Wikipedia

2022–23 Minnesota Golden Gophers men's ice hockey season

The 2022–23 Minnesota Golden Gophers men's ice hockey season was the 102nd season of play for the program and 33rd in the Big Ten. The Golden Gophers represented the University of Minnesota in the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season, were coached by Bob Motzko in his fifth season, and played their home games at 3M Arena at Mariucci

2022–23 Minnesota Golden Gophers
men's ice hockey season
Big Ten, Champion
NCAA Tournament, runner-up
Conference1st Big Ten
Home ice3M Arena at Mariucci
Rankings
USCHO#2
USA Today#2
Record
Overall28–9–1
Conference19–4–1
Home15–4–0
Road10–5–1
Neutral2–0–0
Coaches and captains
Head coachBob Motzko
Assistant coachesSteve Miller
Ben Gordon
Paul Martin
Brennan Poderzay
Captain(s)Brock Faber
Jackson LaCombe
Jaxon Nelson
Minnesota Golden Gophers men's ice hockey seasons
« 2021–22 2023–24 »

Season

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Talented recruits

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Minnesota lost several key players from their Frozen Four team of '22, however, coach Motzko brought in a highly regarded batch of freshmen as replacements. Of the eleven newcomers, six had been selected in the NHL Entry Draft, two were first-round selection with the biggest prospect being #3 overall pick Logan Cooley. Cooley centered a line with fellow first-rounder Jimmy Snuggerud and US Olympian Matthew Knies that turned into one of the top offensive units in the nation. On the defensive side, to a corps that already included top prospects Ryan Johnson, Brock Faber and Jackson LaCombe, Minnesota added a trio of talented blueliners. Coach Motzko would call the collection of seven players the 'Best I’ve ever had and will ever have'.[1] On top of that, Minnesota also retained Justen Close in goal who had finished the year as the team's starter and produced stellar numbers as the most critical juncture of the team's season.

Sorting out

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With all that going for the Gophers, Minnesota was ranked #2 in the preseason polls, only behind defending National Champion Denver. The Gophers began well enough, winning their first three games, but they also went through a gauntlet of teams during the first month and a half of the season. Minnesota was only able to earn a split in three consecutive weekends but, because all of their opponents were ranked, the Gophers were still #3 by the beginning of November. Even after beginning their conference schedule, Minnesota continued to face very stiff opposition. However, by then the team was beginning to grow accustomed to one another and the Gophers won three out of four to start the month.

Just before Thanksgiving, Minnesota was set to face off against Michigan in a battle between top 3 teams. In what could possibly determine the conference champion, the high-anticipated matchup was derailed when an Adenovirus outbreak swept through both locker rooms. While Minnesota was without the services of Aaron Huglen and Justen Close, Michigan was much harder hit as several players, including star forward Adam Fantilli were ruled out while one, Steven Holtz, was so severely affected by the illness that he was placed on a ventilator and nearly died.[2] Unsurprisingly, the Wolverines' hearts were not in the game and Minnesota managed to sweep the series.

Slow climb to the top

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After Thanksgiving, Minnesota took a break from its conference slate and travelled down to Tempe to take on Arizona State. While the team seemed to have recovered from their viral issues, they seemed a bit off in the series and were only able to manage a split. The loss dropped Minnesota down to #4 which, while hardly a bad thing, was not up to par for a team that had pretentions for a National Championship. The team responded with four convincing wins to finish out the first half of the season and sat squarely at the top of the Big Ten standings.

Once the Gophers returned from the winter break, they had one final chance to prove their non-conference mettle against St. Cloud State. Unfortunately, the team's offense still appeared to be on vacation and was only able to score twice in the series. Fortunately, that was enough to earn a split and keep Minnesota at #3. A couple weeks later, the Gophers got their rematch with Michigan, who by then was completely recovered from the health scare. The two teams fought hard in the series and proved to be the equal of the other as both games went into overtime with each earning one win.

