NCAA Hockey
If you’re a Minnesota fan, this one probably felt like waking up for brunch after a night out — slow start, brief hope, then the bill hits hard. The No. 12 Gophers skated into Saturday night looking for revenge after getting punched in the mouth by Minnesota Duluth the night before. Instead, they got another dose of Bulldog bite, dropping a 4–1 decision and getting swept at home for the first time in two decades (shoutout to 2003, when flip phones ruled the Earth).
Make no mistake: the vibes are weird right now in Dinkytown.
Minnesota actually came out with the spark they’ve been begging for. Freshman forward LJ Mooney buzzed early, turning UMD defenders into traffic cones and setting up Tate Pritchard, who nearly lit the barn up — pipe, clank, heartbreak. Graham Harris followed with a one-timer that forced a highlight save. You could feel energy brewing.
But hockey is a comedy written by chaos. One high-stick and suddenly the script flipped. A rebound tucked home late in the first gave UMD the 1–0 lead and sucked air out of Mariucci. A solid period wasted by a single slip.
Call it a theme.
The Gophers entered the second with urgency — legs churning, forecheck clicking. They earned a power play, fired three shots, got nothing. And just as that chance expired? Minnesota coughed up the puck in the neutral zone and watched a 2-on-1 become a 2-0 hole.
This team has been speedrunning “things that lose hockey games.”
Finally, a spark: Beckett Hendrickson punched a puck loose in transition, Mason Moe slid a filthy cross-slot feed, and Pritchard finished upstairs over a sprawling goalie like he’d been sniping corners in the driveway his whole life. 2–1, alive again, building belief headed into the third.
Freshman goal, freshman assist — the kids are alright.
Minnesota pushed. Hard. Mooney nearly tied it with a short-side rip that forced a gymnast-level shoulder stop. Mariucci got loud. Shots piled up.
Then came another penalty — and another punch to the teeth.
UMD scored their second power-play goal of the night with 8:19 left. Minnesota’s special teams strike again… just in the worst possible way. When Airey was eventually pulled, the Bulldogs cashed an empty-netter because of course they did.
Final: 4–1. A sweep. At home. Against the in-state rival everyone loves to hate.
Minnesota out-shot UMD 29–24. They controlled stretches. They weren’t outclassed — they were out-executed. Death by details.
✅ Freshmen impact
Pritchard grabbed his second goal of the season — and first point since opening night. Moe now has three points in six games. Hendrickson? Dude has five points in four series. The future is bright, but right now those players are the present.
✅ Sizeable 5-on-5 spurts
The Gophers created real scoring chances at even strength. The Mooney-Harris-Pritchard line? Legit threat.
🚫 The penalty kill
It’s early, but six power-play goals allowed in eight games is a vibe-killer. Saturday was 2-for-2 for the Bulldogs. Meanwhile Minnesota went 0-for-2 on the PP — again.
🚫 Veteran scoring silence
You can’t live off freshmen forever. Someone older has to grab the wheel.
🤷 Growth curve is steep
This roster has NHL talent everywhere, but they’re still learning how to win ugly.
Special teams — obviously — but zoom out:
Minnesota is losing key moments.
Late-period mistakes. Neutral-zone turnovers. Untimely penalties. It feels like every slip becomes a goal against. Hockey math: play well 90% of the shift, suffer for the 10%.
And while Nathan Airey made 20 saves and kept Minnesota in it, the Bulldogs found ways to get to prime spots more often. Experience matters in rivalry games — UMD played like a team that’s already found its identity.
Right now, the Gophers are still assembling the IKEA version.
At 2–5–1, this is the slowest start at home since AOL ruled the internet. Fans are frustrated. Expectations were wild coming into this year — like Frozen Four or bust wild.
But Bob Motzko isn’t in doomsday mode:
“The last thing we can do is feel sorry for ourselves… We’ve got to push through it,” — Coach Motzko
He’s right. There’s time. There’s talent. And Big Ten play starts now.
If this group wants to prove they’re more than preseason hype, the Border Battle is a perfect stage. Madison. Halloween week. National TV. A rivalry that doesn’t need motivation.
This next series isn’t just another road trip — it’s a gut check.
Is Minnesota young? Yep. Are they flawed? Definitely. Are they playing terrible hockey? Absolutely not. They’re a few pressure-point mistakes away from wins instead of heartbreak.
This is the part where teams decide who they are:
Do they learn from pain? Or let it snowball?
Because here’s the plot twist: Sweeps like this can harden a locker room. The great teams collect scars early, figure themselves out, then become a nightmare by March.
Saturday wasn’t the storybook bounce-back Minnesota wanted.
But it might be the one they need.
Minnesota got a real rivalry gut punch — again. But if these freshmen keep climbing and the vets wake up, this could be the turning point story fans look back on in March as the weekend things changed.
For now? Bulldog sweep. Pride bruised. Pressure rising.
Thursday in Madison can’t come soon enough.
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