Gophers Rally in Shootout Thriller to Punch Big Ten Playoff Ticket

MINNEAPOLIS — The University of Minnesota Golden Gophers men's hockey team capped the 2025-26 regular season with a gripping 3-3 tie and 2-1 shootout victory over Big Ten champion Michigan State on Friday night at 3M Arena at Mariucci. Trailing 3-1, Minnesota (11-21-3 overall, 7-15-2 B1G) mounted a comeback to force overtime and sent the home crowd into frenzy with the extra-session win against the second-ranked Spartans (25-7-2 overall, 16-6-2 B1G). The victory secured the Gophers the No. 6 seed in the Big Ten playoffs, setting up a quarterfinal matchup at third-seeded Penn State.

Seniors were honored pregame, and the team delivered a fitting farewell, overcoming a lopsided 7-1 loss to MSU the night before. Javon Moore emerged as a standout, later scoring in the playoff loss at Penn State, while freshman Jacob Rombach notched his first collegiate goal late in that 6-2 defeat. Goaltender Jack Depaso made crucial stops, including the final save in a prior shootout win at Notre Dame.

The Gophers' postseason run ended swiftly in University Park, where Penn State (21-12-2 overall, 12-10-2 B1G) tallied two goals per period. Despite pulling within three goals on power plays and an extra-attack goal, a shorthanded empty-netter sealed the Nittany Lions' advancement. Minnesota's 4-10-1 road record underscored the uphill battle in a season of resilience at Mariucci.