The hooting and hollering were noticeable before the postgame video conference from Yost Ice Arena on Wednesday night, shouts of joy from the Gophers men's hockey team after it defeated Michigan 4-0 to complete a two-game sweep and finish the first portion of its season with an 8-0 record.
Jack LaFontaine posts second shutout as Gophers hockey team routs Michigan 4-0
His 34 saves helped the Gophers remain unbeaten.
December 10, 2020 at 7:47PM
A few minutes later, an emotional goalie Jack LaFontaine took his turn in front of the camera, pausing to compose himself while shedding tears of joy for what he and his team accomplished against the team for which he played for two seasons in Ann Arbor, Mich.
"This is a place where I thought I was going to spend four years, so it means a lot to me," said LaFontaine, who made 34 saves for his second shutout of the season and career. "… I'm super proud of my team right now. I'm probably the luckiest goalie in the entire country."
LaFontaine, a senior from Mississauga, Ontario, spent the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons with Michigan, posting a 5-11-1 record before rediscovering his game with Penticton of the British Columbia Hockey League and transferring to Minnesota. He seized the Gophers starting job late last season and has played every minute in Minnesota's unbeaten start, pacing the nation in wins, goals-against average (1.00) and save percentage (.965) among goalies with four or more starts.
"There's nights where I don't think I'd ever be in this position again," LaFontaine said, sobbing, "and I'm very grateful for that."
The fourth-ranked Gophers, who lead the Big Ten with 24 points, followed their usual script in beating the No. 5 Wolverines (5-5, 3-5 for eight points in the conference). They took an early lead, were superior on special teams and rode solid goaltending. They have yet to trail in any game, have scored power-play goals in six games and are 17-for-17 on the penalty kill. The team's unblemished start is the best for the program since the 1987-88 squad won its first nine games on its way to the WCHA regular-season title and an NCAA Frozen Four berth.
Scott Reedy scored 4:24 into the first period and Sammy Walker added a power-play goal for a 2-0 lead. The Gophers blew it open in the second when Jaxon Nelson scored on a power play and freshman Mike Koster posted his first career goal 22 seconds later, which chased Strauss Mann.
LaFontaine made sure the Gophers would leave Yost with a sweep. He stopped Michigan's Luke Morgan on a breakaway early, then repeatedly denied flurries of three or four Wolverines shots near the paint.
"We get to the 4-0 lead, and our goaltender is our best player for the rest of the game tonight," Gophers coach Bob Motzko said. "… My goodness was LaFontaine on top of it tonight. He put on quite a show."
After the final horn, LaFontaine and some former Michigan teammates shared hugs.
"We're building something special," LaFontaine said. "We've got a really good culture here, and we're going to keep it going."
The Star Tribune did not travel for this game. This article was written using the television broadcast and video interviews before and/or after the game.
He improved to 86-2 in his college career in his first action for the Gophers since March 2022.
