TravisErickson
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Sophomore Justin Kloos netted his first hat trick since high school, including the game winner in OT, to give the Golden Gophers a 4-3 victory over rival St. Cloud State. With the win, Minnesota earned a series split after falling to the Huskies on Friday, 4-1.
Game Notes
-- Some players are just born with an innate scoring touch and it appears Justin Kloos has it. The sophomore, who led the Gophers in goals last year, scored three on Saturday—including the winner in overtime. Every time No. 25 has the puck around the net, you almost expect him to find a way to score a goal.
-- While Kloos gets credit for the game-winner, linemate Taylor Cammarata deserves praise for his effort and grit to initially steal the puck in the offensive zone and make a perfect pass out front.
“Obviously it was Kloos’ night tonight,” said Don Lucia. “It was a great play in overtime. I thought Cammarata made the play. A little puck battle and he came up with it, and Kloos was in the right spot—where you need to be in front of the net. A nice pass out and quick shot for the winner.”
Kloos also gave credit to his teammate for setting up on the overtime goal.
“He played outstanding when we needed him tonight,” Kloos said of Cammarata. “That play in overtime was 95-percent him. He got me the puck. He’s been playing well all year. Hopefully we’ll keep clicking and help the team win.”
-- Only six games into the season the Gophers are already dealing with injuries to key players. Travis Boyd was hurt on Friday and Brady Skjei was injured during the second period on Saturday. According to head coach Don Lucia, Skjei is listed as day-to-day with a lower body injury but Boyd’s injury is more serious and will cause him to miss the next month of the season. While the injuries are unfortunate, they provide an opportunity for other players to step up and earn more playing time.
-- Due to Skjei going down during the second period, freshmen Ryan Collins and Steve Johnson were thrust into more playing time during critical situations. Collins finished with an assist on the night and Johnson provided a calm, steady presence on the blue line.
“We had a couple of freshmen that don’t have much experience and they had to play,” said Lucia. “We couldn’t hide them. They were going to play against their top line at times; they did a pretty good job overall.”
-- From the drop of the puck the Gophers seemed determined to let their physical play dictate the pace of the game. Assistant captain Seth Ambroz and freshman Robin Houglund set the tone early couple of big hits and the focus on playing gritty sustained throughout the game.
“They had much more jump, they were much more physical,” said SCSU head coach Bob Motzko. “They got to the point of impact much harder than we did.”
The physical style and sustained effort seemed to help the Gophers settle into the game much better than on Friday.
“Friday we came out flat and I think that was one thing we were going to prevent,” said Kloos. “If we were going to go down, we were going to go down with speed and effort. We weren’t going to lose due to our effort.”
Quotable
“Even if we hadn’t won the game tonight, I was much happier with how we played compared to last night.” – Don Lucia
“Obviously, we didn’t want to lose two games to St. Cloud.” – Taylor Cammarata
Three Stars of the Game
No. 3 Taylor Cammarata – The sophomore had two assists in the game.
No. 2 Connor Reilly – Netted his third goal of the season in the third period.
No. 1 Justin Kloos – His three goals on Saturday give him five on the season.
What’s Next
Minnesota hosts the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame next weekend. Friday’s game at Mariucci Arena is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Due to the Gophers’ football game against Iowa on Saturday, the series will conclude on Sunday, November 9, at 4:00 p.m.
Game Notes
-- Some players are just born with an innate scoring touch and it appears Justin Kloos has it. The sophomore, who led the Gophers in goals last year, scored three on Saturday—including the winner in overtime. Every time No. 25 has the puck around the net, you almost expect him to find a way to score a goal.
-- While Kloos gets credit for the game-winner, linemate Taylor Cammarata deserves praise for his effort and grit to initially steal the puck in the offensive zone and make a perfect pass out front.
“Obviously it was Kloos’ night tonight,” said Don Lucia. “It was a great play in overtime. I thought Cammarata made the play. A little puck battle and he came up with it, and Kloos was in the right spot—where you need to be in front of the net. A nice pass out and quick shot for the winner.”
Kloos also gave credit to his teammate for setting up on the overtime goal.
“He played outstanding when we needed him tonight,” Kloos said of Cammarata. “That play in overtime was 95-percent him. He got me the puck. He’s been playing well all year. Hopefully we’ll keep clicking and help the team win.”
-- Only six games into the season the Gophers are already dealing with injuries to key players. Travis Boyd was hurt on Friday and Brady Skjei was injured during the second period on Saturday. According to head coach Don Lucia, Skjei is listed as day-to-day with a lower body injury but Boyd’s injury is more serious and will cause him to miss the next month of the season. While the injuries are unfortunate, they provide an opportunity for other players to step up and earn more playing time.
-- Due to Skjei going down during the second period, freshmen Ryan Collins and Steve Johnson were thrust into more playing time during critical situations. Collins finished with an assist on the night and Johnson provided a calm, steady presence on the blue line.
“We had a couple of freshmen that don’t have much experience and they had to play,” said Lucia. “We couldn’t hide them. They were going to play against their top line at times; they did a pretty good job overall.”
-- From the drop of the puck the Gophers seemed determined to let their physical play dictate the pace of the game. Assistant captain Seth Ambroz and freshman Robin Houglund set the tone early couple of big hits and the focus on playing gritty sustained throughout the game.
“They had much more jump, they were much more physical,” said SCSU head coach Bob Motzko. “They got to the point of impact much harder than we did.”
The physical style and sustained effort seemed to help the Gophers settle into the game much better than on Friday.
“Friday we came out flat and I think that was one thing we were going to prevent,” said Kloos. “If we were going to go down, we were going to go down with speed and effort. We weren’t going to lose due to our effort.”
Quotable
“Even if we hadn’t won the game tonight, I was much happier with how we played compared to last night.” – Don Lucia
“Obviously, we didn’t want to lose two games to St. Cloud.” – Taylor Cammarata
Three Stars of the Game
No. 3 Taylor Cammarata – The sophomore had two assists in the game.
No. 2 Connor Reilly – Netted his third goal of the season in the third period.
No. 1 Justin Kloos – His three goals on Saturday give him five on the season.
What’s Next
Minnesota hosts the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame next weekend. Friday’s game at Mariucci Arena is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Due to the Gophers’ football game against Iowa on Saturday, the series will conclude on Sunday, November 9, at 4:00 p.m.