In last weekend’s series split against Alaska, the Gophers men’s hockey team took the ice without five of their lineup regulars due to injuries, COVID-19 and the exit of Jack LaFontaine to the NHL.
Minnesota (13-9) will have an opportunity to regain the top spot over No. 3/4 Michigan in the Big Ten standings this weekend, as they trail the Wolverines by four points.
As the No. 11 Gophers prepare for their Big Ten matchup, they will no longer need to worry about all the distractions from the previous week, along with the following announcements:
On Jan. 13, USA Hockey announced its roster for the 2022 Winter Olympics. Three Minnesota student-athletes made the team: junior co-captain Ben Meyers, sophomore Brock Faber and freshman Matthew Knies.
Then, just a day later on Jan. 14, just hours before their first game against Alaska, the Gophers signed freshman goaltender Owen Bartoszkiewicz to its roster to add depth at that position. That day, he suited up for Minnesota and backed up for junior Justen Close.
“A lot of stuff happened last week,” Gophers head coach Bob Motzko said. “We just need to settle down and get the ship straight again.”
The Gophers will be getting some key players back for this series — Faber and freshman Aaron Huglen — who missed the games against Alaska due to COVID-19. Minnesota currently has no cases on the team, per Motzko.
Minnesota announced Wednesday they re-signed Sam Rossini to their roster to add depth to their defense while Faber is away at the Olympics. He previously spent the last four seasons with the Gophers, where he skated in 49 games, collecting 13 points (three goals, 10 assists) in that span.
Only junior Jaxon Nelson and freshman Rhett Pitlick remain out of the Minnesota lineup as they recover from injuries. The hope is to have Pitlick back against Notre Dame, while Nelson won’t be back until around the middle of February.
Michigan is riding a four-game winning streak as they come to Minneapolis with two series sweeps over No. 14/12 Massachusetts and Penn State.
Last time out in the first week of December, the Gophers and Michigan split the series in Ann Arbor in their first matchup this season. Minnesota took night one 5-1, while the Wolverines took night two 6-2.
“They [Michigan] hold onto the puck. They will try to squeeze every ounce out of a play. They don’t give up on plays because they’re so talented,” Motzko said. “We have to stay committed to back check. We got to stay committed to d-zone coverage. We have to not turn pucks over.”
The “nine” line of Meyers, Knies and freshman Chaz Lucius will need to continue its strong start to 2022 to help the Gophers top Michigan.
The three have scored eight of Minnesota’s 16 goals in the Gophers’ four games since the new year while combining for nine assists.
“They’re having a lot of fun. You can just see the chemistry,” Motzko said. “They’re special. They’ve got speed, tenacity, toughness [and] skill. It’s a pretty big time line.”
Keys to a Minnesota victory are stingy defense, persistence from all four lines and a solid performance between the pipes from their goaltender, who will most likely be Close.
“Obviously, they’re so talented and a tough team to play, but we just got to hammer down and play our game both nights,” junior Jackson LaCombe said. “They’re going to be good games and close games.”
