Gophers men's hockey coach Bob Motzko receives two-year extension

Gophers men's hockey coach Bob Motzko has agreed to a two-year contract extension that runs through the 2027-28 season, the university's athletic department announced Wednesday.

Motzko, 62, has guided the Gophers to back-to-back NCAA Frozen Four appearances, including a runner-up finish in 2022-23 when Minnesota lost 3-2 in overtime to Quinnipiac. He won the Spencer Penrose Award as Division I men's coach of the year.

Under Motzko, the Gophers won Big Ten regular-season championships in 2022 and '23, plus a conference tournament title in 2021. In his sixth season as Gophers coach, Motzko has a 119-64-14 record, including a 6-4-2 mark this year.

"I am grateful to [athletic director] Mark Coyle and the rest of the Athletics administration for believing in me and our staff and our leadership of Gopher Hockey," Motzko said in a statement. "It has been exciting to be a part of our success and I am so appreciative of the incredible support we receive from our alumni, our students and all our fans.

"We have a tremendous staff and group of young men on this team, and I look forward to continuing to compete for championships with them."

Said Coyle, also in a statement: "Bob has been a tremendous leader of our men's hockey program. His ability to build a culture of success with our staff and student-athletes has led to achievements on the ice and for our team academically and socially."

Motzko, who coached St. Cloud State from 2005-18, took over as Gophers coach after Don Lucia stepped down following the 2017-18 season. The Gophers have reached the NCAA tournament for three consecutive seasons, advancing to a regional final in 2021, the national semifinals in 2022 and the title game in 2023.

The Gophers have won 24 or more games in three consecutive seasons, and Motzko has been the Big Ten coach of the year three times in the past four seasons.