Gopher Hockey News Archive

Gophers Hockey Tickets.com specializes in providing Gopher mens hockey tickets to every game at the legendary Mariucci Arena, but that’s not all we do! As a local Minnesota ticket broker (and loyal Gopher fans), we also own great Gopher Football tickets! This will be the final Gopher season at the Hubert H Humphrey Metrodome and Gopher fans won’t want to miss a single game!

Buy Gopher Football tickets today, opening day at the Dome is Saturday August 30^th and we have tickets for LESS THAN $20!

From the Gophers Official web site:

"Tickets were once again hard to come by during the 2007-08 men's hockey season as the University of Minnesota ranked third among all NCAA Division I teams in average attendance at 9,943 fans per game. Seats for every Minnesota home game were sold out..."

There is no doubt that Gophers hockey fans are extremely loyal and love to show up at Mariucci Arena to cheer on their home team. This large and loyal fan base can make buying Gopher hockey tickets difficult. That is why we started www.gophershockeytickets.com  - we want to be sure that every hockey fan has a chance to see a Gopher game at Mariucci Arena. You can buy single game Gopher hockey tickets 24 hours a day from our secure site, often times right up to game time, but be warned the best seats and the cheapest seats sell fast so plan ahead!

Go Gophers!

Dodge Holiday Classic - Mariucci Arena:

  Fri. Jan 2   Northeastern vs. Western Michigan 4PM 

  Fri. Jan 02   Minnesota vs. Brown 7PM 

  Sat. Jan 3   Brown vs. Northeastern or W. Michigan 4PM 

  Sat. Jan 3   MN vs. Northeastern or W. Michigan 7PM 

On Saturday the game winners play the winners from Friday and the losers play the losers, but regardless of if Minnesota wins or loses, they get the Satruday evening game so buy tickets today and see the Gophers attempt to add another trophy to the trophy case.

Dodge Holiday Classic Tickets - Friday January 2nd

Dodge Holiday Classic Tickets - Saturday January 3^rd

October may seem like a long way off, but it's not! The Minnesota Gophers hockey schedule has been out for about 6 weeks and many Gophers fans have already purchased their tickets.

The Gophers schedule is intense especially at the beginning of the season.  The Minnesota Gophers jump right into WCHA Conference play with six conference games to open the season including a home-and-home series against St. Cloud State to open the season and then a trip across the border to play the Wisconsin Badgers. November will bring 6 home games to Mariucci Arena so save a weekend in November for Gopher hockey! Go Gophers!

Have you bought your Minnesota Gopher Hockey Tickets yet? What are you waiting for? The Gophers have released their 2008/09 season schedule and gopher hockey tickets.com has great seats to choose from. Whether you want to sit in row 3 at Mariucci Arena and feel the boards shake or if you want to sit in row 24 and have an elevated view of the entire Mariucci Arena ice, gophers hockey tickets.com has you covered. October may seem like a long way off, but it will come up fast Gopher fans! Buy your Gopher Mens Hockey Tickets today!

Hottest Selling Gopher Games:

• Saturday Oct 18 Gophers vs. St. Cloud State Huskies
• Saturday Feb 7 Gophers vs. Wisconsin Badgers

Cheapest Gopher Hockey Tickets:

• Sunday Nov 16 Gophers vs. Michigan Tech Huskies
  

The Gopher Hockey Schedule is out and you can now buy Gophers Hockey Tickets from gophershockeytickets.com

Gopher fans will want to scoop up tickets early to the Wisconsin Badgers game in February and the closing regular season match-up between the Golden Gophers and the UMD Bulldogs. Those conference games are sure to determine the final rankings in the WCHA.

Order your Gopher Hockey tickets securely online today and we will see you at Mariucci Arena wearing your maroon and gold!  

Blake Wheeler turned down the NHL contract offered by the Phoenix Coyotes and will take his chances at free agency in the NHL this July. Wheelers agent responded with comments that eluded to the fact that Blake Wheelers decision was not based solely on money, but is more about having the opportunity to choose where he is going to live and play. At one point, there were rumors that Blake Wheeler would play for the Minnesota Wild, but recent statements indicate he is looking elsewhere, perhaps at the east coast teams.

Gophers Hockey fans will be keeping an eye on the Blake Wheeler story and you can bet Gophers Hockey Tickets .com will keep you posted on Blake Wheelers status! Check back soon!

The University of Minnesota recently reported that there are over 2,500 people on the Golden Gopher Men's Hockey Season Ticket waiting list. That's a lot of Gopher hockey fans waiting for Minnesota Gopher hockey tickets! But wait no longer, Gopher fans! You can buy Gopher Hockey tickets right here at www.gophershockeytickets.com. We have tickets to every Gopher hockey game. If you are interested in buying Gopher Hockey Season tickets, we can do that, too! Call us at 888-474-4053 or email us at sales@gophershockeytickets.com

We look forward to serving all of your

Gophers Hockey Ticket needs!

Let's hope the 2008-09 Gophers season will be a great one for Don Lucia, Mike Hastings and the Gopher hockey team! Welcome to the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers, Mike Hastings!

The Gopher hockey team selected their 2008-09 team captain as Ryan Stoa. The Minnesota Gopher junior forward was an assistant captain last year despite missing nearly the entire 2007-08 men's hockey season with a knee injury. Stoa will return to the ice next year wearing the Golden Gopher Captain "C" on his jersey and coach Don Lucia will look for Ryan Stoa's leadership to help propel the mens gopher hockey team to a successful season.

Stay tuned for Gopher Hockey Schedule announcements!

Minnesota Gopher junior forward Blake Wheeler has withdrawn from the University of Minnesota to pursue a career in the NHL. Wheeler was a 2004 first-round draft pick by the Phoenix Coyotes and has until the beginning of June to sign with the team or will then take his chances at NHL free agency. Blake Wheeler is fast on his skates and has the ability to put the puck between the pipes in stressful situations. Blake Wheeler's on ice talent will be missed by the Gopher mens hockey team and his great play making abilities will be missed by Gopher hockey fans, as well.

Best of luck to you Blake Wheeler in the NHL.

Gopher Goaltender Alex Kangas was awarded the Gopher mens hockey team Most Valuable Player award at Saturday's team awards banquet at Mariucci Arena. Kangas was also named the team's Rookie of the Year and Playoff MVP.

Alex Kangas celebrated a record setting year with the Golden Gophers, setting single-season school records with 1.98 goals against average and .930 save percentage. Kangas also was ranked sixth nationally in goals against and seventh in save percentage, including second among all freshman goalies in the country.

Congratulations Alex Kangas!

Calling all Gopher hockey fans, email your favorite gopher hockey watching experience to sales@gophershockeytickets.com and be entered into a chance to win a pair of single game Gopher hockey tickets for next season! It only takes a few seconds to email us and we promise we won't spam you or sell your email address to any one else! Your personal information is safe with us. We just want to hear what other Gopher hockey fans have to say!

We may use your Gopher hockey experience email (edited for length and content) and first name only on this site. Odds of winning depend on the number of entries received. All entries must be received by 8/1/2008. Winner will be notified by email from sales@gophershockeytickets.com Check back if you want to hear the winning Gopher hockey experience!

Mike Guentzel resigned his post of assistant head coach to the University of Minnesota men's hockey program to pursue other coaching opportunities. Guentzel played for the Minnesota Gophers himself from 1982-1985 and has spent the past 14 years coaching with the Gopher hockey team. Mike Guentzel was a large part of the Gophers winning back to back national championships in 2002 and 2003.

Gophers Hockey Tickets would like to wish Mike Guentzel much success in the future and we will be rooting for you, unless, of course you are opposite of the Gophers bench. Thank you, Mike Guentzel, for your commitment to the Gopher hockey program.

Just because the Gopher hockey season is over doesn't mean that you shouldn't check back to www.gophershockeytickets.com for all your Gopher hockey news during the off-season. Gopher hockey tickets will be the first place you can buy single game tickets for 2008/09 Gopher hockey games and we will update our site with new gopher player profiles throughout the summer including new Gopher signee Aaron Ness!

Check back to Gophers hockey tickets every week for the latest gopher hockey news and special gopher hockey ticket deals!

