With his reddened eyes and quiet voice, Gophers captain Justin Kloos couldn't hide his sorrow over the sudden end to the hockey season. A 5-3 loss to Michigan in Saturday's Big Ten tournament championship spoiled the Gophers' final chance at an NCAA tournament berth, marking the first time since 2011 that they won't be part of the field.
The No. 20 Gophers rallied from a 2-0 deficit with three goals in the second period, playing some of their finest hockey of the season against the No. 7 Wolverines at Xcel Energy Center. But too many penalties — including one that led to Zach Werenski's game-winning goal — allowed the nation's top power play to carry Michigan to its first Big Ten tournament title. The Wolverines scored on three of four power-play chances, capped by Werenski's goal at 15 minutes, 27 seconds of the third period.
The Gophers (20-17-0) needed to win the tournament title to earn the league's automatic berth in the 16-team NCAA tournament field, which will be announced Sunday. Though Kloos lauded his young team for the progress it made over the season, he lamented that they won't be making the journey across town to Xcel for next weekend's NCAA West Regional.
"It's obviously frustrating right now,'' said Kloos, who gave the Gophers a 3-2 lead at 16:50 of the second. "Through the highs and the lows, we've grown so much. It's just hard to see it end.
"We just let too many [games] slip early in the year. It stings right now.''
Michigan (24-7-5) will be the Big Ten's sole representative in the NCAA tournament. The Wolverines took a 2-0 lead on power-play goals by Tyler Motte and JT Compher before the Gophers seized control.
Leon Bristedt slammed home Vinni Lettieri's backhand pass at 6:35 of the second, and Jake Bischoff scored on a wraparound after Michigan goalie Steve Racine fell. Kloos' cannon of a one-timer, off a pass from Tommy Novak, finished off a sterling effort on the Gophers' only power play of the game and gave them a 3-2 lead.
But coach Don Lucia had warned his players that discipline would be critical, and their four penalties cost them dearly. The Gophers held the nation's highest-scoring offense to a single even-strength goal, scored by Kyle Connor — the Big Ten player of the year and college hockey's scoring leader — when he was left alone in the right circle. After Connor tied it 3-3 at 3:28 of the third, Werenski scored from the center point after Jack Glover was whistled for holding with 5:18 remaining.
"We're disappointed. We played our hearts out,'' Bischoff said. "But we had some opportunities we let go early in the season.''
The Gophers struggled last fall, losing their first three games and starting 4-7 with a roster that included 10 freshmen and many returning players who were moving into more prominent roles. Lucia said their maturation could not be forced, and they had to learn to work their way through challenges.
He noted some games in which leads slipped through their grasp, citing overtime losses to Minnesota State Mankato and Harvard. Had the Gophers won those, Lucia speculated, they probably would have made the NCAA tournament. They finished 18th in the Pairwise Rankings that mirror the method used to select the 10 at-large bids to the NCAA tournament.
Though Lucia also was disappointed to see the season end, he had plenty of praise for his players.
"I'm just really proud of our guys,'' Lucia said. "From where we were in October to what we became, they grew. They became a team.
"There's no question we're disappointed and frustrated. But when I look in the locker room, they gave us everything they had.''
Connor, who scored five goals in his team's two victories, was named the tournament's most outstanding player. Saturday's announced attendance was 6,180, bringing the three-day total to 15,886.