Too bad for Nick Bjugstad that the Gophers were playing an exhibition game on Friday.
If it were an actual game, the 6-4 freshman forward would have doubled his regular-season points total.
Bjugstad, one day after returning from the World Junior Championships, had a short-handed goal and three assists as the U routed the under-18 U.S. national team 9-0 at Mariucci Arena before an announced crowd of 8,424.
"It was a little weird seeing the [U.S.] jerseys; I have been wearing them the past couple of weeks," Bjugstad said.
Wearing his jersey well, too. Bjugstad's OT goal beat Finland, and teammate Erik Haula, in the U.S. team's first game of the World Juniors in Buffalo, N.Y. He also scored the winning goal as the U.S. beat Sweden for the bronze medal on Wednesday.
U coach Don Lucia gave Bjugstad the option to rest Friday. He chose not to. "I have been playing wing and [Lucia] wanted to see me play center with [Mike] Hoeffel and [Nick] Larson," Bjugstad said. "So I wanted to get the experience before we play North Dakota" next weekend.
Bjugstad began this season as the Gophers' second-line center, but after five games came down with mononucleosis, missed five games, then was moved to right wing.
He had two goals and two assists in 13 games for the Gophers, statistics he matched in only six games at the World Juniors. The U.S. junior coaches played him at center, his natural position. "I played [center] my whole life," Bjugstad said. "It is good to get back there. It is different on this big rink here. That is another reason I wanted to go out and play tonight."