Gophers forward Brody Lamb took a shot against Notre Dame goalie Ryan Bischel when the teams met Nov. 4 in Minneapolis. Minnesota plays at Arizona State this weekend. (Renée Jones Schneider, Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

GOPHERS MEN'S HOCKEY SERIES PREVIEW

Friday and Saturday: 8 p.m. at Arizona State

Streamed on Pac-12 Insider, Radio: 103.5 FM/1130-AM

Gophers update: The No. 2 Gophers (10-4-0) take a break from Big Ten Conference action with their first visit to Tempe, Ariz. The Gophers, playing the second of three consecutive series on the road, defeated Michigan 5-2 and 6-3 in Ann Arbor last week. Owen Bartoszkiewicz started in goal in both games for the Gophers. Regular goalie Justen Close missed the series because of illness. ... Freshman Jimmy Snuggerud leads the balanced Gophers with nine goals and 16 points. The Gophers have 10 players with at least nine points. ... The Gophers and Arizona State are playing for the first time since January 2021. The Gophers have won all six meetings between the programs.

Arizona State update: The Sun Devils (7-6) were swept last weekend by Clarkson, 2-1 and 5-3. That followed a five-game winning streak for the Sun Devils. ... The third victory in the streak was a 3-2 victory over North Dakota in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame game in Las Vegas. ... The Sun Devils opened the season with four games in Minnesota, losing twice at Minnesota Duluth (3-2 in overtime and 4-1) and splitting at Bemidji State (winning 3-0 and losing 5-4 in overtime). Robert Mastrosimone and Josh Doan lead the Sun Devils with 12 points apiece. Doan leads team with eight goals. ... The Sun Devils have three Minnesotans on the roster — Jack Jensen (Eden Prairie), Tucker Ness (Plymouth) and Teddy Lagerback (Chanhassen).

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Joel Rippel

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Joel Rippel writes about sports for the Star Tribune.

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