Here’s a quick recap of the Gophers’ home opener series against Bemidji State
Our big players showed up and contributed in big ways. I’m not going to get into the numbers but the stars of last weekend were Rau, Kloos, and Boyd. This is great to see because those are some of the guys that need to lead this team. Boyd was named Big Ten First Star of the Week. The Beavers aren’t a great team so we can’t get too excited; a real test comes this weekend as we take on St Cloud State.
The Huskies lost on Friday night to #2 ranked and defending National Champs Union College by a score of 5-1. It might as well have been a shutout considering the Huskies scored with 5 seconds left in the game. They were dominated that night but came back on Saturday to upset Union by a score of 3-2. This season the Huskies are 2-2 and are currently ranked #7 in the nation. An in-state top 10 matchup should prove to be a great test for each team. The former WCHA rivals will have a home and home series with Herb Brooks National Hockey Center hosting Friday night and Mariucci on Saturday. The Huskies are still trying to break in a new goalie for the year and also trying to fill the void left by Hobey Baker finalist Nic Dowd. They are coming off a second straight regular season title and have some playmakers up front that could cause the Gophers defense some trouble. One player to look for is junior forward Jonny Brodzinski who is coming off two great seasons with a lot of offensive production. A great storyline and matchup is that he will be going up against his brother Michael Brodzinski a sophomore defensemen for the Gophers. Jonny will be leaned on heavy this weekend as the Huskies hope to upset the Gophers. On defense for the Huskies, they return one of the best in the country in Andrew Prochno. He will be tasked with shutting down the likes of Rau, Boyd, Fasching, Kloos and Warning. I can’t see Prochno alone shutting all these guys down; we just have too much firepower.
Since this is a rivalry game with a home game for each team, don’t be surprised if the Gophers struggle a little bit on the road Friday night. Anything goes in rivalry games, you never know what to expect. That being, I still think the Gophers come away with the sweep. It’s hard not to think sweep every weekend with this team and the firepower we have.
Another sweep for the Maroon and Gold. Lock it up.
Skyline Sports 