Jimmy Snaggerud’s two goals help Gophers beat Penn State in men’s hockey

Snaggerud didn’t sound very confident.

“I try not to,” Snaggerud said. “It’s all a mental game. You get caught in a loop and you don’t think you’ll score. But the puck eventually goes in. It’s just like that. You have to be good on both sides. It’s not easy to score. But when you play with good players, it becomes easier.”

Snuggerud scored his second goal of the night, the last of three near-consecutive power plays in a nine-minute span. Included a five-minute penalty on Penn State left wing Matt DiMarsico for boarding the Gophers’ Connor Kurt.

The Gophers’ attempts on the power play were unsuccessful until Snaggerud blocked a shot by Sam Rinzel near the blue line. Penn State goaltender Arseniy Sergeev stopped 31 shots, but couldn’t stop two more from Snaggerud. The Gophers’ Nathan Airy’s 21 saves included a game-winning save with three minutes left.

The Gophers went 1-for-6 on power plays, but Motzky called the goal “huge.”

“We were lucky to get one,” Snaggerud said. “The momentum is definitely changing. We don’t score on the power play for five minutes, it hurts the team. We get one and go ahead.”