Minnesota regained their spot at #1 at the beginning of February after sweeping their season series over Michigan State, however, the Gophers dropped back down to #2 when a down Wisconsin team was able to eke out a 1–3 win. Minnesota was back on top of the polls a week later after taking down a sliding Penn State and finished the regular season as the top team in all three rankings.

Conference tournament

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As the #1 team in the Big Ten, Minnesota received a bye into the semifinals. The team was able to sit at home and practice while they awaited the lowest-seeded survivor of the quarterfinal round. Michigan State ended up arriving in Minneapolis a week later and the time off seemed have negatively affected the Gophers as the team surrendered the first goal to the Spartans on the power play. After that, however, Minnesota took over the game and scored the next 5 markers to skate to a comfortable victory.

Minnesota hosted Michigan for the championship. While both teams were already guaranteed a spot in the NCAA tournament, Minnesota had already secured the top overall seed regardless of the game's outcome. With both teams playing for pride, the game was a seesaw affair that saw both clubs skating up and down the ice. The Gophers scored first but the two then exchanged leads three times with Michigan finishing out ahead by a narrow 3–4 score.

NCAA tournament

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Though the loss in the conference championship was disappointing, Minnesota still had a chance to achieve their ultimate goal; winning the program's first national championship in 20 years. Minnesota began their tournament run in the best possible position. Not only was the team close to home at the Fargo regional, but they were set against Canisius in the first round. While the Golden Griffins were one of the final 16 teams, their national ranking was in the 40s. However, even with all of those advantages, Minnesota got off to a slow start. While the Gophers were able to get the first goal of the game on the power play, sloppy play afterwards enabled Canisius to tie the score less than three minutes later. The subpar performance continued into the second and Nick Bowman gave the Griffins their first lead of the match after just three minutes. While Minnesota was hardly in danger at the time, with more than half of the game left to play, the now-trailing team began to clean its play up and demonstrate that it was the superior club. Minnesota scored twice before the end of the second to regain the lead but Canisius was not going down without a fight. Despite being vastly outgunned, the Griffins were just one shot away from tying the game and had 20 minutes to work with. Luckily for Minnesota, Stefano Bottini got a bit overexcited at the start of the third and took a match penalty just 27 seconds into the period. Minnesota scored twice on the ensuing major penalty and opened the floodgates. With Canisius having to abandon its defensive effort to throw everything at Justen Close, Minnesota had a much easier time scoring and posted seven goals in the third period, turning what had once been a nail-biter into a runaway victory.[3]

With a trip to Tampa on the line, Minnesota had to get past NCHC champion, St. Cloud State. After the slow start in the previous game, Minnesota made sure they didn't have a repeat and outshot the Huskies 14–6 in the first period. While they only managed to score once, the Gophers still held the lead going into the middle frame. St. Cloud tied the score on the power play but Minnesota regained the lead a few minutes later and never relinquished that advantage. Minnesota's fast and physical defensive corps stopped the rest of the Huskies' opportunities and carried the Gophers to a 4–1 win.[4]

In the program's second consecutive trip to the Frozen Four, the Gophers took on Boston University for the fifth meeting between the two in the National Semifinal. With the historical record sitting at 2–2, the Terriers got off to a good start, scoring the first goal around the midway point of the first. After that, however, BU got into penalty trouble and Minnesota made them pay; the Gophers scored twice on the man advantage to take the lead before the start of the second. The Terriers got their own power play goal in the second to tie the game but Luke Mittelstadt scored twice in the first four minutes of the third to put Minnesota ahead for good. A pair of empty netters at the end extended their lead and ensured that Minnesota reached the championship game for the first time in 9 years.[5]

National Championship

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With just Quinnipiac left in their way, Minnesota was hoping to be the first #1 seed to win the championship since Denver in 2017. The Gophers began with a defensive front and counterpunched. While that may have played into Quinnipiac's hands, as the Bobcats were the top defensive team in the country, a fanned clearing attempt was intercepted by Connor Kurth and, after drawing Yaniv Perets out of position, he slipped the puck in front of the cage where John Mittelstadt knocked in his fourth of the season for the game's first goal less than six minutes into the game. The defensive struggle resumed afterwards and neither team got much in the way of scoring opportunities for the rest of the period.