The Minnesota Gophers lost to Boston College 2-5 ending their NCAA playoff chances and the 2007-08 Gopher Hockey season. Boston College Eagles controlled most of the first period and were firing the puck at mach speed toward Gopher goalie Alex Kangas. The Gophers never led the contest, but did manage to tie the score briefly in the second period. The third period of the NCAA playoff game was wacky as the Gophers scored and the referee waived it off only to have the play reviewed later and a goal announced. The stroke of luck for the Gophers wasn't enough for them to come back, but definitely gave the college hockey fans something to get excited about.

Gophers fans were disappointed that the team couldn't continue on their remarkable postseason run, but there is always next year Gophers fans!

Gophers Hockey Tickets web site is a top provider of NCAA Hockey Tournament Tickets. Buy your mens hockey tickets from a trusted college hockey ticket broker! Go Gophers!

NCAA Hockey Tickets

The Gophers and Boston College are classic hockey rivals, but have missed two opportunities to play during the regular season tournaments so the NCAA playoff will be a heated battle between two teams playing their best hockey right now. The Boston College Eagles swept through the Hockey East playoffs and the Golden Gophers came from behind to earn the second place title of the WCHA.

The Gophers lead the all-time series with Boston College 14-10-2, but the teams have not played since a 2-1 Minnesota victory in 2002. Let's hope the Gophers are ready to be the Cinderella team in the NCAA hockey tournaments. Go Gpohers!

The Gophers were disappointed with the loss, but proud of how far they had come. "We did what we needed to do in the last 10 games." Gopher head coach Don Lucia said. Indeed, they did. The Gophers played hard beating the Mankato Mavericks, St Cloud State Huskies and the Colorado College Tigers. They won the necessary games to get to the WCHA Championship game and to more importantly to get a berth into the NCAA tournament. Way to go Gophers! Way to go!

The WCHA Final Five tournament begins tonight at the Xcel Energy Center St Paul. Here is the complete WCHA Final Five Schedule:

Thurs Mar 20

St. Cloud State vs Minnesota Gophers 7PM  TICKETS

Fri  Mar 21  

Denver vs. North Dakota  2PM  TICKETS

Minnesota/St. Cloud vs. Colorado College 7PM  TICKETS

Sat  Mar 22  

Third Place Game 2PM  TICKETS

Championship Game 7PM  TICKETS

Gophershockeytickets.com is your top source for premium WCHA Final Five tickets. Tickets are available even at the last minute with a local pick-up option less than a block from the Xcel Energy Center. Buy WCHA Final Five tickets today!

The Mankato playoff series was one of the best in college hockey match-ups and both goalies were remarkable. Gopher goalie Alex Kangas played phenomenal hockey stopping 115 of 119 shots and remaining cool under the playoff pressure. Gophers fans will want to buy WCHA Final Five tickets and head to St Paul to see top college hockey match-ups. Regardless of who wins or loses, the college hockey fan will have an experience to remember.

WCHA playoff season has finally begun! The Gopher hockey team will be in Mankato taking on the Mavericks. Other first-round WCHA playoff matchups include: top-seeded Colorado College Tigers hosting 10th-seeded Alaska Anchorage, second-seeded North Dakota Fighting Sioux hosting ninth-seeded Michigan Tech and fifth-seeded St. Cloud State Huskies hosting sixth-seeded Wisconsin Badgers. All three game series will run this Friday and Saturday with a possible third game on Sunday to determine which team will move on to the WCHA final five tournament.

The Golden Gopher mens hockey team will take on Minnesota State Mavericks in Mankato on Friday night for the first-round Western Collegiate Hockey Association playoff series. It will be the first time in seven years that the Gopher mens hockey team begins the conference playoffs on the road.

The Mankato Mavericks finished the season with an 18-14-4 record and fourth in the WCHA while the Minnesota Gophers finished with a 15-14-9 record and seventh in the WCHA.  The winner of the three game series will be given a berth in WCHA Final Five Tournament that will be held March 20-22 at the Xcel Energy Center. Let's go Gophers!

Be sure to check back to gophershockeytickets.com for Gopher hockey updates and WCHA playoff ticket information!

The Saturday night Mariucci Arena loss didn't affect the Gophers seventh place standings in the WCHA, but it is sure to have an impact on their momentum as a team heading into the playoffs. It was the last time the Gopher seniors would play at Mariucci Arena and they were disappointed they couldn't give the home crowd a victory. Gophers forward Ben Gordon said:  "Last game at Mariucci," he explained, "it was sad, especially getting the loss."

