Second-year forward Brody Lamb scored the game-winning goal on Nov. 10, helping the Gophers defeat Michigan 4-3 on the road.
Through 39 games last season, Lamb had eight points. He has since passed that total this season after just nine games.
He was held pointless against Notre Dame this past weekend but is still tied for second place on the team with 10 points. Lamb nearly scored early in the first period against Notre Dame on Saturday, but goaltender Ryan Bischel’s helmet fell off, forcing officials to stop the play.
Head coach Bob Motzko said he likes Lamb’s confidence this year.
“Last year he had that freshman look, and now he doesn’t,” Motzko said. “He’s got a little swagger.”
For his performance against Michigan, Lamb earned the Second Star of the Week award from the Big Ten.
Lamb’s game-winning goal against Michigan on Nov. 10 was his second game-winning goal of the season, his first coming in a 4-0 win over North Dakota on Oct. 20.
Lamb scored again in the following game against Michigan on a power play, adding his fourth point of the weekend in Ann Arbor. He has four multi-point games this season.
His point total is not the only part of his game seeing improvement. Lamb’s shooting percentage has increased significantly, from 12.2% through 12 games last year to 28.6% this year.
Lamb is among a class of six second-year forwards. Motzko said before the season he picked Lamb and second-year forward Connor Kurth to have breakout years because of their scoring abilities.
“I’m going to say the same thing next year because [Lamb]’s going to hit another level,” Motzko said. “That’s going to be awful fun to hit.”
Kurth played on a line with Lamb in the Michigan series. He said he has great chemistry on and off the ice with Lamb.
“He’s been awesome all season,” Kurth said. “I think he put a lot of work in this summer and it’s surely showing.”
Kurth has not scored a goal this season but has seven assists. Two of the assists were to Lamb’s goals against Michigan.
“I’ve been a little snake-bit, obviously, but, I think I’ve been playing well and doing well, getting in on the forecheck and creating chances for my teammates,” Kurth said.
Lamb said he did a lot of off-ice training over the summer to help him get stronger and heavier. He added he has noticed the improvement in strength because he has been winning more puck battles.
According to Lamb, he can still improve on a lot of aspects of his game, like wall battles, zone entries and puck protection.
Regarding his recent success, Lamb said his hometown friends have reached out because of social media posts. He said his grandparents, parents and sister also have been excited to see his success.
“Team success is the most important success,” Lamb said. “Individual success is fun at times too but at the end of the day, we got to win hockey games.”