Early in the second, after a faceoff win in the Bobcat's end, Brock Faber purposefully fired the puck from the blueline wide. The rubber bounced off of the end wall right to Jaxon Nelson who chipped the puck into the top corner of the net for a 2–0 lead. At this point, Minnesota was in full control of the game and it appeared that the Gophers were going to glide to the program's 6th National Championship. However, while Quinnipiac was the #1 defense, they also possessed the #3 offense and the Bobcats began leaning a bit more on the gas and were finally able to solve Justen Close a few minutes later. Minnesota pulled back and played defense for most of the rest of the game, trying to win with their 2–1 lead.

While they were widely outshot in the final half of the game, Minnesota did get several opportunities to extend their lead but bouncing and rolling pucks ended up causing all chances to miss. With about five minutes to play, Logan Cooley got into a scuffle with one of the Bobcats. While one referee signaled that he would give matching minors to both players if they continued, the other had already called Cooley for a high-sticking penalty. The Minnesota faithful were up in arms about the controversial call but the Gophers still had to slow down a strong Quinnipiac power play. The Bobcats ended up getting several good look at the net but Minnesota was able to stop everything, allowing Cooley to return to the ice. Unfortunately, just as he was getting into the play, Collin Graf fired a low shot on goal that sneaked between the legs of Close and bounced into the net. Suddenly, Minnesota found itself having to restart its offense but the Gophers seemed able to get back on their horses. Almost immediately after the ensuing faceoff, Minnesota broke in on the Bobcats' goal and had a chance to regain their lead but a strong defensive effort stopped the Gopher attack. The two teams continued to test one another for the remainder of the period but ended up needing overtime to decide the game.

Jaxon Nelson won the opening draw of the 4th period but did so too strongly and the puck ended up sailing into the Quinnipiac bench. On the ensuing draw, also at center ice, the Bobcats took control of the puck and, using a set play, engineered a quick 2-on-1 that resulted in the winning goal by Jacob Quillan. While the Bobcats celebrated, Minnesota desperately hoped that the play was offsides. When those faint hopes were dashed, the team could only watch as the championship, which had been within their grasp only minutes before, was captured by another team.[6]

Departures

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Player Position Nationality Cause
Brennan Boynton Goaltender   United States Transferred to American International
Benjamin Brinkman Defenseman   United States Graduate transfer to Notre Dame
Tristan Broz Forward   United States Transferred to Denver
Grant Cruikshank Forward   United States Graduate transfer to St. Cloud State
Matt Denman Defenseman   United States Graduation (retired)
Chaz Lucius Forward   United States Signed professional contract (Winnipeg Jets)
Blake McLaughlin Forward   United States Graduation (signed with Anaheim Ducks)
Ben Meyers Forward   United States Signed professional contract (Colorado Avalanche)
Jack Perbix Forward/Defenseman   United States Transferred to Western Michigan
Sam Rossini Defenseman   United States Graduation (retired)
Jonny Sorenson Forward   United States Transferred to Alaska
Sammy Walker Forward   United States Graduation (signed with Minnesota Wild)
Noah Weber Forward   United States Left program (retired)

