Minnesota men’s hockey head coach Bob Motzko was named as a finalist for the Spencer Penrose award, the American Hockey Coaches Association announced Tuesday. 

The award is given annually to the top coach in Division I hockey. Motzko is one of nine finalists for the award. The winner will be announced on April 7. Motzko is also a finalist for the Big Ten Coach of the Year. 

In his second season behind the bench for the Gophers, Motzko coached an incredibly young Gophers squad to a regular-season finish tied for second place in the Big Ten Conference. In the postseason, Motzko’s Gophers fought their way back from the brink of elimination to beat Notre Dame in a three-game quarterfinal series, advancing to the semifinals for the second time in as many years. They would have faced Penn State for the chance at a Big Ten Championship, but the Big Ten Tournament was cut short due to concerns over COVID-19. 

Motzko reached his 300th career win this season. His career record now stands at 310-222-60 with a University of Minnesota record of 34-30-11.