlidgehawkey

Mikey Reilly
It seems as if Mikey Reilly (@mreilly93) comes up on a weekly basis. The sophomore defenseman earned his first B1G Weekly Honor as the Third Star of the Week. He had four assists this weekend, three coming during Friday night's game and another on Saturday. M. Reilly has proved he can be a versatile player and is a key asset to the Gophers defensive unit. He leads all B1G defenseman in goals, points, and assists so far this season and is 8-20--28.

Hudson Fasching
Hudson Fasching (@Hfasching22) leads all Big Ten freshman in goals at 12 and is ranked second in points at 27 behind Michigan's JT Compher who has 29 points. Fasching is 12-15--27 so far this season. He has certainly made an impact to the team his rookie year after coming from the USA National Development Team in Ann Arbor, Michigan. If you haven't yet, take a minute to read this article about Hudson Fasching and his family. They are truly an inspiration both at and away from the rink.

Captain Condon
The senior captain, Nate Condon (@Condo16), is 7-12--19 this season and is 38-59--97 overall. He is just 3 points away from reaching the milestone of 100 career points. Condon has skated in 151 consecutive games for the Gophers and 152 games in his career.

Multi-Point Night
The Minnesota vs. Ohio State University game on Friday night was a big multi-point game for four different Gophers. Mikey Reilly tallied four assists that night while his older brother, Connor Reilly, had a goal and an assist. Kyle Rau also had a goal and an assist in Friday night's game. Taylor Cammarata had a big night as well as he tallied a goal and two assists. The Gophers typically have a wide spread of scoring and it speaks volumes that they are able to successfully score goals from all four lines.

Fourth Line Spark
Ever since the Gophers last series against Michigan, the fourth line Gophers have broke out of their rut. Before that series, the fourth line had not been tallying the goals or assists that they would have liked. C. Reilly, Guertler, and Lettieri all had a multi-point weekend the last time they played Michigan. In fact, Guertler had his first career goal against Michigan. This past weekend against the Buckeyes, C. Reilly tallied a goal and an assist on Friday. Lettieri scored a goal on Friday and had an assist on Saturday. Lastly, Guertler notched an assist on Friday and topped it off with a goal on Saturday. This weekend against the Wolverines will be another test for these players to see if their hot streak continues.

Sam Warning
Junior forward Sam Warning was sidelined with an upper-body injury on Saturday night's game against Ohio. He practiced today, Wednesday, with the Gophers, but his status for this weekend is still undetermined. With the first line forward out, C. Reilly is up practicing with the first line. Everyone else on the roster is healthy.

B1G Tournament
The Gophers series against Penn State was the final series played at Mariucci this season as the B1G Tournament is taking place at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. The Gophers are practicing at Ridder Arena to adjust to the smaller rink size. Minnesota is seeded #1 and will play Friday, March 21, at 7:00PM. You can find B1G Tournament single-game tickets for sale here.

B1G Title
The Gophers will play for the B1G Ten Title this weekend. The B1G Title would be their third straight regular season conference championship which would be a first in program history. Minnesota and Wisconsin are the only two teams in the conference that can claim the title. The Gophers' magic number is 2, whether that is 2 points won this weekend or 2 points dropped from Wisconsin. They can claim the title as early as Friday night.

Good luck to the Gopher Men's Hockey team as they face the Michigan Wolverines this weekend. They play Friday night at 5:30pm and Saturday night at 6:00pm. Friday night's game will be broadcasted (watch) on ESPNews and Saturday night's game will be on BTN. Both games will be streamed (listen) on 1500 ESPN.