The No. 3 Minnesota Golden Gophers swept their border rival No. 19 Wisconsin Badgers after a loss and tie against Michigan State last weekend.
Earlier in the season, Minnesota defeated Wisconsin on the road 3-2 in regulation and 3-2 in overtime thanks to a game-winning goal from forward Brody Ziemer. This season marks the first time since the 2002-03 season that Minnesota beat Wisconsin in all four regular season matchups.
Game One
The Badgers scored first 3:03 into the first period off a shot from forward Simon Tassy. Later in the period, Badger forward Ryland Mosley extended the lead by shooting the puck through the five-hole of Minnesota goalie Liam Souliere.
The second period started slow for the Gophers until forward Jimmy Snuggerud scored a goal over the right shoulder of Wisconsin goalie Thomas Scarfone. The goal extended his career-long goal streak to six games.
Near the end of the second period, the energy inside 3M Arena continued to blossom as Ziemer scored his 10th goal of the season.
A two-on-one rush in the third period brought Gophers fans to their feet again as forward Erik Pählsson scored a goal off a rush from the left faceoff circle.
Not to be outdone by his linemates, Snuggerud scored his second goal of the game. The goal brought Snuggerud to 20 on the season, making it his third consecutive year with at least 20 goals.
Snuggerud joins the exclusive company of John Mayasich and Dick Dougherty as one of only three Gophers to score 20 or more goals in their first three seasons of collegiate hockey. The feat was last achieved by both Mayashich and Dougherty in the 1953-1954 season.
“It’s a fun stat to see, but we love winning games. That’s what’s most important to us,” Snuggerud said.
The night concluded with Ziemer scoring his second goal on an empty net, ending the game with a 5-2 win.
Game Two
A record-breaking single-game attendance of 10,894 fans predominantly dawned in gold for a “Gold Out” graced 3M Arena for a five o’clock puck drop.
Unlike the first game, neither team scored for the first two periods. Both Wisconsin and Minnesota penalty kill units were flawless, creating defensive stops when their goalies needed them most.
The scoring floodgates opened for Minnesota in the third period with forward Matthew Wood squeaking past multiple skaters to put the Gophers on the scoreboard. The Gophers made it a two-goal lead when forward Connor Kurth scored from near the blue line.
With 5:41 left in the final frame, Minnesota forward Oliver Moore found the top corner of the net, giving the Gophers a 3-1 lead.
After pulling their goalie, Wisconsin forward Ryan Botterill scored an extra-attacker goal late in the final period.
Despite a valiant effort from Wisconsin’s defense, Kurth scored his second goal on an empty net, cementing the 4-1 win and the series sweep.
With his second straight start as net-minder, Souliere recorded 26 saves in the victory.
“He’s very good and he’s a wily veteran, so he doesn’t get rattled,” Minnesota head coach Bob Motzko said.
The Gophers enter the bye week ranked second in the Big Ten and third in the USCHO.com Rankings.
“In my entire career, this might be the bye week that I look forward to the most because we are all sick. We need time off right now just to heal, get better and then get back on our game” Motzko said.
Minnesota’s next series is on the road where they will face Michigan at Yost Arena in Ann Arbor on Feb. 14 and 15.
