MINNEAPOLIS — In recent years, it’s become the norm for there to be a large contingency of open maroon and gold seats at Minnesota men’s hockey games at Mariucci Arena.
No matter the crowd size, the Gophers have had no problem excelling on home ice. Minnesota came into this weekend having the most home wins (91) of any NCAA program since the 2011-12 season.
This weekend’s series gave the home crowd a much-needed jolt as Big Ten rival Wisconsin came to town. With an enthused fanbase, Minnesota picked up win No. 92 as the No. 7 Gophers survived and defeated No. 14 Wisconsin 5-4.
Minnesota (10-6-1, 4-4-1-1) entered the weekend hoping a change in scenery would help turn things around. The Gophers returned home following a sweep on the road at Notre Dame that featured just two Minnesota goals.
Unfortunately for the Gophers, things looked familiar in the early goings Friday. The Badgers (9-7-2, 3-3-1) got this high-scoring affair going when freshman right winger Sean Dhooge scored at 7:14 of the first period.
After Minnesota senior center Mike Szmatula tied the game at one, the Gophers headed into the first intermission on a sour note as junior center Jarod Zirbel gave Wisconsin a 2-1 lead late in the first. For Minnesota head coach Don Lucia, the message to his team was simple.
“We just had to play a little bit better,” Lucia said. “Our goal in the second period was to get some of those dirty area goals like we talked about.”
The combination of Lucia’s words and work this week on getting in front of the net paid dividends for Minnesota in the second. The Gophers exploded for four goals on 13 shots. Minnesota’s stretch of goals included freshman Scott Reedy converting on a play in front of the net just 20 seconds after Minnesota had taken a 4-2 lead.
“There was a mindset of getting to the blue paint and playing in the blue areas,” Reedy said. “We had to refocus on getting on the netfront.”
Reedy had a career-high three points and joined freshman defenseman Tyler Nanne as newcomers that tallied goals for the Gophers. Minnesota’s frenetic offensive pace was accelerated by senior captain Tyler Sheehy, who tied the game at two early in the second.
In the third period, sophomore center Trent Frederic turned the game into more of a nail-biter when he scored for the Badgers to make it 5-4 at 12:16 of the third. Fortunately for the Gophers, they stepped up to the challenge and made the right decisions.
“A lot of our guys are still learning,” Lucia said. “There is a lot more situational awareness, which is what I like.”
For Wisconsin, this weekend kicks off a crucial stretch in the Big Ten schedule. The Badgers play one more against Minnesota before next weekend’s series against league-leading Notre Dame. Wisconsin sits at fourth in the Big Ten standings.
The Gophers, meanwhile, are continuing a tough stretch to kick off this season. Twelve of Minnesota’s first 16 games are against ranked opponents. The Gophers have found the most success at home, including during Friday’s game. And for Minnesota and its fans, defeating one of their biggest rivals on home ice has a special feel to it.
“Rivalry weekend is a huge one to us,” Reedy said. “It was a great atmosphere and you could really feel the difference.”
Big Ten Roundup
No. 4 Notre Dame 3, at Michigan State 1
Notre Dame opened its weekend with a 3-1 win over Michigan State. Taro Hirose opened the scoring as the Spartans went ahead 1-0. In the second period, Jake Evans tied the game at one for the Fighting Irish. Cal Burke scored the eventual game-winner a minute later with Evans picking up an assist. Colin Thiesen added an insurance goal as the Fighting Irish continue to build on their lead at the top of the conference standings.
Penn State 5, at No. 11 Ohio State 5
It was a hellacious game at Value City Arena as Ohio State and Penn State played to a 5-5 tie. Trailing 3-1 after two periods Ohio State scored three goals in 5:15 go take the lead. With one second remaining, Andrew Sturtz tied the game for the Nittany Lions on a highlight-reel goal. Sturtz was first up for the Nittany Lions in the shootout and converted. That proved to be the lone score in the three-round shootout as Penn State picked up an extra point.
