After helping the No. 5/6 Gophers to a comeback victory over No. 10/9 Massachusetts Friday, freshman Matthew Knies recorded the game-winning goal in Minnesota’s 3-0 victory over No. 4/5 Western Michigan in the Worcester Regional final Sunday evening.
Knies, an Olympian and a Second Team All-Big Ten member, helped keep the Gophers’ season alive as they will make their first appearance in the Frozen Four since 2014.
Knies’ Olympian counterpart sophomore Brock Faber, the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, got things done for Minnesota on both ends of the 200-foot sheet of ice.
Playing sound defense with keen stick checks and blocked shots, Faber turned on the jets and dazzled his way down the left side in the offensive zone and fed a backhand pass to Knies in the slot, who buried a one-timer into the back of the net to give the Gophers a 1-0 lead with 9:49 remaining in the first period.
The opening goal from Knies marked his fourth goal in his last three games. It also marked career-bests for Faber, who has a career-high 13 assists this season, and Olympian junior co-captain Ben Meyers, who extended his point streak to a career-high eight games as he recorded a secondary assist on the tally.
From start to finish, junior goaltender Justen Close was perfect, making 24 saves en route to his third career shutout, as he had a little bit of help from the Broncos themselves.
With 8:44 remaining in the middle frame, Western Michigan’s Ronnie Attard beat Close, knotting the game at 1-1. However, the referees reviewed the play for an offsides zone entry, determining that the Broncos were offsides and disallowing the tying goal.
Minnesota’s red hot power play continued its scoring streak as the third-period action got underway. They have scored at least one goal on the man advantage in their last seven games.
Earning a power play just 10 seconds into the final frame, Meyers fed a pass from the right circle to freshman Aaron Huglen at the left circle, who one-timed the puck into the back of the net 23 seconds into the man advantage to give the Gophers a 2-0 lead. Huglen, the new addition to the Meyers and Knies line, has seven points (two goals, five assists) over the same amount of games. Meyers, the Big Ten Player of the Year, has six multi-point performances in his last seven games and has a team-high 41 points this season.
Senior Blake McLaughlin cemented Minnesota’s victory as he scored a shorthanded empty-net goal with 1:57 remaining in the Regional final.
The Gophers (26-12) will compete against Minnesota State-Mankato in the semifinal round of the Frozen Four on Thursday, April 7, as the time is to be determined.
