[See image gallery at minnesotahockeymag.com]

The post NCAA West Regional Gallery: Minnesota vs. Robert Morris appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

SAINT PAUL —

Nate Condon made his 100th career point last a while.

Condon, a senior captain for the Minnesota Golden Gophers, fired a slap shot across both blue lines into an empty net.  It sealed a 7-3 NCAA tournament victory over Robert Morris on Saturday at the Xcel Energy Center while hitting the century mark for his career.

“We were short-handed, so I just wanted to throw it down the ice, and thankfully it went in,” Condon said.

The empty netter was the Wausau, Wis. native’s second goal of the game after sparking a three-goal onslaught by the Gophers in 3:20 seconds late in the first period to establish the lead. Condon’s first goal with 3:47 left in the first period was an end-to-end rush he finished by beating Colonials’ goaltender Dalton Izyk with a wrist shot inside the right post.

“Our team has been great this year when scoring the first goal,” Condon said.  “I just came down the ice and shot it through a screen and kind put it [the puck] in the lower corner.”

Michael Brodzinski assisted on Condon’s goal and then scored the second goal of the game on a slap shot from the high slot just 1:37 later. Justin Kloos made it 3-0 Gophers with only 16.8 seconds on remaining the clock.

“Nate’s goal relaxed everybody a little bit,” Minnesota coach Don Lucia said.  “And we seized control of the game, and that’s the way we need to play.”

Kyle Rau boosted the led to 4-0 midway through the second period but the Atlantic Hockey Association champions battled back on goals by Cody Wydo and Zac Lynch, the second of which coming with 43.5 seconds left in the period to make it 4-2 heading into the third.

“At this time of the year, no one is going to give up because it’s their season on the line,” Gophers co-captain Kyle Rau said.  “We need to take that into account and use that for [Sunday] because we know that no one is just going to fold over for us.”

Hudson Fasching’s power-play goal restored Minnesota’s three-goal cushion at 14:22 of the final period but RMU’s David Friedman answered just 25 seconds later.

With Minnesota’s Travis Boyd sent off for elbowing at 16:26, Colonials coach Derek Schooley pulled Izyk with about two minutes to go in the game hoping to close the gap during the power play.

Condon, a finance and accounting major, quickly cashed in on the opportunity.  He finished with two goals and played a key role in Kloos’ first-period goal as well.

“Nate is one of those guys that brings it every day,” Lucia said.  “He always practices hard.  He has played a very important role on our team since his freshman year.  He’s a big reason why we’ve had the success we’ve had since he’s been here.”

Gophers’ sophomore defenseman Mike Reilly made the game a football-like score with a shot that blew past Izyk for a 7-3 lead at 18:53.

Minnesota goalie—and Hobey Baker Award candidate—Adam Wilcox stopped 22 shots, including a couple of key ones in the first two periods.  He made a save on a deflection in the first period to preserve a scoreless tie and thwarted a Colonials’ breakaway attempt in the second.

With the win, the Gophers will take on St. Cloud State for the NCAA West Regional championship on Sunday at 6:30 p.m.

The post Gophers Edge Closer to Frozen Four appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Serratore no stranger to Robert Morris coach.

Minnesota senior forward Tom Serratore and Robert Morris coach Derek Schooley go way back – to the beginning.

“I played for his dad, Frank, in Omaha in the USHL and Tom was just a baby,” Schooley said.  “I saw Tom when he was still in diapers, and then I had a chance to work with Frank for five years and really got to know their family really well, working for Frank.  And Frank’s wife Carol and Tom’s mom, is the godmother of my oldest daughter.”

Schooley served as an assistant coach at the Air Force Academy under longtime Falcons coach Frank Serratore.  It helped launch Schooley into building up a young RMU Colonials program that will take on the top-seeded Golden Gophers today along with the son of his former boss.  The 6-0, 129-pound Gophers senior looks forward to it as well.

“It’s crazy,” Serratore said.  “It would be just as crazy if I played my dad again, which was a cool experience, and my uncle.  And now I get to play Derek.”

History favors the Gophers of late when Serratore laces up against a family member or family friend.  They beat the Falcons 4-0 last season at home.  The Gophers also went 4-0 overall against Bemidji State, where Serratore’s uncle, Tom Serratore, coaches.

Hockey ties run deep in Minnesota for the Serratore family as Tim, the twin brother of the Gopher senior forward, played at Augsburg College.  Their father, Frank, originally came from Coleraine, Minn. and played for Greenway High School in 1973-1975.  He went on to play collegiately at Bemidji State and Western Michigan.

“I’ve known Tom for a long time and have a tremendous amount of respect for the Serratore family from what they’ve accomplished from Tom at Bemidji to Frank at Air Force and what Tom has done at Minnesota,” Schooley said.

When the younger Tom Serratore went to Youngstown, Ohio to play junior hockey, Schooley met him since RMU sits only an hour away in Pittsburgh, Pa.  Serratore played for the Youngstown Phantoms of the USHL for 2009-2010 and led the team in goals with 17.

“I met him there, and he showed me around,” Serratore said.

Serratore moved on to play for the Gophers after that season.  He has appeared in 136 career games with the team.

This season, Serratore has seven points along with winning 58.5-percent of his face-offs, 31 of 53.  Serratore has 22 career points.

Schooley’s Colonials face off bi-annually with the elder Serratore’s Falcons since they both compete in the Atlantic Hockey Association.  The Colonials went 2-1 against the Falcons in the regular season.

“It’s always tough to play Air Force because I know so many people there and have such good relationship with their family,” Schooley said.

Schooley left the Falcons in 2003 to help build a new hockey program with the Colonials.  The Pittsburgh-based Division I school went 8-21-4 during their inaugural season 2004-2005.  Ten years later, Schooley has the team’s first conference tournament title and NCAA appearance.

“I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for previous coaches in the past that I’ve had, but especially to Frank Serratore for giving me the opportunity and mentoring,” Schooley said.

The post From Friends to Foes appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.