The Minnesota Golden Gophers got the momentum boost they needed to start the second half.
The Gophers took advantage of traffic on front of both nets, blocking shot after shot by the Sioux and scoring goals created by traffic in front of the Sioux net. In the end, the Gophers won 3-2 Friday at Ralph Engelstad Arena.
For the Sioux (16-6-2), their sluggish start allowed Minnesota to jump out to a 2-0 lead.
As coach Dave Hakstol put it, that was a good reminder of what it takes to win in the WCHA, where UND moved into a tie for first with Minnesota-Duluth.
“I thought the difference was the first twenty minutes. We never did play the kind of game that we wanted to in the first period.”
Mike Hoeffel opened it up for the Gophers. The assistant captain took a pass at center ice from Nick Larson, then slammed it top shelf past Aaron Dell.
The Gophers would strike again on a power play later in the first. Jake Hansen buried a rebound from the point for his sixth goal of the year.
But the Sioux powered back. Brad Malone‘s rebound attempt off of his own shot fluttered past the glove of Kent Patterson to cut the lead in half.
As time expired in the second period, Malone checked Kevin Wehrs hard into the boards, setting off a frenzy that resulted in the benches clearing and many players scuffling.
For the fans, it was another memorable moment in the physical and hated rivalry between these two teams. To the players, it might have been something else.
“I know the fans love it, but that’s what they want to do – get us off our game,” said forward Jason Gregoire.
Gregoire, who played in his first game since an injury in practice last month, scored a goal off of the ensuing power play in the third.
But the Gophers would answer and retake the lead with a power play goal off the stick of Nico Sacchetti. They would hold that lead despite a barrage of shots from the Sioux.
The Sioux had 88 shot attempts but only 37 made it on goal. The Gophers tallied 31 blocked shots, including several on Matt Frattin, who was held without a goal for the first time in nine games.
“We gotta do a better job of getting pucks through. They clogged it up and packed it in around their net and got a lot of blocked shots.”
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