Recruiting

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Player Position Nationality Age Notes
Ryan Chesley Defenseman   United States 18 Mahtomedi, MN; selected 37th overall in 2022
Logan Cooley Forward   United States 18 Pittsburgh, PA; selected 3rd overall in 2022
Connor Kurth Forward   United States 19 Elk River, MN; selected 192nd overall in 2022
Brody Lamb Forward   United States 19 Rochester, MN; selected 104th overall in 2021
John Mittelstadt Forward   United States 20 Eden Prairie, MN
Luke Mittelstadt Defenseman   United States 19 Eden Prairie, MN
Garrett Pinoniemi Forward   United States 21 Robbinsdale, MN
Jimmy Snuggerud Forward   United States 18 Chaska, MN; selected 23rd overall in 2022
Charlie Strobel Forward   United States 21 Stillwater, MN
Cal Thomas Defenseman   United States 19 Maple Grove, MN; selected 171st overall in 2021
Zach Wiese Goaltender   United States 20 Owatonna, MN

Roster

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As of August 19, 2022.[7]

No. S/P/C Player Class Pos Height Weight DoB Hometown Previous team NHL rights
1   Justen Close Senior G 5' 10" (1.78 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1998-05-20 Kindersley, Saskatchewan Kindersley (SJHL) —
2   Jackson LaCombe (C) Senior D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 2001-01-09 Eden Prairie, Minnesota Shattuck-St. Mary's (Midget AAA) ANA, 39th overall 2019
4   Mike Koster Junior D 5' 10" (1.78 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 2001-04-13 Chaska, Minnesota Tri-City (USHL) TOR, 146th overall 2019
6   Cal Thomas Freshman D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2003-05-08 Maple Grove, Minnesota Chicago (USHL) ARI, 171st overall 2021
7   Aaron Huglen Sophomore F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 2001-03-06 Roseau, Minnesota Fargo (USHL) BUF, 102nd overall 2019
10   Connor Kurth Freshman F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 2003-07-30 Elk River, Minnesota Dubuque (USHL) TBL, 190th overall 2022
13   Garrett Pinoniemi Freshman F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 2001-07-15 Robbinsdale, Minnesota Sioux Falls (USHL) —
14   Brock Faber (C) Junior D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 2002-08-22 Maple Grove, Minnesota NTDP (USHL) MIN, 45th overall 2020
16   Colin Schmidt Senior F 6' 4" (1.93 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 2000-01-06 Wayzata, Minnesota Union (ECAC) —
17   Brody Lamb Freshman F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 2003-08-30 Byron, Minnesota Green Bay (USHL) NYR, 104th overall 2021
18   Mason Nevers Junior F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 2001-04-03 Edina, Minnesota Des Moines (USHL) —
19   John Mittelstadt Freshman F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 2001-10-27 Eden Prairie, Minnesota Green Bay (USHL) —
20   Luke Mittelstadt Freshman D 5' 11" (1.8 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 2003-01-22 Eden Prairie, Minnesota Madison (USHL) —
22   Bryce Brodzinski Senior F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 2000-08-09 Blaine, Minnesota Blaine (USHS–MN) PHI, 196th overall 2019
23   Ryan Johnson Senior D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2001-07-24 Irvine, California Sioux Falls (USHL) BUF, 31st overall 2019
24   Jaxon Nelson (C) Senior F 6' 4" (1.93 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 2000-03-30 Magnolia, Minnesota Omaha (USHL) —
26   Carl Fish Junior D 6' 3" (1.91 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1999-11-09 Saint Paul, Minnesota Bismarck (NAHL) —
27   Charlie Strobel Freshman F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2001-07-09 Stillwater, Minnesota Trail (BCHL) —
30   Zach Wiese Freshman G 5' 10" (1.78 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 2002-01-02 Owatonna, Minnesota Rochester (NA3HL) —
31   Owen Bartoszkiewicz Freshman G 6' 1" (1.85 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 2003-03-11 Northville, Michigan Youngstown (USHL) —
55   Matt Staudacher Senior D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 2000-02-07 Fenton, Michigan Muskegon (USHL) —
71   Ryan Chesley Freshman D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 2004-02-27 Mahtomedi, Minnesota NTDP (USHL) WSH, 37th overall 2022
77   Rhett Pitlick Sophomore F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 2001-02-07 Plymouth, Minnesota Tri-City (USHL) MTL, 131st overall 2019
81   Jimmy Snuggerud Freshman F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2004-06-01 Chaska, Minnesota NTDP (USHL) STL, 23rd overall 2022
89   Matthew Knies Sophomore F 6' 3" (1.91 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 2002-10-17 Phoenix, Arizona Tri-City (USHL) TOR, 57th overall 2021
92   Logan Cooley Freshman F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 2004-05-04 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania NTDP (USHL) ARI, 3rd overall 2022

