MINNEAPOLIS – The No. 1 Minnesota men’s hockey team got two goals from freshman Brodie Ziemer and skated to a 3-3 tie with No. 3/2 Michigan State inside 3M Arena at Mariucci Friday night. Ziemer scored a power-play goal for the Golden Gophers (15-2-2 overall, 8-0-1 B1G) with nine minutes left in the third period to […]
MINNEAPOLIS – The No. 1 Minnesota men’s hockey team got two goals from freshman Brodie Ziemer and skated to a 3-3 tie with No. 3/2 Michigan State inside 3M Arena at Mariucci Friday night.
Ziemer scored a power-play goal for the Golden Gophers (15-2-2 overall, 8-0-1 B1G) with nine minutes left in the third period to force overtime after the Spartans (12-2-1 overall, 5-1-1 B1G) had a three-goal second period to take a 3-2 lead. MSU claimed an extra point in the B1G standings via the shootout, while the Maroon and Gold remained unbeaten in league play.
The fans inside 3M Arena at Mariucci barely had a chance to find their seats before Minnesota christened its new “Iron Range Alternate” uniforms, scoring just 23 seconds into the contest. Jimmy Snuggerud fired a shot from the right wall and after MSU’s netminder made the initial save, Ziemer pounced on the rebound and buried the opening tally. The Spartans nearly pulled even three minutes later but a last-second stick check from Sam Rinzel stopped the odd-man rush in front of the Gophers’ goal. Speed through the attacking zone from the home side led to its first power play at the 5:51 mark that was erased by the visitors.
In what turned out to be one of the most impressive plays of the period, Luke Mittelstadt forced MSU into skating offsides as he stopped the puck with his skate at his own blue line after his stick shattered on a shot attempt at the other end of the ice. Both teams had chances on the man advantage over the final six minutes of the frame, but neither could break through, and the Gophers held the one-goal cushion at intermission.
MSU got the tying goal 2:20 into the second stanza with an awkward deflection in the slot. The goal snapped Minnesota’s shutout streak across four outings at 167 minutes, 16 seconds. It was the home team that struck again 1:49 later as Oliver Moore collected a chipped clearance from Connor Kurth and used speed to attack along the left wing. The sophomore put a no-look pass on the tape of Brody Lamb in the high slot and the Byron, Minn., native did not miss going high glove for a 2-1 edge.
A major penalty and game misconduct on the Maroon and Gold on the next shift allowed the Spartans to pull even, despite killing off more than three minutes of the man advantage. With less than a minute left in the major, MSU was called for another infraction and the teams skated 4-on-4. The visitors thought it took the lead at the 8:56 mark but the puck was knocked in from on top of the goal and waved off following a lengthy discussion from the officials.
After moving back to full strength, it was the edge work of Beckett Hendrickson that allowed him to come an inch from putting the Gophers back in front as his shot ricocheted off the crossbar. The offense continued to pressure the Spartans, leading to chances from Hendrickson and Rinzel before a too-many-men penalty gave MSU a 5-on-4 chance. Goaltender Nathan Airey made a dazzling glove save to deny a goal and the action went back to even as another visiting penalty stopped play. A whistle 17 seconds later helped the Spartans to a 4-on-3 advantage and they scored their second power-play goal of the period. The visitors took a 3-2 lead into the locker room through two periods, but not before both teams were called for matching minors as the parade to the box continued during a frame that saw a combined 27 minutes of penalties.
The Gophers opened the final frame on a strong surge until their tired legs started to show, playing with only nine healthy forwards. Kurth was able to slip behind the MSU defense for a breakaway that was saved with the goalie’s right pad seven minutes into the period. After the ensuing faceoff, the Spartans were called for a major penalty, bringing the home crowd to life via the dangerous hit from behind. The Minnesota power play went to work as a one-timer from Moore was kicked aside and a sharp angle bid from Kurth was blocked with the shoulder.
Momentum stayed with the Gophers, and they finally capitalized at the 11:06 mark of the third period. Mike Koster brought the puck through the neutral zone before flipping a pass along the blue line to Ziemer. The freshman kicked the pass up to his stick and cut to the middle of the ice, toe-dragging between two defenders before slipping a shot to the back of the net between the goalie’s legs. After starting the play from his own crease, Airey registered his first collegiate point with an assist. The Spartans killed off the final minute of the extended power play and neither side could deliver the winning goal late in the game as the teams skated to a 3-3 deadlock, heading into overtime.
It was back and forth action for the entire five-minute extra session as each team had quality chances to finish the night. As they did all game long, it was the goaltenders that were the stars of the show and shut down each attempt before moving to a shootout. MSU scored twice and stopped both of Minnesota’s bids to claim the shootout victory.
Airey kept his unbeaten streak alive, moving to 9-0-2 for the year, behind a 29-save effort Friday.
Noteworthy
Ziemer’s opening goal was the quickest by Minnesota this season and just his second inside 3M Arena at Mariucci in 2024-25 before adding his first collegiate power-play tally in the third period … He has 10 points for the year as the 10th Gopher to reach double-digit scoring thanks to his first NCAA multi-goal performance … The freshman now has seven goals for the campaign, four of which were scored during a first period … Of the Gophers’ four fastest goals of the year, Ziemer has accounted for the last three as the team has scored four times inside of four minutes to begin a contest … Lamb put away his team-leading 11th goal this season and now has 18 points, while snapping a two-game stretch without a point, his longest drought of the season … Snuggerud extended his conference-leading point total to 23 behind an assist Friday and the junior has a point in three-straight outings … Following a four-point weekend against Michigan, both Moore and Kurth collected helpers and reached 17 and 21 points, respectively … Moore’s assist pushed his scoring streak to four games, while Kurth now has a point in each of his last three … Koster tallied his fifth assist and sixth point of the year on the power-play goal … The Gophers dropped a game for the first time when scoring on the man advantage after winning the first 10 games with a power-play tally … Minnesota entered the game as the seventh-least penalized team in the country, averaging only 6.8 per game, but were called for a season-high 23 penalty minutes Friday, including 21 in the second period alone … The Gophers dropped to 4-21 all-time in shootouts, having lost nine straight, and are just 2-16 in B1G shootouts … Minnesota owns a 13-0-1 record in games this season when finding the back of the net three times or more.
Coach Motzko’s Comments
“That was a heck of a hockey game tonight; two heavyweights going at it,” Minnesota head coach Bob Motzko said. “I give our guys credit. I just loved our heart and compete tonight and battle. The goaltenders were outstanding. Everybody got entertained with an outstanding game tonight.”
Next Up: Home vs. Michigan State (Dec. 14)
The Gophers close the 2024 calendar year with the series finale against Michigan State on Saturday evening. Puck drop is slated for 5 p.m. on FOX9+ and streaming via B1G+ along with audio coverage on the Gopher Radio Network 103.5 FM/AM-1130 KTLK. It’ll be Minnesota’s annual Teddy Bear Toss following the game and all stuffed animals will be donated to the M Health Fairview Masonic Children’s Hospital. Donations MUST be new and placed in plastic bags prior to throwing them on the ice.
