“Battling injuries, whatever it is, I think just every week, we’re trying to learn something new and keep figuring out our team and keep getting better,” Rinzel said. “… We’re hungry, and we’re excited about our team. And yeah, we want to be the hunters and we want to get after it.”
Gophers men’s hockey vs. Michigan State
7:30 p.m. Friday, 5 p.m. Saturday at 3M Arena at Mariucci
TV: BTN on Friday, FOX9-Plus on Saturday
Radio: 103.5-FM both nights
The skinny: The top-ranked Gophers (15-2-1, 8-0-0 Big Ten, 23 points) take on the No. 3 Spartans (12-2-0, 5-1-0, 14 points), who are the reigning Big Ten regular-season and tournament champions. Along with standout scorers in Jimmy Snuggerud (nine goals, 13 assists, 22 points) and Connor Kurth (9-11-20), the Gophers boast a goaltending duo of Nathan Airey, who sports a 9-0-1 record, and Liam Souliere, who has the nation’s best goals-against average (1.37). … Michigan State counters with Trey Augustine, a big-game goalie who led the United States to gold in the 2024 World Junior Championship. Augustine is 10-2-0 with a 1.83 GAA and .934 save percentage this season.