Looking to make their second-consecutive Big Ten Championship game, Minnesota’s co-captains helped them get there as they fueled the No. 2 Gophers men’s hockey team to a 3-2 win over Penn State Saturday evening.
“We had a seven-minute stretch in the first period where we were playing good hockey. Then, we completely unplugged ourselves, and we survived. Let’s hope this was our clunker,” Gophers head coach Bob Motzko said. “We found a way, got outstanding goaltending from Justen [Close]…we didn’t have many chances, we needed one, and we got it. We survived it.”
Down the stretch where the Gophers have won nine-straight games, senior co-captain Sammy Walker continues to show up in big moments for Minnesota.
With the clock showing a 2-2 score with under three minutes remaining in the game, Walker changed that by scoring his fourth game-winning goal this season.
Just moments before burying the go-ahead goal, Walker received a cross-crease pass from senior Blake McLaughlin but couldn’t connect to create a shot on goal. Then as Penn State started to make their way out of the zone, junior Bryce Brodzinski made a keen poke check to keep the puck in the offensive zone just inside the blue line.
Brodzinski fed a pass to a wide-open McLaughlin. McLaughlin sent another cross-crease pass to Walker, and the second time around, he buried it into the back of the net to give the Gophers a 3-2 lead with 2:39 remaining in the contest.
“Blake put it right on my tape. I missed the one earlier, so I made sure that one went in,” Walker said. “I know if I just move my feet, [Blake’s] going to give it to me. I just tried to get open and he does what he does best, [he] put it right on my tape.”
Ever since he made his return from competing for Team USA in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, junior co-captain Ben Meyers has been on a tear for the Gophers. He has recorded a multi-point performance in every game since rejoining the team on Feb. 19.
Meyers continued that tear as he opened up the scoring for Minnesota after deflecting junior Ryan Johnson’s shot from the blue line into the back of the net with 7:56 remaining in the first period. He leads the Gophers with 16 goals this season, of which five have come in his last four games.
But the Olympian was not done. He caused Penn State’s Simon Mack to take a holding penalty with 1.2 seconds left in the opening frame. Then, as the Gophers’ power play continued into the second period, he set up junior Jackson LaCombe, who fired home his third goal this season from the blueline to extend Minnesota’s lead to 2-0 just 27 seconds into the middle frame.
However, Penn State didn’t quit while Minnesota was in the driver’s seat. Christian Sarlo fed a pass to Tyler Paquette to put him on a breakaway, where he roofed a shot into the back of the net to cut into the Gophers’ lead at 2-1 with 5:02 remaining in the second period.
Fifty seconds later, with Penn State clawing back, freshman Tristan Broz was penalized by the referees for roughing after the whistle, giving the Nittany Lions their first man advantage of the evening, which they converted.
Penn State’s Dylan Lugris received a pass above the half-wall from Connor MacEachern and buried the puck from a tough angle to equalize the game at 2-2 with 2:25 remaining in the middle frame.
Once Penn State equalized the game, the Gophers hunkered down and fought back to punch their ticket to the Big Ten Championship, behind Close’s 28-save performance. Minnesota will host No. 4 Michigan at 3M Arena at Mariucci on Saturday, March 19, at 7 p.m.
“We’re excited. Obviously, they’re a great team with a lot of good players,” LaCombe said. “It’s going to be a great game.”