Standings

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2022–23 Big Ten ice hockey Standings
Conference record Overall record
GP W L T OTW OTL 3/SW PTS GF GA GP W L T GF GA
#2 Minnesota † 24 19 4 1 2 1 0 57 106 50 40 29 10 1 168 90
#3 Michigan * 24 12 10 2 3 3 0 38 82 79 41 26 12 3 171 128
#7 Ohio State 24 11 11 2 0 0 1 36 69 63 40 21 16 3 131 101
Notre Dame 24 10 10 4 2 0 3 35 52 60 37 16 16 5 85 97
#19 Michigan State 24 10 12 2 1 1 2 34 65 80 38 18 18 2 107 115
#8 Penn State 24 10 13 1 0 3 0 34 71 75 39 22 16 1 129 106
Wisconsin 24 6 18 0 0 0 0 18 54 92 36 13 23 0 94 126
Championship: March 18, 2023
† indicates conference regular season champion * indicates conference tournament champion
Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll

Schedule and results

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Date Time Opponent# Rank# Site TV Decision Result Attendance Record
Regular Season
October 1 7:00 PM Lindenwood* #2 3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, MN BSN+ Close W 4–0  6,867 1–0–0
October 2 7:00 PM Lindenwood* #2 3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, MN BSN+ Bartoszkiewicz W 6–4  5,985 2–0–0
October 7 7:07 PM #5 Minnesota State* #2 3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, MN BSN Close W 4–1  8,472 3–0–0
October 8 6:00 PM at #5 Minnesota State* #2 Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center • Mankato, MN FOX 9+ Close L 3–2  4,911 3–1–0
October 21 7:00 PM #7 North Dakota* #1 3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, MN (Rivalry) BSN+ Close W 3–2 OT 10,418 4–1–0
October 22 7:00 PM #7 North Dakota* #1 3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, MN (Rivalry) BSN Close L 4–5 OT 10,193 4–2–0
October 28 5:30 PM at #11 Ohio State #1 Value City Arena • Columbus, OH BTN Close L 4–6  3,242 4–3–0 (0–1–0)
October 29 4:00 PM at #11 Ohio State #1 Value City Arena • Columbus, OH BTN+ Close W 4–2  3,336 5–3–0 (1–1–0)
November 4 7:00 PM #12 Notre Dame #3 3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, MN BTN+ Close W 4–1  7,774 6–3–0 (2–1–0)
November 5 7:00 PM #12 Notre Dame #3 3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, MN BTN+ Close W 3–0  8,291 7–3–0 (3–1–0)
November 10 7:00 PM #8 Penn State #1 3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, MN BTN Close L 2–4  6,664 7–4–0 (3–2–0)
November 11 7:00 PM #8 Penn State #1 3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, MN BTN+ Close W 3–1  8,921 8–4–0 (4–2–0)
November 18 5:30 PM at #3 Michigan #2 Yost Ice Arena • Ann Arbor, MI (Rivalry) BTN Bartoszkiewicz W 5–2  5,800 9–4–0 (5–2–0)
November 19 5:00 PM at #3 Michigan #2 Yost Ice Arena • Ann Arbor, MI (Rivalry) BTN Bartoszkiewicz W 6–3  5,800 10–4–0 (6–2–0)
November 25 8:00 PM at Arizona State* #2 Mullett Arena • Tempe, AZ Pac-12 Insider Close W 3–2  5,109 11–4–0
November 26 8:00 PM at Arizona State* #2 Mullett Arena • Tempe, AZ Pac-12 Insider Close L 5–6 OT 5,153 11–5–0
December 2 5:30 PM at #13 Michigan State #4 Munn Ice Arena • East Lansing, MI BTN Close W 5–0  6,555 12–5–0 (7–2–0)
December 3 5:00 PM at #13 Michigan State #4 Munn Ice Arena • East Lansing, MI BTN Close W 6–3  6,555 13–5–0 (8–2–0)
