After six goals and 11 points in 14 games, the 6-foot forward wondered how the year would pan out in his favor if he stayed in Omaha instead of going back home to Prior Lake for his senior year.

Then he thought about not just the promising outlook on his season with the Lakers, but the Vermont commit also had his sights set on one particular calendar date: a match-up with East Grand Forks on Hockey Day Minnesota 2022 in Mankato.

“That’s a game you want to be a part, of no question,” said Bump, who has amassed 20 goals and 40 points through 17 games with the Lakers this season. “I definitely considered my development and what would be best for me, and the USHL would have been a great league to stick around in, but I couldn’t miss this game. I couldn’t miss this experience with my buddies and teammates.

“It’s a memory I won’t forget.”

East Grand Forks’ Jaksen Panzer had a similar dilemma. The junior forward started the year with nearby Minot Minotauros of the North American Hockey League where he notched five goals and 13 assists in 16 games. Panzer leads East Grand Forks with 17 goals and 33 points in 15 games this year.

For Panzer, equally as alluring was the potential promise of another Minnesota State High School Boy’s Hockey Tournament where the Green Wave has made six appearances in nine years.

“Of course you come back (to high school) with the goal of making the state tournament,” said Panzer, who plans to attend the University of North Dakota post-high school. “We’ve gotten really close the past few years and we’re right there.

“But, I also saw this Hockey Day game as one that you really only get one shot at, and not everyone even ever gets this chance. To have a full crowd and prime-time television — bigger than even the state tournament broadcast — who wouldn’t want to come back and play with their team in a game like that?”

Bump also acknowledged the crowd following the Lakers 7-1 victory against the Green Wave.

“That was the coolest thing,” said Bump who tallied 4 assists and a goal in the game. “I had my mom and dad there and just to see everyone cheering us on, it was pretty great.”

Between the crowd, the broadcast and the phenomenal set-up from host city Mankato: Any regrets?

“Absolutely not,” said Bump.

“None at all,” chimed Panzer.

The post No Regrets appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

UMD edges MSU in North Star College Cup Opener in Iafallo OT winner at the ‘X’ …

Featured Image:
UMD’s Alex Iafallo celebrates his overtime winner against Minnesota State.
(Photo/Jeff Wegge)

A little bit of snow was the perfect backdrop for an all-Minnesota hockey tournament in the inaugural North Star College Cup. Coming from near opposite ends of the state, the University of Minnesota-Duluth and Minnesota State-Mankato faced-off at 4 p.m. as the appetizer in the night’s two-game feast.

And the two squads didn’t disappoint, mirroring each other throughout the entire game before a non-Minnesota native ended it in overtime fashion.

New York native Alex Iafallo got a look from Tony Cameranesi on the Bulldog power play with 26.5 seconds left to go in the extra frame for the 5-4 win. The rebirth of the Minnesota rivalries this weekend wasn’t lost on him during the course of that game-winner.

“Starting my freshman year, I just kind of came in to the Minnesota culture,” said Iafallo, who finished the night with three points. “It’s great. I’m still a New Yorker, but it’s great I got the Minnesota-side view.”

The power-play goal was one of many in the night, with very little 5-on-5 hockey played the whole game. A total of four power play goals and two shorthanded goals were split amongst the teams.

“It was a very tough game, very back and forth hockey … and the last one with the puck won,” Minnesota State coach Mike Hastings said. “[Goaltender] Cole Huggins has pulled our bacon out of the fryer multiple times this year and he thought he had it at the end but came up just short.”

It seemed that whatever one team did, the other would answer, only better.

The Bulldogs bit first with Andy Welinski stepping just inside the blue line for a quick slapshot that got through to the back of the net at 7:28.

Back and forth play resumed and Mankato kept it tight as Johnny McInnis added his own from the outside at 10:25 to make it a one-all game. The Mavericks shutdown a power-play opportunity for UMD before getting their own chance for the odd-man advantage.

