# 2020–21 Minnesota Golden Gophers men's ice hockey season

The 2020–21 Minnesota Golden Gophers men's ice hockey season was the 100th season of play for the program. They represented the University of Minnesota in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season. This season marked the 31st season in the Big Ten Conference. They were coached by Bob Motzko, in his third season, and played their home games at 3M Arena at Mariucci.

## Season

As a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic the entire college ice hockey season was delayed. Because the NCAA had previously announced that all winter sports athletes would retain whatever eligibility they possessed through at least the following year, none of Minnesota's players would lose a season of play. However, the NCAA also approved a change in its transfer regulations that would allow players to transfer and play immediately rather than having to sit out a season, as the rules previously required.
Despite all of the uncertainty about the season, Minnesota began with a tremendous start. The team won its first 10 games, rocketing up the rankings and claiming the top spot for 5 consecutive weeks. After losing their first game of the season to Wisconsin, the Gophers were stunned by Notre Dame and were swept on home ice. After falling to #4, the team took its frustrations out on Arizona State, scoring 10 goals in back-to-back games. The astounding weekend provided the first double-digit-goal game for the program in 17 years and the first time they had done so in consecutive games since 1983. The Gophers hung near the top of the ranking for the remainder of the season, but a second home sweep, this time by Wisconsin, prevented Minnesota from not only receiving the top spot but also caused the Gophers to finish second in the Big Ten standings. By losing 3 out of 4 against the Badgers, Minnesota finished .002 behind Wisconsin due to the team cancelling a weekend series against Penn State.
While the team missed out on a regular season title, the bigger hit came by missing out on the bye for the conference tournament. Minnesota faced Michigan State in the quarterfinals and, despite outshooting the Spartans, found themselves trailing late in the third period. Minnesota wasn't able to score a single goal on MSU until less than 5 minutes remained but they were saved by the second worst offense in the nation and ended regulation with a 1–1 tie. Minnesota completely dominated the extra session, shooting 13 shots on goal in just over 10 minutes, and won the game on a goal from the team's scoring leader, Sampo Ranta. After the narrow escape, the Golden Gophers found themselves in another nail-biter, having to get past Michigan in the semifinals. The Wolverines held Minnesota at bay and built a 2-goal lead after 40 minutes. The Gophers were matched shot-for-shot by Michigan in the third but the Maroon and Gold found the net twice and tied the score. This time it only took 6 extra minutes before team captain Sammy Walker netted the game-winner, sending Minnesota to the title game. Still smarting over losing out on the regular season title, Minnesota got out to a lead in the first and then used a huge second period to build a 4-goal lead. The Gophers needed every goal because Wisconsin came roaring back in the third, firing 21 shots in the final frame alone and scoring three times to cut the lead to 1. With time winding down and the Gophers clinging to their lead, Wisconsin was forced to pull their goaltender. Minnesota scored an empty-net goal to seal the game and win the team's first Big Ten Championship in six years.
Minnesota received the 3rd overall seed and was given the top spot in the West Regional bracket. The team lived up to their billing in the opening game by overwhelming Omaha 7–2. In their second game, the Gophers faced #5 Minnesota State after the mavericks had won the program's first tournament game at the Division I level. MSU was riding high and played a nearly perfect game, holding the Gophers to just 9 shots on goal through the first two periods. Minnesota woke up in the third and started shooting the puck but the team couldn't get anything by Dryden McKay and the Golden Gophers ended their season with a 0–4 loss.
Colin Schmidt and Noah Weber sat out the season.

## Departures

| Player | Position | Nationality | Cause |
| Joey Marooney | Forward | United States | Graduation |
| Tyler Nanne | Defenseman | United States | Graduation (signed with Hershey Bears) |
| Garrett Wait | Forward | United States | Transferred to Massachusetts |
| Ryan Zuhlsdorf | Defenseman | United States | Graduation (signed with Greenville Swamp Rabbits) |

## Recruiting

| Player | Position | Nationality | Age | Notes |
| Brock Faber | Defenseman | United States | 18 | Maple Grove, MN; selected 45th overall in 2020 |
| Carl Fish | Defenseman | United States | 20 | Saint Paul, MN |
| Mike Koster | Defenseman | United States | 19 | Chaska, MN; selected 146th overall in 2019 |
| Mason Nevers | Forward | United States | 18 | Edina, MN |
| Colin Schmidt | Forward | United States | 20 | Maple Grove, MN; transfer from Union |

## Roster

As of January 3, 2021.

