The freshmen for the No. 7/8 Gophers men’s hockey team have been steadily progressing all season long. On Friday night against No. 8/7 Ohio State, the top team in the Big Ten, they fueled Minnesota to a 3-2 victory, snapping the Buckeyes’ seven-game unbeaten streak.
With the freshmen scoring every goal, the Gophers (17-11) now trail the Buckeyes by two points in the Big Ten standings as Ohio State sits tied atop the table with Michigan at 42 points.
“I think all the freshmen are getting much more confident, every weekend, every practice,” freshman Aaron Huglen said earlier in the week at media availability. “It’s been really fun to watch.”
Earlier in the week before Friday night’s matchup, Gophers head coach Bob Motzko had a conversation with the freshmen group, telling them they were not freshmen but sophomores, and they played like it.
Three of Minnesota’s four freshmen in the lineup registered two points. Chaz Lucius and Huglen both recorded one goal and an assist. Rhett Pitlick had the primary helpers on Lucius and Huglen’s tallies.
Freshman Tristan Broz rounded out the big night for the Gophers’ first-year group after burying his fourth goal this season, marking his third in his last four games.
“We’re starting to see them contribute more and more. That’s just the life of freshmen in college hockey, some come quicker and some go through that little learning curve,” Motzko said earlier in the week at media availability. “[They] have a chance to be awful fun hockey players to follow and we’re starting to see it every weekend.”
Ohio State’s Cole McWard scored the first goal of the night 6:41 into the first period after the Buckeyes killed a Minnesota power play 1:11 earlier.
As the Gophers continued to control the pace of play in the first period, Lucius and Huglen scored their goals in a short span of 1:19 seconds late in the first period to give Minnesota a 2-1 lead at the first intermission.
To cement Minnesota’s victory, Huglen scored his second career game-winning goal with 4:46 remaining in the middle frame off a slick feed from Pitlick.
“[The freshmen] are uncanny strong. They’re fearless. They weren’t feeling confident [early in the season] because they weren’t scoring,” Motzko said at media availability Wednesday. “Now, they’re past that comfort level, so they look comfortable out there.”
In the third period, the Buckeyes started to push back as Joe Dunlap cut their deficit in half just 31 seconds into the final frame. But then junior goaltender Justen Close shut down the next 10 shots he faced.
Close backstopped the Gophers to victory as he made a career-high 32 saves on 34 shots faced to improve his record to 6-3 this season as Ohio State outshot Minnesota 34-31.
Junior Bryce Brodzinski recorded a secondary assist on Broz’s goal, marking the first time he has reached the 20-point mark in a season in his collegiate career.
When the puck drops for game two against Ohio State on Saturday, Feb. 12, at 5 p.m., the Gophers will search to sweep back-to-back series for the first time this season.
