Gophers men’s hockey hosts the No. 18 Penn State Nittany Lions at 3M Arena at Mariucci on Friday and Saturday in its first of 12 Big Ten series.
Minnesota has a 5-1 overall record heading into the matchup and is ranked fourth in the country on the United States Collegiate Hockey Organization poll. In the Big Ten preseason poll, the Gophers were ranked second while Penn State was ranked sixth out of the seven teams.
The Nittany Lions are led by sophomore Aiden Fink, who is over a point per game this season and led the team with 34 points in 34 games last season. Penn State averaged the most shots on goal in the NCAA last season but tied for 57th of 64 teams in shooting percentage.
Gophers head coach Bob Motzko acknowledged Penn State’s aggressive attack and said that their defensemen are active on offense.
“They get everybody involved,” Motzko said in a press conference. “They can create a lot of problems for you.”
Minnesota was 5-1 against the Nittany Lions last season, winning four matchups straight at home. Aside from its lone 6-3 loss in December, Minnesota outscored Penn State 18-4 in its five wins.
The Gophers’ goal-scoring is the best in the NCAA only six games into the season, averaging almost six goals per game.
Sophomore defender Sam Rinzel and junior forward Brody Lamb earned Big Ten first and second Star of the Week, respectively, for their performances against St. Thomas. Rinzel had five points while Lamb scored four.
Motzko attributed Rinzel’s early-season success to his offseason training. Rinzel said his offseason training did not change and that he improved by trusting the Gophers’ strength coach, Cal Dietz’s training strategies.
“He’s got his magic and, you know, let him do his job,” Rinzel said in a press conference. “Just put your head down and go to work.”
Rinzel is a guy the Gophers rely on to set up goals. He led the team in assists last season with 26 and was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman team. Rinzel said he added weight to his 6-foot-5-inch frame through strength training but his biggest asset is his skating abilities.
On the offensive end, junior forward Connor Kurth provides the scoring, holding the NCAA lead in goals with six in six games and is second in points with 12. Kurth and his linemate, junior Matthew Wood, are tied for third in the NCAA in points as well.
In their only loss this season, a 2-1 overtime defeat to then-ranked No. 15 Omaha Mavericks, Minnesota totaled 54 shots on goal. A week after losing to Omaha, the Gophers racked up 12 goals in two games against Minnesota-Duluth.
Minnesota piled on 13 goals in its series sweep against St. Thomas last weekend. Seven Gophers had multi-point games against the Tommies, including juniors Ryan Chesley and Wood, who had two each.
Lamb said though wins matter, the team still needs to focus on being disciplined defensively. In their first game against Minnesota-Duluth, the Gophers won 7-5 but allowed four goals in the third period.
“Obviously, we want to stay disciplined in our D-zone,” Lamb said in a press conference. “That’s going to lead to offense against any team. We’re focusing on D-zone this week, and that should lead to a good game.”
The Gophers’ defense scored a combined nine goals last season, with no defender scoring more than twice. This season, Minnesota’s defense has eight goals, with Rinzel and Chesley each scoring four.
Motzko said he felt confident in last year’s defensive group but expects they can double or triple their scoring this year. He said Rinzel’s development, graduate Mike Koster’s return, junior defenders maturing and the addition of freshman Leo Gruba improved the team’s defense.
Koster and junior defender Cal Thomas each have three assists through six games, while Gruba has yet to record a point. Gruba played in all six of Minnesota’s games this season.
All but one Gophers forward scored this season, and five are producing at a point-per-game rate. Motzko said the team has solid forward depth in addition to their defensive support.
“We’re getting contributions from all over the lineup with it,” Motzko said in a press conference. “A little snapshot here in the month of October has been real good offensively.”
Minnesota scored 15 more goals this October compared to October 2023. However, the Gophers faced No. 5 North Dakota and No. 14 Wisconsin during that span, while the highest-ranked team this season was No. 15 Omaha.