It only took a faceoff win in the Duluth-zone for Mankato to capitalize, when Matt Leitner hammered it home up front to give the Mavericks a 2-1 lead at 14:25. It was a lead they held on to heading into the second.

The second was another evenly matched period for the two squads as, again, Minnesota-Duluth struck first. Austin Farley sniped one to the back of the net just six seconds in on the power play to knot the game up at two at 3:49. Momentum shifted into the Bulldogs favor, with clear puck control and a majority of the period’s possession. Captain Adam Krause gave Duluth the lead after posting up in front for the putaway goal on Iafallo’s shot to make it 3-2 at 10:27.

But MSU wasn’t done, taking charge in the second half of the period and setting up a rush that led to a power-play chance. Jean-Paul Lafontaine narrowly slipped one over the line that, after review, tied the game back up at 3-3 at 16:58.

Penalties continued in the chippy game and opened up the final frame. Being shorthanded didn’t stop the Mavericks from tallying one early on at 6:53. Zach Lehrke stepped out of the box, received a Zach Palmquist pass for a breakaway and the easy goal around Aaron Crandall to give the Mavericks a 4-3 lead.

But as seemed true in the night’s game, Duluth answered back with its own shorthanded goal. Kyle Osterberg broke free and scored with a nice move around Cole Huggins and once again the game was tied up, 4-4.

Free hockey arrived for the fans as the game was pushed into a five-minute overtime where both squads had their chances to end it. But a late boarding penalty by Minnesota State’s Brett Stern set UMD up for the eventual Iafallo winner.

The Bulldogs will face either Minnesota or St. Cloud State in the championship game, two teams they have already met this season.

“To be honest I think I’d rather play Minnesota tomorrow,” said Bulldog head coach Scott Sandelin, whose team will meet St. Cloud State in conference play in two weeks. “We’re going to have to be better in some areas tomorrow.”

The post Overtime Thriller appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Featured Image:
Colgate goaltender Charlie Finn watches a Minnesota shot in the third period at Mariucci Arena on Friday, January 4, 2014, in the Raiders’ 3-2 shootout win over the Gophers at the Mariucci Classic.
(COPYRIGHT: Ryan Coleman, d3photography.com)

Sluggish Gophers tie Colgate, fall in shootout in Mariucci Classic opener…

Twenty-six days can be a long time for a mid-season break. Maybe too long, as made apparent by a lifeless University of Minnesota Golden Gopher team Friday night.

The Gophers opened up 2014 as hosts of the Mariucci Classic, but didn’t retain their status as No.1 in the tournament with a 2-2 tie and eventual shootout loss to Colgate.

“We were just off, plain and simple,” said Gopher assistant coach Mike Guentzel.

Without Don Lucia, Brady Skjei and Hudson Fasching — who were on their way home after an early exit for the U.S. National Junior Team in the International Ice Hockey Federation’s World Junior Championships held in Malmo, Sweden — Guentzel took the reins and shook up the lines.

But while the lines appeared to work well together at first, something was off. Minnesota came out slow and struggled with smart plays. Maybe it was the holiday break lagging them down, but the energy was completely absent from the maroon and gold squad.

“Yeah, I really don’t know,”said Guentzel of his team’s struggles. “It’s tough, but you make the best of it. We have no excuses there. Whether it’s coaching or not scoring, being short-handed, there is no excuse for it. (Colgate) is a good team.”

Minnesota tested Colgate freshman netminder Charlie Finn early on, out shooting the Raiders 13-6 through the scoreless first period.. Minnesota sparked a flame in the middle of the second frame as Gopher freshman defenseman Michael Brodzinski continued to prove himself as an offensive threat. Brodzinski sailed one from just inside the blue line that skipped past Finn for a 1-0 Minnesota lead just 2:25 into the period.

