Gophers Fall to North Dakota 2-1, Splitting Series

The top-ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers fell to the No. 5 North Dakota Fighting Hawks 2-1 on Saturday, splitting the weekend series in Grand Forks, North Dakota.

The Gophers trailed 2-0 early in the third period, but Jaxon Nelson scored a tip-in goal to cut the deficit to one. However, Minnesota was unable to get the equalizer and suffered its first loss of the season.

North Dakota outshot the Gophers 34-22 and got 21 saves from goaltender Ludvig Persson. Gophers goaltender Justen Close saw his shutout streak end at 154 minutes, 58 seconds when Jayden Perron scored at 5:48 of the second period.

Jake Livanavage made it 2-0 only 59 seconds into the third period, skating down the right wing and slipping a shot from a sharp angle through Close’s pads.

The Gophers were unable to convert on either of their two power-play opportunities, while North Dakota was 0-6.

The two teams will not play each other next season, but the rivalry is scheduled to resume in 2025-26.