University of Minnesota Athletics
Saturday, October 18
Grand Forks, ND
6:00 PM
University of Minnesota
5
at
1
North Dakota
Players Mentioned
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Goaltender
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Photo by: Russell Hons
Gophers Power Past No. 8 UND to Earn Road Split
10/18/2025 10:00:00 PM | Men's Hockey
Lamb posts three points; 'U' scores four unanswered in third
GRAND FORKS, N.D. - A four-goal third period sparked the No. 13/14 Golden Gophers men's hockey team to a 5-1 road win at No. 8 North Dakota inside Ralph Engelstad Arena Saturday evening to secure a series split. Brody Lamb had a goal and two assists, while Max Rud's first collegiate goal early in the final frame held up as the game winner.
Minnesota (2-3-1 overall, 0-0-0 B1G) flipped the script from the previous night by turning a 1-1 tie into a decisive, top-10 victory, handing the Fighting Hawks (3-1-0 overall, 0-0-0 NCHC) their first loss of the season. Goaltender Luca Di Pasquo finished off his first win as a Gopher by turning away 23-of-24 shots he faced.
For the second straight night, the Maroon and Gold jumped out to an early lead when Tanner Ludtke tipped home a perfect power-play feed from Lamb at 3:57, the Gophers' first official shot on goal of the evening. UND answered less than four minutes later, capitalizing on an unfortunate bounce off a Minnesota skate to even the score at 1–1, where it remained through the opening 20 minutes.
The middle frame featured tight checking and limited clean looks as both teams battled for control in the neutral zone. Brodie Ziemer nearly restored the lead midway through the period when his shot on a partial breakaway rang off the left post. Each side earned power-play opportunities late, but strong penalty killing and goaltending on both ends kept the score locked 1-1 entering the final period.
After watching the Fighting Hawks use a third-period surge Friday night, the Maroon and Gold returned the favor tonight. The Gophers erupted for four unanswered goals in the final 20 minutes to pull away. Just 73 seconds into the frame, Rud fired a shot through traffic that trickled past the UND goaltender for a 2-1 cushion. Lamb and Jimmy Clark tallied assists on the play, aided by a net-front screen from Beckett Hendrickson. The Fighting Hawks challenged for a high stick, but the call on the ice stood and UND lost its timeout.
Minnesota continued to push the pace, and Lamb drew a penalty midway through the period. Seconds after the man advantage expired, Leo Gruba ripped a shot over the blocker at 9:38 to stretch the margin to 3-1. Lamb capped his stellar night by finishing off a crease-front play by Hendrickson with under five minutes remaining before freshman LJ Mooney added an unassisted tally into an empty net in the final minute to seal the 5-1 victory on the road and split the rivalry series.
Noteworthy
Lamb assisted on the first two goals for Minnesota and put away his fourth goal to take over as the team's leading scorer with seven points ... The senior captain had a three-point night for the fourth time over his four-year career ... After being held without a goal for the first two series, Ludtke has found the back of the net in back-to-back outings with his second special teams goal of the weekend ... Playing in his 25th career contest, Rud made it a memorable night as his first NCAA tally went down as the game winner ... Gruba picked up his first goal of the season during the third period, while adding an assist for the first multi-point game of his career ... Ziemer briefly held the top scoring spot with his sixth point this season thanks to an assist and now has a point in five of six games in 2025-26 ... The Gophers went 1-for-6 on the power play Saturday and stopped all four UND chances on the man advantage ... Minnesota and the Fighting Hawks have now split each of the last four series played.
Coach Motzko's Comments
"You know, we've been in that same position every game this year," Minnesota head coach Bob Motzko said. "Tonight, we had great resolve. And that was a big grow-up game for our team. It was a big win for us this stage of the season with the schedule we've had."
Next Up: Home vs. Minnesota Duluth (Oct. 24-25)
Minnesota returns home from its first road trip to host in-state foe Minnesota Duluth for a non-conference series at 3M Arena at Mariucci Oct. 24-25.
Minnesota (2-3-1 overall, 0-0-0 B1G) flipped the script from the previous night by turning a 1-1 tie into a decisive, top-10 victory, handing the Fighting Hawks (3-1-0 overall, 0-0-0 NCHC) their first loss of the season. Goaltender Luca Di Pasquo finished off his first win as a Gopher by turning away 23-of-24 shots he faced.
For the second straight night, the Maroon and Gold jumped out to an early lead when Tanner Ludtke tipped home a perfect power-play feed from Lamb at 3:57, the Gophers' first official shot on goal of the evening. UND answered less than four minutes later, capitalizing on an unfortunate bounce off a Minnesota skate to even the score at 1–1, where it remained through the opening 20 minutes.
The middle frame featured tight checking and limited clean looks as both teams battled for control in the neutral zone. Brodie Ziemer nearly restored the lead midway through the period when his shot on a partial breakaway rang off the left post. Each side earned power-play opportunities late, but strong penalty killing and goaltending on both ends kept the score locked 1-1 entering the final period.
After watching the Fighting Hawks use a third-period surge Friday night, the Maroon and Gold returned the favor tonight. The Gophers erupted for four unanswered goals in the final 20 minutes to pull away. Just 73 seconds into the frame, Rud fired a shot through traffic that trickled past the UND goaltender for a 2-1 cushion. Lamb and Jimmy Clark tallied assists on the play, aided by a net-front screen from Beckett Hendrickson. The Fighting Hawks challenged for a high stick, but the call on the ice stood and UND lost its timeout.
Minnesota continued to push the pace, and Lamb drew a penalty midway through the period. Seconds after the man advantage expired, Leo Gruba ripped a shot over the blocker at 9:38 to stretch the margin to 3-1. Lamb capped his stellar night by finishing off a crease-front play by Hendrickson with under five minutes remaining before freshman LJ Mooney added an unassisted tally into an empty net in the final minute to seal the 5-1 victory on the road and split the rivalry series.
Noteworthy
Lamb assisted on the first two goals for Minnesota and put away his fourth goal to take over as the team's leading scorer with seven points ... The senior captain had a three-point night for the fourth time over his four-year career ... After being held without a goal for the first two series, Ludtke has found the back of the net in back-to-back outings with his second special teams goal of the weekend ... Playing in his 25th career contest, Rud made it a memorable night as his first NCAA tally went down as the game winner ... Gruba picked up his first goal of the season during the third period, while adding an assist for the first multi-point game of his career ... Ziemer briefly held the top scoring spot with his sixth point this season thanks to an assist and now has a point in five of six games in 2025-26 ... The Gophers went 1-for-6 on the power play Saturday and stopped all four UND chances on the man advantage ... Minnesota and the Fighting Hawks have now split each of the last four series played.
Coach Motzko's Comments
"You know, we've been in that same position every game this year," Minnesota head coach Bob Motzko said. "Tonight, we had great resolve. And that was a big grow-up game for our team. It was a big win for us this stage of the season with the schedule we've had."
Next Up: Home vs. Minnesota Duluth (Oct. 24-25)
Minnesota returns home from its first road trip to host in-state foe Minnesota Duluth for a non-conference series at 3M Arena at Mariucci Oct. 24-25.
Highlights: Gophers 0, UMD 3
Friday, October 24
Highlights: Gophers 5, North Dakota 1
Saturday, October 18
Highlights: Gophers 2, North Dakota 5
Friday, October 17
Series Trailer: Rivalry Renewed
Friday, October 17