Gophers rally to beat Wisconsin 3-2 in Madison

The No. 3 Minnesota men’s hockey team erased a two-goal deficit and powered by Jimmy Snuggerud’s two goals, skated to a 3-2 victory on the road at Wisconsin Friday night from Kohl Center.

After falling behind by two goals early in the second period, the Golden Gophers (8-1-0 overall, 3-0-0 B1G) stormed back for the come-from-behind win over their rival Badgers (2-7-0 overall, 1-4-0 B1G). Minnesota scored the final three goals in three different facets of the game: shorthanded, on the power play and even strength. Goaltender Nathan Airey was pivotal down the stretch, helping the Maroon and Gold to their seventh-straight win.

Wisconsin delivered a pair of early hits that set the tone for the night, leading to a scoring chance in front of Airey three minutes into the contest. The sophomore made the pad save to keep the home side off the scoreboard and came up with two more critical stops as the Badgers were alone in the crease. After icing the puck twice, the Gophers were finally able to generate pressure in the offensive zone. A careless penalty after the whistle from the visitors gave Wisconsin a power play and the home side took advantage for a 1-0 lead with 6:16 remaining in the first frame. Brodie Ziemer collected a Sam Rinzel pass and streaked up the ice for a partial breakaway as the clock wound down to 25 seconds, but his attempt was denied and Minnesota trailed 1-0 through 20 minutes.

Eighty-one seconds into the middle stanza, the Badgers capitalized on a neutral zone turnover and doubled their lead on a breakaway. The Gophers earned the first of three-straight man advantages 30 seconds later and were unable to convert on any of the chances. Wisconsin’s run to the penalty box ended via a penalty from Minnesota but it was the Maroon and Gold that struck for a shorthanded tally.

Aaron Huglen picked up a loose puck at his own blue line and pushed ahead to Ziemer for a 3-on-1. Ryan Chesley joined the rush and finished off a give-and-go with Ziemer to cut the margin to 2-1 at the 9:46 mark. The game turned chippy with post-whistle scrums, ultimately giving the Gophers another crack at a power play. Snuggerud left no doubt on his chance from the left faceoff dot, burying the tying goal via a one-timer with 6:00 to play in the second period.

Airey delivered clutch saves to begin the final frame, while the skaters in front of him got in shooting lanes to block Wisconsin chances. John Mittelstadt intercepted an errant pass and fired a low-angle shot on target as both sides pushed for the go-ahead tally. The Gophers continued to press their attack and Matthew Wood’s bid from the slot was robbed by a glove save from the Badgers’ netminder. The Maroon and Gold finally broke the deadlock with 7:15 to play in regulation thanks to a brilliant effort up the ice from Erik Påhlsson. With Brody Lamb driving the net, the freshman cut to the middle of the ice inside the blue line and put a pass through traffic onto Snuggerud’s stick where he directed home the eventual winning goal. Minnesota held off a final surge from the Badgers, who pulled the goalie for an extra attacker, to earn the Big Ten Conference win, 3-2.

Airey turned away the final 15 shots he faced Friday, 28 in total, and recorded his fifth win of the year to remain unbeaten at 5-0-0.