December 9 8:00 PM Wisconsin #3 3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, MN (Rivalry) BTN Close W 7–1  8,961 14–5–0 (9–2–0)
December 10 6:00 PM Wisconsin #3 3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, MN (Rivalry) BSN, BSW Close W 6–4  9,713 15–5–0 (10–2–0)
December 29 3:00 PM USNTDP* #3 3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, MN (Exhibition) BTN+ Close W 3–2  8,593 —
December 31 5:00 PM at Bemidji State* #3 Sanford Center • Bemidji, MN (Exhibition) FloHockey, FOX 9+ Bartoszkiewicz W 2–1  4,373 —
January 7 6:00 PM at #4 St. Cloud State* #3 Herb Brooks National Hockey Center • St. Cloud, MN (Rivalry) CBSSN, FOX 9+ Close L 0–3  6,051 15–6–0
January 8 3:00 PM #4 St. Cloud State* #3 3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, MN (Rivalry) BSN Close W 2–1 OT 10,192 16–6–0
January 13 6:30 PM at Notre Dame #2 Compton Family Ice Arena • Notre Dame, IN Peacock Close T 2–2 SOL 4,984 16–6–1 (10–2–1)
January 14 5:00 PM at Notre Dame #2 Compton Family Ice Arena • Notre Dame, IN Peacock Close W 3–0  5,022 17–6–1 (11–2–1)
January 20 7:00 PM #8 Michigan #2 3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, MN (Rivalry) BSN Close W 4–3 OT 10,300 18–6–1 (12–2–1)
January 21 7:00 PM #8 Michigan #2 3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, MN (Rivalry) BSN, BTN Close L 4–5 OT 10,455 18–7–1 (12–3–1)
January 27 7:00 PM #15 Michigan State #2 3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, MN BSN+ Close W 8–0  10,220 19–7–1 (13–3–1)
January 28 4:00 PM #15 Michigan State #2 3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, MN BSN+ Close W 6–3  10,253 20–7–1 (14–3–1)
February 10 7:00 PM at Wisconsin #1 Kohl Center • Madison, WI (Rivalry) BSN+ Close W 4–1  8,018 21–7–1 (15–3–1)
February 11 5:00 PM at Wisconsin #1 Kohl Center • Madison, MI (Rivalry) BTN Close L 1–3  11,075 21–8–1 (15–4–1)
February 17 5:30 PM at #7 Penn State #2 Pegula Ice Arena • University Park, PA BTN Close W 7–2  6,369 22–8–1 (16–4–1)
February 18 5:30 PM at #7 Penn State #2 Pegula Ice Arena • University Park, PA BTN Close W 3–2 OT 6,461 23–8–1 (17–4–1)
February 24 8:00 PM #8 Ohio State #1 3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, MN ESPNU Close W 4–0  9,968 24–8–1 (18–4–1)
February 25 4:30 PM #8 Ohio State #1 3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, MN BTN Close W 5–2  10,140 25–8–1 (19–4–1)
Big Ten Tournament
March 11 9:00 PM #18 Michigan State* #1 3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, MN (Semifinal) BTN, ESPN+ Close W 5–1  9,029 26–8–1
March 18 7:00 PM #4 Michigan* #1 3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, MN (Championship) BTN, ESPN+ Close L 3–4  10,305 26–9–1
NCAA Tournament
March 23 7:00 PM vs. Canisius* #1 Scheels Arena • Fargo, North Dakota (West Regional Semifinal) ESPN2 Close W 9–2  5,061 27–9–1
March 26 6:30 PM vs. #6 St. Cloud State* #1 Scheels Arena • Fargo, North Dakota (West Regional Final) ESPNU Close W 4–1  5,326 28–9–1
April 6 4:00 PM vs. #5 Boston University* #1 Amalie Arena • Tampa, Florida (National Semifinal) ESPN2 Close W 6–2  19,119 29–9–1
April 8 7:00 PM vs. #3 Quinnipiac* #1 Amalie Arena • Tampa, Florida (National Championship) ESPN2 Close L 2–3 OT 19,444 29–10–1
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Central Time.
Source:[8]

