In the 300th all-time border battle meeting, the No. 5 Gophers men’s hockey team dominated Wisconsin on the road Saturday night en route to a 4-1 win as they improve to 6-4 this season.

“Good response by us tonight,” Gophers head coach Bob Motzko said. “We had a good look about us, [a] good feel. [We had a] great start, stayed strong, [and we had] a lot of good performances tonight by a lot of players…it was a big win for us.”

After blowing a two-goal lead Friday night, the Gophers got off to an explosive offensive start in the first period, scoring three goals, which set the tone of play for the remainder of the game.

The freshmen gave the Gophers a massive boost in the first period. Matthew Knies scored the opening goal 6:12 seconds into the game after gathering a loose puck at the Badgers’ goal line and burying it after sophomore Mason Nevers tipped junior Ryan Johnson’s shot from the point off the back wall.

Just 1:57 seconds later, Aaron Huglen skated his way into the slot and attempted a back door pass to junior Jaxon Nelson, but it was blocked. Then, he gathered the loose puck and fired a low shot into the net to give the Gophers a 2-0 lead with 11:31 remaining in the first period.

To close out their strong start in the first period, junior Ben Meyers fed a pass to Knies at the goal line, where he spun around, took a shot, and Nelson was there to bury the rebound to score on the power play and give the Gophers a 3-0 lead with 5:04 remaining in the period.

“It was huge,” Motzko said of the Gophers’ fast start. “We came ready to play tonight…it was a great start. We needed it.”

There was a scary moment for the Gophers late in the first period as graduate student goaltender Jack LaFontaine exited the game with an apparent leg injury. However, he later returned at the start of the second period. Junior Justen Close saw his first action in net this season and made three saves while LaFontaine was out.

The Badgers’ lone goal came from Roman Ahcan on the power play 51 seconds into the second period.

Then, the Gophers responded right back 16 seconds later with a goal of their own. Senior Sammy Walker buried a cross-crease pass from his senior counterpart, Blake McLaughlin. After scoring, he flew into the right goalpost and got shaken up, but he would remain in the game.

Walker’s tally gave the Gophers a 4-1 lead and caused Wisconsin to switch their goaltenders as Jared Moe replaced Cameron Rowe.

Less than a minute later, junior Matt Staudacher made a high and massive hit on Wisconsin’s Corson Ceulemans. The referees gave him a five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct for the contact to the head. The league could suspend him.

In the third period, junior Jonny Sorenson got rocked at center ice and visibly was in pain, but like LaFontaine and Walker, he returned to play.

In a physical game from start to finish, the Gophers went on to hold their three-goal lead to close out the game.

“It was a really good response from yesterday,” Knies said. “I’m proud of these fellas. I think we played a hard game all 60 minutes, so [it was a] really good win. It was really unselfish by all our players and just super excited to get that one.”

LaFontaine had a strong game in net for the Gophers, making 34 saves on 35 shots faced to earn a .971 save percentage.

“He’s amazing,” Huglen said. “He had that incident in the first, but he came back and picked up right where he left off. So, we are happy to get the win for him.”

Nine Gophers tallied a point as Knies led with two (one goal, one assist). Huglen’s second goal this season, which came in the first period, ended up as the game-winning goal.
“That was huge for our confidence,” Knies said on the bounce-back win. “Obviously, we don’t want to get swept on the road. To bring this win into the week and prepare for Ohio State, I think it’s going to be huge. So, it was a really big win for our team.”

Next weekend, the Gophers will return home to take on Ohio State on Friday, Nov. 12, at 6:30 p.m., and Saturday, Nov. 13, at 5 p.m., in their third Big Ten series this season.

The No. 5 Gophers men’s hockey blew a two-goal lead in a 4-3 overtime loss to Wisconsin Friday night in their first border battle this season, as they now hold a 5-4 record.

“[We] made too many mistakes tonight,” Gophers head coach Bob Motzko said. “It cost us. There’s nothing more you can say. We hand-delivered a handful of goals tonight. You can’t do that, especially on the road.”

The Gophers held a 3-2 lead heading into the third, but then Wisconsin’s Brock Caufield took over.

