# Minnesota Golden Gophers men's ice hockey
The Minnesota Golden Gophers men's ice hockey team is the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I men's hockey program of the [University of Minnesota](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-minnesota), competing in the [Big Ten Conference](https://www.edgepedia.org/big-ten-conference) and playing its home games at 3M Arena at Mariucci in [Minneapolis](https://www.edgepedia.org/minneapolis). The program has won five NCAA championships (1974, 1976, 1979, 2002, and 2003), 30 conference regular-season titles, and 16 conference tournament titles.[1](https://gophersports.com/sports/2018/5/21/trads-championships-html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| NCAA championships | 5: 1974, 1976, 1979, 2002, 2003[1](https://gophersports.com/sports/2018/5/21/trads-championships-html) |
| Conference titles | 30 regular-season and 16 tournament championships[1](https://gophersports.com/sports/2018/5/21/trads-championships-html) |
| Conference | Big Ten, which began sponsoring men's hockey in 2013-14[2](https://minnesotahockeymag.com/electric-crowds-are-back/) |
| Home arena | 3M Arena at Mariucci, Minneapolis[3](https://www.collegehockeynews.com/schedules/team/Minnesota/34/20252026) |
| Current head coach | Brett Larson, beginning with the 2026-27 season[4](https://www.startribune.com/minnesota-gophers-mens-hockey-coach-brett-larson-transfer-portal-matt-wyatt-cullen-nhl-draft/601851717) |
| 2024-25 season | 25-11-4, league-record seventh Big Ten regular-season title, fifth straight NCAA Tournament berth[5](https://gophersports.com/news/2025/9/5/-u-names-mens-hockey-captains-for-2025-26) |
| 2025-26 season | 11-22-3 overall, 7-15-2 in the Big Ten[6](https://gophersports.com/sports/2026/3/25/2025-26-mhockey-year-in-review) |
| 2026-27 captain | Forward Brodie Ziemer, with alternate captains LJ Mooney and John Whipple[7](https://dlyv80df02r89.cloudfront.net/news/2026/4/21/gophers-announce-mens-hockey-leadership-group) |
## Origins and early history
The first attempt to organize varsity ice hockey at the University of Minnesota took place in November 1900, when a committee of George Northrup, Paul Joslyn, and A.R. Foster explored the idea; an early exhibition brought Winnipeg to Minneapolis, and the visitors won the first international game between the two programs 11-3. Few games were played during the 1920-21 season, and Minnesota began competition in varsity men's ice hockey in 1922.[8](https://history.vintagemnhockey.com/page/show/789066-university-of-minnesota-golden-gophers-hockey) • [9](https://gophersports.com/sports/2020/10/8/timeline-1910-1939)
The program's early decades brought a run of conference championships: the team won the 1922, 1923, 1924, 1925, 1926, 1928, 1929, 1932, 1933, 1953, and 1954 regular-season titles among its eventual 30.[1](https://gophersports.com/sports/2018/5/21/trads-championships-html) John Mariucci, an [All-America](https://www.edgepedia.org/all-america) defenseman from the Iron Range town of Eveleth, led the Golden Gophers to an undefeated season and the AAU National Championship in 1940 and became a central figure in the development of amateur hockey in the United States.[10](https://gophersports.com/sports/2018/5/21/sports-m-hockey-spec-rel-john-mariucci-html)
## National championships
Minnesota won its first three NCAA titles in 1974, 1976, and 1979. Tom Vannelli was named Most Valuable Performer of the 1974 championship after having a hand in five of the Golden Gophers' six goals against Michigan Tech; in 2021, during the program's 100-season celebration, the university recognized those first three title teams at a game against Penn State at 3M Arena at Mariucci.[11](https://gophersports.com/news/2021/11/18/mens-hockey-u-to-recognize-first-three-ncaa-championship-teams) The program added NCAA championships in 2002 and 2003.[1](https://gophersports.com/sports/2018/5/21/trads-championships-html)
The program's most recent trip to the national final came in 2023, when Minnesota faced Quinnipiac in the Frozen Four in [Tampa, Florida](https://www.edgepedia.org/tampa-florida), and fell 3-2 in overtime.[12](https://www.ncaa.com/history/icehockey-men/d1)
## Conference and recent seasons
When the Big Ten began sponsoring men's ice hockey in the 2013-14 season, the Gophers moved from the WCHA, where the program had built much of its history.[2](https://minnesotahockeymag.com/electric-crowds-are-back/) The Big Ten years have added regular-season titles in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2022, 2023, and 2025 to the program's total, along with tournament championships in 2015 and 2021.[1](https://gophersports.com/sports/2018/5/21/trads-championships-html)
