3 Gopheria Enjoyed the Opportunity to Play U.S. Men’s Hockey at the Beijing Olympics

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Ben Meyers leads the Gophers men’s hockey team in goal scoring and joins Brock Faber and Matthew Knies on the U.S. Olympic team at the Beijing Winter Olympics. ((credit: University of Minnesota Athletics))

MINNEAPOLIS – Matthew Knies was at lunch when his phone rang. John Vanbiesbrouck pulled Brock Faber aside just before the World Cup was canceled. Ben Meyers had to tell his loved ones when he got the call.

Three University of Minnesota hockey players have all seen the movement “Miracle,” have watched the movie “Miracle on Ice,” and probably everyone has dreamed of playing for the U.S. Olympic hockey team since they first put on the skates. That is the reality now. When the NHL refused to send players to the Olympics for the second time in a row, it opened the door for college players and others who don’t play professionally.

Knies, Meyers and Faber are among the nine in Minnesota’s connections that will head to Beijing next month with Team USA to try to bring home the gold medal for the first time since 1980. Meyers, a native of Delano who is currently Gophers ’top scorer, is set to play internationally for the first time and may be the first Olympian in his small town of about 6,000 inhabitants, west of the Twin Cities.

“It’s an incredible honor. When I grow up in this state, it’s just an icon to see red, white and blue. It’s every hockey player’s dream that I probably won’t be able to put into words until I try it. For the first time,” Meyers said.

The three of them were told earlier this month, but they were only able to share the news with the family until it became official on January 13th.

“A lot of biting the tongue because you just want to shout happiness, share it with friends and teammates. When we found out these two were leaving, it was a pretty special moment with the boys,” Faber said.

Players will travel to Los Angeles in late January to train, quarantine and go through COVID-19 testing before heading to the Olympics. When they arrive in Beijing, they are tested daily.

The pandemic halted the sport in 2020, continued with extra precautions after several months and now they are doing everything they can to make the Olympics come true. Faber recalled talking to Vanbiesbrouck about a week before the cancellation of the World Cup due to COVID-19.

Traveling involves a lot of risk, but Faber won’t let the virus stop him from experiencing an experience he may no longer have.

“As soon as he (Vanbiesbrouck) said at the Olympics, your heart will almost fall out of excitement. It wasn’t an issue, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and we’re going to go there and represent this country to the best of our ability,” Faber said.

Meyers have 23 points in 20 matches this season, including nine goals, and is the captain of the Gophers team. Faber from Maple Grove have scored 11 points this season in 20 matches and 23 points in 47 matches with Minnesota. He also won the God Medal with Team USA at World Juniors last year and was there as the team’s assistant captain.

A native of Arizona, Knies has scored 20 points in his freshman season and is second in the Gophers goal. With Faber and Meyers on the Minnesotan team in the U.S. are Drew Helleson of Farmington, Nick Perbix of Elk River, Sam Hentges of New Brighton, Aaron of Ness Roseau and Noah Cates of Stillwater.

Knies gets to play in his first Olympics with two of his Gophers teammates, Meyers and Faber.

“It’s a pretty indescribable feeling. I had to do it in World Juniors because of the game, and it’s pretty special to play something much bigger than myself,” Knies said. “Playing for those colors and the country is pretty surreal. I’m just really grateful to have this opportunity to do it again.”

Gophers has had players in Team USA for 21 consecutive Winter Olympics until 1936. Team USA has not won Olympic medals since winning silver in 2010. The last gold came from Lake Placid in 1980.

Meyers, Faber and Knies are also away from the Gophers for about three weeks, and the Olympics will be held from 4 to 20 p.m. February in Beijing. They keep in touch with their Minnesota teammates via text messages and FaceTime and try to view them if the time change allows.