Gophers forward Jimmy Snuggerud earns Big Ten First Star of the Week

(University of Minnesota Athletics)

University of Minnesota forward Jimmy Snuggerud is the Big Ten’s First Star of the Week after helping lead the Gophers to a weekend sweep of rival Wisconsin.

It’s his third honor this season, seventh of his career and sixth time getting the First Star.

Snuggerud had two goals and two assists in last Friday’s 5-2 win over the Badgers at 3M Arena at Mariucci. The Gophers got down 2-0 early, then scored five unanswered goals. It was the second four-point game of his career.

Snuggerud a Hobey Baker candidate?

Why you should care:

Snuggerud is leading the NCAA in scoring at 41 points. His 17 goals in 18 Big Ten games leads the league. He has a goal in six straight games, with nine total over that span.

Pat Micheletti said on FOX 9 Sports Now that Snuggerud is playing Hobey Baker-level hockey. That award goes annually to the top player in college hockey. Minnesota has not had a Hobey Baker Award winner since Jordan Leopold in 2002, the last time the Gophers also won the national title.

Snuggerud had seven multi-point games in nine games during the month of January. He’s also the third player in program history to score at least 20 goals in three straight seasons.

The schedule

What's next:

Minnesota, No. 3 in the latest PairWise Rankings, has this week off before heading to Michigan Feb. 14-15. Earlier this season, the Gophers swept the Wolverines in Minneapolis, 6-0 and 2-0. The Gophers are two points behind Michigan State for the top spot in the Big Ten with three regular season series remaining. The regular season champion gets a first round bye in the league tournament, and avoids a best-of-three series.

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