**2024-25.** Minnesota went 25-11-4, captured a league-record seventh Big Ten regular-season championship, and reached the NCAA Tournament for the fifth consecutive season.[5](https://gophersports.com/news/2025/9/5/-u-names-mens-hockey-captains-for-2025-26) Home crowds averaged 9,225 across 21 contests at 3M Arena at Mariucci with seven sellouts, including the second-highest attendance in arena history (10,750) against Penn State.[13](https://gophersports.com/documents/download/2024/10/30/2024-11-1_Penn_State.pdf) That season the program also had more NHL draft picks on its roster than any other NCAA hockey program.[13](https://gophersports.com/documents/download/2024/10/30/2024-11-1_Penn_State.pdf)
**2025-26.** Losing its top five scorers to early departure for the [National Hockey League](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-hockey-league), Jimmy Snuggerud (51 points), Connor Kurth (39), Matthew Wood (39), Oliver Moore (33), and Sam Rinzel (32), left a large gap in Minnesota's offensive production.[14](https://gophersports.com/documents/download/2025/12/31/2026-1-2_Bemidji_State.pdf) The team finished 11-22-3 overall and 7-15-2 in the Big Ten, its first losing season under head coach Bob Motzko, who had guided the program to five consecutive 20-win seasons before this year.[6](https://gophersports.com/sports/2026/3/25/2025-26-mhockey-year-in-review) • [15](https://gophersports.com/documents/download/2026/2/24/2026-2-26_Michigan.pdf) Even so, six of the Gophers' 11 wins came against top-10 opponents, including road wins at No. 2 Michigan and No. 4 Denver.[6](https://gophersports.com/sports/2026/3/25/2025-26-mhockey-year-in-review) Sophomore forward Brodie Ziemer earned second-team All-Big Ten honors, ranking fourth nationally with 23 goals and leading the country during the regular season with 11 power-play goals, and senior defenseman Luke Mittelstadt led Big Ten defensemen with 19 assists while matching a career high with 21 points.[6](https://gophersports.com/sports/2026/3/25/2025-26-mhockey-year-in-review)
## Coaching transition
Bob Motzko entered the 2025-26 season in his eighth year behind the Gophers bench with a 171-101-23 record, seven conference coach-of-the-year awards across three leagues, and the 2023 Spencer Penrose Award as Division I coach of the year.[15](https://gophersports.com/documents/download/2026/2/24/2026-2-26_Michigan.pdf) After Minnesota nose-dived to the 11-22-3 season, Motzko and athletic director Mark Coyle agreed to part ways.[4](https://www.startribune.com/minnesota-gophers-mens-hockey-coach-brett-larson-transfer-portal-matt-wyatt-cullen-nhl-draft/601851717)
**Brett Larson era.** Brett Larson, previously the head coach at St. Cloud State, was named the new head coach and will lead the program into the 2026-27 season, opening with a two-game series at Michigan Tech.[4](https://www.startribune.com/minnesota-gophers-mens-hockey-coach-brett-larson-transfer-portal-matt-wyatt-cullen-nhl-draft/601851717) • [16](https://www.startribune.com/minnesota-gophers-hockey-schedule-2026-27-roster-michigan-tech-game-time-brett-larson-coaching-staff/601895615) His staff includes former Golden Gopher forward Cory Laylin as assistant coach, [Paul Martin](https://www.edgepedia.org/paul-martin) elevated from director of player development to full-time assistant, and [Ben Gordon](https://www.edgepedia.org/ben-gordon) returning for a ninth season in which he leads recruiting; during Gordon's tenure the Gophers made five straight NCAA Tournaments from 2021 to 2025, winning three Big Ten regular-season titles and one tournament championship.[17](https://minnesotanewsnetwork.com/new-gopher-mens-hockey-coach-larson-names-most-of-his-new-staff/)
In April 2026 Larson named the 2026-27 leadership group: captain Brodie Ziemer with alternate captains LJ Mooney and John Whipple, the first leadership group not to feature a senior since 2015-16, as the program entered its 106th season.[7](https://dlyv80df02r89.cloudfront.net/news/2026/4/21/gophers-announce-mens-hockey-leadership-group) The 2025-26 captains had been seniors Brody Lamb, Luke Mittelstadt, and Cal Thomas.[5](https://gophersports.com/news/2025/9/5/-u-names-mens-hockey-captains-for-2025-26)
