The Gophers (7-0-1-0 B1G, 17-2-3 Overall) completed the sweep of Ohio State (1-4-1-0 B1G, 11-8-1 Overall) tonight at Mariucci Arena in front of 9,972, overcoming a 2-0 deficit, to win it by a final score of 4-2.
Here is what I saw.
- Gophers hit a crossbar and a pipe within the first five minutes of the game. OSU Goaltender Christian Frey looked shaky in warm-ups, and not real confident at the start of the game, as it seemed like he was looking behind himself after every puck that hit him. He settled down though, and was not too bad the rest of the way.
- Gophers spotted OSU a 2-0 lead, despite dominating the first half of the first period. Sam Warning took over after that, getting the natural hat trick. Minnesota fans, always on the ball, had their hats floating to the ice before the goal light even came on.
- Since Seth Ambroz became such a “pure goal scorer”, his body checking seems like it has suffered. He took a couple of big hits tonight, and was barely able to control his anger after a heavy check, which looked a little dirty. But, like a true veteran, he kept his poise.
- Michael Brodzinski had kind of a tough night on defense. He hesitated a couple of times, and it cost him. Looked like his instincts told him to be aggressive, but he didn’t follow his instincts, and got burned. Fortunately, these are just opportunities to learn, and they didn’t hurt the Gophers. Mike Reilly and Brady Skjei had their struggles last year, and that worked out pretty good I’d say.
Here are the post game comments:
Ohio State Head Coach Steve Rohlik:
Regarding the game…. “A lot different than last night. You know, for us, first time on a big sheet all year, and I think everybody could see that right away. Lot’s of ice out there, and Minnesota, they do a tremendous job. They’ve got great speed and great skill. They had a lot of openings there right away. But I thought we settled in and played a pretty good hockey game. You just can’t give Minnesota some gifts like we did out there. I thought it was a good hockey game both ways, but again, we just came up a little short. I mean, we got the first one, even though they had a majority of the shots. We got a power play, and our power plays been good all year. We score a big power play goal, but again, the bounce back puck in their end, and we throw it away below their goal line. They go the length of the ice, and it’s in the back of the net. Those are the goals you can’t allow Minnesota to get. You can’t give em room. You’ve gotta hold that 2-0 lead a lot longer than we did, that’s for sure”
Regarding the change in venues…. “These guys are young. We skated here early this morning, and got a feel for it. Our guys were excited, it just took us a little while to get used to the big sheet”
Minnesota Head Coach Don Lucia:
Regarding the game…. “I thought there would be some more plays made tonight. When you’ve got a cleaner sheet of ice to work with, and also guys that can make some plays on both ends. I thought there would be a few more scoring chances tonight than there was. I thought we came out and played a great first period, the first ten minutes. And yet, we went down 2-0. I give our guys a lot of credit for staying with it. I though Adam (Wilcox) got better as the game went on. He really made a couple of key saves for us when it was a one goal game. (Sam) Warning had a terrific game for us tonight. That whole line with (Justin) Kloos and (Nate) Condon were very good tonight. And (Seth) Ambroz had a big fourth goal to put it away. I liked the way we played in the first period, and that’s hockey. I mean, you can play well and end up being behind at times. They’ve been through it enough, and have enough confidence at this point that if you’re done, you have to be able to come back. The guys did a good job closing it out at the end. I’m pleased with the week that we had. We went to Penn State and won the two games, short rest getting ready for Ohio State and the emotion of the outdoor game last night, and be able to come back three hours earlier than normal after an eight o’clock start last night. And come back and get another win. Great week for us. They’ll have some fun tonight, and turn the page, and get ready for our tournament at the Xcel”
Regarding Sam Warning…. “I think you saw what happened with him, by scoring two goals in the last game. All of a sudden he’s got five in the last couple of weekends. Sam can be a bit of a streaky player from an offensive standpoint. But, he scored some goals around the blue paint, which is something we talked about”
Regarding Warnings goal to make it 2-1…. “That was crucial. I mean, all of a sudden you go down two rip, and we come back the very next shift and score. And it was a great play. Mike (Reilly) jumped up into the play and Sam (Warning) went to that back post, and it was Mike Reilly put it right on it’s tape for an easy tap in. All of a sudden you’re back in the game at 2-1”
Regarding Sam Warning from Missouri, scoring the hat trick on Hockey Day Minnesota…. “Well, you know what, he’s a Gopher. It doesn’t matter where you’re from. It’s great for him. I like the way he’s playing right now. When he’s stopping on pucks, and playing with speed, and making strong plays with the puck instead of making cute fancy plays, that’s when Sam plays better, and you saw that tonight”
