Gophers get Brodie Ziemer, Oliver Moore back for tough series at Ohio State

Brodie Ziemer, Oliver Moore and Steve Miller returned to practice for the Gophers men’s hockey team on Monday with some spring in their step and some gold around their necks.

A night earlier, the two forwards and associate head coach for Minnesota helped the United States beat Finland 4-3 in overtime to capture the gold medal in the IIHF World Junior Championship in Ottawa.

“It was crazy, honestly,” said Ziemer, a freshman forward from Chaska who assisted on Teddy Stiga’s overtime goal that gave Team USA back-to-back world junior gold medals for the first time. “You kind of just black out and you just celebrate. That was one of my best buddies that scored that goal. It was just super cool.”

Ziemer finished the tournament with three goals and four assists in seven games, while Moore, a sophomore from Mounds View, had a goal and four assists and became the first Gopher to win two world junior gold medals.

The next world junior tournament will be played in St. Paul and Minneapolis. Ziemer is eligible to play in it again, but Moore will be over the age limit.

As for Miller, his medal haul grew to four golds, joining his championships as an assistant coach in 2017, 2021 and last year. He also won a silver medal in 2019 and a bronze in 2018.

“They’re all different; they’re like your kids,” Miller said of his gold medal quartet.

The aim now for the Gophers’ gold medalists: Tap that momentum for the second half of the Big Ten season, which the Gophers begin Friday and Saturday with a series at Ohio State.

“There’s always adrenaline [from the tournament], and both guys were excited to be back,” Gophers coach Bob Motzko said of Ziemer and Moore. “… We’ve got to get back to work, and they’re both ready."

Miller, whose world junior duties included coaching the defensemen and managing the penalty kill, liked how Ziemer and Moore took to whatever role was needed from Team USA coach David Carle.

“The energy they bring to the rink every day, whether it be in practice or games, and the discipline they play with, how connected they are … and how driven they are to win means the most," Miller said.

Ziemer ranked fifth on Team USA with his seven points, and his play continued a hot streak that started with three goals in the Dec. 13-14 series against Michigan State. He’s hoping to build on that surge and deliver consistent play as the Big Ten race heats up.

“It’s just getting used to how hard it really is to win every night,” Ziemer said. “If you have an off night, the teams are too good and it’s going to be a loss. For me, it’s just making sure I’m ready to go every night and can bring the same level.”

Added Motzko, “The fun begins now. We have seven series left, all in league play, leading to the playoffs.”

4 p.m. Friday, 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Value City Arena

TV: none Friday, BTN on Saturday

Stream: B1G+ on Friday, Fox Sports app on Saturday

Radio: 103.5-FM both days

Gophers: No. 3 Minnesota (17-3-2, 8-1-1 Big Ten) is tied atop the Big Ten standings with Michigan State. Injured forwards Mason Nevers and August Falloon returned to practice this week, and Motzko was optimistic that he’d have a full roster available.

Buckeyes: No. 11 Ohio State (14-5-1, 7-3-0) is tied for third in the Big Ten with Wisconsin. The Buckeyes are on a 5-1 run, capped by a series split with Michigan last weekend. Sophomore G Kristoffer Eberly is 10-1-0 with a 1.50 GAA and .937 save percentage. ... The time of Friday’s game was moved up to 4 p.m. because of the Buckeyes football team’s appearance in the Cotton Bowl against Texas at 6:30 p.m.