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Gophers hockey expected to be without star freshman for NCAA Tournament

Minnesota will be a little banged up heading into this year's postseason run.

Tony Liebert

August Falloon celebrating his first career goal against St. Thomas.
August Falloon celebrating his first career goal against St. Thomas. / Picture via: Bjorn Franke (University of Minnesota)

Gophers men's hockey earned a 2-seed in this year's NCAA Tournament, and they will play 3-seed UMass in Fargo, N.D. in the first round on Thursday night. Head coach Bob Motzko confirmed on Monday that they will be without freshman forward August Falloon for three weeks.

"August Falloon will be out for three weeks, so we're going to be down a couple bodies, but we've had two weeks to work our lineup, prepare for it," he said.

Falloon is a St. Cloud, Minn. native who began his college career this season after spending three full seasons with Tri-City in the USHL. He has been able to find some success on a loaded roster with two goals and three assists in 22 games.

Veteran forward Aaron Huglen was lost for the season after breaking a bone in the team's Big Ten Tournament first round loss against Notre Dame. Minnesota will have 17 days between games to plan for life without Huglen and Falloon in the lineup.

Motzko didn't explicitly say that Falloon will miss the rest of the season, but three weeks from Monday would put things at April 14, which is two days after this year's national championship.

Minnesota's Thursday night game against UMass is expected to begin around 8:30 p.m. CT, and it will be televised on ESPN2. The Gophers are favored to advance, but the winner will face the winner of Western Michigan and Minnesota State-Mankato in the regional final on Saturday.

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Tony Liebert
TONY LIEBERT

Tony Liebert is particularly known for his coverage of the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers, though he also contributes to coverage of the Minnesota Vikings, Timberwolves and Twins. His writing style is noted for providing in-depth analysis and insights, making him a go-to source for fans looking for comprehensive coverage of Minnesota sports.

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