Gophers hockey's inconsistency leaves them 13th in PairWise rankings, setting up tense second half

Garrett Pinoniemi was the first up for the Gophers in their shootout at Ohio State on Saturday night. The sophomore forward skated down the right side, cut toward the net, prepared to shoot but mishandled the puck while trying to get Buckeyes goalie Kristoffer Eberly to commit.

That unsuccessful shootout attempt could serve as a microcosm for the first half of the Gophers' 2023-24 season — mostly good, but sometimes lacking a finishing touch.

The Gophers and Ohio State tied 1-1, and the Buckeyes got the extra point in the Big Ten standings for the shootout win. That left Minnesota — last season's NCAA runner-up — with a 9-5-4 overall record and a 5-4-3 mark in the Big Ten, good for third place in the standings.

That's not the start the two-time defending Big Ten champion Gophers wanted as their four-week break begins, especially for a team that aspires to win the NCAA championship with the Frozen Four in St. Paul in April. The reality is, though, the Gophers have work to do just to qualify for the national tournament.

"We're sitting all right, but we've got to show now that we've learned," Gophers coach Bob Motzko said. "We've got to show that we've matured. It's on us now in the second half."

The Gophers entered the season ranked No. 2 in the U.S. College Hockey Online poll and are ranked ninth now. They sit at No. 13 in the PairWise Ratings, the mathematical formula the NCAA uses to fill and seed its 16-team tournament field. That's precariously close to the bubble for making the tournament, though the PairWise is prone to large swings in the early and middle part of the season.

The Gophers haven't swept an opponent since the season-opening series against St. Thomas. A big part of the issue is holding third-period leads. In losses to Wisconsin and Notre Dame and ties with Minnesota Duluth, Michigan State and Ohio State, Minnesota couldn't finish with a regulation win after either leading or being tied in the third period.

"All three of those guys were impactful upperclassmen defenders in critical moments," Motzko said of Faber, LaCombe and Johnson. "The bad news is we lost them. The good news is we have replacements."

Rinzel, a 6-4, 175-pound Chicago Blackhawks 2022 pick, has four points in his past five games and has improved as the season has progressed. Sophomore defenseman Cal Thomas leads the team with 41 blocked shots.

"Sam, in the last month, has really shown the impact he can have," Motzko said. "… Cal Thomas has been as solid as they come."

While the Gophers miss the offensive output of players like All-America forwards Cooley (22 goals, 38 assists, 60 points) and Knies (21-21-42), they've received solid contributions from senior Bryce Brodzinski (10-9-19) and sophomores Rhett Pitlick (9-9-18) and Jimmy Snuggerud (11-5-16). Sophomores Brody Lamb (7-6-13) and Connor Kurth (4-7-11), have emerged, too.

What's bedeviled the Gophers this season and throughout their time in the Big Ten is their performance in shootouts. By dropping the shootout to Ohio State, Minnesota fell to 2-14 in conference play in the format. The Gophers are 0-4 in shootouts this season and have not converted a single opportunity in 11 tries. This from a team that has 13 NHL draft picks on its roster.

How well the Gophers finish off opponents, beginning with the Jan. 7-8 home series against Colorado College, will determine if a short trip east on I-94 to Xcel Energy Center will happen in April.