Gopher hockey seeks Big Ten bounce back against rival Wisconsin
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The University of Minnesota men’s hockey team didn’t have the weekend it was looking for at No. 2-ranked Michigan State with the Big Ten lead on the line.
The Gophers lost 9-3 last Friday and salvaged a 3-3 tie on Saturday. Minnesota is now five points behind Michigan State with four regular season series remaining. The Big Ten regular season champion gets the No. 1 seed and a bye for the league tournament, which determines the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
What was most glaring about the series with the Spartans? They scored seven goals between the second and third periods against the No. 3-ranked Gophers on Friday. The nine goals allowed is the most in a game since North Dakota in 2019.
"Obviously we weren’t happy with our performance on Friday. We delivered a message to the guys on Saturday morning, and they responded. It wasn’t the perfect game on Saturday, but we got back headed in the right direction," said assistant coach Ben Gordon, who filled on for Bob Motzko at media availability on Tuesday.
No damage done in the PairWise
Why it matters: Despite a weekend in which the Gophers earned one point of a possible six, there was no harm done in the PairWise Rankings. Minnesota stayed at No. 3, behind Michigan State and Boston College. The PairWise Rankings are one of the biggest metrics used to determine seeding for the NCAA Tournament.
The Gophers (19-6-3,10-4-2) are also seven points clear of Ohio State for the No. 2 spot in the Big Ten.
Rivarly weekend ahead
The match-up: The No. 3-ranked Gophers have a big weekend ahead, hosting No. 17-ranked Wisconsin and Mike Hastings at 3M Arena at Mariucci. Saturday’s game is a Gold Out, and a sellout crowd is expected against the rival Badgers.
The Gophers swept the Badgers back in early November with a pair of 3-2 wins in Madison.
"I mean why not? Let’s get it going. We know where we’re at, we know we’ve got to come out and have a big game on Friday. Who better to do it against than one of our biggest rivals? I think they’ll be ready to go," Gordon said.