Gophers men’s hockey shut out the No. 6 Michigan Wolverines in both games at 3M Arena at Mariucci in a matchup between two of the best offenses in the Big Ten.

Only one team could leave 3M Arena undefeated as Minnesota and Michigan entered the series without a loss in Big Ten play. The Gophers ended the weekend with eight goals, smothering the Wolverines’ offense by not allowing a goal.

Dec. 6

The crowd of 9,200 fans at 3M Arena on Friday night roared as junior forward Matthew Wood buried a rebound to open the scoring 12 minutes into the first period. 

Fifty-five seconds later, junior forward Jimmy Snuggerud ripped a shot past Michigan goaltender Logan Stein on a three-on-two rush while fans cheered after Wood’s goal. 

The Gophers completely dominated first-period play, possessing most of the game’s offensive zone time and outshooting the Wolverines 19-2 with a 2-0 lead entering the final five minutes of the period. 

Minnesota’s scoring flurry continued as junior defender Luke Mittelstadt found senior forward Aaron Huglen in the slot who sniped a shot past Stein for the Gophers’ third goal. 

Minnesota’s early momentum carried over when the teams returned for the second period. Outnumbered by Wolverines, sophomore forward Oliver Moore found Wood in the slot who snapped home his second goal of the game. 

Two more Gophers joined in on the second-period scoring as freshman August Falloon and junior Connor Kurth scored about a minute apart. Michigan replaced Stein for goaltender Cameron Korpi at the start of the third period. 

Gophers sophomore goaltender Nathan Airey turned aside 32 shots, including 14 in the third period, to secure his first career shutout and a 6-0 win.

Dec. 7

The Gophers’ student section was decked out in white for the “ice out” at 3M Arena on Saturday night. Graduate goaltender Liam Souliere took the crease, sticking with the alternating goaltending tandem Gophers head coach Bob Motzko has used most of the season. 

After Saturday’s game, Motzko said he is comfortable cycling between Souliere and Airey. He said it would be a mistake to stop alternating the two as they build off each other’s confidence.

“This is the easiest coaching decision I’ve ever made,” Motzko said laughing. “My wife would hit me if I made a different move right now.”

Michigan started off the contest flying and a penalty within the first minute from Snuggerud added to the visiting team’s momentum. Minnesota’s penalty kill shut down the Wolverines’ power play, which was top 10 in the NCAA.

After the penalty kill, the Gophers gained control of the game by drawing an elbowing penalty  13 minutes into the opening frame. Minnesota’s power play came up short. They received another opportunity after Michigan defender Tyler Duke committed a five-minute major penalty.

Sophomore Sam Rinzel ripped a shot from the high slot that beat Korpi and ignited the home crowd halfway through the five-minute power play. 

The second period had scoring opportunities and one power play for each team but neither beat the goaltenders.

Despite trailing one goal, Michigan’s offense tallied five shots on goal in the third period. The Wolverines pulled Korpi for the extra skater but were unable to establish offense.

Snuggerud fired a shot from Minnesota’s blue line into the empty net with 12 seconds left but was checked by Michigan forward Evan Werner immediately after. Werner delivered a second hit to Snuggerud as he fell. After reviewing the play, the referees ejected Werner for cross-checking.

Michigan racked up 10 penalties and 42 penalty minutes on Saturday alone, while the series overall featured a combined 25 penalties. 

Souliere finished the game with a 22-save shutout as the Gophers completed their sweep of the Wolverines with a 2-0 win. Souliere praised Minnesota’s defensive efforts and said the team remained disciplined throughout the game.

“When we talk about top-to-bottom effort from the team like we had guys down, we’re injured,” Souliere said. “Everyone pulled the rope and we got it out.”

After Michigan State lost to Wisconsin on Friday night, the Gophers are the final undefeated team in the Big Ten. Minnesota hosts Michigan State for their final series of 2024 on Dec. 13 and 14.