The Gophers, having likely done enough over the first 34 games to earn an at-large bid when the 16 team field is announced on March 18, will enter the NCAA Tournament on a four-game losing streak, all to the Nittany Lions and all at Pegula Arena.
The latest loss came Saturday when Penn State came out ahead 6-5 in a game which saw Minnesota (19-17-2) explode for four goals in the second period and four lead changes.
Evan Barratt scored twice Saturday, including the game-winning goal with 8:35 remaining in regulation.
“We were a little sluggish in the first and then after that I thought we played hard and fought right until the end. It’s just disappointing we didn’t get that final goal,” Minnesota head coach Don Lucia told reporters after Saturday’s game. “The guys had a great push in the second and third period and showed a lot of who they are coming back from 3-1 on the road.”
Combined with Friday’s 5-3 victory, Penn State won the best-of-three quarterfinal series 2-0 and advanced to next week’s Big Ten semifinal.
The Nittany Lions will face Notre Dame.
Minnesota is not guaranteed another game; however, one is more than likely. The Gophers after Saturday night are 13th in the Pairwise rankings, which mimic the criteria used to determine the NCAA Tournament field. College Hockey News’ Pairwise Probability Matrix has Minnesota with a 97 percent chance to make the tournament
The team remains in good position while being idle due to teams around them facing one another.
“We were a little sluggish in the first and then after that I thought we played hard and fought right until the end”
Minnesota’s RPM line of Scott Reedy, Rem Pitlick and Casey Mittelstadt combined for 12 points. All three players finished with a goal with Reedy getting two for his first multigoal game.
“That was a line that did all the damage this weekend,” said Lucia. “The power play had two each night and that had been a struggle and that was a real positive, but we needed some other guys to join in this weekend.”
Penn State (18-13-5) needed 16 seconds to take the lead Saturday. Trevor Hamilton quickly struck on Gopher goaltender Eric Schierhorn, who was making his first start since Jan. 18.
Liam Folkes made it 2-0 before Mittelstadt scored his third power play in two games. Jack Ramsey, Pitlick and Reedy each found a way past Peyton Jones to give Minnesota a 4-3 lead, but James Robinson tied the game back at four for the home team.
“They earned home ice and that was the difference this weekend,” said Lucia.
While Reedy put Minnesota ahead four minutes into the third period, the lead did not last.
Brandon Biro tied the game once again less than four minutes later. Barratt came through as well with his fourth goal in the last four games.
With Schierhorn pulled for an extra attacker, Jones made a couple key stops in the final minute for Penn State. He finished with 35 saves.
The Nittany Lions used the last nine days to go from a longshot to make the NCAA Tournament to comfortably off the bubble. It’s important for Penn State, given the team is hosting the Midwest Region in Allentown, Pa.
Minnesota, meanwhile, returns home with several question marks which need to be solved in the three weeks between this loss and an NCAA Tournament quarterfinal. The Gophers defense and goaltending, a point of pride for most of the season, gave up 21 goals in four losses. The offense and power play found success this weekend, but have also disappeared for stretches this season.
Most importantly, the team will be idle for two additional weekends. At a time teams are trying to find a way on the ice to play its best hockey in the postseason, the Gophers will be spending the time practicing by themselves.
