A border-battle rivalry game between the Minnesota Gophers and Wisconsin Badgers kicked off the conference season at Ridder Arena.

The Badgers dominated the game’s early stretch, holding it deep inside the Gophers zone, but Minnesota stopped the first wave.

***Click the video box above to watch highlights of Friday’s game***

The second, however, proved to be too much as Cassie Hall slotted one past Skylar Vetter giving the Badgers a 1-0 lead with 3:46 left in the first period.

Both teams played physically throughout the night with seven penalties assessed but no goals for either side on the power play.

The middle period lacked the finishing touch that Hall applied in the first but both teams had their chances to score.

The floodgates opened in the final frame of action. After a scoreless first three minutes, Wisconsin scored three goals in the following three minutes.

Wisconsin started the period with a goal by Finley McCarthy doubling the Badgers’ lead. Swiftly followed by a snipe from Casey O’Brien that flew past Vetter into the net. Just 16 seconds later Laila Edwards perfectly placed a shot into the bottom corner to put Wisconsin up 4-0.

O’Brien’s goal cushioned her edge in the WCHA now tallying 18 points through her first seven games. Edwards tied the WCHA lead in goals with seven on the season having played two fewer games than Ohio State’s Jordyn Petrie.

Maggie Scanell put the metaphorical cherry on top with the visitor’s fifth goal of the night.

The Gophers have yet to win a game in the WCHA with a record of 0-2-1 in the conference. Minnesota is back in action tomorrow back at Ridder Arena looking to get revenge against a rival that blew them out in game one.