Number 1 Minnesota Gophers play # 4 Michigan Wolverines in the Championship game in the Big Ten Tournament tonight.

All six Conferences play their Championship game tonight. The paraty this year is about as good as it gets in D-1 Hockey. Here are the scores from last nights tournament games and schedule for tonights Championship game. Five out of the six games went into overtime yesterday.

Colgate 2 Quinnipiac 1 2OT

Harvard 1 Cornell 0 OT

Merrimack 2 Mass-Lowell 1 2 OT

Boston University 2 Provience 1 OT

Colorado 1 Denver 0

St. Cloud State 3 North Dakota 2 OT

Here are the Conference Championship games tonight in D-1 Mens Hockey March 18, 2023

Atlantic Hockey Tournament -Holy Cross vs. Canisius 4:35 ET

CCHA Tournament- Northern Michigan @ Minnesota State 6:07 CT

ECAC Tournament Cogate @ Harvard 7:30 ET

Hockey East Tournament-Merrimack @ Boston University 7 PM ET

NCHC Tournament @ Xcel Energy Center-Colorado Vs. St. Cloud State 7:30 CT

Big Ten Tournament-Michigan @ Minnesota 7 PM CT

Number one in the nation Minnesota Gophers play the number four Michigan Wolverines on Saturday night 7 PM for the Big Ten Tournament Championship at 3M Arena at Mariucci

Minnesota Gophers 26-8-1 vs. Michigan Wolverines 23-11-3 will play each other at 3M Arena at Mariucci for the Big Ten Championship Saturday night at Saturday night 7PM. There will be over 25 NHL draft picks in this game. These two teams split two OT games at 3M arena in late January and would not surprise me if it goes to OT again. Right now these two teams are number one seeds in the pairwise.

# 10 Minnesota Gophers play # 4 Minnesota State Mankato in a big instate series this weekend in Mens D-1 Hockey

This will be a Home and Home series with Minnesota State at Mariucci Friday night and the Gophers at Minnesota State Saturday night. Both games are at 7:07 PM with Fridays game on FSN-Plus and Saturday’s game on Charter cable. UMD has the weekend off while St. Cloud State goes to Colorado College and Bemidji State goes to Alaska Anchorage for weekend series.

Big Ten announces overtime changes in Hockey for the 2018-19 season.

Big Ten Announces Overtime Changes for 2018-19 Hockey Season

 

ROSEMONT, Ill. – The Big Ten Conference has announced changes to its overtime protocol and conference points system for the 2018-19 hockey season, including the addition of a 3-on-3 overtime period.

 

Any regular season conference game that remains tied after regulation will play the NCAA-mandated five-minute, 5-on-5 sudden-death overtime period. If the game remains tied, the two teams will then play a five-minute, 3-on-3 sudden-death overtime period. If the game is still tied following both overtime periods, then the game will move to a sudden-death shootout. Non-conference games other than certain in-season tournaments will conclude following the 5-on-5 overtime period. Postseason games will continue to feature 20-minute 5-on-5 overtime periods as in the past.

 

Teams will be awarded three points in the conference standings for a win in regulation or the 5-on-5 overtime period. If the game is tied following the 5-on-5 overtime, both teams will receive one point, with a second point being awarded to the team that wins in either the 3-on-3 overtime period or the shootout.

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Gophers Mens Hockey name Captains for 2018-19 season

Gophers Announce Captains for 2018-19

 

MINNEAPOLIS – Gopher Hockey head coach Bob Motzko announced today that senior forwards Tyler Sheehy and Brent Gates Jr. will serve as team captains for the Maroon & Gold during the 2018-19 campaign while senior forwards Jack Ramsey and Darian Romanko will serve as assistant captains.

 

Tyler Sheehy | Senior | Forward | Burnsville, Minn.

 

“Being the captain at the ‘U’ is an incredible honor. Being an underclassman you get the entire concept of what this program means to the school, the fans, and the alumni, and as you spend more time here it becomes even more evident. Seeing others wear the ‘C’ before me and the leadership qualities they showed made me want to incorporate those same qualities in myself. The blood, sweat and tears that have been put into this program are characteristics of what makes wearing the ‘M’ so meaningful. Seeing a ‘C’ on my jersey for the first time was something that I will never forget and wearing it is something that I will never take for granted. There is incredible tradition and passion behind Gopher Hockey, and I hope to carry that out by being the best leader that I am capable of being.”

