Despite 54-Shot Outburst, Gophers Lose in OT to UNO

Las Vegas, NV – The Gophers did just about everything right in the final of the Icebreaker tournament.

The one thing they didn’t do enough of was score.

Nebraska-Omaha goalie Simon Latkoczy was outstanding, stopping 53 of 54 shots to lead the UNO Mavericks (2-0-0 Overall) over the Minnesota Gophers (1-1-0) in the championship game of the Icebreaker.

If you’re a Gopher fan, you’ve seen this movie before. Minnesota came out of the gates like a house on fire, racking up 21 shots in the first period alone and thoroughly dominating Omaha in all phases of the game. The Mavericks did not record their first shot on goal until past the 10-minute mark of the opening period.

The Gophers finally got on the board at 14:26 of the first when Mason Nevers put away a rebound after a full circle around the goal by smooth-skating Sam Rinzel. August Falloon recorded his first point as a Gopher, earning the second assist on the play.

Minnesota kept pouring on shots and high-quality chances, but Latkoczy was up to the task, making incredible save after incredible save to keep his team in it just down one. In a one-goal game, all it takes is one chance to tie it up, and Omaha got their chance shorthanded in the middle of the second period. Sam Stange scored for UNO on a Gopher powerplay to tie the game at 13:09 of the second.

The rest of the game was more of the same – Minnesota peppering the UNO crease with high-danger chances, UNO not able to do much about it but riding a goalie standing on his head. After neither team scored the rest of regulation, the game went to 3×3 overtime, where UNO took advantage of their one chance in the OT period to beat Gopher goalie Liam Souliere high and win it 2-1 for the Mavericks.

A frustrating outcome, but it’s tough to fault the effort. The team swarmed UNO all game long, with aggressive, stifling play in the neutral zone and quality passing / shots throughout. The final SOG was 54-18 in favor of the Gophers.

Minnesota is back on the ice next weekend against Minnesota-Duluth. The Bulldogs are 1-2-0 on the young season, splitting this weekend with UMass-Lowell and losing in overtime last weekend to Bemidji. Both games are in Duluth, so a great opportunity for a road trip weekend for Gopher fans.