OMAHA, Neb. — The U of M Golden Gophers are one step away from the Frozen Four after knocking off the Omaha Mavericks 3-2 in the first game of the NCAA hockey regionals.
Captain Jaxon Nelson scored a pair of goals in the final 11 minutes to fuel the comeback, with both tallies coming on assists from 5th-year senior Bryce Brodzinski. Senior netminder Justin Close shut the door from there, making four saves in the final 30 seconds to preserve the win. He finished the game with 36 stops.
Nelson, a graduate student, is on a heater with 10 goals in his last games.
The Gophers (now 23-10-5 overall) move on in the Sioux Falls regional, taking on No. 1 seeded Boston University Saturday at 5 p.m. The winner of that game moves on to the 2024 Frozen Four at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
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