2021 BIG TEN MEN'S ICE HOCKEY TOURNAMENT March 14-16 Compton Family Ice Arena • University of Notre Dame SUNDAY, MARCH 14 MONDAY, MARCH 15 TUESDAY, MARCH 16 #1 Wisconsin Time: 4:30 p.m. ET TV: Big Ten Network #4 Notre Dame Time: Noon ET TV: Big Ten Network #5 Penn State CHAMPIONSHIP GAME 8 p.m. ET TV: Big Ten Network 2021 TOURNAMENT CHAMPION #2 Minnesota Time: 4 p.m. ET TV: Big Ten Network #7 Michigan State Time: 8:30 p.m. ET TV: Big Ten Network #3 Michigan Time: 8:30 p.m. ET TV: Big Ten Network #6 Ohio State Current Record: 20-6-0 Overall, 16-6-0-0-0 Big Ten Breakdown: H: 11-5-0, A: 9-1-0, N: 0-0-0 Streak: W1 CELEBRATING 100 SEASONS OF PRIDE ON ICE 2020-21 Gopher Hockey Schedule Date: Sunday, March 14, 2021 NOVEMBER TIME TV Time: 4:05 p.m. ET 19 Penn State* W, 4-1 Location: Compton Family Ice Arena | Notre Dame, Ind. 20 Penn State* W, 3-2 TV: Big Ten Network 23 Ohio State* W, 4-1 Radio: 1130 KTLK-AM/103.5 FM 24 Ohio State* W, 2-0 No. 4/5 Minnesota Michigan State Stream: FOX Sports App DECEMBER TIME TV 20-6-0 Overall 7-17-2 Overall Twitter: @GopherHockey 3 @ Michigan State* W, 3-1 16-6-0-0-0-0 Big Ten 5-16-1-2-1 Big Ten Facebook: facebook.com/GopherMensHockey 4 @ Michigan State* W, 4-2 8 @ Michigan* W, 3-1 9 @ Michigan* W, 4-0 MINNEAPOLIS -- The 100th season of Gopher Hockey heads into the postseason this weekend as the No. 4/5 Minnesota men's hockey program takes on Michigan State in Big Ten quarterfinal action on Sunday, March 14 JANUARY at 4:05 p.m. ET to open the 2021 Big Ten Men's Ice Hockey Tournament. The single-elimination tournament will 3 Arizona State W, 4-1 be held at the Compton Family Ice Arena in Notre Dame, Ind., with play scheduled to stretch from Sunday, March 4 Arizona State W, 6-4 12-Tuesday, March 14. All tournament games will be televised on the Big Ten Network and streamed on the FOX 9 @ Wisconsin* L, 1-3 Sports App while all Minnesota games will be available via radio on 1130 KTLK-AM/103.5 FM. 10 @ Wisconsin* W, 5-3 15 Notre Dame* L, 2-3 GOPHERS UP FOR ALL FIVE B1G AWARDS 16 Notre Dame* L, 1-2 The Big Ten Conference announced its individual awards finalists on Thursday with the Maroon & Gold in the 21 Arizona State W, 10-0 running for all five honors. Jack LaFontaine is up for Big Ten Player of the Year and Big Ten Goaltender of the 22 Arizona State W, 10-2 Year while Brock Faber is a finalist for Big Ten Freshman of the Year and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. 29 @ Ohio State* W, 5-1 Last year's Big Ten Coach of the Year, Bob Motzko is once again up for the accolade and has now been a finalist 30 @ Ohio State* W, 5-2 for the award in each of his three seasons with Minnesota. FEBRUARY LAFFER LEADS THE WAY 5 Wisconsin* L, 1-4 In addition to being a finalist for two Big Ten awards, Jack LaFontaine is a candidate for the Hobey Baker 6 Wisconsin* L, 1-8 Award this year and has already been named a finalist for the Mike Richter Award along with being one of three 12 @ Notre Dame* W, 3-0 Minnesota finalists for the Senior CLASS Award along with Brannon McManus and Scott Reedy. The alternate 13 @ Notre Dame* W, 3-0 captain leads the nation in wins this season with an 18-6-0 record while his goals against average of 1.68 ranks 19 Michigan State* W, 4-2 second in the nation among goalies with at least 10 appearances. The senior also ranks second nationally with 20 Michigan State* W, 5-1 five shutouts this season along with a .935 save percentage that ranks fourth in the NCAA among goalies with at 27 @ Penn State* Canceled least 10 games. LaFontaine has now allowed two goals or fewer in 24 of his last 28 starts dating back to the end of the 2019-20 campaign. 28 @ Penn State* Canceled REGULAR SEASON RETROSPECTIVE MARCH The 100th season of Gopher Hockey has certainly been a memorable one as the Maroon & Gold wrapped up 5 Michigan* L, 2-5 the regular season as the only team in the nation to win 20 games (20-6-0). Minnesota started the year on a 6 Michigan* W, 4-2 10-0-0 start for the first time since 1939-40 and earned nine sweeps in 13 series during the regular-season. 