He scored the game-tying goal just 2:19 seconds into the period after splitting two Gophers’ defenders and fired a shot from the slot into the lower-left corner of the net to even up the score at 3-3. Then in overtime, he went on to add his second goal of the game to secure the game-winning goal and the win for the Badgers.

The first period between the Gophers and Badgers did not see any goals. However, the game was fast-paced as the shots were square at 13 at the end of the first 20 minutes of play.

The second period was the complete opposite of the scoreless first period as the Gophers and Badgers combined for five goals, three to Minnesota and two to Wisconsin.

For the first 13 minutes of the second period, the Gophers dominated. Senior Sammy Walker opened up the scoring four minutes into the period.

Walker scored from his knees at the bottom of the left circle after gathering a loose puck in front of the Badgers’ net off his rebound. His go-ahead goal marked his fourth of the season as the assists went to freshman Rhett Pitlick (2) and sophomore Brock Faber (5).

With 7:42 remaining in the second, the Gophers extended their lead to 2-0. Senior Ben Brinkman sprung Walker on a 2-1 with senior Blake McLaughlin after sending a bank pass off the boards from their goal line. Then, Walker fed McLaughlin a cross-ice pass from one circle to the other. McLaughlin went on to bury the puck home, marking his third goal this season as Walker tallied his third assist of the season while Brinkman collected his second.

After McLaughlin’s goal, the Badgers quickly had an answer as Corson Ceulemans and Jack Gorniak each scored goals just 21 seconds apart. Ceulemans’ came on the power play, while Gorniak’s was an even-strength goal with 6:03 seconds remaining in the period.

From their two quick goals, the Badgers started to build momentum. However, they quickly killed that when they suffered an own goal with 2:38 seconds remaining in the second period during a Gophers’ delayed penalty.

Liam Malmquist sent a pass from the corner toward the point, but no Badgers’ defenders were in the area, and the puck slowly trickled into their net. Faber was credited for the goal because he was the last Minnesota player to touch the puck.

In the loss, the Gophers outshot the Badgers 47-36. Former Minnesota goaltender Jared Moe made 44 saves, while graduate student Jack LaFontaine had 32 saves.

“Both goalies were excellent tonight,” Motzko said. “But the chances we gave up, oh my goodness, point-blank chances, so we’ve got to clean that up. We’ve got to be a better team in front of him [LaFontaine].”

The Gophers take on the Badgers again on Saturday, Nov. 6, at 8 p.m., as they close out their first border battle series this season and search to split the series. Saturday’s game marks the 300th Border Battle game between the two teams.

The No. 7 Gophers men’s hockey team (5-3) defeated No. 14 Notre Dame 3-2 Saturday evening to complete the sweep in their first Big Ten series this season.

“[It was a] huge weekend for us,” Gophers head coach Bob Motzko said. “We dodged a bullet tonight. I really feel like Jack [LaFontaine] was great…we were able to somehow find a way to get the win. Let’s hope that it’s another step forward for us moving in the right direction.”

Like Friday’s game, the Gophers weathered an early storm of attack from the Fighting Irish in the opening half of the first period. Notre Dame had six shots on goal before Minnesota had one.

However, the Gophers found their footing quicker than on Friday. They had an early power play, which they did not convert on, but they began to build momentum from it. Senior Sammy Walker fired a shot from the top of the left circle, but the puck connected with the left post.

Junior Jackson LaCombe fired a shot from the blue line, the puck bounced off the back wall back out in front of the net, and senior Grant Cruikshank was in the right place at the right time, burying the puck home to give Minnesota a 1-0 lead 11:25 seconds into the first period.

Cruikshank’s go-ahead tally marks his second goal this season, but he remained out the rest of the game with an injury. LaCombe recorded his second assist on the goal, while freshman Rhett Pitlick collected his first collegiate point with the secondary assist.

With under three minutes to go in the first, LaCombe took a hooking penalty in front of the Gophers’ goal to help prevent a high-quality scoring chance. Then, their penalty kill units went to work and killed off Notre Dame’s man-advantage.

