TAMPA, Fla. — Until Jan. 10, 2022, Justen Close had one complete collegiate game to his credit plus roughly 78 minutes of play scattered over six additional contests in his three seasons with Minnesota.
Then Minnesota’s Richter Award-winning goaltender, Jack LaFontaine, signed a deal with the Carolina Hurricanes and left the day after recording a weekend sweep of Michigan State. Close became the starter for the Golden Gophers overnight, eight days after backstopping Minnesota to a 5-2 win over St. Thomas for his first collegiate decision.
When his moment arrived, Close was ready. Now he’s ready to play in a national championship game with the Gophers on Saturday against Quinnipiac.
“It was fun,” said Close. “That’s the exciting part about sports. Teams ride together. We had a really good second half last season, and I think we’ve carried that momentum forward to this year. We’ve been fortunate to play in some pretty big games, and that’s what you look forward to as an athlete.”
A really good second half may be an understatement. The Gophers split their first two series with Close in net and then tore through the Big Ten on a nine-game streak that stopped only with a 4-3 loss to Michigan in the conference playoff championship game.
After that, Minnesota took the Worcester Regional, beating Massachusetts 4-3 in overtime and shutting out Western Michigan 3-0. The Gophers ended their season last year with a 5-1 loss to Minnesota State in the Frozen Four semifinals.
“I think he knew we all had his back,” said forward Jaxon Nelson. “He was working hard in practice for 2½ years. He comes in there and he’s like a veteran.”
Close’s teammates describe him as a steady presence in net, one that gives them the confidence to play Minnesota’s fast, offense-minded game.
“You never have to worry about him,” said forward Bryce Brodzinski. “Even if he lets in a goal, there’s no downhill from there. He’s going to play his best if he has one goal against, zero goals against, or six goals against. He’s always going to be at his best. He’s rock solid for us and we just have the most trust in him possible. It’s a lot easier for us to play when you trust that guy back there.”
Close was a semifinalist for the 2023 Mike Richter Award and was named the All-Big Ten second team goaltender. His .928 save percentage and 1.99 goals-against average often get overlooked on a team that scores more than four goals a game.
Close doesn’t mind that one bit. “It’s not what it’s about,” he said. “It’s about going out there and putting your best foot forward and helping the team win.”
“There are stories that come around once in a while in college sports that are just special,” said Minnesota coach Bob Motzko. “He is just a special guy. Third-string, walk-on goalie, you throw him in and it was, oh my goodness sakes. Good for you, young man, and the whole team just embraced it and he just kept getting better and better.
“Well, he got more confident. I don’t know that he got better. He’s just a really good goalie. Maybe he’s becoming a great one — and he’s only been our goalie for a year and a half. And look for him to be back with us next year.”
