Gophers sweep road series at UMD after 5-1 win

The University of Minnesota men’s hockey team scored 12 goals in two games in Duluth over the weekend, sweeping the Bulldogs at AMSOIL Arena after 5-1 win Saturday night.

Connor Kurth’s three-point night, including the eventual game-winning goal, helped Minnesota (3-1-0 overall) shut down the Bulldogs (1-4-0 overall), backstopped by a 31-save effort from goaltender Liam Souliere. It was the first sweep at UMD since Oct. 2011 when the Gophers won back-to-back games by a 5-4 scoreline.

Going for the weekend sweep, Minnesota had the jump on the home side with Oliver Moore and Brodie Ziemer rushing behind the UMD defense during a 2-on-1. An extra pass was knocked away as the game remained scoreless in the early stages. The Bulldogs made a push on the next shift only to be denied by Souliere. The graduate transfer came up clutch a minute later stopping a solo attempt in front of the crease. The visitors broke the deadlock at the 9:24 mark of the opening frame when Moore skated through a check and put a perfect pass to the stick of Ziemer, who buried the opening tally for the second-straight night.

After taking the lead, the Gophers were whistled for a penalty and promptly erased the chance before going right back into the box 13 seconds later. The Maroon and Gold killed off that man advantage and skated even strength where it struck for the second time in the period with 2:37 to play. Jimmy Clark started the play at center ice, sending Matthew Wood and Kurth to an odd-man rush. Wood flipped a pass to Kurth, who deked out the goalie and gave Minnesota a 2-0 edge. In the final minute of the frame with both teams having a player in the penalty box, Ryan Chesley was in the perfect spot, swiping a puck off the goal line to maintain the lead. The Bulldogs won the ensuing faceoff and scored from the right wing with just 3.4 seconds showing on the clock to cut the margin to one after 20 minutes.

Souliere opened the second period with a shoulder save from close range as the teams played 4-on-4. Back at full strength, Jimmy Snuggerud whipped a cross-ice feed to Erik Påhlsson at the right circle but his one-timer was turned aside. The Gophers kept up the pressure and created chances from Kurth and Clark, forcing UMD to ice the puck. After winning the faceoff, Minnesota cycled through and Snuggerud hammered home a loose puck while falling and the margin went back to two, 3-1. The Maroon and Gold did not relent and earned a power-play opportunity that was denied despite a Snuggerud shot off the crossbar. The final minutes of the second stanza belonged to the visitors and the Gophers took the 3-1 advantage into intermission.

Minnesota needed a pair of saves from Souliere beginning the final frame to hold off the Bulldogs and maintain the two-goal cushion. The Gophers did not do themselves any favors and were called for two penalties less than seven minutes into the period but were up to the task and erased both man advantages, aided by a UMD shot that hit the post. The Maroon and Gold drew a penalty in the middle of the frame only to see the Bulldogs get a chance at the other end as Souliere shut down a 2-on-1 with a pad save. The stop helped the Gophers turn momentum and Clark capitalized at the doorstep on a give-and-go from Kurth. The power-play goal gave Minnesota a 4-1 lead and Wood added a goal into an empty cage with more than five minutes remaining in regulation, securing the road sweep of its in-state foe, 5-1.

Souliere earned the No. 2 star of the night by making 31 saves, including several in critical moments to keep the Bulldogs from climbing back into the contest. It was his first win in two outings since joining the Gophers in the offseason.

(University of Minnesota athletics contributed information to this article.)