Grant_Erickson
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Late in the season, every game has postseason implications. That was certainly true on Friday night when Minnesota welcomed No. 6 Ohio State to Mariucci. The Gophers got off to a great start, and goalie Mat Robson was stellar en route to a huge 2-1 victory over the Buckeyes.
Glover Gets His First
Senior defenseman Jack Glover has been playing well on the defensive end all year, but hasn’t found the back of the net. On Friday, Glover showed off his maturity, remaining patient before firing a puck past the OSU goalie. It ended up being the game-winner for the Gophers.
“Great play by our forwards down low, working their D which is what they’re so good at,” said Glover of the setup to his goal. “I tried to shoot it on net, and their guy got in front of it with a good block. Luckily it went right back to me. I knew he was kind of down a little bit...I tried to get a better angle and get it on net and kind of a lucky little deflection there.”
Robson Dominates
Since coming in halfway through the year, goalie Mat Robson has worked his way into the starting role in net. He came into the game with a .940 save percentage, and only allowed one goal on 22 shots on Friday. He made a pair of saves that are two of the best you’ll see in college hockey. Here’s a video of the saves. Pretty impressive. His play has been a reason for Minnesota’s recent hot streak.
“Some of the saves he made tonight were incredible,” said Glover. “Ever since he’s come in halfway through, we’ve had a lot of confidence in him. That helps the whole team play better knowing you’ve got a guy capable of making saves like that.”
Robson was stellar, but in the final minute of the game, he needed help to preserve the lead. A puck found its way to the post, and skirted the goal line before Jack Sadek shoveled it out of the crease and the zone.
“It was crazy,” said Sadek. “It kind of bounced off three or four guys and ended up behind Robson and I was lucky enough to be there and clear it.”
Playoff Hockey
All three Gophers who met with the media after the game echoed how late-season games like this one are essentially playoff hockey. The desperation to make the postseason showed as Minnesota grinded out an important victory.
“Those are the fun ones,” said Brent Gates Jr. “Everyone’s into it, everyone’s up on the bench. There’s a lot on the line and we know that. 2-1 game; it’s playoff hockey. That’s how it’s going to be come tournament time. It’s good to get a couple of those wins under our belt."
Minnesota entered the weekend ninth in the pairwise, and a win over sixth-ranked OSU will help the Gophers' NCAA Tournament chances.
By The Numbers
0 Power plays for the Gophers. The reffing was questionable at best; it looked like some missed calls on OSU, and some very iffy ones on the Maroon and Gold.
13 Shots on net in the first period for the Gophers. Minnesota got off to an impressive start and dominated the first 20 minutes.
6 Wins in their last seven games for the Gophers who seem to be peaking at the right time.
Three Stars
3 Robson earned the third star with 21 saves on 22 shots.
2 Brent Gates opened up the scoring by burying a rebound in the first period.
1 Jack Glover scored the game-winner and played well on the defensive end.
What’s Next
Minnesota will look for an important sweep of the Buckeyes tomorrow. It’s an early 4pm start, and you can see it on ESPNU. Let’s hope we can break out the brooms for a second straight weekend!
Glover Gets His First
Senior defenseman Jack Glover has been playing well on the defensive end all year, but hasn’t found the back of the net. On Friday, Glover showed off his maturity, remaining patient before firing a puck past the OSU goalie. It ended up being the game-winner for the Gophers.
“Great play by our forwards down low, working their D which is what they’re so good at,” said Glover of the setup to his goal. “I tried to shoot it on net, and their guy got in front of it with a good block. Luckily it went right back to me. I knew he was kind of down a little bit...I tried to get a better angle and get it on net and kind of a lucky little deflection there.”
Robson Dominates
Since coming in halfway through the year, goalie Mat Robson has worked his way into the starting role in net. He came into the game with a .940 save percentage, and only allowed one goal on 22 shots on Friday. He made a pair of saves that are two of the best you’ll see in college hockey. Here’s a video of the saves. Pretty impressive. His play has been a reason for Minnesota’s recent hot streak.
“Some of the saves he made tonight were incredible,” said Glover. “Ever since he’s come in halfway through, we’ve had a lot of confidence in him. That helps the whole team play better knowing you’ve got a guy capable of making saves like that.”
Robson was stellar, but in the final minute of the game, he needed help to preserve the lead. A puck found its way to the post, and skirted the goal line before Jack Sadek shoveled it out of the crease and the zone.
“It was crazy,” said Sadek. “It kind of bounced off three or four guys and ended up behind Robson and I was lucky enough to be there and clear it.”
Playoff Hockey
All three Gophers who met with the media after the game echoed how late-season games like this one are essentially playoff hockey. The desperation to make the postseason showed as Minnesota grinded out an important victory.
“Those are the fun ones,” said Brent Gates Jr. “Everyone’s into it, everyone’s up on the bench. There’s a lot on the line and we know that. 2-1 game; it’s playoff hockey. That’s how it’s going to be come tournament time. It’s good to get a couple of those wins under our belt."
Minnesota entered the weekend ninth in the pairwise, and a win over sixth-ranked OSU will help the Gophers' NCAA Tournament chances.
By The Numbers
0 Power plays for the Gophers. The reffing was questionable at best; it looked like some missed calls on OSU, and some very iffy ones on the Maroon and Gold.
13 Shots on net in the first period for the Gophers. Minnesota got off to an impressive start and dominated the first 20 minutes.
6 Wins in their last seven games for the Gophers who seem to be peaking at the right time.
Three Stars
3 Robson earned the third star with 21 saves on 22 shots.
2 Brent Gates opened up the scoring by burying a rebound in the first period.
1 Jack Glover scored the game-winner and played well on the defensive end.
What’s Next
Minnesota will look for an important sweep of the Buckeyes tomorrow. It’s an early 4pm start, and you can see it on ESPNU. Let’s hope we can break out the brooms for a second straight weekend!