Kangas’ first shutout powers UM to another 3-point weekend

[Ryan Cardinal]

Kangas’ first shutout powers Minnesota to another 3-point weekend

Powered by sophomore goalie Alex Kangas’ first collegiate shutout and a pair of early power play goals, the Golden Gophers were able to extend their undefeated streak to 10 games as they defeated the Michigan Tech Huskies by a 3-0 score on Sunday afternoon at Mariucci Arena.

Fans and players were somewhat surprised in the fact that this was Kangas’ first career shutout, given how well the Rochester native has played since taking over the reigns as the No. 1 goalie last January. And despite the 3-0 score, Kangas certainly had to earn this shutout.

The Huskies probably had the better of the play for a majority of the weekend, and even today in defeat the outshot Minnesota by a 38-27 margin despite the Gophers having three more chances on the power play, which proved to the difference in the game.

Michigan Tech found itself down two players midway through the first period, and the Gophers leading scorer -- junior captain Ryan Stoa -- made them pay. After a amazing save by Tech goalie Rob Nolan to keep the game scoreless, Stoa let a shot fly from about 20’ out that beat the senior to give the Gophers a 1-0 lead. Junior Jay Barriball and sophomore defenseman Cade Fairchild got the helpers.

Then, just 24 seconds later, the second power play unit for the Gophers cashed in. Junior Mike Carman didn’t get everything on his initial shot, which hit off the base of the net. But, fellow junior Tony Lucia was there to corral the rebound and beat a off-kilter Nolan, who was thrown off a bit it seemed by Carman’s partial fanned shot. It was Lucia’s third goal of the season, with Carman and junior David Fischer getting the assists.

Early in the second period, after a Michigan Tech shot rang off the pipe, shortly there after the Gophers drove down the ice after defenseman Brian Schack, playing in place of sophomore Kevin Wehrs, corralled the puck in front of his own net and dished it out to Stoa, who then gained the zone and got the puck over to Schroeder. The former St. Thomas Academy star got his fourth goal of the season by ripping a shot over the glove of Nolan to make the score 3-0.

The Gophers were on the power play for much of the second period and parts of the third, but were never able to extend the lead past three. They had good puck movement but some of their higher-end players seemed to tire due to having to play so many minutes while on special teams.

One player for Minnesota who figured to be a factor on the power play this season is sophomore forward Patrick White, so was a healthy scratch for today’s game after accumulating just one assist so far this season. In his place, freshman Nick Larson made his way into the lineup, playing along side Taylor Matson and Justin Bostrom on the fourth line.

The coaching staff also tinkered with the second and third lines. Nico Sacchetti centered a line with Mike Hoeffel and Ryan Flynn, while junior Mike Carman was the pivot between Tony Lucia and Jake Hansen. If Minnesota is going to continue to have success, they are going to have to find some scoring outside of the top line.

Up next for the Gophers, who will likely be the No. 1 team in the country when the USCHO Poll comes out on Monday afternoon, is a trip to Denver to take on the Pioneers this Friday and Saturday. The Pioneers currently sit at 6-4-1 and were swept this past weekend at St. Cloud State. Despite that though, this will certainly be a stiff challenge for the Gophers. If Minnesota can get a point or two out of the Mile High City, it will likely be considered a successful weekend. Both games will air live on Fox Sports North, with Friday’s game starting at 8:30 p.m. central time, and the Saturday rematch getting underway a half-hour earlier at 8 p.m.