FRIDAY RECAP: No. 2 Minnesota nets hat trick from Snuggerud to earn a 4-1 victory over No. 5 Minnesota State in rematch of last year’s national semifinal; Maine, No. 1 Denver to face one another in Saturday’s IceBreaker final

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No. 2 Minnesota avenged a loss in last season’s national semifinal on Friday with a 4-1 victory over No. 5 Minnesota State (photo: Jim Rosvold)

Minnesota’s Jimmy Snuggerud potted  his first career

hat trick, scoring once in each period, as No. 2 Minnesota enacted a small amount of revenge over No. 5 Minnesota State in a rematch of last year’s national semifinal game, one that was won by the Mavericks.

Snuggerud opened the scoring at 18:21 of the first and doubled the lead at 5:30 of the second.

And after Jake Livingstone pulled the Mavericks within a goal early in the third, Snuggerud completed the hat trick at 10:46 on the power play. Connor Kurth put the game away with an empty-net goal with 2:04 remaining.

The two teams will face one another again on Saturday, though change venues heading to Minnesota State for the rematch.

IceBreaker Tournament (Denver and Colorado Springs, Colo.)

No. 1 Denver 5, No. 11 Notre Dame 2; Maine 4, Air Force 1

Top-ranked Denver, the defending national champion, and Maine each earned victories on Friday in the opening games of the IceBreaker Tournament. The two clubs will meet on Saturday in Denver in a pre-determiner field event, making Saturday’s matchup between the Pioneers and the Black Bears a de facto championship game.

This is the first time the tournament has been hosted by two schools, bringing into play what could have been potential tiebreaker scenarios but none will be needed given that Saturday’s combatants in the Mile High City are Friday’s victors.

Denver never trailed in the game, leading 2-0 and 3-1. But After Chase Blackmun pulled Notre Dame within a goal early in the third, late goals from McKade Webster and Casey Dornbach were needed to seal the victory.

Maine’s victory has a similar script, jumping to a 2-0 lead before Mitchell Digby scored a power play goal for Air Force to send a one-goal game to the third. But Lynden Breen’s two goals in the final period closed out the scoring setting up a title battle at Denver on Saturday.

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