WORCESTER, Mass. — For the first time since 2014, Minnesota is headed to the Frozen Four.
Matthew Knies, Aaron Huglen and Blake McLaughlin scored goals and Justen Close pitched a 24-save shutout to lift the second-seeded Golden Gophers to a 3-0 win over top-seeded Western Michigan in Sunday’s Worcester Regional final at DCU Center.
“This was a really strong weekend for our team,” said Minnesota coach Bob Motzko, whose team beat defending national champion Massachusetts in overtime in Friday’s semifinal. “We played as tight together for two games as you need to do and you want to do. I couldn’t be more proud of our group.”
Knies scored the only goal that Minnesota needed at 10:10 of the first period. He took defenseman Brock Faber’s backhand feed from behind the goal line and picked the top corner for his second goal and third point of the weekend.
With two goals and an assist in the two games, Knies earned regional Most Outstanding Player honors. Sunday marked his 13th multi-point effort of the season and sixth in seven games since returning from his assignment with the U.S. Olympic team.
“You’re all seeing it,” Motzko said. “He’s a big-time player and he’s going to keep getting better too.”
The Gophers (26-12-0) focused on limiting the potent Western Michigan attack’s opportunities on the rush and also blocked 15 shot attempts.
“We knew they were a team that liked to get in transition and move the puck really well,” said Close, who assumed the starting role in the Gophers net when Jack LaFontaine signed a pro contract in January.
“I thought we did a good job staying above pucks all night and we handled the rush remarkably well and that was a key to our success,” the goaltender added.
Knies scored the first goal and two more came in the third period to put the game even further out of reach.
Huglen doubled the Gophers lead by burying a one-time feed from linemate Ben Meyers at the 33-second mark. McLaughlin chipped in a short-handed, empty-net goal with 1:57 to play to make it 3-0.
Meyers had two assists in the game and four on the weekend, joining Close, Knies, fellow defenseman Jackson LaCombe, and Western forward Luke Grainger and defenseman Ronnie Attard on the regional all-tournament team.
Attard looked to have tied the game at 1-1 with 8:44 left in the second, but his rebound shot from the slot was called back on video review because officials ruled the Broncos were offside.
“They really made it hard to create anything clean offensively,” first-year Western coach Pat Ferschweiler said. “I thought we worked and put their defense under pressure. I thought we created turnovers and some offensive-zone time but not a ton of clean looks. That’s credit to them and how hard they competed.”
Though the Broncos didn’t find the back of the net, junior Brandon Bussi had a strong night in goal. Twelve of his 24 saves came in the second period, including a big stop on Sammy Walker at the end of a 2-on-1.
“I thought he was great,” Ferschweiler said of Bussi. “Calm and big, exactly what he should be in there. That save was exceptional, and he stopped a breakaway (on Jaxon Nelson earlier in the second) which was huge for us.”
When the Gophers next take the ice, they will do so about an hour east of Worcester at TD Garden in Boston. A Frozen Four semifinal against Minnesota State has been set for April 7.
There is no place they’d rather be.
“We talked about the fact that we really liked Massachusetts and we had no choice but to stay in the state for the next few weeks,” Motzko said. “That’s one of the things we talked about, coming to Massachusetts and playing the rest. One weekend is accomplished.”
Western’s season ended at 26-12-1 after it won its first national tournament game Friday against Northeastern.