It was sad for the Gopher hockey fans as well. Let's hope the Gophers can play tougher in the playoffs!

Last Chance!

The Golden Gophers Mens Hockey team has one more home series this season vs. the University Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs. The Friday Saturday night series will be on the Gopher Mariucci Arena ice and is sure to be a sold out game! This could be your last chance to see this Gopher team at Mariucci Arena so be sure and buy your Gopher hockey tickets today!

Fri Mar 07 Gophers vs Bulldogs 7pm

Sat Mar 08 Gophers vs Bulldogs 7pm

The Minnesota Gophers hockey team earned 3 out of 4 points playing the Wisconsin Badgers in a tough WCHA rivalry match-up last weekend. The Gophers beat the Badgers 4-2 on Friday night and then went on to tie 4-4 on Saturday in front of a sold out Mariucci crowd. In fact, it was the largest crowd this season, recorded as 231 over capacity. If you didn't have Gopher hockey tickets, you definitely missed out!

The Gophers took the lead 4 times on Saturday night and the Badgers answered back after every goal. It was a high strung game filled with plenty of shots on goal and a roaring Mariucci Arena crowd."That was the loudest I've heard this building the whole season," Gopher Jay Barriball said.

The NCAA tournament remains within reach, the Gophers have just got to keep winning! Go Gophers!

Fri Feb 22 Gophers vs Badgers 7pm

Sat Feb 23 Gophers vs Badgers 7pm

A friend of mine made the long journey to Madison, Wisconsin last Saturday for the Minnesota Golden Gopher Basketball game versus the Wisconsin Badgers at the Kohl Center.  His buddy that he went with also had hockey tickets to that night's Wisconsin Badgers vs. Minnesota State Mavericks hockey game which was also played at the Kohl Center.  Because he is a hockey fanatic he decided to check out the game even though he despises both of the teams that were playing. 

Here are a few of his thoughts from his Kohl Center hockey experience:

1.  Mariucci Arena is a much better venue to watch a hockey game at.

2.  The Wisconsin Badgers are a formidable WCHA team that seems to be getting better.

3.  The Wisconsin Badger Student Section is rowdy and knowledgeable.

4.  The Golden Gophers will be lucky to split their series this weekend with the Badgers.

5.  Wisconsin Badger Hockey Tickets are easier to get than Gopher Hockey Tickets.

6.  He is definitley going to next year's Gophers versus Badgers series at the Kohl Center in Madison.

The highlight of the game for him was when the Wisconsin Badger Student Section chanted in unison "Gopher Rejects" at the Mankato players.  I guess that cheer could be viewed as a compliment to the Gophers even though Minnesota State is ahead of the Gophers in the WCHA Standings.

From gophersports.com Minnesota hits the road for a two-game Western Collegiate Hockey Association series at the Denver Pioneers. Both teams have struggled in recent weeks as Minnesota is 1-3-3 over its last seven games and Denver is 1-4 in its last five outings. The Gophers remain in a tight race in the middle of the league standings as five points separate fourth through ninth place. Friday's game can be seen live on the Big Ten Network, while Fox Sports Net North will televise Saturday's game live.  

A pair of wins in Denver could give the Gophers hockey team a much needed lift. Go Gophers!

Next home game is Feb 22 and 23^rd when the Golden Gophers take on the Wisconsin Badgers. Check the Gopher Schedule for tickets.

Saturday nights Gopher Sioux game was a hard hitting tense game as both teams looked chippy. UND made some heavy hits and there a few fights to accentuate the evening. The Gophers ended Saturday night with a 1-1 UND tie. There was excellent goal tending by both teams during the series and it was just a matter of who could get the most shots on goal and who had the stronger offense. UND showed why they are ranked second in the WCHA.

Gophers vs. Sioux Fri Feb 1

Gophers vs. Sioux Sat Feb 2

The Golden Gophers hockey team had a tough weekend at the Kohl Center battling the Wisconsin Badgers and losing Friday night 1-3 and then walking away with a tie Saturday night 2-2. The Gophers outshot the Badgers Saturday night and looked like they were going to split the series, but the Badgers battled back and scored two goals further extending the Gophers third period fall-out pattern. In fact, the Minnesota Gophers have been outscored 36-18 in third-period play this season.