Regarding Nate Condon…. "I thought Condon was really good, and maybe that goal he scored last weekend got his confidence going as well. Hockey, like all sports, is a game of confidence. When you feel good about yourself, you usually play better. I thought Nate was obviously one of our best players tonight. He just plays with great tempo at both ends of the rink. The great thing about Nate is, he’s so good defensively. He could play any of the three forward positions. Late in the game, you’re going to want him on the ice when you’re ahead by a goal. You saw that tonight”
Regarding Jack Jablonski dropping the puck Friday night…. “It’s great. You know what, obviously it’s been such a story in our state for the last few years. It’s just great to see the progress that he’s made from where he was when I saw in the hospital a few years back. He’s got a great attitude, and I think he’s an inspiration for all of us”
Nate Condon:
Regarding Sam Warning…. “You know, Sam just seemed to be in the right place at the right time tonight. Any time you get around the blue paint, sometimes you get lucky. And he was in the right place and hammered a couple in. Warning did a good job tonight. He was working up and down the ice tonight. I think I need to thank him for putting them in the back of the net. I mean, it’s 2-0 and momentum was on their side. Any time you get it back on your side like that, and take the wind out of their sails, it’s huge. We did a good job responding there with that goal”
Regarding playing in both ends…. “Yeah, that’s been something ever since I played here, actually. I’ve played every single position. Surprised I haven’t played D yet. But, it’s just something you gotta get going, and I switch up with my linemates playing Center and Left Wing a lot during the shifts anyway, so, it’s more about getting comfortable with who you’re playing with”
Regarding the game…. “We had a lot of O zone time, a lot of shots, and it was just a matter of getting the puck to the net, and getting rebounds. We were pretty confident. I think we had twelve shots in the first period to their four. So, a couple bounces our way, and we knew we were back in it. That’s what happened in the second and third“
Sam Warning:
Regarding his hat trick…. “It was a pretty special moment. I think at the time though, it was a three-two game, so I couldn’t get too excited about it. I didn’t score one in Juniors. I’m sure I had a couple growing up, playing Pee-Wee hockey. But that was a pretty special moment for myself to get one tonight. That first one, that was the one that got our line going a little bit. We were playing with a lot of speed tonight. I have to give a lot of credit to Justin Kloos and Nate Condon. Those guys worked hard tonight. I just kind of went to the side of the net and got great passes from both of them. I’m just trying to get pucks on net right now. I think in practice right now the coaches have been on me, and some of the guys have been too. I’m getting more shots on net. I’ve been a little passive lately. I was fortunate to get three goals tonight, and got a couple last weekend”
Regarding Nate Condon…. “I think the biggest thing for us is our speed. I think especially versus Ohio State. They have a great team. We just tried to get behind their D and get pucks low. I think our speed kind of took advantage of their D a little bit this weekend. We’ve just gotta get better this week in practice and keep going”
Regarding the outdoor game…. “They did a great job over there with the TCF rink. It was a little smaller, but we played last year at Soldier Field, and I think it was a little easier for us the second time around”
The Gophers will take on St. Cloud State next Friday night at the Xcel Energy Center, in the second game of the North Star College Cup. Game time is 7:00 PM (Central). The game will be broadcast on Fox Sports North.
Here is what I saw.
- Gophers hit a crossbar and a pipe within the first five minutes of the game. OSU Goaltender Christian Frey looked shaky in warm-ups, and not real confident at the start of the game, as it seemed like he was looking behind himself after every puck that hit him. He settled down though, and was not too bad the rest of the way.
- Gophers spotted OSU a 2-0 lead, despite dominating the first half of the first period. Sam Warning took over after that, getting the natural hat trick. Minnesota fans, always on the ball, had their hats floating to the ice before the goal light even came on.
- Since Seth Ambroz became such a “pure goal scorer”, his body checking seems like it has suffered. He took a couple of big hits tonight, and was barely able to control his anger after a heavy check, which looked a little dirty. But, like a true veteran, he kept his poise.
- Michael Brodzinski had kind of a tough night on defense. He hesitated a couple of times, and it cost him. Looked like his instincts told him to be aggressive, but he didn’t follow his instincts, and got burned. Fortunately, these are just opportunities to learn, and they didn’t hurt the Gophers. Mike Reilly and Brady Skjei had their struggles last year, and that worked out pretty good I’d say.
