Brody Lamb knew what his role was going to be like when he joined the University of Minnesota men’s hockey team as a true freshman last fall.

For perhaps the first time in forever, Lamb was asked to be his team’s top scorer instead of owning the puck or being defensively responsible first and foremost.

Ram fully embraced the role.

“I think the first few weeks were an adjustment,” said Lamb, a Byron native who was Minnesota’s 2021 AP High School Player of the Year as a junior in Dodge County. my game.

“The speed and physicality[of college games]came naturally. The biggest adjustments were controlling the puck and playing different people every game.”

A move from junior hockey — Lamb scored 41 points in 62 games for the Green Bay Gamblers in the USHL last season — to high-level Division I college hockey will be a big win for Lamb by becoming part of Rank 1. It’s easier now. domestic team.

The Gophers are 25-8-1 and will bid farewell in the first round of the Big Ten Conference playoffs starting this weekend. Minnesota hopes the teams that have been the country’s premier conference of the year will battle each other in hopes of getting closer to winning the conference title and an automatic spot in the NCAA Tournament, or even a general berth in the 16th. You can sit and watch. National tournament starting at the end of this month.

The Gophers don’t have to worry about qualifying. they are in

Head coach Bob Motsko from Austin has the weekend off and decided to bring his top-ranked team to Rochester this weekend.

The Gophers practice at Graham Arena 3 on Friday at 3pm. They’ll spend the night here on Friday before heading back to the Twin Cities for an intra-squad scrimmage at Graham Arena 4 on Saturday at 6pm.

It’s going to be a bit of a homecoming for Lamb and freshman goaltender Zach Weas (Owatonna native and former Rochester Grizzlies). As a junior, he scored his 52 goals and scored 87 points, leading the Wildcats to a runner-up finish in his 2020-21 season.

After joining the Gophers and leading Dodge County to their first-ever state conference, the New York Rangers selected Lamb with the eighth pick in the fourth round of the 2021 NHL Draft.

Matt Clone/Matt Clone

Wiese is Minnesota’s number three goaltender. He has earned the trust and respect of his teammates by getting his outfit in order for every game, arriving early after practice and staying late.

“He’s just an unreal guy,” Lamb said of Wiese. “He’s always in a good mood and gets along very well with everyone. He’s always on the ice early, takes shots and stays late. It’s hard for him to take on that role, but he knows he has his chance if he keeps going he will get his chance.

Lamb has two goals and three assists and has appeared in 33 of the Gophers’ 34 games this season. But his value came in many ways. All season he has only taken one penalty and has blocked 18 shots.

He also pulled off a “welcome to college hockey” moment early and laughed when asked about it.

“It happened against North Dakota,” he said, in late October. “I was close to the wall and was blown up.”

He quickly learned his lesson, adding that it hasn’t happened to him again. Instead, Ram and Big Ten champion Gopher have been punishing opponents. ‘s tough Big 10 and are currently ranked No. 1 pairwise. This mirrors the process the Commission uses to select teams for the NCAA Tournament. If the Gophers can maintain the No. 1 pairwise pairwise, the Gophers will be the No. 1 overall seed at the national tournament.

Minnesota is led by an excellent defensive co-op this season, including six NHL Draft picks. Jackson LaCombe (Anaheim, 2019 Round 2); juniors Brock Faber (Los Angeles, 2020 Round 2, traded to Minnesota) and Mike Coster (Toronto, 2019 Round 5); Freshmen Cal Thomas (Arizona, Round 6, 2021) and Ryan Chesley (Washington, Round 2, 2022).

Offensively, freshman forwards Logan Cooley and Jimmy Snageld burst onto the college scene. Cooley (16-32-48) is 3rd overall and Snageld (20-27-47) is tied for 4th.

Senior Justin Close once again held back the goal. He averaged 1.99 goals, a .928 save percentage and six shutouts in his 22-8-1 record.

All of this made for Ram’s fun ride in his rookie season in college hockey. Lamb hopes this season doesn’t end until April 8, the night of the National Championship game in Tampa Bay.

“Older players are trying to explain that the playoffs are more intense,” Lam said. “I think you have to get out on the ice, take the first hit and get the first shift to really know what you are doing.”

what: The #1 University of Minnesota men’s hockey team will be in Rochester this weekend for practice and intra-squad scrimmage.

when and where: Practice Friday at 3pm (Graham Arena 3); Scrimmage Saturday at 6pm (Graham Arena 4).

community bond: Gophers head coach Bob Motuko hails from Austin, while two freshmen, forward Brody Lamb (Byron, Dodge County Wildcats) and goaltender Zach Wiese (Owatonna, Rochester Grizzlies), live in Southeast Minnesota. I grew up playing in