With five weekends left before the WCHA playoffs, the Wisconsin Badgers are tied with Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs for fourth place with 17 points while the Gophers have 15 points, just one point in front of St. Cloud State, Michigan Tech and Minnesota State Mankato. The Gophers will need to come on strong if they want to make the playoffs. Go Gophers!

The University of Minnesota Gopher men's hockey team had a considerably better weekend fighting the Duluth Bulldogs than they had in St. Cloud, when they let the Huskies come back to get a 4-4 tie. The Gophers were able to maintain a tie Friday night in Duluth after the Bulldogs somehow got a five man to three advantage. Many Gopher players and coach Don Lucia believe that the five on three was a turning point for the Gophers in the season.

The Gopher hockey team got their sixth win in the WCHA the following night on Saturday, beating the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs 2-1. With the Duluth trip out of the way, the Gophers will head to Wisconsin this weekend for an important Wisconsin Badger border battle. Get Gopher tickets to see this intriguing series and go Gophers!

The Golden Gopher hockey team will be on the road the next two weekends facing tough WHCA rivals. First up is University Minnesota Duluth this weekend and then the University of Wisconsin Badgers next weekend. The next home game for the Gopher mens hockey team will be Super Bowl weekend vs. University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux. 

Click here for the Gophers Schedule.

The Gophers mens hockey team traveled to the National Hockey Center in St Cloud Minnesota to play the St Cloud State Huskies on Saturday. The Gophers played in front of a roaring 6,000 plus crowd, most fans donning Huskies jerseys and loud Husky voices. If the crowd wasn't intimidating enough, the Gophers had to deal with a fluke Huskies goal that started the Huskies three goal comeback.

Gophers goalie Jeff Frazee started the game for the Gophers, but was replaced with Alex Kangas at the start of the second period.  The shot count was close, but the Huskies had a slight 33-32 edge over the Gophers team. The offensive part of the hockey game was definitely the battle of the freshman as Freshman Huskie Garrett Roe scored two goals for the Huskies, and Gopher freshman Mike Hoeffel scored two for the Gophers.

It was a crazy game and Gopher Goalie Alex Kangas is quoted as saying, "I'm glad we don't play St. Cloud again."  Most Gophers hockey fans will definitely agree.

"We needed it," coach Don Lucia said. The Gophers have not been playing to their normally elite standard and Gopher fans, players and even the coach hope these back to back victories can bring some momentum to the Gopher hockey team.

Gophers vs Wayne State Warriors Fri Jan 4

Gophers vs Wayne State Warriors Sat Jan 5

The Golden Gophers mens hockey team beat the Air Force Falcons in an overtime shootout to win the consolation title of the Dodge Holiday Classic at Mariucci Arena. The Gophers led most of the game, but the Falcons pulled their goalie in the final minutes of the third period and used the extra man to their advantage slipping a goal past Gophers goalie Alex Kangas. The 2-2 tie sent the game into overtime. After a scoreless five minute session, Minnesota won the shootout 2-0, scoring on two of its three tries and stopping the Air Force Falcons on four attempts.

Boston College claimed the tournament title with a 6-0 rout of Rochester Institute of Technology. It was Boston College's first Dodge Holiday Classic title in its fourth tournament appearance.

After nearly 3 weeks off, the Golden Gopher mens hockey team was stunned when it lost to RIT in the first round of the Dodge Holiday Classic. RIT beat the Gophers 4-3 and forced the Gophers to play for consolation against Air Force. Minnesota had won the tournament 11 times in the 16-year history of the event and was sorely disappointed with the loss. RIT's Matt Smith broke a 3-3 tie with 11 minutes left in the game to give the Rochester Institute of Technology Tigers the victory. The Gophers had many opportunities to score late in the third period including a Mike Hoeffel breakaway and a five on a three Minnesota power play, but couldn't manage to put one between the pipes.

