MINNEAPOLIS – Behind Liam Souliere’s 22-save shutout, the fourth-ranked Golden Gophers men’s hockey team finished off a weekend sweep of No. 6 Michigan, winning 2-0 Saturday evening inside 3M Arena at Mariucci.
Minnesota (15-2-1 overall, 8-0-0 B1G) shut out the Wolverines (10-5-1 overall, 4-2-0 B1G) in back-to-back nights for the first time in more than 80 years as Mack Thayer blanked Michigan back on Jan. 14 and 16, 1943. Sam Rinzel scored the eventual game-winning goal, his second of the year, on the power play late in the first period and Jimmy Snuggerud added an empty-net tally to ice the game, keeping the Maroon and Gold perfect in Big Ten Conference play.
Less than a minute into the game, the visitors went to a man advantage as Minnesota was whistled for a penalty in the offensive zone. Souliere was sharp with a pair of sliding saves, while his penalty killers denied any chance at the doorstep and shut down the Wolverines. It was a flipped script from Friday night’s start as Michigan had the early edge this time after falling behind by three in the series opener, putting pressure on the Gophers via shots from distance and a heavy forecheck. The home team was able to break the attack and got a good look on goal as Brody Lamb found John Whipple at the top of the circle. The action went back and forth without a stoppage for nearly six minutes as Minnesota had extended zone time, leading to a penalty on the Wolverines.
Tempers started to flare after whistles during the Gophers’ power play and following a lengthy review the visitors were given a five-minute major and game misconduct for throwing punches. Skating with a 5-on-3 for 41 seconds, Minnesota did not convert on that opportunity but struck for the opening tally with 3:19 left in the frame. Rinzel snapped a quick shot through traffic that caught the Michigan netminder off guard and the power-play tally gave the Maroon and Gold a 1-0 cushion. After being outshot 11-2 in nine minutes to start the night, the Gophers responded with the period’s final 14 shots to hold a 16-11 edge through 20 minutes and a one-goal margin.
Minnesota earned another chance on the man advantage 1:54 into the second stanza as Beckett Hendrickson had his stick slashed out on a breakaway. The Gophers tested the Michigan net on multiple shots, including a shot off the post by Brodie Ziemer before the penalty time was erased by the visitors.
A sliding stop by Luke Mittelstadt broke up a 2-on-1 in front of his own net before the Wolverines moved to a power play of their own with 5:21 left during the second period. The Gophers continued to excel while shorthanded and killed off the penalty without allowing a shot on goal. Despite not scoring in the period, the ice was slanted heavily in favor of Minnesota as it maintained the lead and controlled play after two completed frames.
The pace did not slow down at any point beginning the third period and the elusiveness of Jimmy Clark led to a 5-on-4 chance at the 7:11 mark as he was tackled by a Michigan skater. The Gophers held possession the entire man advantage and got an open shot in the slot from Lamb that ricocheted off the left post. Clinging to the slim margin late in the frame, Minnesota remained poised and with less than three minutes to play in regulation, Souliere denied Michigan the tying goal as he sprawled across the crease to stop the puck.
Souliere held off the Wolverines down the stretch as the visitors pulled the goalie for the final 90 seconds, allowing Snuggerud to ice the game from near his own blue line after Rinzel stopped a zone entry. The junior was cross-checked from behind on the play with just 11 seconds remaining in regulation as Michigan was given another major penalty and game misconduct, but the most important result went to Minnesota as it completed the conference sweep, 2-0.
Noteworthy
Souliere recorded his second shutout in just three starts inside 3M Arena at Mariucci, lowering his goals-against average to 1.37 for the season to go with a .943 save percentage, as he has not allowed more than two goals in any of his eight starts … The graduate student is the only goalie in the B1G this year to complete two shutouts in league outings … Rinzel continues to lead all NCAA defensemen in goals as he scored his eighth of the year, third on the power play, and ranks 13th nationally in total points among all skaters with 19 after the two-point night … The sophomore has multiple points in four of his last six appearances and is the highest scoring defenseman in the country, reaching the scoresheet in 13 of 18 games this year … Snuggerud put away his second goal of the weekend, this time into an empty net, and now has nine goals and 22 points to pace the Gophers’ offense … For the third-straight outing, Moore collected a point, and the sophomore has 11 points over his past eight outings, totaling 16 … Connor Kurth had the secondary assist on Rinzel’s opening tally to make it a four-point weekend, reaching 20 points for the second-straight campaign … Mittelstadt ended the night by blocking a team-best three shots as nine different Minnesota players had at least one to aid the shutout effort … After allowing 11 shots in the first nine minutes of the game, the Gophers’ defense limited the Michigan offense to just 11 shots over the final 51 minutes Saturday, including five in the third period.
Coach Motzko’s Comments
“Our D-corps is our strength right now and really I mean they’re elite,” Minnesota head coach Bob Motzko said. “It’s really an elite group and we’re pretty fortunate. You know, a lot of the bite was just after whistle stuff and you know, chippy stuff, but you’ve got to play through that. The object is to win the game, not win the fight after a whistle and our guys showed great resolve with that.”
Next Up: Home vs. Michigan State (Dec. 13-14)
Minnesota continues its eight-game homestand as it welcomes Michigan State, the nation’s No. 1 team, to 3M Arena at Mariucci for a B1G series Dec. 13-14. Friday’s contest will be aired live on Big Ten Network and the Fox Sports app starting at 7:30 p.m. before the conclusion Saturday at 5 p.m. on FOX9+ and streaming via B1G+.
