Minnesota Hockey Schedule 2014-15: Golden Gophers' List of Games, Season Preview
For the Minnesota Golden Gophers and head coach Don Lucia, the 2014-15 season, No. 94 for the program, offers a chance at redemption after a loss in the NCAA championship game a season ago.
It also gives the team a chance to pursue another conference title after winning it all last year in the inaugural Big Ten regular-season championship thanks to a 28-7-6 record, which in turn led to the school's 35th NCAA tournament appearance and 21st Frozen Four.
The Golden Gophers certainly do not enter the season lacking in the talent department. Led by goalie Adam Wilcox—last year's Big Ten Player and Goaltender of the Year—Lucia's team figures to give an intriguing schedule a great run.
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Below, let's look at the full schedule and preview the season.
Minnesota 2014-15 Hockey Schedule
| 10/04/14 | Northern Alberta Institute of Technology # | Mariucci Arena | TBA |
| 2014 Ice Breaker Tournament | |||
| 10/10/14 | vs. Minnesota Duluth | South Bend, Ind. | TBA |
| 10/12/14 | RPI/Notre Dame | South Bend, Ind. | TBA |
| 10/24/14 | vs. Bemidji St | Mariucci Arena | TBA |
| 10/25/14 | vs. Bemidji St | Mariucci Arena | TBA |
| 10/31/14 | at St. Cloud State | St. Cloud, Minn. | TBA |
| 11/01/14 | vs. St. Cloud State | Mariucci Arena | TBA |
| 11/07/14 | vs. Notre Dame | Mariucci Arena | TBA |
| 11/09/14 | vs. Notre Dame | Mariucci Arena | TBA |
| 11/14/14 | vs. Minnesota Duluth | Mariucci Arena | TBA |
| 11/15/14 | at Minnesota Duluth | Duluth, Minn. | TBA |
| 11/21/14 | vs. US Under-18 Team # | Mariucci Arena | TBA |
| 11/28/14 | at Boston College | Boston, Mass. | TBA |
| 11/29/14 | at Northeastern | Boston, Mass. | TBA |
| 12/05/14 | at Michigan State * | East Lansing, Mich. | TBA |
| 12/06/14 | at Michigan State * | East Lansing, Mich. | TBA |
| 24th Annual Mariucci Classic | |||
| 01/02/15 | vs. Merrimack | Mariucci Arena | TBA |
| 01/03/15 | UMass-Lowell/RIT | Mariucci Arena | TBA |
| 01/09/15 | at Michigan * | Ann Arbor, Mich. | TBA |
| 01/10/15 | at Michigan * | Ann Arbor, Mich. | TBA |
| 01/16/15 | vs. Wisconsin * | Mariucci Arena | TBA |
| 01/17/15 | vs. Wisconsin * | Mariucci Arena | TBA |
| 2nd Annual North Star College Cup | |||
| 01/23/15 | vs. Minnesota State | Xcel Energy Center | TBA |
| 01/24/15 | Minnesota Duluth/Bemidji State | Xcel Energy Center | TBA |
| 01/30/15 | at Wisconsin * | Madison, Wis. | TBA |
| 01/31/15 | at Wisconsin * | Madison, Wis. | TBA |
| 02/06/15 | vs. Ohio State * | Mariucci Arena | TBA |
| 02/07/15 | vs. Ohio State * | Mariucci Arena | TBA |
| 02/13/15 | vs. Michigan * | Mariucci Arena | TBA |
| 02/14/15 | vs. Michigan * | Mariucci Arena | TBA |
| 02/20/15 | at Penn State * | State College, Pa. | TBA |
| 02/21/15 | at Penn State * | State College, Pa. | TBA |
| 02/26/15 | vs. Michigan State * | Mariucci Arena | TBA |
| 02/27/15 | vs. Michigan State * | Mariucci Arena | TBA |
| 03/06/15 | at Ohio State * | Columbus, Ohio | TBA |
| 03/07/15 | at Ohio State * | Columbus, Ohio | TBA |
| 03/13/15 | vs. Penn State * | Mariucci Arena | TBA |
| 03/14/15 | vs. Penn State * | Mariucci Arena | TBA |
| 2015 Big Ten Men's Ice Hockey Tournament | |||
| 03/19/15 | Quarterfinals | Detroit, Mich. | TBA |
| 03/20/15 | Semifinals | Detroit, Mich. | TBA |
| 03/21/15 | Championship Game | Detroit, Mich. | TBA |
Returning Stars and Emerging Leaders
Much of what has helped the Golden Gophers to a program-best three straight regular-season conference titles is rather simple—continuity.
So it should come as no surprise, then, that fans rejoiced when senior Kyle Rau elected to spurn the NHL in favor of returning to the team in order to pursue another Big Ten title and perhaps a shot at the NCAA title.
A third-round draft pick by the Florida Panthers this offseason, Rau later revealed in a statement that he would return to Minnesota, as captured by Marcus R. Fuller of TwinCities.com:
"I love playing hockey at Minnesota and wearing the Maroon & Gold. Deep down, I know that we have unfinished business here. With the talent we have coming back and the new guys coming in, I think we can have a really special season next year. I'd also like to thank the Florida Panthers. They are a great organization, and I appreciate their understanding of my decision.
"
Even less of a surprise? Rau was subsequently named a captain, along with fellow seniors Ben Marshall and Seth Ambroz.
"We're happy to name Kyle, Ben and Seth as our captains for this season," Lucia said, via Gophersports.com. "They're great representatives of our program and the University of Minnesota, as is our entire senior class, and we'll rely on all of them to set the tone for our team this season."
The three are easily the foundation of the roster and potential title push this year, but the importance of Rau's return in particular cannot be understated.
Rau has played in 121 games with the team and scored 123 points on 47 goals and 76 assists. En route to winning Minnesota's John Mayasich Outstanding Student-Athlete Award last season, he led the team with 40 overall points.
Along with Wilcox, the team figures to make a major push once again thanks to its continuity.
Chasing History
As noted, the Golden Gophers are currently on a historic pace for the program as they look to win another conference title.
For Lucia, now in year No. 15 as coach, his all-time record of 651-344-94 has been bested by just nine men in history. At 372-189-65 as the lead man at Minnesota, he also rests just 18 wins away from matching Doug Woog as the all-time coaching wins leader at the program.
The road, even with a ton of talent returning and with another year of experience under its belt, is no easy task.
It starts right away, too, as the Gophers must open the season on the road at Notre Dame for the first time in a handful of years. Early on, the target on the team's back is even bigger than usual for one that went to the championship a year ago as they won the Ice Breaker Tournament a season ago.
Of course, road trips to locales such as Michigan State, Michigan and especially Wisconsin, with duels against various foes such as Boston College peppered in for good measure, make for a wild ride before the Big Ten Tournament to close the season.
The schedule ahead is indeed rough as the Gophers look to extend personal and program bests, and with the talent in place, anything short of another appearance in the NCAA title game will be a disappointment.
Schedule via Gophersports.com. Stats and info via NCAA.com unless otherwise specified.
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