For almost the entire second period, neither team had many high-quality scoring opportunities. And yet again, the Gophers’ stingy penalty kill units killed off two more Notre Dame power plays.

Just as the second period winded down, Notre Dame got themselves on the scoreboard with 1.7 seconds remaining as Grant Silianoff fired a loose puck in front of the Gophers’ goal into the back of the net to tie the game at 1-1 after Minnesota turned the puck over in the neutral zone.
“What we did in the second period, we got to learn that lesson,” Motzko said. “Two horrendous penalties, a turnover, a terrible offsides, just things that in big games where it’s going to lead you to lose hockey games.”

The third period saw a lot more action than the first or second as junior Jonny Sorenson put the Gophers ahead 2-1 just 2:27 seconds into the final frame. He picked up a loose puck in the neutral zone, skated his way to a breakaway, and fired a nifty backhand shot into the upper right half of the net to score his first goal this season.

“He was [Sorenson] good all weekend,” Motzko said. “Using his speed, tenacity, winning battles, [it was] only fitting that he came up with a big-time goal. He’s capable of doing that so it was great to see.“

However, the Gophers’ lead did not last for more than a minute. Notre Dame came right back to tie the game after Solag Bakich finished a tic-tac-toe passing play to beat graduate student goaltender Jack LaFontaine just 29 seconds after Sorenson’s go-ahead goal.

After that, Notre Dame started gaining momentum. Then, the Gophers weathered another frenzy of attack. At around the halfway point of the third period, the Fighting Irish took 10 consecutive shots, with five of them on-net, over the span of 2:12 seconds.

The Gophers had to battle their way out of Notre Dame’s storm for much of the period, but they began to find more offensive zone time in the last seven minutes.

As the Gophers controlled the puck in the offensive zone, sophomore Brock Faber fed a drop pass to senior Blake McLaughlin at the half wall.

McLaughlin then skated the puck toward the middle at the top of the blue line, spun around, and sent a pass to junior Bryce Brodzinski at the top of the circle. Brodzinksi received the pass and fired a shot that snuck its way in to give the Gophers a late 3-2 lead with 2:15 seconds remaining in the game.

Brodzinski’s go-ahead tally marks his second game-winning goal of the series and his team-leading sixth goal this season. It also marks Faber’s fourth assist and McLaughlin’s ninth, which is also a team-high.

The Gophers held on en route to a huge bounce back weekend and sweep of Notre Dame in their first Big Ten series this season. Their penalty kill went a perfect six for six this weekend.
“It’s got to be a big part of our game this year,” Sorenson said on their penalty kill. “This weekend proved how big it can be. We let one of those in, two of those in, the games go the other way…I think we proved we have a pretty good penalty kill.”

LaFontaine made 26 saves with a .929 save percentage in the win as Notre Dame outshot the Gophers 28-24.

“It was huge, especially against a team like that,” LaFontaine said on starting off Big Ten play with a sweep. “They’re hardworking, they’re always going to play strong defense, they always have good goalies…but again, those two wins are going to go a long way and I know we can be a lot better so it’s exciting to see where this team is going to go.”

The Gophers will travel to Madison, Wis., next weekend to take on Wisconsin in their second Big Ten series this season on Friday, Nov. 5, at 7 p.m. and on Saturday, Nov. 6, at 8 p.m.

No. 7 Gophers men’s hockey (4-3) defeated No. 14 Notre Dame 4-1 at home in their Big Ten hockey opener to get back in the win column and end their losing streak at two games.

“[Our defensemen] were physical,” Gophers head coach Bob Motzko said. “We shut them down a lot tonight…it was probably our best game by our defensemen this year. We needed it.”

Like in their two first periods against Minnesota-Duluth, the Gophers had another slow start against Notre Dame. They did not register their first shot on goal until freshman Matthew Knies took a wrist shot from the slot 6:34 seconds into the period.

There was a lot of neutral zone play early on, with not much offensive zone possession for either team. The Gophers had a lot of opportunities for high-quality scoring chances, but they could not execute their final passes when they were in Notre Dame’s end of the ice.

