Eric Vegoe • Gopher Puck Live

Gophers Depth Gets Them to Title Game

ByEric Vegoe Thu, Apr 6Sun, Apr 23

Tampa, Fla. — Coming into the Frozen Four there were high hopes for the pace of play based on the sheer volume of skill amongst the teams in Tampa. The Gophers boasted 14 draft picks in their line-up and the Terriers tallied 11 in theirs. Neither team disappointed during an intense Minnesota 6-2 win over Boston University during the first semi-final of the weekend. However it wasn’t necessarily the Gophers top line or the Terriers heralded freshman defensemen that made the most noise, it came from some of the team’s depth players.

Gophers Finding Right Combination for Success

ByEric Vegoe Thu, Apr 6Thu, Apr 6

Minneapolis, Minn. — Looking over a roster of 14 NHL draft picks, plenty of pundits think it is an easy job to put together a lineup for Minnesota. The reality is that it’s always a challenge to find the right chemistry and every fall the concern over early lineups are brushed aside by Bob Motzko…

Defense Delivers on Great Expectations for Gophers

ByEric Vegoe Tue, Apr 4Tue, Apr 4

When Minnesota AD Mark Coyle introduced Bob Motzko as his next head men’s hockey coach in March 2018, Motzko took the podium and immediately acknowledged the expectations for the job.

Opportunity to Improve Against In-State Rivals Ahead

ByEric Vegoe Fri, Oct 7Mon, Oct 24

Minneapolis, Minn. — When the University of Minnesota men’s hockey program decided it was time to make a change in leadership behind the bench, it wasn’t necessarily because the team was losing the majority of their games, it was because they were losing the wrong ones. The Gophers seemed to struggle on the biggest stages…

COVID Cools Crowds Until Gophers Heat Up

ByEric Vegoe Fri, Apr 15Wed, May 18

Minneapolis, Minn. — The Gophers men’s hockey program welcomed a venue record crowd of 10,744 fans for their final home game of the season as the host of the Big Ten Tournament Championship Game. Boosted by five full sections of students in 3M Arena at Mariucci, the venue also featured a record number of 10,252…

We Have What We Need, We Need What We Have

ByEric Vegoe Fri, Feb 11Fri, Feb 11

Gophers have games in hand with Buckeyes, but key upcoming series will have huge implications for conference race and best chance to make an impact to their PairWise Ranking during rest of regular season Minneapolis, Minn. — Players coming into the locker room to start a crucial February stretch of Gopher Hockey noticed a new…

Minnesota Seeks Consistency with Michigan Coming to Mariucci

ByEric Vegoe Thu, Jan 20Fri, Jan 21

Mistakes During Alaska Loss Drops Minnesota to No. 12 in PWR Minneapolis, Minn. — Bob Motzko’s crew seemed ready to stay the course this past weekend despite dealing with a tidal wave of unexpected news. The Minnesota men’s hockey team played a solid game against Alaska Friday night in a 4-1 win. However, undercurrents that…

Gophers LaFontaine Signs Pro Contract with Canes

ByEric Vegoe Mon, Jan 10Mon, Jan 10

Fifth-year goalie will immediately join Carolina taxi squad Minneapolis, Minn. — Gophers men’s hockey coach Bob Motzko was watching the Minnesota Vikings wrap up their season Sunday when his phone rang and it brought the type of news that usually doesn’t come until after his own team wraps up their season — fifth year player…