Minnesota Scene: Gophers Tyler Sheehy, Mat Robson honored after hockey sweep of Badgers

A weekend sweep of Wisconsin not only helped the Gophers men's hockey team climb in the Big Ten standings, it landed Minnesota a trio of honors.

Gophers captain Tyler Sheehy and goalie Mat Robson on Tuesday earned Big Ten first and third star of the week honors, respectively, for their efforts in 4-2 and 7-1 victories over the Badgers. And the NCAA recognized Sheehy, too, giving him their No. 2 star of the week.

Sheehy, a junior forward from Burnsville, scored twice in the third period to put the Gophers up 3-2 in Friday's opener. On Saturday, Sheehy had a goal and two assists, again factoring in on the decisive goal, to complete a five-point weekend.

Sheehy has a team-high 12 goals and is tied for second with 23 points.

Robson, a sophomore from Mississauga, Ontario, made a career-high 38 saves in the opener and 23 in the finale while improving to 6-2 with a 1.68 goals-against average and .940 save percentage.

The Big Ten's second star of the week went to Ohio State goalie Sean Romeo, who had a 1.55 GAA and .957 save percentage in a split with No. 1 Notre Dame.

The Gophers, in fourth place in the Big Ten, play host to second-place Ohio State at 8 p.m. Friday and 4 p.m. Saturday.

Minnesota State Mankato officials announced Tuesday that they have reached an agreement on a five-year contract extension with football coach Todd Hoffner.

The agreement, which becomes effective July 1, 2018, replaces Hoffner's four-year contract that expires at the end of June. No other terms were available.

"Coach Hoffner has guided the program on a pathway that has allowed us to experience a consistent level of success that places us in a position to compete for championships each and every season," said Kevin Buisman, the Mavericks athletic director.

Hoffner has led the Mavericks to a 79-20 (.797) record in his eight years as coach.

• Junior Acer Iverson of Roseville was named Gatorade's boys' cross-country runner of the year. He placed second in the Class 2A state meet last fall and sixth at the Nike Cross Nationals Heartland Regional.

• Tristan Duran of the No. 6 Gophers was named the national gymnast of the week by the College Gymnastics Association and teammate Shane Wiskus the national rookie of the week. Duran set a career high of 81.350 in the all-around in a win over No. 5 Illinois on Saturday and won the last two events. Wiskus won the all-around and floor exercise.