Minutes before the halfway mark of the first period, the Gophers went on the penalty kill. They had a chance to score shorthanded, but senior Sammy Walker’s pass to Grant Cruikshank on a 2-1 did not connect. They ended up killing the penalty without allowing Notre Dame to find any high-quality scoring opportunities.

Notre Dame’s Solag Bakich received a pass at the blue line halfway through the period, entering the offensive zone on a breakaway. However, graduate student goaltender Jack LaFontaine made a huge save. From there, the Gophers started to build momentum.

“He’s the rock to this team,” sophomore Mason Nevers said. “He always makes that timely save when you need it.”

Junior Ryan Johnson sprung a pass to his junior counterpart, Ben Meyers. He skated down the left side of the ice, flew down the boards, and pulled off a wrap-around to give the Gophers a 1-0 lead. Meyers’ goal marks his second this season and Johnson’s fourth assist.

“It felt nice to get the first one on the board,” Johnson said. “Our previous game we hadn’t. We brought it to our attention and then just tried to have a better start and we got the first one.”

The Gophers went to the powerplay late but could not extend their lead as Notre Dame outshot them 9-4 in the first period.

As the second period got underway, the Gophers continued to build on their momentum. Johnson skated down the left side near the boards in the neutral zone and fed a pass to his junior counterpart, Bryce Brodzinski, just before he entered the offensive zone.

Then, Brodzinski dazzled his way to the top of the right circle and fired a low wrist shot into the left side of the net to extend the Gophers’ lead to 2-0. His goal marks his fifth this season and Jonhson’s fifth assist.

With 7:45 remaining in the second period, the Gophers went to their second power play of the evening, but they could not convert. Just before the end of the man-advantage, Notre Dame’s Graham Slaggert went in on a breakaway, firing a shot in the slot, but LaFontaine again made a huge save to keep the Fighting Irish off the scoreboard.

The Gophers went to their second penalty kill of the evening with 4:11 seconds to go in the second frame, and their penalty kill unit went to work. They killed off another Notre Dame power play and almost scored just after the kill as Cruikshank fed a long pass to sophomore Carl Fish out of the box, but he could not convert the high-quality scoring chance.

The second period went much better for the Gophers as they found their footing in the offensive zone and outshot the Fighting Irish 15-10. However, junior Jaxon Nelson got called for roughing at the end of the period.

The Gophers’ penalty kill once again stayed perfect and kept the Fighting Irish off the scoreboard, killing their third penalty of the game.

However, just minutes later, Notre Dame’s Slaggert put the Fighting Irish on the scoreboard 5:31 seconds into the third period. He picked up a loose puck behind the net, worked his way to the front of the Gophers’ goal unmarked, fired a shot, and beat LaFontaine after another attempt on his rebound.

The Gophers would add two more goals late in the third period. Nevers received a pass from Knies just before he entered the blueline. Nevers did the rest as he dazzled his way into the slot and fired a backhand shot into the upper right half of the net. Then, senior Blake McLaughlin added an empty-net goal with 1.3 seconds left to give the Gophers the 4-1 victory.

“Knies made an unbelievable cross-ice pass to me,” Nevers said. “[I] had a one-on-one, D came over, [I] got to the middle…luckily it found its way in.”
Nevers’ goal marks his fourth this season, while McLaughlin tallied his second.

In their first Big Ten game this season, their penalty kill went a perfect 3-3. LaFontaine also finished the night with 28 saves and a .966 save percentage.

“No question,” Motzko said on the Gophers’ penalty kill that played a considerable role in the win. “We used six killers out there upfront, our D was strong, and Jack [LaFontaine] was our best killer. We had a good look to us tonight in how we were doing it.”

The Gophers will complete their two-game home series against Notre Dame as they take on the Fighting Irish on Saturday, Oct. 30, at 5 p.m. at 3M Arena at Mariucci.

Former Gophers men’s gymnastics athlete Evan Ng sued the University of Minnesota for eliminating his sport after filing a lawsuit Friday morning, claiming he is no longer a varsity NCAA gymnast because of sex-based discrimination engaged by the University.

