Podcast: That Gopher Hockey Puckcast Episode 16

On a nearly two hour long episode 16 of That Gopher Hockey Puckcast I got sent to Grand Forks.

The "world famous" Nate Wells sits down with Drew Cove and producer Tom Schreier to tell the story of his delayed trip back from New York City, where the Gophers defeated Michigan State. They break down the highs and lows of the weekend before turning focus to Minnesota hosting #1 Notre Dame. Plus: We answer your questions, including our Hobey Baker candidates and crowd atmosphere at Mariucci over the last couple seasons.

Those counting the number of times we name drop Eric Vegoe can directly download here.





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Plugs and stuff

-Drew can be found on Twitter @covedrew and covers Minnesota men's hockey and football for the Minnesota Daily.

-Nate can be found here on this website and at The Athletic (as well as every other website if the various links here don't make clear). You can follow him on Twitter @gopherstate and like/subscribe to his Facebook page.

Facebok Live: Discussing Minnesota hockey's split Saturday (1/27/18)

Once again from the Mariucci Arena pressbox I went on Facebook Live to discuss the day that was in Minnesota hockey. I touched on key points in the Gopher men falling 4-1 to #1 Notre Dame along with some takeaways in the Gopher women's 2-0 shutout win over Minnesota State.



Remember you can like/subscribe to my Facebook page here.

Game Story: Undisciplined play costs Gophers against No. 1 Notre Dame

MINNEAPOLIS- After a hard-fought win Friday, undisciplined play cost No. 13 Minnesota a chance to sweep the top-ranked Fighting Irish at 3M Arena at Mariucci.

The Gophers put Notre Dame on the power play six times and paid dearly. Entering Saturday having been shut out in back-to-back games following a 16-game winning streak, the Fighting Irish scored three power-play goals en route to a 4-1 win and series split.

“We took some undisciplined penalties tonight. Against a good quality team like that you can’t,” Minnesota head coach Don Lucia said. “We got down 2-rip and you’re chasing. Against them that’s not the team you want to chase the scoreboard against.

“(Notre Dame has) got the record they do for a reason so we’ll continue the learning process. It was important for us to get a win this weekend.”

Brannon McManus scored the home team’s lone goal late in the second period to get the Gophers within a goal. Skating down the ice on an odd-man rush with Rem Pitlick, he made a move around a defender and buried the puck past goaltender Cale Morris.

“Any time you can go in with any sort of momentum it’s obviously big,” McManus said about his team entering the third period. “They’re the number one team in the country and they don’t take losing easily. It showed tonight.”

Click here to read the rest!

Game Story: Minnesota Sweeps Mavericks on Senior Day (Zone Coverage)

MINNEAPOLIS- In their final Ridder Arena regular season appearance, Minnesota’s senior class helped lead the Gophers to its 50th consecutive victory over Minnesota State.

Senior forward Cara Piazza scored the game’s opening goal and senior goaltender Sidney Peters made 32 saves in a 2-0 shutout win. Combined with an Ohio State loss, Saturday’s win moved Minnesota (19-8-2, 12-6-2-0 WCHA) up to second place in the WCHA.

The much-needed two-game sweep comes a week after the Gophers were swept by the Buckeyes in Columbus. Minnesota plays its final four regular-season games on the road against St. Cloud State and Wisconsin before likely returning to host a WCHA first-round playoff series at the end of the month.

“It’s hard to win in our league and so to be able to get on the horse so to speak and find our winning ways is big going into the last four games of the regular season,” said Minnesota head coach Brad Frost.

The Gophers honored its four seniors — defender Sydney Baldwin, Piazza, Peters and forward Caitlin Reilly — prior to Minnesota’s 2017-18 home finale.

“I was tearing up even during the national anthem before the game started,” Peters said. “It was a pretty emotional day for me and the other three seniors just because we love this team so much.”

Click here to read the rest!

Facebook Live: Notre Dame at Minnesota 1/27/18 Postgame

From the Mariucci Arena press box I went on Facebook Live to discuss Casey Mittelstadt's OT winning goal, Mat Robson's 25 save performance that matched Cale Morris, Minnesota's standing in the Big Ten and nationally, beating the #1 team in the nation for the second time this month and much more.

Game Story: Mittelstadt magic gives No. 13 Minnesota OT win over No. 1 Notre Dame (Zone Coverage)

MINNEAPOLIS- There was nothing pretty about the goal Casey Mittelstadt scored other than it giving Minnesota its second shutout victory over a No. 1 ranked team this month.

Known for his highlight-reel plays that are replayed on television and internet, the freshman forward made one for himself Friday. Mittelstadt, just as he imagined himself as a kid growing up in Eden Prairie, scored his first-ever collegiate overtime winning goal.

Mittelstadt crashed the net in front of Fighting Irish goaltender Cale Morris. Being at the right place, he tapped in a Rem Pitlick shot that Morris could not quite control and sent the 3M at Mariucci crowd into celebration 3:35 into OT in a 1-0 win.

“That’s a pretty special moment,” he said. “Being a Gopher is something that I’ve always dreamed of. Now that I’m actually here I get to make plays out here and wear the jersey and it’s pretty special.”

The victory gives No. 13 Minnesota (16-12-1, 7-9-1-1 Big Ten) a three-game winning streak and breathing room in the Pairwise rankings, which mimic the criteria used to select the NCAA Tournament field. The team also earned three much-needed points in the Big Ten conference standings. One point separates third and sixth place in the Big Ten with the Gophers, Wisconsin and Penn State all tied for fourth with 23 points.

Click here to read the rest!

BLOG: Leftover New York City "Super Saturday" Thoughts

All Photos: Nathan Wells

I ended up with enough extra thoughts about last weekend's "Super Saturday" to fill a blog.

New York, I love you (for college hockey)...
-Let's start with this: I'm a fan of more college hockey in New York City.

-There's something special about seeing and covering a game at Madison Square Gardern. It starts outside, getting out of Penn Station below the building or walking up and seeing the 10 story circular building. You feel the history inside the World's Most Famous Arena. Muhammad Ali fought there. Patrick Ewing played there. Decades of Rangers have skated on the ice.

Inside the building feels new thanks to a recent renovation. You can tell it's a renovation, however, with some of the odd paths and ways to get around. (Ice/court level is on the fifth level.) I got completely lost leaving the building the first time.