The postseason is officially here, and the No. 3 Minnesota men’s hockey team hosts Notre Dame Mar. 7-9 in the best-of-three Big Ten Conference Tournament Quarterfinals inside 3M Arena at Mariucci presented by Affinity Plus Federal Credit Union.
The Golden Gophers are the No. 2 seed for the tournament and face the seventh-seeded Fighting Irish starting Friday night at 7 p.m. with game two set for 7 p.m. Saturday. If necessary, a winner-take-all game three will be played Sunday evening at 6 p.m. All three games will air live on FOX9 and streaming on B1G+, while audio coverage is available via the Gopher Radio Network 103.5 FM/AM-1130 KTLK.
LAST TIME OUT
Minnesota entered the final weekend of the regular season in first place and was able to get the necessary four points to secure the conference championship on the road at No. 15/16 Penn State. Jimmy Snuggerud scored the tying goal in the third period Friday to push the game to overtime on a night where Brodie Ziemer had a pair of assists. Oliver Moore’s three points and two goals from Matthew Wood led the Gophers to a 5-3 win Saturday. It was the veterans that made the biggest impact during the series victory as Mike Koster scored the game winner Saturday on the power play with 3:04 remaining in regulation, while Mason Nevers found the back of the net each night and Liam Souliere finished with 58 saves in goal.
WATCH THE PRIDE ON ICE
Minnesota and FOX9 have partnered for a local television broadcast deal for the second-straight year that will air 16 home games and four road games during the 2024-25 campaign presented by Affinity Plus Federal Credit Union. This year’s home broadcasts on FOX9 and FOX9+ will feature a 30-minute Pride on Ice Pre-Game Show presented by M Health Fairview as well as a post-game show recapping the action presented by RBC Wealth Management. This is in addition to the six games picked by the Big Ten Network and one airing on FS1 during the year. Check the schedule page on GopherSports.com for all the latest information and viewing options for every contest.
B1G-RECORD SEVENTH CONFERENCE TITLE
Minnesota claimed a Big Ten Conference Championship for a league-record seventh time as it finished tied with Michigan State with 50 points in 2024-25. It’s the first time in the 12-year history of the conference that two teams have shared the regular season title, while the Gophers won for the third time in a four-year stretch, and 30th league title in program history across all conferences. The Spartans join the Maroon and Gold as the only teams to win more than one title, coming in back-to-back seasons, and every school except Michigan has won at least one regular season championship.
TOURNAMENT HISTORY
The Gophers enter the postseason as the No. 2 seed for the B1G Tournament, holding a 14-10 overall record and a 7-3 mark in quarterfinal contests. Only one time in program history has Minnesota been the second seed and it went on to win all three games in South Bend, Ind., for its second tournament title in 2021. The Gophers and Fighting Irish have met four times in the postseason event with each side winning twice, while all four meetings have been decided by one goal. The most recent matchup came in 2020 where the Maroon and Gold advanced to the semifinals, which were eventually canceled due to COVID-19, by claiming the winner-take-all game three. Both of Notre Dame’s wins over Minnesota in the tournament have come in overtime, including in the 2019 championship game.
MOORE’S STREAK SECURES A STAR
Following a four-point weekend at Penn State, including the third, three-point effort of the year, Oliver Moore was named B1G First Star of the Week (Mar. 4). His three points helped the Gophers clinch the league title and extended his scoring streak to a season-long five games. After enduring a career-long, six-game scoring drought through early November, the sophomore responded with 11 points over a nine-game stretch and has goals in five of the past seven outings. Against Ohio State (Feb. 21), he tied a career-long goal streak of three games to reach double-digit goals for the first time as a Gopher and has reached the 30-point mark for the second-straight season. Moore has seven multi-point outings this season and 16 for his college career with Minnesota winning all 16 of those contests.
SNUGGERUD STOCK RISING
After a four-point performance versus Wisconsin, Jimmy Snuggerud was named the B1G First Star of the Week (Feb. 4) for the third time this season and sixth time during his career, the most of any non-goaltender in B1G history. He also landed HCA Co-Player of the Month honors for the month of January. His 45 points this year ranks fifth among the NCAA’s scoring leaders, including a B1G-best 19 goals in 24 league appearances. The junior posted two goals and two assists in the series opener against the Badgers (Jan. 31), extending his career-long goal streak to six games and the team owns a 12-3-1 record when he scores a goal this year and 33-10-3 in his three-year career. Snuggerud set a career high with his 22nd goal of the year at Penn State (Feb. 28) after tallying exactly 21 goals in each of his first two campaigns. He became the third player in Gophers’ history to score 20 or more goals in three-consecutive seasons to begin a career, joining M Club Hall of Famers John Mayasich and Dick Dougherty, who both hit the milestone more than 70 years ago in 1953-54. He has reached the scoresheet in 27 of 36 outings this year with a team-best 14 multi-point efforts, while his 64 career goals rank 33rd in program history. Snuggerud reached the top 50 all-time scorers in Maroon and Gold last weekend with 129 points to his credit.
KURTH REMAINS THE NCAA’S BEST
Connor Kurth was named the B1G Second Star of the Week (Oct. 15) thanks to his career-best, four-point outing in the Gophers’ season opener against Air Force in Las Vegas where he scored a goal in all three periods. The nation’s plus-minus leader at plus-30, he leads Minnesota with six outings of three or more points this year after posting his second multi-goal outing this season to finish off the Border Battle sweep of the Badgers (Feb. 1). Kurth has surpassed his offensive production in both goals and points from his first two seasons combined as his 16 goals and 36 points rank 21st and 20th in the NCAA, respectively, thanks to five points during a current three-game point streak.