Ng, a Chicago, Ill. native, is suing the University of Minnesota’s Board of Regents, University President Joan Gabel, and Gophers athletics director Mark Coyle on two counts: sex discrimination in violation of the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment and sex discrimination in violation of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.

“Cutting the men’s gymnastics team in order to reach statistical parity between the ratio of male and female athletes and the general undergraduate enrollment at the University violates ‘Title IX’s rule that “no person shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in…any interscholastic, intercollegiate, club or intramural athletics offered by the recipient…,” the lawsuit said.

On Oct. 9, 2020, the University of Minnesota Board of Regents voted 7-5 in favor to cut the Gophers men’s gymnastics team while also cutting the men’s tennis and indoor track programs after referencing Title IX and statistical proportionality concerns as the reason for eliminating the three sports.

Before citing these concerns, Coyle initially alluded to financial concerns as the reasoning behind cutting the three programs, projecting that the University’s athletic department could lose up to $75 million in revenue. The removal of the sports saved the athletic department an estimated $1.6 million.

Even after realizing the University’s athletics budget shortfall was significantly less than anticipated, the University did not reverse its decision to reinstate any of the three men’s programs, according to the lawsuit.

Ng, currently a sophomore, only competed in one collegiate gymnastics season before the University cut the program. He and his lawyers are hoping to reinstate the program through this lawsuit. However, it does not include the men’s tennis or indoor track teams.
Over its 118 years as a program, the Gophers men’s gymnastics team won 21 Big Ten Championships, produced two NCAA all-around champions, and recently sent former gymnast Shane Wiskus to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Although they cut the three programs, the University of Minnesota will honor the athletes’ scholarships until they graduate unless they transfer universities.

Gophers soccer (8-6-3) dropped their last match of the season at home on senior day Sunday evening in a 2-0 shutout loss against Nebraska, marking the first time they have lost a contest by more than a goal this season.

“Obviously, we are disappointed with the game,” Gophers head coach Erin Chastain said. “I didn’t think we came out great, not sure why. We had to make a last-minute adjustment due to an injury with the lineup. Maybe we were a little unnerved because of that. Maybe it’s the senior day emotion, but we didn’t start and set the tone…it really just wasn’t the right start.”

Before the match got underway, sophomore left-back Abi Frandsen suffered an injury in warmups, causing the Gophers to adjust their starting lineup. Her sophomore counterpart Christa VanLoon joined the starting lineup at left midfield as senior Patricia Ward shifted to the backline playing left-back.

In the first half, the Gophers could not get anything going in the offensive third. Nebraska continued to press them as they possessed the ball and controlled the pace of play.

At the 26-minute mark, Nebraska’s Abbey Schwarz received a pass just outside the top of the box, facing away from the Gophers’ goal. Then, she spun around, flicked the ball to her right foot and fired a shot into the upper left corner of the net to give the Cornhuskers a 1-0 lead.

Three minutes later, senior McKenna Buisman began to make her way through midfield and got tripped, but the referees did not call a foul on the play. Then, Nebraska quickly gained possession of the ball as Sarah Weber received a through ball from midfield.

Weber made no mistake on the through ball, firing a shot into the upper right corner of the goal from the left side of the box to extend the Cornhuskers’ lead to 2-0 at the 29-minute mark.

It was not until the 37th minute that the Gophers registered their first shot on goal and high-quality opportunity. Freshman Lauren Donovan connected on a header from senior Delaney Stekr’s free-kick service, but Nebraska made the team save. Then, sophomore Rylan Baker followed up the rebound with another header, but he sent it over the top of the goal.
At halftime, the Cornhuskers led the Gophers in shots (9-4) and shots on goal (5-1).

The Gophers found their footing and possessed well in the offensive third in the second half, outshooting the Cornhuskers 12-4, with four on goal. However, they could not convert any of their opportunities before the clock hit 90 minutes.

“We dug ourselves a hole, tried to claw our way out of it in the second half, and definitely put them under some pressure,” Chastain said. “Our final moment where we were in front of the goal and had to execute was not super sharp today. So, that was difficult.”