 

A native of Burnsville, Minn., Sheehy is the only returning captain to the Gophers roster this year – having served as team captain as a junior last year. The forward enters his senior season at Minnesota having played in 111 career games with 108 career points (44 goals, 64 assists) – the forward is tied for second among active NCAA skaters in career points. Sheehy was named a First Team All-American, the Big Ten Player of the Year and a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award in 2017.

 

Brent Gates Jr. | Senior | Forward | Grand Rapids, Mich.

 

“It’s an unbelievable honor to be able to captain the Gophers. Obviously, there’s a long line of great players and great leaders that have been named captain here before me, so it’s an awesome feeling to be given the opportunity to try and follow in their footsteps. I’m excited for the new challenge and can’t wait to get the season started.”

 

A native of Grand Rapids, Mich. Gates is coming off his best season with the Gophers, recording 26 points as a junior last year including 12 goals to tie for the team lead. The Anaheim Ducks prospect has skated in 110 career games for the Gophers with 54 points (29 goals, 25 assists). A second-generation Gopher, Gates’ father (also Brent) played baseball at Minnesota and was a First Team All-American and the 1991 Big Ten Player of the Year.

 

Jack Ramsey | Senior | Forward | Chanhassen, Minn.

 

“Having have such a tight knit locker room and one that is filled with great people on and off the ice, it’s an honor to be named one of the assistant captains, and knowing it was voted on by teammates makes it even more of a privilege.”

 

A native of Chanhassen, Minn., Ramsey has skated in 105 career games at Minnesota with 20 career points (five goals, 15 assists). The Chicago Blackhawks prospect doubled his offensive output last year as a junior with four goals and six assists. Ramsey’s father (Mike) also played hockey at the University of Minnesota as did his sister (Rachel).

 

Darian Romanko | Senior | Forward | Shoreview, Minn.

 

“Being a captain means being able to lead an outstanding group of men who trust and believe in me and have become family to me. Without their support and dedication to the game, I wouldn’t be who I am today.”

 

A native of Shoreview, Minn., Romanko has played in 110 career games for the Maroon & Gold with 19 points (six goals, 13 assists). His nine points, four goals and five assists last year were all career bests while the forward has played in 96-straight games for Minnesota – the longest active iron man streak among the Gophers.

 

The 98th season of Gopher men's hockey will see the Maroon & Gold take the ice for the first time under new head coach Bob Motzko, who returns to the University of Minnesota after helping the program claim back-to-back national championships in 2002 and 2003 as an assistant coach. Tickets for the 2018-19 Gopher Hockey season are now on sale at MyGopherSports.com.   

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Gophers hire Bob Motzko as new Men's Hockey coach

Gophers Welcome Back Bob Motzko

A little more than a decade removed from his time on the Minnesota bench as an assistant for two national championship teams, Motzko returns to the ‘U’ as the 15th head coach in program history

 

MINNEAPOLIS – University of Minnesota Athletics Director Mark Coyle announced that he has hired Bob Motzko as the new head coach of the Gopher Men’s Hockey program. Motzko, a Minnesota native and an assistant coach for the two most recent Gopher national championship teams, has spent the past 13 years building St. Cloud State into a national program.

 

“After 13 years competing against Bob, we are excited to welcome him back to Gopher Hockey, where he had so much success as an assistant earlier in his career,” said Coyle. “Bob has a unique perspective on the program. He grew up rooting for the Gophers, he’s coached for the Gophers and he’s coached against the Gophers. He’s spent much of his career and most of his life in Minnesota. He fully understands this program’s historic legacy and its unique place in our state’s culture. I know he will add to the tradition and success Gopher Hockey has enjoyed for nearly 100 years.”

 

“I am excited and honored for the opportunity to lead Golden Gopher Hockey,” said Motzko. “The rich history and tradition of this program is honored by so many in our state and around the country. We will work tirelessly to make those people proud.”

 

Motzko was an assistant coach at Minnesota from 2001 to 2005. During his time in the Twin Cities, the Gophers captured back-to-back national championships in 2002 and 2003. He worked with Hobey Baker Award winner Jordan Leopold, as well as six All-Americans while at Minnesota. He was also on the bench as Minnesota claimed back-to-back WCHA tournament championships in 2003 and 2004.