## Standings

2020–21 Big Ten ice hockey Standingsvte :
| | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record |
| | GP | W | L | T | OTW | OTL | 3/SW | PTS | PT% | GF | GA | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA |
| #8 Wisconsin † | 24 | 17 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 52 | .722 | 92 | 52 | 31 | 20 | 10 | 1 | 118 | 80 |
| #7 Minnesota * | 22 | 16 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 48 | .727 | 69 | 44 | 31 | 24 | 7 | 0 | 117 | 64 |
| #9 Michigan | 20 | 11 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 32 | .550 | 69 | 45 | 26 | 15 | 10 | 1 | 91 | 51 |
| #17 Notre Dame | 24 | 12 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 41 | .542 | 65 | 53 | 29 | 14 | 13 | 2 | 84 | 78 |
| Penn State | 18 | 7 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 20 | .389 | 48 | 68 | 22 | 10 | 12 | 0 | 65 | 81 |
| Ohio State | 22 | 6 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 20 | .273 | 39 | 82 | 27 | 7 | 19 | 1 | 53 | 101 |
| Michigan State | 22 | 5 | 16 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 15 | .250 | 32 | 70 | 27 | 7 | 18 | 2 | 40 | 77 |
| Championship: March 16, 2021 † indicates conference regular season champion * indicates conference tournament champion Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll |||||||||||||||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date | Time | Opponent$^#$ | Rank$^#$ | Site | TV | Decision | Result | Attendance | Record |
| Regular season ||||||||||
| November 19 | 7:34 PM | vs. #10 Penn State | #11 | 3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, Minnesota | BTN | LaFontaine | W 4–1 | 129 | 1–0–0 (1–0–0) |
| November 20 | 3:04 PM | vs. #10 Penn State | #11 | 3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, Minnesota | BTN | LaFontaine | W 3–2 | 159 | 2–0–0 (2–0–0) |
| November 23 | 7:34 PM | vs. #10 Ohio State | #8 | 3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, Minnesota | BTN | LaFontaine | W 4–1 | 0 | 3–0–0 (3–0–0) |
| November 24 | 7:34 PM | vs. #10 Ohio State | #8 | 3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, Minnesota | BTN | LaFontaine | W 2–0 | 0 | 4–0–0 (4–0–0) |
| December 3 | 7:00 PM | at Michigan State | #5 | Munn Ice Arena • East Lansing, Michigan | FSD, FSN | LaFontaine | W 3–1 | 0 | 5–0–0 (5–0–0) |
| December 4 | 7:05 PM | at Michigan State | #5 | Munn Ice Arena • East Lansing, Michigan | FSD, FSN | LaFontaine | W 4–2 | 88 | 6–0–0 (6–0–0) |
| December 8 | 7:04 PM | at #5 Michigan | #4 | Yost Ice Arena • Ann Arbor, Michigan (Rivalry) | BTN | LaFontaine | W 3–1 | 0 | 7–0–0 (7–0–0) |
| December 8 | 6:35 PM | at #5 Michigan | #4 | Yost Ice Arena • Ann Arbor, Michigan (Rivalry) | BTN | LaFontaine | W 4–0 | 0 | 8–0–0 (8–0–0) |
| January 3 | 3:00 PM | vs. Arizona State* | #1 | 3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, Minnesota | | LaFontaine | W 4–1 | 0 | 9–0–0 |
| January 4 | 7:05 PM | vs. Arizona State* | #1 | 3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, Minnesota | | Moe | W 6–4 | 0 | 10–0–0 |
| January 9 | 4:04 PM | at #12 Wisconsin | #1 | Kohl Center • Madison, Wisconsin | | LaFontaine | L 1–3 | 0 | 10–1–0 (8–1–0) |