KEEP WATCHING WOOD
No stranger to putting up points in college hockey, junior transfer Matthew Wood has kept that trend going since donning the Minnesota uniform. He burst onto the scene opening night behind a three-assist effort versus Air Force (Oct. 11) and registered five multi-point performances in his first six appearances. He scored his first goal at Minnesota Duluth (Oct. 18), starting a three-game, goal-scoring streak before recording his first multi-goal outing as a Gopher against Michigan (Dec. 6). Wood has tallied multiple points and at least one goal in four-straight Saturday outings, pushing his point total to a career-best 35, ranking 28th in the NCAA.
SHOWING OFF THE BALANCE
The Gophers have lit the lamp an NCAA-best 143 times this season with 20 different players scoring at least one goal, including six that have eclipsed double-digit goals. Minnesota’s offensive depth in 2024-25 has shined through as its 386 points have come via 21 of their 22 total skaters, and two goaltenders. A total of 14 players have surpassed double-digit points, while six have 25 or more points. The team has found the back of the net five or more times in 17 appearances and hold a 22-4-2 record when scoring at least three goals. More importantly, the Gophers are putting in the work on the defensive end, holding the NCAA’s fourth-best scoring margin at plus-1.56 as they have surrendered 87 goals all season, a 2.42 goals per game average.
HOBEY BAKER FAN VOTING CONTINUES
Sam Rinzel and Jimmy Snuggerud from the Maroon and Gold are two of more than 90 players representing all 64 NCAA Division I programs nominated for the 2025 Hobey Baker Memorial Award. The fan-voting portion began Jan. 22 and goes until Mar. 9 and can be found by going to hobeybaker.com/vote. Phase two of fan balloting will feature the Top Ten Hobey Baker finalists beginning Mar. 19 and closes Mar. 30. The fan vote accounts for a percentage of the total ballot in each phase in selecting this year’s award recipient.
HISTORY WITH THE FIGHTING IRISH
Minnesota owns a 47-29-6 (.610) record in the all-time series against Notre Dame after picking up 10 of a possible 12 points during the 2024-25 campaign. The Gophers are 27-16-3 in games played at home versus the Fighting Irish but are 9-7-1 when playing at 3M Arena at Mariucci under Coach Motzko. The Maroon and Gold put up 19 goals in the four-game season series with Notre Dame this year and surrendered 12. Jimmy Snuggerud paced Minnesota with eight points via five goals and three assists, while Luke Mittelstadt contributed five points from the blue line. Goaltender Nathan Airey was a perfect 3-0-0 against the Irish this season with a 2.67 goals-against average.
INSIDE LOOK AT NOTRE DAME
The Fighting Irish closed the regular season having lost seven of their last eight contests, including a pair at home against Michigan State last weekend. Notre Dame ranks 59th in the NCAA for scoring defense as it allows 3.50 goals per game to its opposition, while sitting 38th in scoring offense as it generates 2.74 goals per game. The Irish bring a lethal power play to Dinkytown with the team converting at 23.8 percent, 14th in the nation, getting a combined 15 goals on the man advantage from Justin Janicke (8) and Blake Biondi (7). Cole Knuble’s 37 points paces the Notre Dame attack, while Janicke has a team-best 15 goals, including a goal in five-straight outings. Netminder Owen Say has eight of the Irish’s 10 wins behind a 3.02 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage.
COMFORTS OF HOME
Only once in the 31-year history of 3M Arena at Mariucci has Minnesota not posted a winning record inside its home building and that happened in 2010-11 when the team was 9-10-3. Since that year, the Gophers own a 187-71-18 record (.710) and have won double-digit home games each of the last 14 years. That includes a mark of 14-2-2 this season, aided by the Maroon and Gold winning seven of its last eight on home ice. Under Coach Motzko’s guidance, the Gophers hold a 90-41-8 (.676) record at home, including a 57-19-3 (.741) mark across the previous four years. That stretch of quality play is aided by Minnesota dominating Big Ten foes, going 37-12-2 (.745) in conference outings inside 3M Arena at Mariucci since the start of 2021.
WE ARE THE STATE OF HOCKEY
According to data from College Hockey Inc., 249 NCAA Division I men’s hockey players hail from the state of Minnesota, nearly a quarter of all student-athletes, and more than double the next closest state. That total is bolstered by the Gophers lineup as 22 of their players this season will skate in their home state, including five of their eight newcomers. Even more impressive is the fact that 20 of the 22 Minnesotans on the team are from within 70 miles of campus.
DRAFTED THE SWEET 16
The Gophers have more NHL draft picks on their roster than any other NCAA hockey program in 2024-25. Minnesota’s 16 players are the most for the team since 2011-12 when it had 17. From that roster more than a decade ago, four players (Nick Bjugstad, Travis Boyd, Erik Haula, Justin Holl) are still playing in the NHL. This year’s roster features four first-round selections in Matthew Wood (15th overall), Oliver Moore (19th overall), Jimmy Snuggerud (23rd overall), and Sam Rinzel (25th overall). Minnesota has had the most all-time draft selections (242) by any NCAA men’s hockey program after adding three over the summer. At least one Gopher has been drafted in 50 of the last 51 NHL Entry Drafts dating back to 1974, with 2001 being the only exception.
(info and stock photo courtesy of Gopher Sports)