 

Following his four years with the Gophers, Motzko spent the past 13 seasons building St. Cloud State into a championship program. The Huskies advanced to the NCAA tournament eight times under his leadership, including a run to the Frozen Four in 2013. Motzko’s teams have earned a spot in the NCAAs five times in the past six years. While in St. Cloud, Motzko helped develop Hobey Baker Award winner Drew LeBlanc, along with eight All-Americans.

 

He previously coached collegiate hockey at Miami (OH) and Denver, helping Miami win the CCHA title as associate head coach in 1993. He graduated from St. Cloud State in 1987 as a two-time men’s hockey letter winner. He also served as an assistant under Herb Brooks at his alma mater for one season.

 

During his college head coaching career, Motzko has been recognized as a conference coach of the year four times, most recently this past season. He won the award twice in the WCHA (2006, 2007) and twice again in the NCHC (2014, 2018).

 

USA Hockey has twice tasked Motzko with leading the U.S. National Junior Team at the IIHF World Junior Championship. In 2017, Motzko led Team USA to an unbeaten run at the tournament, which culminated in a gold medal – the fourth all-time for the U.S. Motzko returned as head coach for the National Junior Team in 2018, leading the squad to a bronze medal.

 

Motzko has twice led teams in the United States Hockey League (USHL) as head coach and general manager. He spent four years with the North Iowa Huskies, leading his 1989 team to the Junior A national championship. He was named the league’s coach of the year of that season. He also led the Sioux Falls Stampede for the team’s first two seasons of existence, and was named the league’s GM of the Year in 2000 for his work there.

 

Minnesota Gophers Mens Hockey Coach Don Lucia steps down

Media Advisory

 

Mark Coyle and Don Lucia will meet with the media on Tuesday, March 20 at 4:30 p.m. to discuss their agreement for Lucia to step down as Minnesota’s head men’s hockey coach, which is detailed in the release below.

 

Media availability will take place in the former football team meeting room in the Gibson-Nagurski Athletic Complex. Media should enter the facility through the main doors of Gibson-Nagurski. There is limited sports media parking available behind the Land O’Lakes Inc. Center for Excellence. No other on-site parking is available.

 

 

 

Lucia Steps Down, Leaves Legacy of Success at Minnesota

 

University of Minnesota Athletics Director Mark Coyle and Head Coach Don Lucia today announced that Lucia will step down as Minnesota’s head men’s hockey coach, pending the approval of the University’s Board of Regents later this week. Coyle and Lucia have agreed that he will remain with Gopher Athletics as special assistant to the athletics director through June 30, 2019.

 

“Gopher Hockey is not just a college hockey program, it’s a cultural institution in the state of Minnesota, built on more than 90 years of success and tradition. Few have contributed as much to that legacy as Don,” said Coyle. “He knows how much I appreciate everything he has accomplished in his 19 years as head coach, but he and I also agree that it’s time for someone else to lead our program. From his program’s commitment to academic excellence to the banners his teams raised into in our rafters, I can’t thank him enough for what he’s contributed to the success of Gopher Hockey.”

 

“I want to thank Mark Dienhart for giving me a tremendous opportunity 19 years ago. I came to Minnesota because of the tradition, and I hoped to add to the tradition when I left. I am proud of the 14 banners that have been added to the rafters of 3M Arena at Mariucci. I am forever grateful to all the coaches, staff and most importantly the players who have worked so hard to accomplish this over the years,” said Lucia. “Most importantly to me, we did it the right way. Our players all graduate and have always represented themselves to the high standards of Gopher Hockey on and off the ice. It has been a tremendous honor and privilege to be the head hockey coach at the University of Minnesota.”  

 

Lucia steps down after 19 years leading one of most decorated programs in college hockey history. 

 

His 457 wins are the most in program history, an average of more than 24 wins per season over his tenure at Minnesota. Since taking over as head coach in 1999, Lucia’s teams have raised 14 championship banners. His Gophers teams claimed eight regular-season conference crowns, as well as four conference tournament titles. Lucia guided five Gopher teams to the Frozen Four and won back-to-back national championships in 2002 and 2003. 

 

During his 31-year career as a Division I head coach, Lucia won 736 career games – ranking eighth all-time in NCAA history. He holds a 736-403-102 career coaching record, including a 457-247-73 mark at the University of Minnesota.