Notables

Minnesota finishes the 2021 season in ninth-place in the Big Ten. In Chastain’s first season as head coach, the Gophers won eight matches, the most since the 2018 season.

In the loss, junior goalkeeper Megan Plaschko made five saves. She recorded eight clean sheets in 17 matches in her first full season as the Gophers’ starting keeper.

VanLoon made her first start of the season, while freshman Khyah Harper returned to the pitch after missing her last six matches due to an ankle injury.

Looking ahead

“We just talked about at the end of the game that this is not the ending we wanted,” Chastain said. “All you can do now is remember that and be motivated for next season. That’s what your offseason is about – is getting ready for next year and hopefully being in a different scenario in terms of the playoffs.”

The No. 4 Gophers men’s hockey team’s (3-3) rally fell short in a 2-1 loss to No. 5 Minnesota-Duluth Saturday evening, marking the first time they have gotten swept this season.

“I hate losing two games in a weekend, but we played a lot better tonight,” Gophers head coach Bob Motzko said. “They didn’t have as many chances while we did. Give their goaltender the nod tonight. He was definitely their best player on the ice. We had our chances.”

The Gophers got off to a slow start like they did Friday night and the Bulldogs scored two goals in the first period of play.

At the halfway mark of the first period (10:51), Wyatt Kaiser took a wrist shot from inside the blue line on the left side and Tanner Laderoute tipped the puck past graduate student Jack LaFontaine to give the Bulldogs an early 1-0 lead.

Then, just minutes before the end of the first period, the Bulldogs extended their lead to 2-0. Louie Roehl took a shot from the point on the right side, LaFontaine could not control the rebound, and Blake Biondi was there to clean up the loose puck on goal to score his second of the series.

Although the Gophers had another rough first period, they picked up the pace in the final 40 minutes of play, outshooting the Bulldogs 20-15 to outshoot them 29-26 overall.

The Gophers’ lone goal of the game came 6:26 seconds into the third period as sophomore Mason Nevers tipped in junior Ryan Johnson’s wrist shot from the point to cut the Bulldogs’ lead to 2-1. Johnson (3) and junior Ben Meyers (5) tallied the assists.

“Ope, gonna pop this right by ya”

– @MasonNevers pic.twitter.com/TZ7xqwHcYn

— Minnesota Men’s Hockey (@GopherHockey) October 24, 2021

Nevers’ goal marks his third this season, marking a new career-high for goals in a season. He has five goals in his last eight games.

The Gophers begin Big Ten play next weekend as they host Notre Dame (4-1) on Friday, Oct. 29 at 8 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 30, at 5 p.m. at 3M Arena at Mariucci.

The No. 4 Gophers men’s hockey team got dominated by No. 5 Minnesota-Duluth Friday night in a 5-3 loss, marking their second loss this season as they now hold a 3-2 record.

“Give all credit to Duluth,” Gophers head coach Bob Motzko said. “Our battle level was at a D- minus tonight and theirs was at an A. Then, we chased the game…I’m really disappointed with our older guys because they needed to have much better tenacity in the game. [But also] to pave the way and show our young guys.”

The Bulldogs outplayed the Gophers in the first period. Blake Biondi got them on the board early, just 1:53 seconds into the game. Then just over six minutes later, Quinn Olson curled his way around the top of the right circle as he fired a shot into the lower-left corner of the net to put the Bulldogs ahead 2-0.

The Gophers could not find ways to possess in the offensive zone for the first ten minutes of the period as the Bulldogs continually shut down their rushes. It was not until halfway through the period that they recorded their first shot on goal, courtesy of junior forward Ben Meyers.

Although the Bulldogs outplayed the Gophers for much of the first period, senior forward Blake McLaughlin got tripped up by Connor Kelley after gaining the offensive zone through some nifty moves. Then, Minnesota made the most of their man advantage.

Sophomore defenseman Mike Koster, after receiving a pass from junior Bryce Brodzinski, one-timed the puck into the lower left side of the net to cut the Gophers’ deficit in half with just 1:07 remaining in the period. Koster’s goal on the power play marks his first this season as the assists went to Brodzinski (3) and McLaughlin (7).