Colgate responded with two of their own including Joe Wilson’s goal at 8:29 which he slipped between the pads of Adam Wilcox after the Gopher goaltender mistakenly assumed he had frozen the puck. Wilcox finished with 27 saves and appeared to be fighting the puck all night.

Just under seven minutes later the Raiders capitalized on a poorly executed Minnesota line change by turning a Nate Condon neutral-zone turnover into an easy 2-on-0 for Darcy Murphy and Daniel Gentzler with Murphy tallying for a 2-1 Colgate lead at the end of two.

“Ultimately, the bottom line tonight is that giving up the puck between the blue lines in the neutral zone, is going to cost you the hockey game,” said Guentzel.

And that go-ahead goal was a big turning point for Colgate according to Finn.

“I think just pulling in front of them for that lead against a No.1 team was a lot,” said Finn, who ended the night with 36 saves. “To do that here, obviously we’ve never played in front of a crowd like this, gave us that confidence to finish this game.”

The Gophers didn’t make it easy for the Raiders, however, as Travis Boyd slapped one in from the left side on the power play midway through the third for the tying goal. The final minutes were the most electric of the night, the announced crowd of 9,520 included. Each team had opportunities, but both goaltenders did their part to force overtime.

Colgate held an edge in the extra stanza but ultimately the teams were going to let a shootout decide.

Colgate’s Mike Borkowski scored leaving Kyle Rau with a must-score effort after two Gopher failed attempts. The Gopher captain prevailed, but Ryan Johnston potted one to end the game leaving the Gophers now 0-3 in shootouts this season.

What was supposed to be a prime match-up between the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the nation in Minnesota and Ferris State on Saturday is no more. Colgate and Ferris State now play for the championship at 4 p.m. while the Gophers will face RPI at 7 p.m. consolation title.

Additional Game Notes:

Kyle Rau tallied his 100th career point on the assist to Boyd. He joins an elite class of 80 Gophers to have reached the century mark. Erik Haula, now in the Minnesota Wild system, was the last Gopher to achieve the honor.

“It’s pretty cool,” said Rau. “I’m disappointed in the loss but that’s a positive take away.”

The post Far From A Classic appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Featured Image:
Freshman Michael Brodzinski had a goal and an assist in Minnesota’s 6-1 win over UMD on Friday, Nov. 22, at Mariucci Arena. (MHM Photo: Jordan Doffing)

Minnesota fell behind early but scored six unanswered in Mariucci Arena’s maroon and gold filled rink and skated away with a 6-1 victory over in-state rival Minnesota-Duluth, earning the No. 1 Gophers their fourth straight win.

“I thought (UMD) came out had a great surge to start the game, probably fortunate we were only down one,” said Gopher head coach Don Lucia. “But we got that first one and it got us going a bit.”

Adam Wilcox was one goal away from a shutout, a fairly soft goal that slipped past him on a loose rebound early in the opening frame as White Bear Lake native Charlie Sampair picked up a loose puck right in front of the goal line to easily slip it past Wilcox. But it was the only one that got past the sophomore netminder who had a career-high 36 saves.

“It was a tough bounce I didn’t see right away but after that we responded well, got three goals in a short time span so we did a good job after that,” said Wilcox. “It was a tough game, UMD is a good team, I don’t think the score really showed the game there.”

“(Adam) was good and I think we relied on him a bit too much tonight,” Lucia said. “So we have to tighten things up, especially for Sunday, but Adam was good; he was on top.”

Within three minutes Minnesota tacked on three goals as the first period neared an end and didn’t let off the throttle, taking it top shelf for three of the six goals and surging past the Bulldogs for the final tally in the opening game of the series.

A night off tomorrow for the Gopher football team’s Axe Battle with Wisconsin before the two teams meet again at 4 p.m. on Sunday.

