The Gophers absolutely needed one thing to go right for them Saturday evening, what was missing in their first game against St. Cloud State, production from their top line of Logan Cooley, Matthew Knies and Jimmy Snuggerud. The Huskies didn’t let Knies or Snuggerud have any points, but they failed to stop Top 3 2022 NHL draft pick Logan Cooley.
Cooley netted his second straight game winning goal against the Huskies and sent the Minnesota men’s hockey team to their second straight Frozen Four.
The Gophers had an excellent first period, outshooting St. Cloud 14-6. Fargo Regional MVP Bryce Brodzinski soon scored his fourth goal in two games, slotting a one-timer home from the left circle.
The Huskies barked back. Adam Ingram sniped a powerplay goal through traffic after a holding penalty on Brock Faber, tying the game.
This was the night’s only blunder for Gophers goalie Justen Close, who finished with 27 saves. This was also the only blunder for the Minnesota penalty kill unit, which had a busy night, stopping four out of five man-advantages for St. Cloud.
“We’ve never taken that many penalties all year … and Close was outstanding,” said Motzko, who double-shifted Knies, Jaxon Nelson, Mason Nevers and Aaron Huglen on the kill. “[St. Cloud] cut their bench short … They were double-shifting their top two lines for a big part of the game. Finally, I just said ‘have at it’ and ‘let’s go finish this thing off.’”
In his third game back from a lower-body injury, Jackson LaCombe during the second period saucered a deep pass from one crease to the other, hitting Cooley ahead of two Huskies. The freshman phenom and Hobey Baker finalist pumped a shot beyond the pads of Huskies goalie Jaxon Castor into the left side of the goal.
“The play just kind of opened up and Cooley has some blazing speed,” LaCombe said. “So I kind of just threw it up there and he made a great play to finish it off.”
LaCombe was crucial in Minnesota’s mission to take back the lead; he was also the key cog in putting the game away. After receiving a faceoff win inside the Huskies’ zone, he blasted a rocket from the point with eight minutes remaining in the regional final to put the Gophers up 3-1.
With 31 seconds left, Nelson placed the cherry on top, adding an empty net goal by booming the puck all the way from the glass behind his own goalie. Minnesota would come out victorious, winning 4-1 against a bitter in-state rival.
“I got a lot of connections on that other side — 13 years I spent there,” Motzko said. “Probably not the ideal team that I wanted to play. They did a terrific job this year and I’m proud of everybody over there in that program.”
The Gophers also took the season series, which was previously tied at one game apiece, at a neutral site, each team having won a game at its home arena.
Boston University is the Gophers’ next opponent after the Terriers defeated Cornell in the Manchester Regional Final 2-1. They’ll play in Tampa Bay at Amalie Arena on April 6 with the game televised on ESPN2 at 4 p.m. Central Standard Time.
This will be the fourth time the two blue blood programs will meet in the Frozen Four. Michigan and Quinnipiac will face off at 7:30 p.m. Central Standard Time.
“Definitely very excited,” Brodzinski said. “We were there last year and got a taste of the compete level and intensity it takes going in.”