In the second period, the Bulldogs controlled the pace of play like they did in the first. They would add two more goals in the first half of the period, one at the 17-minute mark from Owen Gallatin and the other at the 10-minute mark from Wyatt Kaiser.

With just minutes remaining in the second period, the Gophers capitalized late yet again. This time sophomore forward Mason Nevers fed sophomore counterpart defenseman Brock Faber at the point, who found freshman forward Matthew Knies in the slot.

Knies’ backhand shot found the back of the net to cut the Bulldogs’ lead to 4-2. Knies’ goal marks his third this season, and Faber’s and Nevers’ third and first assists, respectively.

“I know we made it 4-2 and we had a little life, but they just are a world-class defending team,” Motzko said. “When you’re just on your heels, it’s not a fun game.”

As the third period got underway, the Bulldogs had the first answer as Casey Gilling capitalized on the two-man advantage with 12:27 seconds remaining in the game to extend the Bulldogs’ lead to 5-2.

However, the shorthanded Gophers quickly had a response of their own. From the neutral zone, McLaughlin fed a nifty pass to senior Grant Cruikshank just before he crossed the blue line to send him in on a breakaway.

Cruikshank pulled the puck from his forehand to his backhand, then slipped the puck through Bulldogs goaltender Ryan Fanti’s legs to cut the Bulldogs lead to 5-3. Cruikshank’s goal marks his first in a Gophers uniform as McLaughlin (8) and junior Ryan Johnson (2) tallied the assists.

Although the Bulldogs outplayed the Gophers for much of the game, the Gophers had a solid third period, outshooting Minnesota-Duluth 11-6.

However, the total shots on goal in the game favored Minnesota-Duluth at 23-21, while they also led in faceoffs at 30-21.

“I think they just outworked us tonight,” Cruikshank said. “It was pretty simple. They are a veteran team. They’ve played in a lot of big games. They play the same way for 60 minutes. I think it was a little bit of a wake-up call for us tonight.”

Freshman forward Rhett Pitlick made his collegiate debut, while sophomore defenseman Carl Fish played in his first game this season.

The Gophers will travel to Duluth, Minn. to take on the Bulldogs (4-1) in the second game of the home-and-home series on Saturday, Oct. 23, at 7 p.m. at Amsoil Arena.

Gophers soccer (8-5-3) dropped their fifth match of the season Thursday night in a 1-0 loss against Iowa on the road, marking the first time they have not scored in a Big Ten match this season.

“Really disappointed,” Gophers head coach Erin Chastain said. “I thought we actually stepped up in the second half and were in their end quite a bit the first 20 minutes and their goal came against the run of play. We made a mistake and they were very opportunistic and capitalized.”

The Gophers and Hawkeyes spent the opening ten minutes trying to figure each other out before they started to find chances. Then, both teams began to go on counterattacks.

Junior goalkeeper Megan Plaschko made a diving save to her left to keep the Hawkeyes off the board in the 13th minute. Ten minutes later, senior Megan Gray had two good looks at Iowa’s net, but Macy Enneking wrapped up both of her shots.

Around the middle 15 minutes of the first half, Iowa’s Alyssa Walker connected on two headers in the box, but both hit the crossbar, and the match remained scoreless.

Just minutes before the end of the first half, sophomore Rylan Baker connected on a header, but Enneking made her fourth save of the half to keep the match tied heading into halftime.

The second half got off to a slow start as both teams registered only one shot through the first 22 minutes.

In the match’s next three minutes, freshman Lauren Donovan had a high-quality scoring chance as she connected on a header, while Plaschko made a tremendous diving save to her right.

However, in the 72nd minute, Iowa went on a fast break. They connected on two through passes as Kenzie Roling finished off the passing play as she fired a shot into the lower right corner of the net to put the Hawkeyes up 1-0.

With under 15 minutes to go in the match, the Gophers had two high-quality scoring opportunities, but they could not find the back of the net.

Baker connected on a header in the box off a service from Gray, but he sent the ball just wide right of the net while graduate student Makenzie Langdok fired a shot near the top of the box that Enneking wrapped up.