| January 10 | 4:04 PM | at #12 Wisconsin | #1 | Kohl Center • Madison, Wisconsin | | LaFontaine | W 5–3 | 0 | 11–1–0 (9–1–0) |
| January 15 | 7:05 PM | at Notre Dame | #1 | 3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, Minnesota | | LaFontaine | L 2–3 | 116 | 11–2–0 (9–2–0) |
| January 16 | 5:00 PM | at Notre Dame | #1 | 3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, Minnesota | | LaFontaine | L 1–2 | 0 | 11–3–0 (9–3–0) |
| January 21 | 7:05 PM | vs. Arizona State* | #4 | 3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, Minnesota | | LaFontaine | W 10–0 | 0 | 12–3–0 |
| January 22 | 4:00 PM | vs. Arizona State* | #4 | 3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, Minnesota | | Moe | W 10–2 | 0 | 13–3–0 |
| January 29 | 5:04 PM | at Ohio State | #4 | Value City Arena • Columbus, Ohio | BTN | LaFontaine | W 5–1 | 0 | 14–3–0 (10–3–0) |
| January 30 | 4:04 PM | at Ohio State | #4 | Value City Arena • Columbus, Ohio | BTN | LaFontaine | W 5–2 | 0 | 15–3–0 (11–3–0) |
| February 5 | 7:05 PM | at #11 Wisconsin | #2 | 3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, Minnesota | | LaFontaine | L 1–4 | 0 | 15–4–0 (11–4–0) |
| February 6 | 7:05 PM | at #11 Wisconsin | #2 | 3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, Minnesota | | LaFontaine | L 1–8 | 0 | 15–5–0 (11–5–0) |
| February 12 | 6:36 PM | at Notre Dame | #5 | Compton Family Ice Arena • Notre Dame, Indiana | | LaFontaine | W 3–0 | 79 | 16–5–0 (12–5–0) |
| February 13 | 4:36 PM | at Notre Dame | #5 | Compton Family Ice Arena • Notre Dame, Indiana | | LaFontaine | W 3–0 | 80 | 17–5–0 (13–5–0) |
| February 19 | 7:05 PM | vs. Michigan State | #4 | 3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, Minnesota | | LaFontaine | W 4–2 | 0 | 18–5–0 (14–5–0) |
| February 20 | 5:05 PM | vs. Michigan State | #4 | 3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, Minnesota | | LaFontaine | W 5–1 | 0 | 19–5–0 (15–5–0) |
| March 5 | 7:05 PM | vs. #7 Michigan | #3 | 3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, Minnesota (Rivalry) | | LaFontaine | L 2–5 | 0 | 19–6–0 (15–6–0) |
| March 6 | 4:04 PM | vs. #7 Michigan | #3 | 3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, Minnesota (Rivalry) | | LaFontaine | W 4–2 | 0 | 20–6–0 (16–6–0) |
| Big Ten Tournament ||||||||||
| March 14 | 3:05 PM | vs. Michigan State* | #4 | Compton Family Ice Arena • Notre Dame, Indiana (Quarterfinal) | BTN | LaFontaine | W 2–1 $^{OT}$ | 134 | 21–6–0 |
| March 15 | 3:05 PM | vs. #7 Michigan* | #4 | Compton Family Ice Arena • Notre Dame, Indiana (Semifinal) | | LaFontaine | W 3–2 $^{OT}$ | 123 | 22–6–0 |
| March 16 | 7:05 PM | vs. #5 Wisconsin* | #4 | Compton Family Ice Arena • Notre Dame, Indiana (Championship) | | LaFontaine | W 6–4 | 149 | 23–6–0 |
| NCAA Tournament ||||||||||
| March 27 | 8:00 PM | vs. #12 Omaha* | #2 | Budweiser Events Center • Loveland, Colorado (Regional semifinal) | ESPNU | LaFontaine | W 7–2 | 125 | 24–6–0 |
| March 28 | 7:00 PM | vs. #5 Minnesota State* | #2 | Budweiser Events Center • Loveland, Colorado (Regional final) | ESPN2 | LaFontaine | L 0–4 | 175 | 24–7–0 |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Central Time. ||||||||||