 

In the classroom, his Gopher teams delivered results as well. The team’s collective, cumulative GPA was 3.15 following this year’s fall semester, and has been above 3.0 for more than six straight years. The team GPA for the fall semester alone was 3.31, the highest mark on record for the program. The NCAA’s Academic Progress Rate score for the program has been a perfect 1,000 for several years. Throughout his head coaching career, Lucia had 206 all-conference academic honorees.

Two Gophers get stars of the week in sweep of Wisconsin.

Sheehy, Robson Earn Weekly Honors After Sweep

 

MINNEAPOLIS (GopherSports.com) – After leading the Gopher Hockey program to its second Border Battle sweep in Madison in the last three years, Gopher Hockey captain Tyler Sheehy has been named the NCAA Second Star of the Week and the Big Ten First Star of the Week.

 

Additionally, Mat Robson earned Big Ten Third Star of the Week accolades.

 

A native of Burnsville, Minn., Sheehy led the Big Ten and ranked tied for third in the nation with five points (three goals, two assists) over the weekend. The junior All-American factored into both game winners for the Maroon & Gold while the forward now leads Minnesota with 12 goals on the year. Sheehy scored two goals in the third period of Friday’s 4-2 win including the game winner as he leads the Big Ten and ranks tied for first in the nation with five game-winning goals this year. He added three more points (one goal, two assists) in Saturday’s 7-1 win to seal the sweep.

 

A native of Mississauga, Ont., Robson backstopped the Maroon & Gold to both wins over the weekend and made 61 saves on 64 shots in the series. The sophomore made a career-high 38 saves in Friday’s 4-2 win and added another 23 inSaturday’s 7-1 victory. Robson improved to 6-2-0 in his first campaign with the Gophers. He has allowed two goals or fewer in seven of his nine appearances this season.

 

The Gophers return home next weekend to host Ohio State on Feb. 16-17 in the team’s final regular season series at 3M Arena at Mariucci. Tickets are currently available at GopherSports.com, by calling 1-800-U-Gopher, or by stopping by the ticket office at 3M Arena at Mariucci.

Gophers name captain for 2015-2016 Mens Hockey season

Kloos Named Gophers Team Captain

 

MINNEAPOLIS (GopherSports.com) – Gopher Hockey and head coach Don Lucia have announced that Justin Kloos will serve as team captain for the 2015-16 season, making the junior forward the 161st player in school history to wear a letter for the Maroon & Gold.

 

“Justin has been a program-first player since he arrived on campus. He’s a terrific teammate, a hard worker and a great example of how we want our student-athletes to carry themselves on and off the ice” Lucia said. “He is a great representative of our program and the University of Minnesota, and we are excited to name him as our team captain for the upcoming season.”

 

A native of Lakeville, Minn., Kloos returns as Minnesota’s active leading scorer with 64 points (29 goals, 35 assists) in 80 career games while the junior has finished among the conference’s top-10 scorers in each of his two collegiate seasons. The Gophers have won back-to-back Big Ten regular-season titles with Kloos on roster and have also earned two-straight NCAA tournament berths including a national championship game appearance in 2014.

 

“Growing up in Minnesota and seeing the guys who have been a part of this school and this tradition, this is a huge honor for me and I’m incredibly thankful for the support of my teammates,” Kloos said.

 

An Academic All-Big Ten honoree last year, Kloos tallied 32 points (13 goals, 19 assists) in 39 games during the 2014-15 season and scored the eventual game-winning goal to clinch the Big Ten tournament title for the Gophers. The forward also had 32 points (16 goals, 16 assists) in 2013-14 and was the first Minnesota freshman to lead the team in goals since Jay Barriball in 2006-07. The two-year letter winner would go on to be named the NCAA West Regional Most Outstanding Player that year after leading the Gophers to the NCAA Frozen Four.

 

Alternate captains for the 2015-15 Gopher Hockey season will be announced at a later date.

 

The 2015-16 Gopher Hockey season marks the 95th campaign in program history. Minnesota enters the season having won four-straight regular-season conference championships for the first time in modern history while the team swept the Big Ten regular-season and tournament titles last year. The Maroon & Gold have also earned four-straight NCAA tournament berths including Frozen Four appearances in 2012 and 2014.

 

Season tickets and Pick Your Packs for the 2015-16 campaign are currently available for purchase by contacting the University of Minnesota Ticket Office in Mariucci Arena at 612-624-8080 or 1-800-U-Gopher. Learn more at MyGopherSports.com.

