It is one thing to be back in the lineup after an injury. It is another thing to have your groove back after missing time. On Saturday, two previously injured Gophers got their groove back, scoring their first goals of the season in a 4-1 win over Robert Morris to sweep their final nonconference series of the season.

Mike Koster and Mason Nevers, who both missed significant time early in the season with various ailments, scored Minnesota’s first two goals, setting the tone for one of their more dominant wins. Goalie Justen Close had 16 saves and Aaron Huglen and Jimmy Snuggerud added goals for the Gophers, who improved to 12-6-4 overall. They will play only Big Ten foes from here until a possible invite to the NCAA playoffs.

“You could just feel the weight leaving, even on our bench. Our bench was like we won the Stanley Cup when those two scored, because our players know what those guys went through with their injuries,” Gophers coach Bob Motzko said of Nevers and Koster scoring. “Those were monster goals for those two young men to get, and they’re going to have a little swagger. It’s a great time of year for that to happen, to get those guys back on board.”

The Colonials (6-15-3) got a 40-save night from goalie Chad Veltri and a second-period goal from Walter Zacher but were overmatched for much of the night.

“They’ve got 13 (NHL) draft picks and we’ve got none, so it was a classic David vs. Goliath. And Goliath won, but David put up a little bit of a fight,” Colonials coach Derek Schooley said. “We pushed, and … they had to earn it. That’s what our goal was.”

Nevers was injured in an exhibition game with Bemidji State in October and missed the first four regular-season games. Once back in the lineup, he started slowly. Saturday’s goal was not only his first of the season, it snapped a string of six consecutive games that he had been held without a point.

“Having the break kind of gets you up to speed and now I’m not playing this season behind the 8-ball,” Nevers said. “I’ve felt a lot better in the second half just getting up to conditioning and not having to play catch-up. I’m looking forward to a big second half. Usually when the second half magic begins, people forget about the first half.”

Koster, the Gophers’ co-captain, missed the season’s first six games after suffering an injury during a September practice.

Huglen’s goal came after a review. His slow-moving shot fooled Veltri, but officials initially ruled no goal due to a Gopher in the crease. Video showed that the crease was clear by the time the puck arrived and no Gophers had made contact with the goalie, so the goal was allowed to stand. Snuggerud’s goal was his Big Ten-leading 17th of the season, and sixth of the past week, after he scored five times in a split with Colorado College played last Sunday and Monday.

It was the Gophers’ first sweep of a weekend series since they beat St. Thomas twice to open the season.

Briefly

Gophers coach Bob Motzko got a nice ovation before the game in recognition of his 400th career win, recorded in the series opener on Friday. He had 276 wins in his 13 seasons at St. Cloud State, and Friday’s win was his 124th win in five-plus seasons at Minnesota.

Related Articles

Men’s hockey: Gophers turn back upset-minded Robert Morris 4-2

Men’s hockey: Colorado College comes back to beat Gophers