14 Michigan State (B1G Quarterfinal) 3:00pm BTN The Gophers are an NCAA-best 9-1-0 (.900) on the road this season while the 'U' is the least penalized team in 15 TBD (B1G Semifinal) 7:30pm BTN college hockey this year (6.4 penalty minutes per game). This season, Minnesota is among the best teams in the 16 TBD (B1G Championship) 7:00pm BTN nation, ranking fourth nationally in scoring offense (3.81 goals per game), tied for fourth nationally in scoring All Times Central defense (1.96 goals allowed per game) and eighth nationally in penalty kill (.864, 57-for-66). Nationally ranked * Big Ten Conference Game all season long, the Gophers have kept themselves in the top-five of both national polls since the beginning of December including the team's first No. 1 ranking in both polls since Nov. 11, 2014. IN THE BIG TEN TOURNAMENT Now in its eighth season of competing in the Big Ten Conference for men's hockey, the University of Minnesota holds a 7-7 all-time record in the Big Ten Men's Ice Hockey Tournament and previously won the tournament in 2015 to secure the conference's automatic qualifier for the national tournament. Sunday's meeting with the Spartans will mark Minnesota's first time facing Michigan State in the Big Ten playoffs (Minnesota has played every team in the Big Ten in the conference tournament except for Michigan State and Wisconsin). Gopher Hockey 2020-21 Record Breakdown AGAINST THE SPARTANS GOPHERS ANNOUNCE CENTURY SEASON CAPTAINS Minnesota holds a 124-5-16 all-time record against Junior Sammy Walker will return to the Gophers lineup Overall Record 20-6-0 as team captain in 2020-21 while senior Brannon Big Ten Record 16-6-0-0-0-0 Michigan State after sweeping four regular-season Nonconference Record (Regular Season) 4-0-0 games against the Spartans this season. The Gophers McManus, senior Jack LaFontaine and sophomore Ben Home Record 10-5-0 are 6-2-0 in neutral site competition against Michigan Meyers will serve as alternate captains for the Maroon Road Record 9-1-0 State. Scott Reedy is Minnesota's active leading scorer & Gold. The three newcomers to the leadership group Neutral Site Record 0-0-0 against Michigan State with 10 points (seven goals, are the 173rd, 174th and 175th players in University Last 5 Games 4-1-0 three assists) in 16 games while Sammy Walker has of Minnesota history to wear letters, dating back to the first season of play in 1921-22 when Chet Bros led the Scoring A Power-Play Goal 11-1-0 12 points (three goals, nine assists) in 12 games vs. Not Scoring A Power-Play Goal 9-5-0 the Spartans. Jack LaFontaine is 4-1-0 with Minnesota Gophers. Allowing A Power-Play Goal 3-5-0 against Michigan State. Not Allowing A Power-Play Goal 17-1-0 GOPHER HOCKEY SEASON NOTES Scoring A Short-Handed Goal 4-0-0 ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE Fourteen members of the 2020-21 Gopher Hockey Allowing A Short-Handed Goal 0-1-0 The spring semester at the University of Minnesota squad have been drafted by NHL teams including 2019 10 Or More Penalties Minnesota 0-0-0 first round pick Ryan Johnson (31st overall to Buffalo).. Fewer Than 10 Penalties Minnesota 20-6-0 is underway after the Gophers celebrated one of their More Penalties Than Opponent 6-1-0 best semesters in the (virtual) classroom during the senior Jack LaFontaine posted a .919 save percentage Fewer Penalties Than Opponent 10-4-0 fall. As a program, the Maroon & Gold set a new pro- for the Gophers last year in his first season with the Same Amount Of Penalties 4-1-0 gram record with a 3.35 cumulative grade point aver- Maroon & Gold -- the statistic ranks seventh all-time age as a team while men's hockey recorded a team in program history...the University of Minnesota will In One-Goal Games 1-2-0 term grade point average of 3.46 -- second in program host the 2024 NCAA Frozen Four at Xcel Energy Center In Two-Goal Games 8-1-0 -- marking the ninth time the school has hosted the In Three-Goal or More Games 11-3-0 history after last spring's 3.64. As a department, the In Overtime Games 0-0-0 University of Minnesota set a new school record with a event and the fourth time the event was hosted at Scoring 4 or More Goals 14-0-0 3.41 cumulative grade point average as the Gophers Xcel Energy Center...Todd Richards became the 11th Scoring 3 or Fewer Goals 6-6-0 increased the statistic for the sixth-straight semester.