Michigan beats Gophers 2-1 in semifinals of Big Ten Hockey Tournament

The No. 6 Minnesota men’s hockey team scored late but could not overcome a two-goal deficit during a 2-1 loss to No. 11 Michigan Saturday night in the Big Ten Conference Tournament Semifinals from 3M Arena at Mariucci.

Jimmy Snuggerud pulled the Golden Gophers (22-10-5 overall) within a goal with 1:29 remaining in regulation before the Wolverines (21-13-3 overall) held on to win and advance to the B1G championship game.

The home side had an early jump in front of its over-capacity crowd with quality chances from both Snuggerud and Ryan Chesley in the first 90 seconds of action. A tough bounce off Michigan’s first shot attempt at the 3:12 mark led to a rebound goal for a 1-0 edge. The visitors appeared to make it 2-0 four minutes later, but a video challenge by the Gophers negated the goal as the Wolverines were offsides on the play. It was a back-and-forth battle the rest of the period and the Maroon and Gold maintained a 10-7 advantage in shots on goal, facing a one-goal deficit after 20 minutes.

Minnesota brought a renewed energy to the middle stanza before goaltender Justen Close delivered an important save following a scramble in the defensive zone. Michigan was gifted a power play less than five minutes into the frame before the Gophers erased the man advantage via blocked shots and perfect positioning. Close remained sharp between the pipes and turned away multiple chances from the Wolverines, all while taking a slash to the face. Late in the period, the home team was able to generate a sustained forecheck, leading to a chance from the slot off the stick of Jimmy Clark. With 1:24 before intermission, Michigan capitalized on an offensive-zone turnover and a slow line change, stretching the lead to 2-0.

The speed of Oliver Moore through the neutral zone drew the first penalty of the night against Michigan and gave the Gophers a power play 3:15 into the final frame. A sliding glove save from the visiting netminder robbed Aaron Huglen of a goal and the man advantage was killed off by the Wolverines. Minnesota continued to press, searching for the play needed to ignite the crowd and more importantly, the bench.

The Maroon and Gold finally broke through after pulling its goalie in the closing minutes. Jaxon Nelson won a faceoff in the attacking zone before Luke Mittelstadt and Chesley played catch along the blue line. Chesley pushed a pass over to Snuggerud at the right circle where the sophomore wired home a shot, giving Minnesota life with only 89 seconds to play. Michigan was able to hold off the final charge and claimed its spot in next week’s title game, winning 2-1.