The University of Minnesota Golden Gopher mens hockey team will be back on their home ice this weekend for the Dodge Holiday Classic Tournament. The two day tournament starts on Saturday December 29^th at 4:07pm when the Air Force faces off against Boston College at Mariucci Arena. The evening game brings the maroon and gold Gophers against RIT. Sunday games will be the losers vs. the winners. Both evening games will be broadcast on FSN, but don't sit home and watch the games buy gophers hockey tickets today!

Dodge Holiday Classic Tickets

"This is too hard a business," he said. "You've got to persevere. You've got to hang in there, and just the fact that it isn't working out, you know, you've got to kind of make the commitment to stay."

"University of Minnesota sophomore Kyle Okposo has chosen to forgo the remainder of the 2007-08 season and his career with the Golden Gophers to sign a contract with the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League.

Okposo was the Islanders' first-round draft choice and the seventh player taken overall in the 2006 entry draft. He is the eighth Minnesota player to leave college early for the professional ranks since the end of the 2005-06 season." Read more here.

The Gophers mens hockey team tied Michigan state the day after Thanksgiving and then lost to Michigan on Saturday. Perhaps the maroon and gold just had too much turkey. The team played sloppy offense and just couldn't put together passes to score on their Michigan rivals.

Up next is another Michigan for the Gophers, fourth ranked Michigan Tech will be at Mariucci Arena on Friday November 30th and Saturday December 1st. Let's hope the Gophers hockey team can regroup and beat the Huskies before Gopher hockey fans give up on them.

Gophers Hockey Tickets

The Gopher hockey team split its home series with WCHA opponent Alaska Anchorage.  The Gophers earned a shutout on Friday night beating the Anchorage Seawolves 3-0, but lost on Saturday 4-2.

Saturday's loss was a heartbreaker for the fans at Mariucci arena. The Gophers were leading after two periods, but the Seawolves put together an offensive surge to score three goals in the third period to win the game.

"In the third period, they just took it to us," said Gophers defenseman Cade Fairchild, who assisted on his team's two goals. "They just outworked us."

Minnesota outshot the unranked Seawolves in every period and finished with a 32-25 edge, but Anchorage goaltender Jon Olthuis made some good saves while benefiting from Minnesota hitting the pipe once and several times simply missing an open net.  

The University of Minnesota Golden Gopher mens hockey team will take on Minnesota State Mankato Mavericks this weekend in a home-and-home series.

Friday November 9^th's game is at Mankato at 7:35 p.m. and Saturday November 10^th's game is at Mariucci Arena at 7:07 p.m. As your top source for Gopher Hockey Tickets, we have great seats to both games! View the Gopher Hockey Schedule for ticket information!

Go Gophers!

This Gopher Hockey fan had high hopes for this years Gopher team, but they are looking less than stellar. I am wondering if Kyle Okposo has any regrets about not going with the New York Islanders in the NHL? Can losing over and over again really be that much fun? The Gophers are getting 30+ shots on goal and that is always fun to watch.

Most of the Gopher hockey games are still sold out unless you buy your tickets from www.gophershockeytickets.com - we are never sold out! Goooooo Gophers!

The Gopher football team looked equally pathetic and lost their homecoming match-up to the Illini 17-44 at the HHH Metrodome.

The only hope for Gopher sports fans? Gopher Basketball which starts this Saturday at Williams Arena vs. Army.

With its sweep of Ohio State last week, the Gopher hockey team moved up two spots to eighth in this week's NCAA men's hockey rankings. Minnesota was 10th in last week's poll before sweeping 14th-ranked Ohio State 3-1 and 2-1 last week at Mariucci Arena.

Minnesota will play another ranked opponent this weekend when it hosts seventh-ranked Denver Pioneers at Mariucci Arena in a rare Friday Sunday series with games on Friday at 7:07 pm and Sunday at 2:07 pm due to a Gopher homecoming football game on Saturday night. Need Gopher tickets? Gophershockeytickets.com is your best source!

Gophers Hockey vs. Pioneers Nov. 2^nd 7pm @ Mariucci

Gophers Football vs. Illinois Nov. 3^rd 7pm @ Metrodome (Homecoming)

Gophers Hockey vs. Pioneers Nov. 4^th  2pm @ Mariucci

The Golden Gopher Mens Hockey team beat Ohio State 3-1 last night on the Gopher home ice, Mariucci Arena. After losing two games against Colorado College last weekend, the Gophers were ready to prove they are a top notch college hockey team and better than their current 10th place college hockey rank.

