U’ Drops Series Opener 5-2 to UMD
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – Sammy Walker and Ben Meyers teamed up for a pair of goals, but it wasn’t enough as the No. 20 Gopher men’s hockey program dropped a 5-2 decision to No. 8 Minnesota Duluth on Friday night at 3M Arena at Mariucci.
Minnesota (3-2-0 overall, 0-0-0-0 Big Ten) surrendered three unanswered goals to the two-time defending national champions to open the game before Meyers put the Maroon & Gold on the board in the final seconds of the second period. The freshman’s first career goal was set up by Walker and Jackson LaCombe.
The duo of Walker and Meyers paired up again in the opening minutes of the third period, this time with Meyers and Blake McLaughlin feeding Walker for his fourth goal of the season to bring the Gophers within one.
But the Bulldogs (2-3-0, 0-0-0-0 NCHC) answered back with two more goals to lock up the win in the series opener.
Minnesota was outshot 25-20 in the loss while going 0-for-2 on the power play and 1-for-3 on the penalty kill. Jack LaFontaine (1-2-0) suffered the loss for the Maroon & Gold, making 19 saves. Justen Close came on for the final minutes of regulation, making one save in his first collegiate appearance.
Notable
Walker, who leads Minnesota with four goals and seven points, has now scored a goal in four-straight games for the Maroon & Gold. His four-game goal streak is a new career high while his four-game point streak ties his career best (notched points in four-straight games twice during the 2018-19 season as a freshman).
Quotable
“It was a grow-up game for our team,” Minnesota head coach Bob Motzko said. “Their experience was all over the rink tonight, and we’ve got to grow up from that. It’s a game I think is going to make us better.”
Up Next: Home-And-Home with UMD
The Gophers close on this weekend’s non-conference, home-and-home series at AMSOIL Arena on Saturday, Oct. 26 in Duluth (TV: FOX9+/MY9; 1130 KTLK-AM/103.5 FM; Stream: NCHC.tv). Puck drop for the series finale is set for 7 p.m. CT. Minnesota returns home for its first series in Big Ten play on Nov. 1-2, hosting Notre Dame at 3M Arena at Mariucci.