National Championship game

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See also: 2023 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey tournament
April 8, 2023
8:00 PM		(W1) Minnesota2–3 (OT)
(1–0, 1–1, 0–1, 0–1)		(NE1) QuinnipiacAmalie Arena
Attendance: 19,444
Game reference
Referees:
Joe Sullivan
Ryan Hersey
Linesmen:
John Grandt
Tyler Liffrig
Scoring summary
Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score
1st MIN John Mittelstadt (4) Kurth 05:35 1–0 MIN
2nd MIN Jaxon Nelson (10) Faber 25:24 2–0 MIN
QU Cristophe Tellier (8) Metsa 27:41 2–1 MIN
3rd QU Collin Graf (21) – EA Metsa, Lipkin 57:13 2–2
1st Overtime QU Jacob Quillan (19) – GW Lipkin, Metsa 60:10 3–2 QU
Penalty summary
Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM
1st QU Skyler Brind'Amour Contact to the Head 00:21 2:00
2nd MIN Jimmy Snuggerud Tripping 32:32 2:00
3rd QU Skyler Brind'Amour Hooking 43:17 2:00
MIN Logan Cooley High-sticking 55:08 2:00

Scoring statistics

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Name Position Games Goals Assists Points PIM
Logan Cooley C 39 22 38 60 42
Jimmy Snuggerud RW 40 21 29 50 42
Matthew Knies LW 40 21 21 42 29
Jackson LaCombe D 37 9 26 35 13
Bryce Brodzinski RW 40 19 12 31 12
Michael Koster D 40 6 23 29 8
Jaxon Nelson C 40 10 17 27 10
Brock Faber D 38 4 23 27 12
Rhett Pitlick LW 40 11 14 25 18
Mason Nevers C 40 10 13 23 2
Luke Mittelstadt D 38 5 16 21 6
Ryan Johnson D 40 4 14 18 8
Aaron Huglen C/W 38 7 10 17 18
Connor Kurth F 38 7 4 11 35
Ryan Chesley D 36 2 8 10 13
Brody Lamb RW 39 4 4 8 4
Cal Thomas D 40 0 6 6 4
John Mittelstadt F 30 4 1 5 8
Garrett Pinoniemi C 29 2 1 3 4
Charlie Strobel C 20 0 3 3 2
Carl Fish D 7 0 1 1 2
Justen Close G 37 0 1 1 2
Owen Bartoszkiewicz G 6 0 0 0 0
Colin Schmidt C 9 0 0 0 2
Total 168 285 453 296

[9]

Goaltending statistics

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Name Games Minutes Wins Losses Ties Goals Against Saves Shut Outs SV % GAA
Justen Close 37 2170:22 26 10 1 73 930 6 .930 2.02
Owen Bartoszkiewicz 6 242:12 3 0 0 15 113 0 .883 3.72
Empty Net - 11:38 - - - 2 - - - -
Total 40 2424:12 29 10 1 90 1043 6 .921 2.23

