Sitting with a sub-.500 record through the season’s first half, the Gophers men’s hockey team was looking for a spark to turn things around Saturday night.
It got one in the Mariucci Classic when Blake McLaughlin intercepted a pass and scored with 2:50 left in the third period for the winning goal in a 5-2 victory over Bemidji State. Scott Reedy and Sammy Walker added empty net goals with 1:17 and 5 seconds left, respectively.
The Gophers (6-9-4) will face St. Cloud State, a surprising 7-2 winner over No. 2 Minnesota State Mankato, in Sunday’s 7 p.m. championship game at 3M Arena at Mariucci. Bemidji State and Minnesota State meet for third place at 4 p.m.
Sunday’s final will mark the first time Gophers coach Bob Motzko faces St. Cloud State, the team he coached from 2005-18 before being hired by Minnesota. Saturday’s victory was the 300th of Motzko’s career.
Wearing gold sweaters with “Wooger” every player’s name plate in honor of the former Minnesota coach who died at 75 on Dec. 14, the Gophers also got a goal from Garrett Wait and 27 saves from goalie Jack LaFontaine.
Bemidji State (8-6-3) struck first, taking a 1-0 lead on a goal by Ross Armour at 13:33 of the first. After a faceoff win, defenseman put a shot from the point on net, with Armour pounding home the rebound after LaFontaine’s pad save.
The Gophers answered to tie it 1-1 at 16:49 of the first when Reedy deflected Tyler Nanne’s shot from the point past Driscoll. The play started when Jack Perbix won a puck battle in the corner to keep possession in the Beavers zone and got the puck to Jonny Sorenson, who passed to Nanne.
In the second period, Owen Sillinger intercepted a pass by McLaughlin near the Gophers blue line, raced down the ice on a breakaway and beat LaFontaine at 5:20 for a short-handed goal for a 2-1 Beavers lead. The Beavers killed the rest of the penalty, getting a big stop when defenseman Tommy Muck swept the puck out of the crease with Driscoll down.
The Gophers tied it 2-2 at 14:39 when Wait finished a rush by beating Driscoll high. Brannon McManus passed to Ben Meyers, who fed Wait for the goal.
"Goal" - Google News
December 28, 2019 at 07:23PM
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Blake McLaughlin's late goal sends Gophers past Bemidji State - Minneapolis Star Tribune
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