Southeastern Minnesota has always been a special place for Bob Motuko.
That hasn’t changed, even as Motuko’s University of Minnesota men’s hockey team finished first in the nation’s rankings this season.
Motuko and the Big Ten Conference Champions Gophers are gearing up to make a postseason push. The ultimate goal is a trip to Tampa Bay’s Frozen Four and the program’s 6th National Championship. Start preparing in Rochester.
The Gophers will bid farewell in the opening round of the Big Ten Tournament, while the other six teams in the conference will play their quarterfinal series on March 3rd and 4th. Gophers make getaways to Rochester and Graham Arena.
The Gophers will practice at Graham Arena 3 on Friday, March 3 from 3:00 to 4:15. The following day, Saturday, March 4th, will feature intra-squad scrimmage at Graham Arena 4 from 6-7:30pm. Both events are free, but seating is relatively limited, especially at Graham 3.
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Minnesota has two of the hottest stars in college hockey this season. Freshman forwards Logan Cooley and Jimmy Snageld.
Cooley was selected third overall in last year’s NHL Draft by the Arizona Coyotes. He has scored his 44 points this season, including 15 goals, and is his fourth-most scorer in Division I hockey.
Snuggerud from Chanhassen is right behind Cooley. A first-round draft pick from St. Louis last year, Snageld (23rd overall) has 19 goals and 43 points.
The trip will not only allow the Gophers to leave Minneapolis a week before the Big Ten semifinals on Saturday, March 11, but it will also serve as a homecoming of sorts for Austin High School alumnus Motuko. will be As well as a pair of Gophers players.
Freshman forward Brody Lamb is a Byron High School graduate who played for the Dodge County Wildcats two years ago, leading them to the state’s Class A championship game. Lamb has appeared in 31 of 32 games for the Gophers this season (23-8-1) and has two goals and three assists. His shooting count he has 49 and the rating is plus 3 plus minus.
Gophers freshman goaltender Zach Wiese will also return to his familiar springboard. A graduate of Owatonna High School, he played his second season (2020-22) with the Rochester Grizzlies and last spring led the team to the Fraser His Cup, the first-ever North American Three Hockey League National Championship. rice field. Wiese, his third goalkeeper for the Gophers, has worn it in all 32 games, but he has not appeared in a game this season.
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Motzko is in his fifth season as the Gophers’ head coach. He has an overall record of 107-58-12 in the program where he was an assistant coach from 2001-2005. The Gophers have won his two national championships in 2002 and 2003, and Motzko hopes to lead him to his first win since the 2003 season.
