innesota men’s hockey coach Don Lucia described Friday night’s 2-1 overtime loss to North Dakota as a “bit of a broken record.”
In eight overtime games this season, the Gophers are winless ñ going 0-3-5.
On the other hand, the Sioux are perfect ñ they played their first overtime of the year game tonight.
“It’s typical of the way we have been all year,” Sioux coach Dave Hakstol said. “Everybody chipping in at the right time, it’s not one or two individuals.”
Tonight was the same sad story for the Gophers ñ bad breaks on an offense that can’t find a way to score and more importantly a power-play that can’t find a way to shoot.
Coming into tonight’s game with North Dakota, the Gophers were ranked seventh in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association with a conversion rate of 12.6 percent.
That number only got more diminutive Friday.
Minnesota (12-12-5 overall, 6-10-3 WCHA) went 0-for-4 while on the advantage against North Dakota.
How bad was it?
During the second period, the Gophers had two power-play opportunities.
Both ended without a single shot on goal by Minnesota ñ in its lone power-play in the third period the Gophers would manage one shot.
When asked how the team could improve on the power-play, Lucia said, “Take more shots, that would help.”
Senior forward Evan Kaufmann gave the Gophers a 1-0 lead early while his team was already on a disadvantage.
Kaufmann broke out of the Minnesota defensive zone and with a Sioux defenseman riding his back, as just able to slip a backhanded shot between North Dakota senior net-minder Jean-Phillipe Lamoureux and the left post.
The Plymouth, Minn. native picked up his fifth goal of the season after going nearly a month without a goal.
The Sioux (17-8-1, 6-10-3)) would answer back when junior defenseman Joe Finlay went top-right with a slapshot that beat freshman goalie Alex Kangas.
Both goals came during the first period, and the remaining 40 minutes of regulation would be scoreless.
But that’s not to say there weren’t chances.
Junior forward T.J. Oshie poked in a puck that crept through Kangas’ pads during the second period, but the goal was waved off as officials had already blown play dead.
Later in the period, struggling sophomore forward Jay Barriball’s breakaway attempt was turned away by senior net-minder Jean-Philipe Lamoureux.
With just seconds left in the third period, junior forward Andrew Kozek’s breakaway wrist shot was just stopped by Kangas to send the game into overtime.
But halfway through the extra-period, freshman forward Evan Trupp scored a goal that is already being compared to Blake Wheeler’s diving stab of a goal in last year’s Final Five.
Trupp dove in front of the net to hack a sailing pass out of the air and past Kangas in net.
“I thought I’d make a last effort to go to the net. (The puck) kind of came to me in the air, so I tried smacking it. Luckily it went in.”
After the game, Hakstol spoke about the freshman’s unexpected role on the squad.
“We’re starting to kind of relay on him to produce highlight real goals,” Hakstol said. “It seems like every goal he scores is of the highlight variety.”
Friday 1 2 3 OT Final
Minnesota 1 0 0 0 1
ND 1 0 0 1 2
Scoring:
First ñ 1. MN, Kaufmann (Lucia, Fischer) 3:16 (sh). 2. ND, Finley (Genoway) 7:49(ev)
Second ñ No scoring
Third ñ No Scoring
OT ñ 3. ND, Trupp (Marten) 2:23 (ev).
Saves:
Minnesota ñ Kangas 1-11-17-3-32
North Dakota ñ Lamoureux 7-6-8-0-21
