The Minnesota Golden Gophers men's ice hockey team added to the Big Ten conference's dominant performance in the NCAA hockey regionals on Saturday night.
The Gophers edged out Omaha 4-3 in a thrilling encounter that saw Sammy Walker score two goals for Minnesota. The win marked the second upset of the day for the Big Ten, following Michigan State's 5-1 victory over Boston University earlier.
The conference now boasts a stunning five teams heading to next week's Frozen Four tournament, with Michigan, Notre Dame, and Penn State all securing their spots alongside Minnesota and Michigan State.
Minnesota head coach Bob Motzko praised his team for their performance against Omaha and emphasized how proud he was of their growth throughout this challenging season.
"We've been through a lot this year," Motzko said. "But our guys have stuck together and kept fighting. We're thrilled to be moving on to the Frozen Four."
The five-team representation is significant as it marks just the second time since 2002 that one conference has had such an extensive presence at this stage of college hockey’s biggest event.
With so many teams from one conference advancing, it sets up what should be an exciting set of semifinals featuring four heavyweights battling it out for a chance at glory.
As always with college sports there are no guarantees but if Saturday night’s performances were anything to go by then we could be in store for some truly unforgettable moments when things get underway next week!
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