Gopher Junior Justin Bostrom, Seniors Ben Gordon and Mike Howe all scored goals to propel the Gophers to the victory over the Buckeyes.

The teams meet again tonight at Mariucci Arena at 7:05 p.m and there are still good seats available for less than $50. Buy Ohio State Gopher hockey tickets.

The University of Minnesota Golden Gopher Hockey Team is our Pride on Ice!

Colorado College freshman goaltender Richard Bachman had a big night Saturday night stopping 37 shots, stopping 21 in the third period alone. The Gophers had a solid scoring chance in overtime when Blake Wheeler had an open look that was stopped by Bachman.

Next up for the Gophers is a Thursday night game at Mariucci Arena vs. Ohio State. Let's hope the Gopher hockey team can turn the season around rather quickly and show Minnesota Gopher hockey fans why the Gopher Hockey Team is our Pride on Ice.

University of Minnesota hockey head coach Don Lucia announced today that senior defenseman Derek Peltier will serve as the captain for the 2007-08 season. Senior forwards Mike Howe and Evan Kaufmann and junior forward Ryan Stoa were also named assistant captains. The announcement was made at this afternoon's media day at Mariucci Arena following a vote of the team. The Gophers will play in the annual Ice Breaker tournament this weekend at the Xcel Energy Center St Paul.

Buy Gopher hockey tickets now!

In the past, college hockey coaches have considered being picked the favorite to be a jinx, but the poll correctly picked the Gophers to win in 2005-06 and last season, the Gophers won it again after tying with Wisconsin for the top spot in the preseason poll.  

Here is how the coaches vote turned out:

1. UND - 79 pts.

2. Gophers - 74 pts.

3. Colorado College - 55 pts.

4. Denver - 53 pts.

5. Wisconsin Badgers - 52 pts.

6. St Cloud State - 43 pts.

7. Michigan Tech - 41 pts.

8. Minnesota Duluth - 23 pts.

9. Mankato - 19 pts.

10. Alaska Anchorage - 11 pts.

 

"They're always good, and they've got some really good new guys," said Vanek, who worked out this summer in the Mariucci Arena weight room with returning players.

Take it from Vanek, the Gophers Hockey Team will be a force to be reckoned with and tickets will sell out fast. Go Gophers!

The October event will be the 2007 Ice Breaker Invitational. Since its inception at the beginning of the 1997-98 season, the Ice Breaker perennially brings together some of the best teams in the nation and provides fans with a destination to celebrate the start of a new year of college hockey. The Golden Gophers hockey team will join Boston College from Hockey East, the University of Michigan from the CCHA, and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) of ECAC Hockey.  All of the teams are top notch college hockey teams and are sure to provide fans with a great hockey watching experience.  There will be two games on both days:

Friday October 12^th

Michigan Wolverines vs. Boston College Eagles at 4:30 p.m.

RPI Engineers vs. Minnesota Golden Gophers at 7:30pm

Saturday October 13^th

Consolation game at 4:30 p.m.

Championship game at 7:30pm

On ticket gets you into both games for the day so buy your college hockey tickets now! Go Gophers!

February and March are going to be highly competitive months for the Gopher hockey team. The Gophers play the North Dakota Fighting Sioux on February 1^st and 2^nd, Wisconsin Badgers on February 22^nd and 23^rd and finally the University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs on March 7^th and 8^th.  All 3 two game match-ups are sure to be sell-outs so buy gophers hockey tickets now!

Needless to say, Gophers head coach Don Lucia and Gopher hockey fans alike weren't too pleased with O'Brien's decision. Gopher hockey practice begins in less than two months, and O'Brien bailed on the Gophers far later than Lucia would have wished. Presumably, Lucia was ready to start the season with O'Brien in the lineup, but now he has to consider candidates to take over for the departed defenseman.

The six players at the camp are the most representatives from any U.S. institution. Fairchild and White are incoming freshman to the Gophers this fall, and Carman, Fischer, Flynn and Okposo will be sophomores for the 2007-08 season at the U of M. The players at the camp will get to face off against the best players from Sweden and Finland.