Other Game Notes:

Keeping it spread out: The Gophers’ six goals came from six different players as Minnesota kept with its theme of multiple scorers. A.J. Michaelson picked up his first of the season and Kyle Rau finally got his second after a decline in scoring output. Tom Serratore, Justin Kloos, Travis Boyd and Mike Brodzinski also tallied

“The Boyd-Serratore- (Seth) Amrboz line was great,” said Lucia. “Our team tonight had six different guys score goals and that’s our team, that’s the way it has to be. When we get the good contribution, you know A.J. (Michaelson) scored to his first goal, he earned the right to get back in (the lineup) so it’s nice to see guys have a good week and get rewarded.”

Warning Light: Sam Warning continued his point streak, making it 11 games where the junior captain has tallied a point or more. Warning assisted on Rau’s second period goal.

Sin Bin Time: A total of 16 penalties were called throughout the game, the Gophers going on the penalty kill seven times. Minnesota managed to kill off all seven of the Bulldogs power-play opportunities, an area Lucia said he is seeing some growth.

“We’re getting better,” said Lucia. “You’re best penalty killer’s always your goaltender but we watched our shots. As far as I’m concerned we gave them too many opportunities, we have to be more disciplined Sunday.”

It’s Been Awhile: The last time Minnesota and Minnesota-Duluth met in a non-conference game was 1965. The Gophers wrap up non-conference play this weekend before entering its first season of Big Ten competition, opening B1G play next weekend with familiar foe Wisconsin.

“It might wane as the years go on because conference games take added importance,” said Lucia. “But it’s important, it’s something we talked about, we gotta win in-state games and we’re 5-0 in those games and that’s important to us.”

The post Gophers Climb Out of Early Hole to Down UMD appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Featured Image:
Minnesota’s Adam Wilcox denies a wrap-around attempt by Minnesota State’s Jean-Paul Lafontaine. (Photo: University of Minnesota Athletics)

They’re a familiar face though conference realignment has split them apart. Although the Minnesota State Mavericks and Minnesota Golden Gophers are no longer conference foes, that doesn’t mean the intensity of the in-state rivalry is lost.

“It’s always a great game,” said Mike Hastings. “There’s no question about that.”

Five Minnesotans dot the roster for the Mavericks including Max Gaede, Zach Palmquist, Zach Stepan, Blake Thompson and Brett Stern. Leading the Minnesota State charge is former Gopher assistant coach, Hastings.

And for a team that calls themselves “Minnesota’s Pride on Ice” Hastings said, even without conference points, the importance of Friday night’s game, and the weekend series, isn’t lost on the boys in black and purple.

“You always get excited to come and play here, especially as a fellow Minnesota Division I team,” said Hastings. “We’re going to have to go back to the drawing board because knowing Minnesota they’re going to go back and make some changes and step up even more tomorrow night. They’re going to be excited about defending their home ice.”

And they will be looking for the sweep as the No. 1 ranked Gophers walked away with the game Friday night, handing Mavericks a 4-1 loss.

Justin Kloos, Mike Reilly, Connor Reilly and Seth Ambroz accounted for the four Minnesota goals. Kloos and Mike Reilly recording first period tallies for a 2-0 lead, with Connor getting Minnesota’s only power-play goal on the night in the second period.

But Palmquist scored on Minnesota goalie Adam Wilcox to ruin his shutout on the night with little less than seven minutes remaining in the game but Ambroz netted the final tally sans goalie to hold on for the 4-1 win.

Minnesota State is the first Minnesota team to visit Mariucci Arena this season. Minnesota will reunite with the Mavericks, along with Minnesota-Duluth and St. Cloud State, Friday and Saturday, Jan. 24-25, at Xcel Energy Center for the inaugural North Star College Cup with a chance to face each other on Saturday.

Other game notes: Justin Kloos remains red hot for the Gophers. The freshman notched the first goal of the game to get Minnesota on the board with just under 10 minutes to play in the opening period. The tally was Kloos’ fourth of the young season.

Speaking of continuing dominance: Senior captain Nate Condon added to his team-leading point total with assists on two goals Friday night.

