Down by two goals, Gophers claw back to sweep Ohio State
Gophers, as creatures go, are known for digging holes.
Fittingly, that's what the hockey-playing Gophers did Saturday, digging themselves a big hole before finding a way to dig themselves out in a 5-2 over Ohio State in the regular-season finale.
Aaron Huglen and Matthew Knies scored to erase a 2-0, second-period deficit, and Logan Cooley potted the go-ahead goal with 31 seconds left in the middle frame as top-ranked Minnesota beat the No. 8 Buckeyes on Senior Night at 3M Arena at Mariucci. Bryce Brodzinski and Ryan Johnson added third-period goals, Johnson's into an empty net delighting the announced sellout of 10,140.
The Gophers (25-8-1, 19-4-1 Big Ten) completed their regular season on a four-game winning streak and as Big Ten regular-season champions will have a bye into a conference tournament semifinal on March 11 at Mariucci. Ohio State (18-13-2, 11-11-2) had Minnesota in a hole by scoring twice on a five-on-three advantage that bridged the first and second periods, but could not hold the lead.
Justen Close made 28 saves for the Gophers, who outshot Ohio State 33-30.
The game took on a physical tone in the last half of the first period, and that swung momentum Ohio State's way. Shortly after Buckeyes goalie Jakub Dobes made a big save on Jimmy Snuggerud on a two-on-one break with Cooley, Snuggerud was called for boarding against Jake Wise at 16:07. After video review, Snuggerud received a five-minute major for boarding and Knies got a five-minute major for contact to the head during a fracas with Ohio State's Mason Lohrei, who received a minor for roughing after the whistle. That gave the Buckeyes two minutes of four-on-three power play and three minutes of five-on-three.
The Gophers killed the four-on-three portion, but Ohio State defenseman Cole McWard scored on the five-on-three with 3.4 seconds left in the first period for 1-0 lead.
Ohio State had 1:07 of carryover five-on-three to start the second period, and the Gophers killed 1:06 of it. But Lohrei snapped a shot past Close for a 2-0 lead.
The Gophers got recombobulated midway through the second and knotted the score 2-2 on goals by Huglen and Knies 13 seconds apart.
Huglen made it 2-1 at 8:13. Rhett Pitlick pounced on a turnover behind the Buckeyes net and fired a crisp pass to Huglen, who fired the puck past Dobes. After the Gophers won the ensuing faceoff, Snuggerud fired a hard shot on net, and Knies – who was playing in front of his future boss, Toronto Maple Leafs General Manager Kyle Dubas — slammed home the rebound off Dobes' pads as the crowd roared its approval.
The ultra-talented line of Knies, Cooley and Snuggerud – a second-round NHL draft pick and two first-rounders — combined to give the Gophers a 3-2 lead with 31 seconds left in the second. Snuggerud forced a turnover in the corner, then fed Knies, who skated in tight on Dobes. Instead of shooting, Knies deftly dropped a pass back to Cooley, who had a better angle and roofed the puck top-shelf over Dobes.
The Gophers went on a power play at 4:33 of the third when Tyler Duke tripped Snuggerud, but Ohio State killed the penalty.
Brodzinski made it 4-2 with 5:17 to play when he stole the puck at the Ohio State blue line, fended off a defender and backhanded a puck past Dobes. Johnson capped the scoring at 17:31 into the empty net.
