Gophers open men’s hockey series at North Dakota with shutout victory

A pair of second-period goals and two goals in the final three minutes sparked the Gophers men’s hockey team to a 4-0 victory over North Dakota on Friday in Grand Forks, N.D.

It was Justen Close’s second consecutive shutout.

In the first game between the two with each ranked in the top five of the uscho.com poll since March of 2004, the top-ranked Gophers improved to 3-0, while the Fighting Hawks, ranked No. 5, suffered their first loss of the season.

The Fighting Hawks outshot the Gophers 13-10 in the scoreless first period and opened the second period on the power play after the Gophers’ Aaron Huglen was assessed a penalty for cross-checking with one second remaining in the first period. One second after the Gophers successfully skated off the penalty, Brody Lamb scored to give the Gophers a 1-0 lead.

Trailing 1-0, the Fighting Hawks picked up back-to-back penalties, which gave the Gophers a two-man advantage for 38 seconds, but the Fighting Hawks were able to kill them.

A little less than four minutes later, Oliver Moore the Gophers lead to 2-0. The Gophers outshot the Fighting Hawks, 11-4, in the second period.

Bryce Brodzinski (empty netter) and Jimmy Snuggered scored 18 seconds apart in the final three minutes for the Gophers. Snuggerud’s goal was assisted by Lamb and Moore.

The Fighting Hawks had two power-play opportunities in the third period but the Gophers skated both off. The Fighting Hawks were 0-for-4 on the power play. The Gophers were 6-for-6 on the penalty kill in their season-opening sweep of St. Thomas last weekend.

For Close it was his 11th career shutout, moving him within two of tying the program career-record of 13.