Gophers men's hockey loses to Michigan, comes up short of Big Ten title game

For the third consecutive year, the Gophers will not be the Big Ten hockey tournament champions. And for the third year in a row, Michigan made sure that was the case.

Behind goals by Kienan Draper and Gavin Brindley, 23 saves from goalie Jake Barczewski and a suffocating defensive effort, the Wolverines defeated the Gophers 2-1 on Saturday night in a Big Ten tournament semifinal at 3M Arena at Mariucci. Michigan adds its latest triumph over Minnesota to a pair of 4-3 victories in the 2022 and 2023 Big Ten title games at Mariucci.

The Wolverines (21-13-3) will face regular-season champion Michigan State in the Big Ten championship game on Saturday in East Lansing. The Spartans beat No. 7 seed Ohio State 2-1 in the other semifinal.

The Gophers (22-10-5) must wait until March 24 to find out where they’ll be playing in the NCAA tournament. They entered Saturday at No. 6 in the PairWise Ratings, and they’re a lock to make the 16-team NCAA field as an at-large entrant. The four regionals are in Sioux Falls, S.D.; Maryland Heights, Mo.; Springfield, Mass.; and Providence, R.I. The Frozen Four is April 11-13 at St. Paul’s Xcel Energy Center.

Gophers goalie Justen Close kept his team in the game, making 29 saves. Jimmy Snuggerud scored Minnesota’s only goal, with 1:29 left in the third and Close pulled for an extra attacker. The Gophers pushed for the equalizer but came up short.

Throughout the game, Minnesota had trouble generating offense as Michigan pushed the Gophers to the perimeter and had sticks in passing lanes. Minnesota’s play was by no means crisp, with several errant passes and puck battles lost.

Michigan won 36 faceoffs in the game to the Gophers’ 20.

The Gophers came out fast, getting three shots on goal in the opening 1:11. Michigan, however, got on the scoreboard first on its second shot of the game when Draper slammed a rebound of a Chase Pletzke shot past Close for a 1-0 lead at 3:12.

Michigan appeared to stretch the lead to 2-0 at 6:32 of the first when Phillipe Lapointe fed Fantilli with a backhand pass in front of the net that Fantilli fired past Close. Gophers coach Bob Motzko challenged the play for offsides, and after a video review, officials waved off the goal.

Close kept it a one-goal deficit at 14:58 of the first with a poke check against Garrett Schifsky just in front of the net. The Gophers had a push at the 16:50 mark when Luke Mittelstadt and Mike Koster forced Barczewski to make a pair of saves two seconds apart.

Outshot 10-7 in the first period, Michigan turned up the pressure early in the second, putting the Gophers on their heels and forcing Close to make four saves by the 3:37 mark.

Michigan’s pressure paid off with the game’s first power play when Pitlick was called for hooking at 4:26. The Wolverines, whose power play operates at a nation’s-best 35.6%, spent the full two minutes in the Minnesota zone. Close made four saves, and defensemen Carl Fish and Sam Rinzel each had a key blocked

Michigan boosted the lead to 2-0 at 18:36 of the second when Brindley, on a rush, beat Close with a shot from the right circle.

The Gophers got their first power play of the game at 3:15 of the third when Ethan Edwards was called for interference. Minnesota got two shots on goal during the man advantage, with Barczewski robbing Aaron Huglen with a glove save