“I think Nate has been a huge asset,” said Lucia. “He is able to see those plays, like Reilly cutting … he can just see those plays and that’s what we like to see.”

Talk about brotherly love: Mike and Connor Reilly each grabbed a goal in Friday’s win. Mike ripped one in the first for a 2-0 lead while Connor got the Gophers third goal on the power play with a one-timer to the corner. An extra tidbit, the goal marked the first time two of the Reilly brothers have been involved on the same goal (remember there are three total, with Connor’s twin Ryan also a redshirt freshman). It was also the first time Gopher brothers combined for a score since Ryan and Grant Potulny in 2004.

“Yeah it was awesome,” said Mike, who tacked on a goal earlier in the night for two points Friday. “It kind of reminds me of growing up being out on the ice. It was pretty special.”

Packer pride was on display when Palmquist slipped it past Wilcox for the Mavericks’ lone goal.

Both players are South St. Paul alums, familiar with one another. “I didn’t really get to say anything to him yet,” said Palmquist with a grin. “I’ll probably shoot him a text tonight, give him a little bit of crap.”

Wilcox’s response to his former teammate one-upping him:  “Yeah you kind of just laugh it off, joke after the game. It’s nice to get the win.”

The post Former Conference Foes, Forever In-state Rivals appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Featured Image Caption: Gopher freshman Taylor Cammarata was stopped here for one of Mercyhurst goaltender Jordan Tibbett’s 42 saves in Minnesota’s 6-0 season-opening win. (MHM Photo / © Jeff Wegge)

Minnesota certainly put the golden in Golden Gophers Friday night. The boys in maroon and gold handily dismantled Mercyhurst, taking down the Lakers 6-0 in front of 9,196 as part of the Icebreaker Tournament at Mariucci Arena. The win advances Minnesota to the tournament’s championship game against New Hampshire at 7 p.m. on Saturday.

Offense and speed were a strong point of Minnesota’s game all night with 10 different Gophers (six different scorers) working for the six goals.

“I think we’re deeper than we’ve ever been,” Minnesota coach Don Lucia said. “Last year I thought we were a little thin on some lines.

“I think you’ll see that all year … We won’t have one or two guys getting all the points it will be more spread out.”

It didn’t take too long for Minnesota to show its offensive prowess, pressuring Mercyhurst goaltender Jordan Tibbett and his defense right away. Getting that first-season-goal monkey off his back, Kyle Rau capitalized on the power play for the Gophers at 6:25 of the first period to get Minnesota on the board. Rau positioned himself in front of the net to sweep up the garbage, tapping one in past Tibbett.

Just 3:37 into the second period Seth Ambroz notched one for the highlight reel on an unassisted —well technically an assist to himself—goal. Ambroz came in hard on the right side and sent one sailing off the cross bar but managed to get his own rebound and backhanded it in off Tibbett to make it a 2-0 Gopher lead after review.

“That’s a typical Ambroz goal,” said Gopher netminder Adam Wilcox with a laugh about Ambroz’s SportsCenter top-10 worthy tally. “Typical 1-7.” A reference to Ambroz’s jersey number 17.

Shots kept hailing on Tibbett for the rest of the period with Minnesota outshooting Mercyhurst 20-5 in the middle frame alone. At 11:52 Sam Warning got a tally in the goal column, another reviewed goal, as he narrowly slipped the puck over the goal line, riding the red but enough to count it for a 3-0 score. Rau picked up the assist on the goal.

Freshman Michael Brodzinski of Blaine scored in his collegiate debut vs. Mercyhurst. (MHM Photo / © Jeff Wegge)

Roughly four minutes later on the power play, Justin Kloos took a beauty of a pass from Nate Condon across the ice and put it top shelf to widen the gap to four.

Just past the mid-point of a quieter third period, more Gophers found their way onto the score sheet to increase the lead to five. Mike Reilly skated in from the point and found the puck in front for a one-timer to the back of the net with 8:37 left to go in the game. Hudson Fasching and Warning picked up the assists.