-Pride On Ice-

Gophers men beat Bulldogs in season opener in Icebreaker

Gophers Open Ice Breaker with 4-3 Win

Kyle Rau became just the 49th player in school history to earn 125 career points

 

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (GopherSports.com) – Senior captain Kyle Rau tallied a game-high three points including his 125th career point as the top-ranked Gophers picked up a 4-3 win over Minnesota Duluth on Friday afternoon in the regular-season opener.

 

Minnesota (1-0-0 overall, 0-0-0-0 Big Ten) will now play in the Ice Breaker Tournament championship game on Sunday  at Compton Family Ice Arena against either Notre Dame or RPI. Game time will be determined based off Friday night’s RPI/Notre Dame matchup – 11 a.m. CT should RPI win or 2:30 p.m. CT should Notre Dame win.

 

On Friday afternoon, the Gophers wasted little time in finding the net for the first goal of the season as Rau fed senior forward Sam Warning for the year’s first score just 30 seconds into the contest on the team’s first shot. Just over five minutes later at 5:44, Rau netted a goal of his own in similar fashion after being set up by Hudson Fasching – this time with the Maroon & Gold shorthanded.

 

Rau’s goal marked his 125th career point for Minnesota – making the senior forward just the 49th player in team history to reach the mark and the first since Jay Barriball (2006-2011). Rau would later add his third point of the day with an assist on Fasching’s eventual game winner, giving the Eden Prairie, Minn., native 126 points (48 goals, 78 assists) in 122 career games.

 

While the Gophers sported a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes, the Bulldogs (0-1-0 overall, 0-0-0 NCHC) actually outshot Minnesota 11-6 in the opening session while the two teams would go shot for shot over the next 40 minutes – each with six shots in the second and 10 in the third to end the game with a 27-22 advantage for Minnesota Duluth.

 

Last year’s leading goal scorer Justin Kloos made it a three-goal lead with his first of the year 4:01 into the second period on a power play after being set up by Michael Brodzinski and Ben Marshall. Kloos scored 16 goals as a rookie last year – the first freshman to lead the team in goals since Barriball in 2006.

 

From there, the game would tighten for the duration. Dominic Toninato scored his first of two goals for the day at 13:21 of the second on the power play before Fasching found the net for the eventual winner at 18:45 of the second. Rau and Brodzinski picked up assists on the goal – giving Rau his seventh-career game with at least three points while Brodzinski matched his career high with two points and recorded two assists for the first time in his career.

 

The Bulldogs would net a pair of goals in the third period to draw within one of the Gophers but couldn’t find the equalizer. Andy Welinski scored 25 seconds into the final period while Toninato closed out the game’s scoring at 4:16.

 

In goal, Adam Wilcox earned the win for Minnesota with a 24-save performance to move to 1-0-0 on the season while Kasimir Kaskisuo took the loss for Minnesota Duluth with 18 saves.

 

-Pride On Ice-

 

Gophers lead St. Cloud State 3-0 after 2 periods in the West Regions Finals

Justin Kloos has 2 goals and Nate Condon has 2 assist as the Gophers lead 3-0 over St. Cloud State after two periods in the West Regions finals at the Xcel Energy Center. If Minnesota hangs on and wins this game they will play North Dakota and Boston College will play Union in The Frozen Four which will be in Phildelphia April 10 and 12th at the Wells Fargo Center.

Minnesota Gophers vs. Robert Morris in West Regions at Xcel Center

The Minnesota Gophers play the Robert Morris Colonials in the 2014 NCAA West Regions Ice Hockey at the Xcel Energy Center at 4:30 CT. The game will be televised on ESPN2. Robert Morris which started the season 2-12-2 and last place in the Atlantic Hockey Conference came together the second half of the season and finished with a 17-5-3 record in 2014 with a combine record of 19-17-5. The #1 ranked Gophers have a 25-6-6 record coming into this Region game but has lost their last two games while the Colonials have won 5 in a row. Robert Morris is a physical team who likes to use the body while the Gophers are a very highly skilled team with great skaters. Even though the game is being played on a regular sheet of ice at the Xcel instead of the big sheet at Mariucci, Robert Morris must finish their checks to stay with the Gophers. Prediction Gophers 4 Colonials 2.