Gophers settle for series split with North Dakota

The No. 1-ranked Golden Gophers men’s hockey team could not come back from a two-goal deficit, falling 2-1 on the road against No. 5 North Dakota from Ralph Engelstad Arena Saturday night.

Minnesota (3-1-0 overall) got a goal from Jaxon Nelson with 12 minutes to play in the third period to close the margin to one and fought for the comeback but came up short to split the weekend series with the Fighting Hawks (3-1-0 overall).

The puck had barely dropped before each team had an odd-man rush that was turned aside as the contest began in a flourish. The frantic pace continued for the first four minutes and each netminder was tested by quality scoring chances. An early power play for UND was erased by the Maroon and Gold and the visitors had a man advantage of its own that was denied later in the frame. The game remained a 0-0 stalemate when the period ended thanks to 15 saves from Justen Close and six blocked shots.

The Fighting Hawks finally broke the tie, snapping Close’s shutout streak at 153 minutes, 58 seconds, with a shot from the point that found its way through traffic at the 5:48 mark of the second period. The opening tally ignited the capacity crowd and led to consecutive penalties by the Gophers, who held off the UND attack both times. Minnesota got a late chance on the man advantage that was thwarted as it went into the locker room, trailing 1-0.

A bad line change less than a minute into the final frame allowed the home team to score from an odd angle and double its lead. The Gophers turned up their intensity from that point and generated pressure in the offensive zone when Cal Thomas had a bid from the point turned away. On the next shift, Rhett Pitlick took a Bryce Brodzinski pass and went alone on goal, but his quick shot went off the goalie’s shoulder. Another penalty against Minnesota had to be killed before the visitors could mount a comeback.

That effort started at the 8:04 mark of the third period as Nelson redirected a Ryan Chesley shot into the back of the net, cutting the deficit in half. The momentum was cut short as the Gophers were called for their sixth infraction of the night, which limited the opportunities to push back. The Maroon and Gold pulled its goalie in the closing stages, searching for the equalizer, and were unable to get one through, suffering the 2-1 setback.