## Roster character and the NHL pipeline
Minnesota's rosters draw heavily from in-state talent. The 2025-26 squad carried 20 homegrown Minnesota players, including seven of its ten newcomers, and added size through newcomers Jacob Rombach (6' 6") and Javon Moore (6' 4").[14](https://gophersports.com/documents/download/2025/12/31/2026-1-2_Bemidji_State.pdf) Across 2025-26, 36 players with ties to the program participated in NHL training camps, representing 20 different organizations.[15](https://gophersports.com/documents/download/2026/2/24/2026-2-26_Michigan.pdf) Ziemer was one of six players added to the 2026 United States Collegiate Select Team roster that took part in the Spengler Cup in Davos, Switzerland.[18](https://gophersports.com/sports/mens-ice-hockey)
## Home arena
The Gophers play at 3M Arena at Mariucci. [Seating capacity](https://www.edgepedia.org/seating-capacity) has been increased three times, including the addition of 395 seats between the 1995-96 and 1996-97 seasons, and the program benefits from a second sheet of ice next door at Ridder Arena, home of the women's team, whose NHL-sized (200 by 85 feet) rink is available for practice before road games on smaller rinks.[19](https://gophersports.com/sports/2018/5/21/facilities-mariucci-arena-html) The men's program continued its television partnership with FOX9 for the 2026-27 season, with 14 games on FOX9/FOX9+ and 11 on the [Big Ten Network](https://www.edgepedia.org/big-ten-network) and FS1.[18](https://gophersports.com/sports/mens-ice-hockey)
## References
1. [Minnesota Championships, University of Minnesota Athletics](https://gophersports.com/sports/2018/5/21/trads-championships-html)
2. ["'Electric' Crowds Are Back," Minnesota Hockey Magazine](https://minnesotahockeymag.com/electric-crowds-are-back/)
3. [Minnesota 2025-26 Schedule/Results, College Hockey News](https://www.collegehockeynews.com/schedules/team/Minnesota/34/20252026)
4. ["Minnesota Gophers men's hockey coach Brett Larson embraces opportunity," Star Tribune](https://www.startribune.com/minnesota-gophers-mens-hockey-coach-brett-larson-transfer-portal-matt-wyatt-cullen-nhl-draft/601851717)
5. ["'U' Names Men's Hockey Captains for 2025-26," University of Minnesota Athletics](https://gophersports.com/news/2025/9/5/-u-names-mens-hockey-captains-for-2025-26)
6. ["2025-26 Men's Hockey Year in Review," University of Minnesota Athletics](https://gophersports.com/sports/2026/3/25/2025-26-mhockey-year-in-review)
7. ["Gophers Announce Men's Hockey Leadership Group," University of Minnesota Athletics](https://dlyv80df02r89.cloudfront.net/news/2026/4/21/gophers-announce-mens-hockey-leadership-group)
8. [University of Minnesota Golden Gophers Hockey, Vintage Minnesota Hockey](https://history.vintagemnhockey.com/page/show/789066-university-of-minnesota-golden-gophers-hockey)
9. [Gopher Athletics Timeline (1910-1939), University of Minnesota Athletics](https://gophersports.com/sports/2020/10/8/timeline-1910-1939)
10. [John Mariucci, University of Minnesota Athletics](https://gophersports.com/sports/2018/5/21/sports-m-hockey-spec-rel-john-mariucci-html)
11. ["'U' to Recognize First Three NCAA Championship Teams," University of Minnesota Athletics](https://gophersports.com/news/2021/11/18/mens-hockey-u-to-recognize-first-three-ncaa-championship-teams)
12. [DI Men's Ice Hockey Championship History, NCAA.com](https://www.ncaa.com/history/icehockey-men/d1)
13. [Golden Gopher Men's Hockey Game Notes, 2024-11-1 Penn State (2024-25)](https://gophersports.com/documents/download/2024/10/30/2024-11-1_Penn_State.pdf)
14. [Golden Gopher Men's Hockey Game Notes, 2026-1-2 Bemidji State (2025-26)](https://gophersports.com/documents/download/2025/12/31/2026-1-2_Bemidji_State.pdf)
15. [Golden Gopher Men's Hockey Game Notes, 2026-2-26 Michigan (2025-26)](https://gophersports.com/documents/download/2026/2/24/2026-2-26_Michigan.pdf)
16. ["Minnesota Gophers hockey schedule, 2026-27 roster under Brett Larson," Star Tribune](https://www.startribune.com/minnesota-gophers-hockey-schedule-2026-27-roster-michigan-tech-game-time-brett-larson-coaching-staff/601895615)
17. ["New Gopher men's hockey coach Larson names most of his new staff," Minnesota News Network](https://minnesotanewsnetwork.com/new-gopher-mens-hockey-coach-larson-names-most-of-his-new-staff/)
18. [Men's Hockey, University of Minnesota Athletics](https://gophersports.com/sports/mens-ice-hockey)
19. [3M Arena at Mariucci, University of Minnesota Athletics](https://gophersports.com/sports/2018/5/21/facilities-mariucci-arena-html)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Hockey and remaining team sports › College and university ice hockey*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license