Minnesota hasn’t played an in-state rival for conference points since March of 2013, but in the middle of back-to-back series against St. Cloud State and Minnesota Duluth, it feels like we’ve been transported back a couple years.
The Gophers and Bulldogs will face off in a home-and-home bout this weekend with Friday’s game being played in Minneapolis before the two teams head north on Interstate 35 for Saturday’s contest.
“You dig into Duluth, they’re an old wily group,” Minnesota coach Bob Motzko said at the team’s media availability on Tuesday. “They won’t beat themselves and they’re battle tested. They’ve already had four tough games that they’ve played.”
The series has a lot to live up to if it wants to surpass the one between Minnesota and St. Cloud State. After the Huskies won a close 2-1 game at Mariucci Arena, Saturday’s tilt in St. Cloud was a back-and-forth affair that ended with a non-call that had the two fan bases going after each other on Twitter about the definitions of a hold and embellishment and produced a great radio call from Wally Shaver.
Oh, and the Gophers won in overtime. However, with overtime victories only counting at 55 percent of a victory when it comes to the PairWise Rankings, the series with Duluth is an opportunity to add to their NCAA tournament resume.
“You’ve got just good hockey teams going against each other,” Motzko said. “That’s the story, right now, is what great hockey it was and exciting hockey for the fans. We’re all going to beat each other up and you’ve got to stay healthy in the second half of the year, but I think there’s a narrative there.”
The Gophers have had a balanced offense through four contests with Bryce Brodzinski scoring four goals and Sammy Walker scoring three. Freshman Matthew Knies and sophomore Mason Nevers have also each chipped in a couple goals. Senior Blake McLaughlin leads the team in points with seven, six of those being assists.
“Blake is a tremendous passer and Sammy can pass and he can shoot and both of them can put the puck in the net,” Minnesota senior forward Grant Cruikshank said. “Them playing together for four years now, they’ve definitely built this pretty strong chemistry. It’s fun to watch, it sucks to play against in practice, but they’re great players and they push each other every day and it pushes the rest of us.”
Cruikshank, a Wisconsin native and transfer from Colorado College, has an interesting perspective on the in-state rivalries having played at places like St. Cloud and Duluth as a member of the Tigers but is now experiencing them differently as a member of the Gophers.
“It’s been so much fun, definitely something I haven’t experience before,” he said. “I can imagine that it’ll pretty similar when we play Wisconsin, which is one that I have circled on my calendar, but it’s been awesome. I think I’ve gotten more of a look at just how many people are invested in in-state rivalries and how many people are watching and looking forward to every weekend.”
As it does with all the in-state teams, Minnesota enjoys a healthy lead in the all-time record against the Bulldogs. Since both teams bolted from the WCHA, the pendulum has swung the other way with UMD having a 11-3-2 record against the Gophers.
A high-quality opponent, no matter who it is, is now the expectation according to Motzko.
“All five (Minnesota teams) made the NCAA tournament a year ago, (and) all five teams are pretty good,” Motzko said of the current level of play within the state. “It’s just going to be a dog fight in our state right now and it’s good, it’s good for college hockey, and it’s sure great for our region. I don’t know if it’s great for coaches, but it is great.”
