Given a chance to play for the Gophers men's hockey team on Monday, Nathan Airey made it count.
Airey made 40 saves to lead the Gophers to a 3-2 exhibition victory over the United States national development under-18 team Monday at 3M Arena at Mariucci.
Airey made 12 saves in the first period, 11 in the second and 17 in the third period for the Gophers, who were outshot 42-23 in their first game since a 1-1 tie at Ohio State on Dec. 9. They were playing on their home ice for the first time since a 6-5 overtime victory over Michigan State on Nov. 26.
The freshman from Cochrane, Alberta, has yet to appear in a regular-season game for the ninth-ranked Gophers, as he hadn't been cleared to play because of an injury until the Ohio State series. Justen Close has started all 18 games in net, and Matt Bryant and Zach Wiese have each entered one game in relief.
"He looked good for us," Gophers coach Bob Motzko said of Airey. "... I liked everything we did. We worked hard. You could tell we'd been off, they were dragging a little in the third period, but I liked a lot of things we did."
Garrett Pinoniemi and Aaron Huglen scored first-period goals, Bryce Brodzinski scored in the third period and added an assist, and Cal Thomas had two assists for the Gophers, who resume their regular season next week with a rare Sunday-Monday series at home against Colorado College.
Max Plante, a Minnesota Duluth recruit from Hermantown, and Cole Eiserman scored third-period goals for the United States.
The Gophers were missing four players — Sam Rinzel, Ryan Chesley, Jimmy Snuggerud and Oliver Moore — who are with the U.S. junior national team in Sweden. The American team opens quarterfinal play on Tuesday.