Hot power play helps Gophers stay unbeaten

A three-goal victory over the Mavericks helped Minnesota to its best start since the 2001-02 season.

By ROMAN AUGUSTOVIZ, Star Tribune

Last update: November 2, 2008 - 11:07 AM

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GOPHERS 6, MSU MANKATO 3

Up next: 7:07 p.m. Friday vs. New Hampshire• TV: FSN (830-AM)

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The Gophers' woeful power play showed signs of life on Saturday.

Minnesota scored four times with a man advantage in beating Minnesota State Mankato 6-3 at the Xcel Energy Center to remain unbeaten this young season.

"The power play can be streaky," Gophers coach Don Lucia said. "You can be 0-for-10 one night and get four the next. It seems when the power play gets cooking, you can have a good night."

Saturday night the Gophers suddenly morphed from backyard burger flippers to chefs.

Through their first five games, the Gophers were an impotent 4-for-41 on power plays. Saturday, in the nightcap of the inaugural WCHA Minnesota College Hockey Showcase, they were 4-for-8.

Freshman center Jordan Schroeder had the first two goals of his career, both on power plays, to lead Minnesota. Sophomore defenseman Cade Fairchild of the Gophers contributed four assists.

"It was penalties that killed us," Mavericks forward Trevor Bruess said, referring to the nine called on MSU. "If we learn how to stay out of the box, we will be a really good team.

"We are a real aggressive team. We do not like losing battles at all. These new [stricter] rules are kind of biting us in the butt."

The No. 5-rated Gophers are now 4-0-2 overall and in conference play. This is the Gophers' best start since the 2001-02 season when they opened 11-0-2 before their first loss.

The No. 11 Mavericks (3-2-1, 1-2-1) had played four consecutive overtime games against the Gophers, including Friday's 2-2 tie at Mariucci.

This game was close, too, through two periods, then Mike Carman and Schroeder scored a minute apart to turn a 3-2 cliffhanger into a 5-2 runaway.

Carman's goal came on a deflection, Schroeder's second goal of the game came on pretty pass to the opposite post from Ryan Stoa. An empty-net goal by Ryan Flynn in the last minute completed Minnesota's scoring.

The goals started coming in the second period. The Gophers fell behind 1-0 and 2-1 but recovered to take a 3-2 lead. The three goals in the same period, all on power plays, were a season high.

Stoa got the first Minnesota goal; it was his sixth of the season. Then Schroeder and defenseman David Fischer scored their first goals of the season.

Winger Mike Louwerse, a redshirt freshman who played his high school hockey at Blake, had both MSU goals in the middle period. His second goal came on a power play, but overall the Mavericks were 1-for-7 on power plays.

After the game, Lucia said if a second showcase is held, the games should be put on every participating team's season-ticket package.

Attendance for the two-game event -- Minnesota Duluth routed St. Cloud State 5-1 in the afternoon -- was announced at 10,459, meaning the X was half full at most last night.

Said Lucia, "There is no reason why, with the four teams in it, we should not fill up the building."