## Scoring statistics

| Name | Position | Games | Goals | Assists | Points | PIM |
| Sampo Ranta | LW/RW | 31 | 19 | 12 | 31 | 10 |
| Sammy Walker | C | 31 | 13 | 16 | 29 | 12 |
| Blake McLaughlin | C/LW | 31 | 12 | 16 | 28 | 8 |
| Ben Meyers | C/LW | 31 | 12 | 16 | 28 | 12 |
| Scott Reedy | C | 28 | 11 | 17 | 28 | 6 |
| Brannon McManus | C/RW | 27 | 9 | 16 | 25 | 0 |
| Jackson LaCombe | D | 27 | 4 | 17 | 21 | 8 |
| Jaxon Nelson | C | 31 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 34 |
| Bryce Brodzinski | RW | 30 | 8 | 6 | 14 | 10 |
| Ryan Johnson | D | 27 | 1 | 11 | 12 | 14 |
| Mike Koster | D | 31 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 2 |
| Brock Faber | D | 27 | 1 | 11 | 12 | 14 |
| Jack Perbix | D/RW | 30 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 8 |
| Cullen Munson | C | 31 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 12 |
| Jonny Sorenson | F | 28 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 2 |
| Nathan Burke | F | 26 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 2 |
| Mason Nevers | C | 25 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 4 |
| Matt Staudacher | D | 26 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Robbie Stucker | D | 23 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 2 |
| Ben Brinkman | D | 29 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 18 |
| Carl Fish | D | 12 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Sam Rossini | D | 5 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Jack LaFontaine | G | 29 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Jared Moe | G | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Justen Close | G | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bench | - | - | - | - | - | 2 |
| Total | | | 117 | 203 | 320 | 186 |

## Goaltending statistics

| Name | Games | Minutes | Wins | Losses | Ties | Goals Against | Saves | Shut Outs | SV % | GAA |
| Jack LaFontaine | 29 | 1705 | 22 | 7 | 0 | 51 | 717 | 5 | .934 | 1.79 |
| Jared Moe | 3 | 139 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 46 | 0 | .852 | 3.45 |
| Justen Close | 1 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 0 | .714 | 6.00 |
| Empty Net | - | 11 | - | - | - | 3 | - | - | - | - |
| Total | 31 | 1876 | 24 | 7 | 0 | 64 | 768 | 5 | .923 | 2.05 |

## Rankings

| Poll | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 (Final) |
| USCHO.com | 14 | 11 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 2 | - | 7 |
| USA Today | 13 | 11 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 7 |
USCHO did not release a poll in week 20.

## Awards and honors

| Honor | Player |
| Jack LaFontaine | Mike Richter Award |
| Jack LaFontaine | AHCA West First Team All-American |
| Sampo Ranta | AHCA West First Team All-American |
| Jackson LaCombe | AHCA West Second Team All-American |
| Jack LaFontaine | Big Ten Goaltender of the Year |
| Jack LaFontaine | Big Ten Tournament Most Outstanding Player |
| Jack LaFontaine | Big Ten First Team |
| Jackson Lacombe | Big Ten First Team |
| Sampo Ranta | Big Ten First Team |
| Brock Faber | Big Ten Freshman Team |
| Jack LaFontaine | Big Ten All-Tournament Team |
| Mike Koster | Big Ten All-Tournament Team |
| Sampo Ranta | Big Ten All-Tournament Team |
| Sammy Walker | Big Ten All-Tournament Team |

## Players drafted into the NHL
### 2021 NHL Entry Draft

| Round | Pick | Player | NHL team |
| 1 | 18 | Chaz Lucius$^†$ | Winnipeg Jets |
| 2 | 57 | Matthew Knies$^†$ | Toronto Maple Leafs |
| 2 | 58 | Tristan Broz$^†$ | Pittsburgh Penguins |
| 4 | 104 | Brody Lamb$^†$ | New York Rangers |
† incoming freshman