Minnesota wasn’t quite done, as Michael Brodzinski earned his first collegiate goal with a shot from the left circle that powered past Tibbett to make it 6-0 at 18:41. Warning and Rau added to their point totals on the night with the assists.

With three juniors notching the first three goals then mixing in some youth, Warning said that combination further proves the amount of depth on this year’s team.

“We all have to step up,” said Warning who had three points on the night along with Rau. “Rau stepped up his freshman year and sophomore year so right now we have to have more juniors step up, along with seniors.”

The 6-0 route gave Wilcox his fourth shutout and the Gopher offense posted one of its highest shots on goal outputs, totaling 48 on the night.

The post Gophers Break the Ice with Shutout Win appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Featured Image: Gopher goalie Adam Wilcox will be staring down some unfamiliar foes this season in the Big Ten. (MCM Photo / © Jeff Wegge)

Joining the Big Ten Conference with the likes of border foe Wisconsin and former rivals Michigan and Michigan State, lofty expectations surround the Golden Gophers once again this year, with many fans hoping for a cakewalk through what is perceived to be an easy conference for the dominating Gophers.

And if last week’s 5-1 exhibition win over Lethbridge was any indication of a season to come, things look solid for Minnesota and those expectations might not be too far out of reach.

“(The freshmen) did a good job,” Minnesota coach Don Lucia said. “I think some returning players improved from where they were a year ago and that is a real positive.”

Highly-touted freshman and Apple Valley native Hudson Fasching tallied his first collegiate goal (adding an assist for a two point game) and started the Minnesota scoring and looks as great as he was expected to be.

Fasching and the rest of Minnesota’s freshman class—one of the best recruiting classes the Gophers have had in recent years—are looking to be the pillars of the Gopher foundation, making up most of the roster. Minnesota brings in only five seniors this season along with five juniors for the upperclassman.

Lucia said he’s still looking to the older guys to help the young core adjust to the college game where needed but ultimately likes what he sees in all of his players this season.

“I think we are a little deeper up front then we were a year ago,” Lucia said. “I think we can have four pretty balanced lines.”

Minnesota drops the puck on the season tonight at 7:10 p.m. against Mercyhurst in game two of the Ice Breaker Tournament. Expect a rocking crowd at Mariucci as the Gophers head into what looks to be a very promising season.

University of Minnesota Golden Gophers

2012-13 Final Ranking: No. 6 (USCHO) / No. 5 (USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine)

2012-13 Overall Record: 26-9-5

2012-13 Conference Record: 16-7-5

2012-13 Conference Finish: T-First (St. Cloud State)

2012-13 Postseason Finish: NCAA First Round (Yale 3-2 OT)

Tough Skates to Fill: Nick Bjugstad F, Zach Budish F, Erik Haula F, Nate Schmidt D, Mark Alt D

Key Additions: Taylor Cammarata F, Vinni Lettieri F, Hudson Fasching F, Michael Brodzinski D, Tommy Vannelli D

Impact Returnees: Kyle Rau (C) F, Nate Condon (C) F, Travis Boyd F, Mike Reilly D, Brady Skjei D, Ben Marshall D, Adam Wilcox G

Why the Gophers will exceed expectations: As most know, the Gophers don’t rebuild, they reload. This year’s incoming freshman are one of the best Minnesota has seen in a long time. Combine that with Rau, Condon and Reilly among others and you can expect the maroon and gold to be hoisting the hardware at the end of the year.

Why the Gophers will fall short of expectations: Even the most promising team has its downfalls, and time and time again Gopher fans have seen it happen (Holy Cross comes to mind) even in the seasons that Minnesota ranked in the top 5 all year long. It’s never going to be a cakewalk and with a target on their backs each game as the top dogs Minnesota could realistically fail.

The post Gophers young group ready for a new season appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.