Rankings

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See also: 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey rankings
Poll Week
Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 (Final)
USCHO.com 2 (8) - 2 (6) 2 (1) 1 (31) 1 (21) 3 (5) 1 (32) 2 (5) 2 (7) 4 (3) 3 (6) 3 (9) - 3 (11) 2 (5) 2 (6) 2 (13) 1 (38) 1 (36) 2 (16) 1 (25) 1 (37) 1 (38) 1 (38) 1 (34) - 2
USA Today 2 (7) 2 (7) 2 (4) 2 (1) 1 (21) 1 (14) 3 (3) 1 (24) 2 (3) 2 (9) 1 (11) 2 (16) 2 (13) 1 (15) 1 (15) 2 (9) 2 (4) 2 (12) 1 (27) 1 (31) 2 (12) 1 (17) 1 (27) 1 (29) 1 (28) 1 (27) 1 (30) 2

Note: USCHO did not release a poll in weeks 1, 13, or 26.[10]

Awards and honors

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Player Award Ref
Bob Motzko Spencer Penrose Award [11]
Brock Faber AHCA West All-American First Team [12]
Logan Cooley
Matthew Knies
Matthew Knies Big Ten Player of the Year [13]
Brock Faber Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year [13]
Logan Cooley Big Ten Scoring Champion [13]
Jimmy Snuggerud
Bob Motzko Big Ten Coach of the Year [13]
Brock Faber Big Ten First Team [13]
Logan Cooley
Matthew Knies
Justen Close Big Ten Second Team [13]
Jackson LaCombe
Jimmy Snuggerud
Luke Mittelstadt Big Ten Freshman Team [13]
Logan Cooley
Jimmy Snuggerud
Justen Close Big Ten All-Tournament Team [14]
Logan Cooley
Luke Mittelstadt NCAA All-Tournament team [15]
Logan Cooley

Players drafted into the NHL

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2023 NHL Entry Draft

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Round Pick Player NHL team
1 19 Oliver Moore † Chicago Blackhawks
7 197 Luke Mittelstadt Montreal Canadiens
7 213 James Clark † Minnesota Wild

† incoming freshman [16]

References

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  1. ^ "Gophers Coach Bob Motzko Credits D-Core: 'Best I've Ever Had And Will Ever Have'". Gopher Hole. February 25, 2023. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  2. ^ "Steven Holtz hospitalized amid wave of Michigan hockey illness". Gopher Hole. November 17, 2022. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  3. ^ "#4 Canisius vs #1 Minnesota Hockey Game Highlights, 2023 NCAA Regional Semifinal". YouTube. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  4. ^ "#2 St. Cloud State vs #1 Minnesota Hockey Game Highlights, 2023 NCAA Regional Final". YouTube. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  5. ^ "Boston University vs #1 Minnesota Hockey Game Highlights, 2023 NCAA Frozen Four Semifinal". YouTube. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  6. ^ "#2 Quinnipiac vs #1 Minnesota Hockey Game Highlights, 2023 Frozen Four Championship". YouTube. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
  7. ^ "2022–23 Men's Ice Hockey Roster". University of Minnesota Athletics. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  8. ^ "2022-23 Men's Hockey Schedule". Minnesota Golden Gophers. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  9. ^ "Univ. of Minnesota 2022-2023 Skater Stats". Elite Prospects. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
  10. ^ "USCHO Division I Men's Poll". USCHO.com. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
  11. ^ "Motzko becomes first Minnesota coach in 70 years to win Spencer Penrose Award". USCHO. April 6, 2023. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  12. ^ "Two Northeastern players repeat as first-team All-Americans". USCHO.com. April 7, 2023. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g "Big Ten Hockey Postseason Honors Announced". BigTen.org. Big Ten Conference. March 14, 2023. Archived from the original on March 14, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  14. ^ "2023 Big Ten Hockey Tournament All-Tournament Team" (PDF). BigTen.org. Big Ten Conference. March 18, 2023. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 19, 2023. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  15. ^ "Quinnipiac crowned". collegehockeyinc.com. April 9, 2023. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
  16. ^ "NCAA player rankings, selections in 2023 NHL Draft". USCHO.com. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
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