Here are the post game comments:
Ohio State Head Coach Steve Rohlik:
Regarding the game…. “A lot different than last night. You know, for us, first time on a big sheet all year, and I think everybody could see that right away. Lot’s of ice out there, and Minnesota, they do a tremendous job. They’ve got great speed and great skill. They had a lot of openings there right away. But I thought we settled in and played a pretty good hockey game. You just can’t give Minnesota some gifts like we did out there. I thought it was a good hockey game both ways, but again, we just came up a little short. I mean, we got the first one, even though they had a majority of the shots. We got a power play, and our power plays been good all year. We score a big power play goal, but again, the bounce back puck in their end, and we throw it away below their goal line. They go the length of the ice, and it’s in the back of the net. Those are the goals you can’t allow Minnesota to get. You can’t give em room. You’ve gotta hold that 2-0 lead a lot longer than we did, that’s for sure”
Regarding the change in venues…. “These guys are young. We skated here early this morning, and got a feel for it. Our guys were excited, it just took us a little while to get used to the big sheet”
Minnesota Head Coach Don Lucia:
Regarding the game…. “I thought there would be some more plays made tonight. When you’ve got a cleaner sheet of ice to work with, and also guys that can make some plays on both ends. I thought there would be a few more scoring chances tonight than there was. I thought we came out and played a great first period, the first ten minutes. And yet, we went down 2-0. I give our guys a lot of credit for staying with it. I though Adam (Wilcox) got better as the game went on. He really made a couple of key saves for us when it was a one goal game. (Sam) Warning had a terrific game for us tonight. That whole line with (Justin) Kloos and (Nate) Condon were very good tonight. And (Seth) Ambroz had a big fourth goal to put it away. I liked the way we played in the first period, and that’s hockey. I mean, you can play well and end up being behind at times. They’ve been through it enough, and have enough confidence at this point that if you’re done, you have to be able to come back. The guys did a good job closing it out at the end. I’m pleased with the week that we had. We went to Penn State and won the two games, short rest getting ready for Ohio State and the emotion of the outdoor game last night, and be able to come back three hours earlier than normal after an eight o’clock start last night. And come back and get another win. Great week for us. They’ll have some fun tonight, and turn the page, and get ready for our tournament at the Xcel”
Regarding Sam Warning…. “I think you saw what happened with him, by scoring two goals in the last game. All of a sudden he’s got five in the last couple of weekends. Sam can be a bit of a streaky player from an offensive standpoint. But, he scored some goals around the blue paint, which is something we talked about”
Regarding Warnings goal to make it 2-1…. “That was crucial. I mean, all of a sudden you go down two rip, and we come back the very next shift and score. And it was a great play. Mike (Reilly) jumped up into the play and Sam (Warning) went to that back post, and it was Mike Reilly put it right on it’s tape for an easy tap in. All of a sudden you’re back in the game at 2-1”
Regarding Sam Warning from Missouri, scoring the hat trick on Hockey Day Minnesota…. “Well, you know what, he’s a Gopher. It doesn’t matter where you’re from. It’s great for him. I like the way he’s playing right now. When he’s stopping on pucks, and playing with speed, and making strong plays with the puck instead of making cute fancy plays, that’s when Sam plays better, and you saw that tonight”
Regarding Nate Condon…. "I thought Condon was really good, and maybe that goal he scored last weekend got his confidence going as well. Hockey, like all sports, is a game of confidence. When you feel good about yourself, you usually play better. I thought Nate was obviously one of our best players tonight. He just plays with great tempo at both ends of the rink. The great thing about Nate is, he’s so good defensively. He could play any of the three forward positions. Late in the game, you’re going to want him on the ice when you’re ahead by a goal. You saw that tonight”
Regarding Jack Jablonski dropping the puck Friday night…. “It’s great. You know what, obviously it’s been such a story in our state for the last few years. It’s just great to see the progress that he’s made from where he was when I saw in the hospital a few years back. He’s got a great attitude, and I think he’s an inspiration for all of us”
Nate Condon:
Regarding Sam Warning…. “You know, Sam just seemed to be in the right place at the right time tonight. Any time you get around the blue paint, sometimes you get lucky. And he was in the right place and hammered a couple in. Warning did a good job tonight. He was working up and down the ice tonight. I think I need to thank him for putting them in the back of the net. I mean, it’s 2-0 and momentum was on their side. Any time you get it back on your side like that, and take the wind out of their sails, it’s huge. We did a good job responding there with that goal”
Regarding playing in both ends…. “Yeah, that’s been something ever since I played here, actually. I’ve played every single position. Surprised I haven’t played D yet. But, it’s just something you gotta get going, and I switch up with my linemates playing Center and Left Wing a lot during the shifts anyway, so, it’s more about getting comfortable with who you’re playing with”
Regarding the game…. “We had a lot of O zone time, a lot of shots, and it was just a matter of getting the puck to the net, and getting rebounds. We were pretty confident. I think we had twelve shots in the first period to their four. So, a couple bounces our way, and we knew we were back in it. That’s what happened in the second and third“
Sam Warning:
Regarding his hat trick…. “It was a pretty special moment. I think at the time though, it was a three-two game, so I couldn’t get too excited about it. I didn’t score one in Juniors. I’m sure I had a couple growing up, playing Pee-Wee hockey. But that was a pretty special moment for myself to get one tonight. That first one, that was the one that got our line going a little bit. We were playing with a lot of speed tonight. I have to give a lot of credit to Justin Kloos and Nate Condon. Those guys worked hard tonight. I just kind of went to the side of the net and got great passes from both of them. I’m just trying to get pucks on net right now. I think in practice right now the coaches have been on me, and some of the guys have been too. I’m getting more shots on net. I’ve been a little passive lately. I was fortunate to get three goals tonight, and got a couple last weekend”
Regarding Nate Condon…. “I think the biggest thing for us is our speed. I think especially versus Ohio State. They have a great team. We just tried to get behind their D and get pucks low. I think our speed kind of took advantage of their D a little bit this weekend. We’ve just gotta get better this week in practice and keep going”
Regarding the outdoor game…. “They did a great job over there with the TCF rink. It was a little smaller, but we played last year at Soldier Field, and I think it was a little easier for us the second time around”
The Gophers will take on St. Cloud State next Friday night at the Xcel Energy Center, in the second game of the North Star College Cup. Game time is 7:00 PM (Central). The game will be broadcast on Fox Sports North.