A native of Grand Rapids, Minnesota, Alex Goligoski has served the Golden Gophers hockey team well and will definitely be missed. At 6' 0" and187 pounds, Goligoski has been a hard hitting defenseman. He was a 2006-07 All-American, the WCHA Defensive Player of the Year and an All-WCHA First Team selection after finishing the season with nine goals and 30 assists. Goligoski is the second Golden Gopher defenseman this offseason to give up remaining eligibility to play professional hockey, following Erik Johnson who signed with the St. Louis Blues in April.

Patrick White just finished up his senior year of high school at Grand Rapids, and his size and play there helped draw the attention of NHL scouts. He finished his senior year with 49 points on 18 goals in 30 games for the Thunderhawks. White also improved his NHL stock with showings at the IHF World Under-18 Championships, where he helped Team USA win the silver medal. The other first round choice, Jim O'Brien, played for the Gophers last season as a freshman, finishing with 15 points on seven goals. O'Brien is a smart player who creates a positive presence on the ice.

The award is named after the late William Masterson, who played for the Minnesota North Stars and exhibited an immense dedication to the sport of hockey. Masterson died on January 15, 1968 after suffering an injury in a hockey game. Kessel, showing obvious dedication to his profession of professional hockey, got back on the ice as soon as he could from illness.

University of Minnesota men's hockey head coach Don Lucia announced that sophomore center Mike Carman from Apple Valley, Minnesota will not compete with the Golden Gophers for the first semester of the 2007-08 season. Lucia would not say why Carman is sitting out, but Gophers fans are speculating it is due to academic ineligibility. Lucia did say that Carmen is going to be able to practice, get himself into great shape and come back and start playing right after Christmas. Carmen, who had nine goals and 11 assists for 20 points last season, is expected to appear with the Gopher hockey team at the 17th Annual Dodge Holiday Classic on December 29-30, 2007 at Mariucci Arena.

Okposo was selected by the New York Islanders in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, but Okposo announced, "After meeting with the Islanders to discuss my future, I felt it was in my best interest to return for my sophomore year. This is where I want to be to develop into a better player. I'm enjoying my time as a Gopher and am looking forward to helping us defend our WCHA Championships."  Hooah to Kyle Okposo! Golden Gopher Hockey fans will welcome him with open arms into Mariucci arena! Let's play hockey!

Gophers hockey head coach Don Lucia originally set a June 1 deadline for the two players to make their decisions, but the date has passed and both players are still holding out. Lucia has reset the date to June 11, or the first day of summer school at the University of Minnesota. Lucia wants Goligoski and Okposo to decide by then because incoming freshman are waiting to see if the two NHL-bound players will be around for summer workouts.

"It would be wrong for me or anyone else for selfish reasons to try and woo a kid at college to come here," Garth said. "There's always time."

Metzen played for the Minnesota Gophers in 1964 and the U.S. National team in 1965 and '66. A native of South St. Paul, Minnesota, Metzen went into a career in education after his hockey career. He received a Masters and PhD degrees from the University of Minnesota and eventually became the Superintendent of Schools for the city of South St. Paul.

Dave Metzen eventually joined the University of Minnesota Board of Regents in 1997, furthering his pursuit of a truly inspirational career to athletes everywhere.

The loss and tournament elimination was hard for Ballard who represented Team USA in 2004 at the IIHF World Championships in Prague, Czech Republic, helping the United States win a bronze medal. He was the only NCAA player selected to the roster. A 5-11, 208-pound defenseman, Keith Ballard just completed his second season with the Phoenix Coyotes. In 151 career NHL games, Ballard has recorded 13 goals and 53 assists for 66 points. When the Coyotes come to the Xcel Energy Center to play the Minnesota Wild, Ballard has quite a fan club!

Phil Kessel is also a repeat star of Team USA. Kessel represented Team USA at the 2006 IIHF World Championships in Riga, Latvia. Kessel had one goal and one assist in seven games as Team USA finished the tournament with an overall record of 4-3-0. He was the lone collegiate player on the U.S. roster. A 6-0, 189-pound forward, Kessel just completed his rookie season with the Boston Bruins. In 70 career NHL games, Kessel recorded 11 goals and 18 assists for 29 points.