All the teams in the Big Ten have one match remaining in the regular season. Only the top-eight teams make the conference tournament.

Minnesota currently sits with 12 points tied for the sixth seed along with Indiana, Penn State and Wisconsin. Ohio State (11) and Northwestern (10) are also hunting for a top-eight spot.

The Gophers’ season will be on the line Sunday when they host Nebraska (6-9-2) at 1 p.m. in their regular-season finale. Minnesota is 5-2-2 this season when they play at Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium. The Cornhuskers will come into Sunday’s match fresh off a two-match win streak, with their victories against Wisconsin and Illinois.

“We still have a great opportunity with this group on Sunday,” Chastain said. “It’s a chance to honor our seniors and to play against Nebraska for a chance to play in the Big Ten tournament. I know our group will be highly motivated to have a wonderful performance.”

Gophers soccer (8-4-3) held off Northwestern in the second half, securing a 1-0 shutout win to earn a massive three points and move into the top-8 of the Big Ten.

“Proud of this group to post two shutouts this weekend,” Gophers head coach Erin Chastain said. “Sunday games are a grind. Being on the road is a grind. I think the group’s mentality was great today. We scored a great goal and then had to withstand some pressure at the end of the second half. So proud and now we have to get prepared for a good Iowa team on Thursday.”

Early on at the four-minute mark, Northwestern fired a shot into the back of the Gophers’ net, but the referees waved it off as they were offside.

Throughout the rest of the first half, the Gophers controlled the pace and did not allow Northwestern to gain much control of possession in the middle third of the pitch.

Coming off a relentless night of attack in the Gophers’ last match against Illinois, senior McKenna Buisman continued to build off that and pressured Northwestern early.

In the 15th minute, Busiman fired a shot off the crossbar, but it could not find the back of the net and the match remained scoreless. Her early chance fueled the Gophers’ attack, giving them momentum for the remainder of the first half.

At the 20-minute mark, sophomore Sophia Boman intercepted a pass on the left side of the pitch near midfield and she quickly passed the ball upfield to Buisman, who sent a service into the middle of the box. Northwestern’s goalkeeper punched the ball out of the six-yard box, but graduate student Makenzie Langdok sprinted into the box to clean up the loose ball to give the Gophers an early 1-0 lead.

Langdok’s unassisted go-ahead goal marks her third goal this season, as she has also scored in back-to-back matches.

“Kenz [Langdok] played great today and also played great on Thursday,” Chastain said. “That’s typically what you expect out of your fifth years and seniors. They feel the end coming and they really rise to the occasion. I wish I could coach Kenz for longer than just this year. She’s just an awesome right back and a leader for our team. I’m so proud that she’s able to get the reward of scoring some big-time goals for us.”

With under ten minutes remaining in the first half, the Gophers found a high-quality scoring chance. Senior Delaney Stekr sent a service off a free kick to the back right side of the box. Her service connected with sophomore Rylan Baker, who headed the ball just wide of the net.

The Gophers would hold their 1-0 lead heading into halftime as they led in shots (5-3) and corner kicks (2-1). They now have scored 20 of their 27 goals this season in the first half.

The Gophers continued to play stingy defense and held off a lot of late-match high-quality attacks from Northwestern throughout the second half to secure the victory even though the Wildcats played in their third of the field for much of it.

The Wildcats’ most dangerous chance came in the 84th minute when Olivia Stone flew into the box to connect a header off a service, but her shot attempt went just wide left of the net.

Junior goalkeeper Megan Plaschko earned her second straight shutout after posting a three-save performance. She now has eight clean sheets in 15 starts this season.

With the win, the Gophers now sit in the top-8 of the Big Ten with 12 points as they are in a four-way tie for fifth place with Indiana, Iowa and Penn State.

The Gophers also secured their first perfect weekend this season. It marks the first time since 2012 that they have defeated Northwestern and Illinois in the same season.

The Gophers will travel to Iowa City, Iowa, to take on Iowa for their last road game this season on Thursday, Oct. 21, at 7 p.m. as they look to stay in the top-8 of the Big Ten conference.