Justen Close stops 37 shots as Gophers hockey edges Penn State

STATE COLLEGE, PA. — Jack Perbix scored two goals, one an empty-netter, and Justen Close made a career-high 37 saves as the No. 5 Gophers men's hockey team edged Penn State 3-1 on Friday night at Pegula Ice Arena.

"It was a strong game for us tonight. I couldn't be more proud of our guys," Gophers coach Bob Motzko said. "We're shorthanded up front, shorthanded on the back side — everybody stood up and was part of that tonight."

It was the fifth consecutive victory for Minnesota (20-11, 15-6 Big Ten), still without three Olympians, and the Gophers' first in the past nine games in what for them has been Unhappy Valley.

Rhett Pitlick put the Gophers ahead 1-0 at 6:42 of the first period. He corralled a rebound in the slot, spun around and shot blindly into the far left corner. The freshman forward has a five-game points streak, which includes his first four goals of the season.

With only 59 seconds left in the first period, Penn State's Ryan Kirwan tied the score at 1-1.

Minnesota regained the lead when fourth-line forward Jack Perbix scored on a well-placed shot with 4:38 left in the second. It was his first goal since Jan. 8. It came after a Penn State turnover on an ill-advised pass across ice in its own end.

Perbix, a junior from Elk River, got his second goal with 6.4 seconds to play. Penn State (14-16-1, 5-15-1) had pulled goalie Liam Souliere, who had 32 saves, with 1:40 left.

Three, four times, the Gophers chipped the puck out of their zone. And the last time they did, Blake McLaughlin and Perbix had a 2-0 break. McLaughlin had the puck, but passed the puck to Perbix for the easy goal. The assist gave McLaughlin, a senior, his 100th career point (36 goals, 64 assists) in 134 games.

Close, just named to the watch list for the Mike Richter Award, is 8-3 since taking over for Jack LaFontaine, last season's winner of the award, who unexpectedly signed Jan. 9 with the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes.