Gophers men's hockey is on pace for one of the worst seasons in program history

Minnesota's latest struggles against No. 1 Michigan, essentially ended its season.

Gophers forward John Mittelstadt fighting for the puck against Michigan. | Picture credit: Matt Krohn

Gophers men's hockey forced overtime on Saturday night against No. 1 Michigan, but ultimately fell short to get swept for the second straight series after the holiday break. Now 8-14-1 with only six regular-season series left, Minnesota's NCAA Tournament at-large chances are all but dead. Where do they go from here?

NCAA Tournament at-large chances are likely gone

The Gophers hired head coach Bob Motzko before the 2018-19 season. They failed to make the tournament that season, and the following year was cut short due to COVID-19. They proceeded to make five consecutive NCAA tournaments after that. This year would be their first time not in the field since Motzko's first season.

They could always go on a magical run in the Big Ten Tournament at the end of the season and claim the conference's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament, but, currently ranked No. 37 in the NCAA Percentage Index (NPI), their chances of receiving an at-large invitation are basically zero.

Subscribe: Sign up to receive the free Gophers On SI newsletter

Worst Gophers team since _____?

The last time Minnesota finished below .500 was the 2009-10 season, when they had an 18-19-2 record. The last time before that came in 1998-99, when they went 15-19-9 in Doug Woog's last season as head coach. That was his second straight campaign below .500.

With only 12 regular-season games left this year, it will not be easy to get over .500. This year's team is making a strong argument to be among the most disappointing in program history since they moved into the old Mariucci Arena in 1985. They've only had three years below .500 since that season.

Pressure mounting for 2026-27

Motzko has built enough goodwill to have job security through one bad season. He has led Minnesota to a pair of Frozen Fours and five straight seasons with 20 or more wins. A coaching change would feel like a rash decision that a program only makes with a clear replacement waiting, and that doesn't seem to be the case.

With that being said, this year's team isn't just having a down year; it's a historically bad season. The standard at a program like Minnesota is not to rebuild, but to reload. Motzko is fully aware of those standards, which puts even more pressure on the 2026-27 team.

Minnesota has an impressive recruiting class on the way, and young players like LJ Mooney and Javon Moore will have another year of development. Programs like Minnesota do not have two down years in a row, so there is already a ton of pressure for a much better season in 2026-27.