NHL sensation Matthews lit up U once, too

Auston Matthews was arguably the hottest name in sports Thursday. The 19-year-old rookie scored four goals in his debut with the Maple Leafs on Wednesday night to become the first player in the NHL's modern era to score four times in his first league game.

Matthews was the No. 1 overall pick in last summer's NHL draft. He's been touted as one of the best young players in the game for several years, and Minnesota got a glimpse of why in 2014.

The Scottsdale, Ariz., native and the U-18 U.S. national team visited Mariucci Arena to face the Gophers in an exhibition game on Nov. 21, 2014. I covered the game.

The Gophers were ranked No. 4 in the nation, led by stars Kyle Rau, Mike Reilly and Hudson Fasching, yet Matthews was the best player on the ice that night.

Matthews scored two goals, including the game-winning goal in overtime to hand the Gophers hockey program its first-ever loss, 5-4, to the U-18 national team.

JASON GONZALEZ