Kent Patterson is the Gophers' iron-man goalie. He has not missed any time yet.
Random thoughts on a Sunday night:
It's fun seeing where Kent Patterson stands in the national stats:
First, with five shutouts
Second, in winning percentage with 9-1 record, .900.
Third, minutes played with 601 miutes, 49 seconds
Third, with a save percentage of .942
Fourth, with a 1.60 goals-against average
Patterson, a senior, was named the national player of the month in October and has twice shared the WCHA's defensive player of the week award.
* The Gophers are averaging an NCAA-best 4.8 goals per game, giving up 1.60 goals, third best ... their 3.20 scoring margin is the nation's best
* Minnnesota's power play is at 28.3 percent, its penalty kill at 88.5 percent, that's fourth and tied for 12th, respectively
* Kyle Rau has four game-winning goals; nobody else in Division I hockey has more than three
* One team remains without a loss, Merrimack is 7-0-1; the Gophers are one of seven teams with one loss.
* Anders Lee, a sophomore from Edina, leads Notre Dame and the nation in goals with 10.
* UMD is 4-0-2 since getting swept. The Bulldogs are a pretty good team.
* North Dakota is a lot better than its 1-5-0 record in the WCHA, 3-6-1 would suggest. Rocco Grimaldi, from a one-time look, appears to be a difference-maker. Once the Figthing Sioux get him completely healthy, he will help a lot. He can score. Had one of Fighting Sioux's two goals in 3-2 loss on Saturday.
Moltzan of Prior Lake finished third in team combined in Alpine skiing, and Korey Dropkin and Cory Thiesse of Duluth lost a heartbreaker to Sweden in curling at the Milan Cortina Games.
