University of Minnesota Athletics
Friday, October 16
Duluth, MN
7:00 PM
University of Minnesota
0-3-0
1
at
7
Minnesota Duluth
3-1-1
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Minn. Duluth | 2 | 4 | 1 | 7 |
Photo by: Brady Paitrick
Special Teams Haunt Gophers Friday in Duluth
10/16/2026 10:00:00 PM | Men's Hockey
Kvasnicka nets first NCAA tally
DULUTH, Minn. - The No. 20 Golden Gophers men's hockey team gave up three power-play goals during a 7-1 loss at No. 9 UMD Friday night inside AMSOIL Arena. Jacob Kvasnicka scored for Minnesota, securing his first NCAA goal in the opening period.
The Gophers (0-3-0 overall, 0-0-0 B1G) gave up three power-play goals to the Bulldogs (3-1-1 overall, 0-0-0 NCHC) in a three-minute span of a major penalty in the second period, and dropped its third-straight outing to begin the campaign.
It was the home side that struck early, taking a 1-0 lead just 68 seconds into the contest. UMD let a shot go from inside the blue line during a 3-on-2 rush that found a way through to the back of the net. The Bulldogs maintained offensive-zone pressure, leading to a power play at the 5:27 mark where the Gophers' defense and netminder Luca Di Pasquo shut down the man advantage.
It took until the middle of the opening frame for the visitors to settle in where they generated a chance by Brooks Cullen after Javon Moore forced a turnover. UMD pushed right back and capitalized on an open player in the slot for a 2-0 edge with 9:28 to play in the period. The Gophers finally found a rhythm and put together their best sequence of the night following an unsuccessful power play. Kvasnicka picked up a loose puck in the neutral zone, walked right around two UMD defenders using a burst of speed, and closed the gap to one after tucking home Minnesota's first goal. The tally came with 1:02 to play in the period and the Gophers went to the locker room trailing 2-1.
Having cut the margin to one, Minnesota came out flying in the second stanza, searching for the equalizer, where Brooks Cullen wired a cross-ice pass from Beckett Hendrickson off the right post. Instead of pulling even, UMD responded and regained its two-goal edge at 4:58 by converting a turnover. A major penalty on the visitors in the middle of the period proved costly, giving the Bulldogs almost four minutes at 5-on-4. The lethal power play struck three times over a three-minute span to break the game open with a 6-1 advantage that carried into intermission.
After winning an offensive-zone faceoff, UMD pushed the margin to 7-1 at 4:22 using another screened shot. The Gophers were unable to mount any pressure down the stretch and suffered the road loss against a top-10 opponent.
Noteworthy
Kvasnicka showcased his elite speed in scoring his first collegiate tally in the first period ... He is the first from the Gophers' seven-member freshmen class and first of the 13 newcomers to find the back of the net in 2026-27 ... Cullen picked up his second assist of the year to tie for the team lead and has a point in two of three games to begin his college career ... Hendrickson added the secondary helper on the opening goal to also reach two points this year ... The junior has found the scoresheet in five of his last seven outings dating back to last season ... Goaltender Melvin Strahl made his Minnesota debut in relief as he took over in goal during the extended penalty kill ... The sophomore finished the night by making 14 saves ... Di Pasquo turned away 17 shots in nearly 31 minutes of action Friday ... The last time the Gophers allowed seven or more goals to UMD came during a 10-7 win on Feb. 27, 1999 ... Minnesota was outshot in the game by a 38-25 margin, aided by the Bulldogs 10 power-play shots ... The Gophers have now allowed their opponents to score the opening goal in all three contests this season and have not held a lead at any time ... The home team won for the first time in the past six games played in the in-state series.
Coach Larson's Comments
"Well, first off, I'm glad there's another day coming tomorrow because we're going to have to get a lot better. I just didn't like our compete level. It wasn't high enough, and it hasn't been the last couple games," Minnesota head coach Brett Larson said. "We were actually making a good push early in the second period. Then we had a tough turnover, it ended up in our net, and then the two penalties in a row, and the whole game changed."
Next Up: Away at No. 9 Minnesota Duluth (Oct. 17)
The Gophers close their season-opening four-game road stretch Saturday night at 6 p.m. in the series finale against the Bulldogs from AMSOIL Arena. Fans in the Twin Cities can watch live on FOX9+, while an audio broadcast will be available through the Gopher Radio Network 103.5 FM/AM-1130 KTLK and iHeartRadio.
The Gophers (0-3-0 overall, 0-0-0 B1G) gave up three power-play goals to the Bulldogs (3-1-1 overall, 0-0-0 NCHC) in a three-minute span of a major penalty in the second period, and dropped its third-straight outing to begin the campaign.
It was the home side that struck early, taking a 1-0 lead just 68 seconds into the contest. UMD let a shot go from inside the blue line during a 3-on-2 rush that found a way through to the back of the net. The Bulldogs maintained offensive-zone pressure, leading to a power play at the 5:27 mark where the Gophers' defense and netminder Luca Di Pasquo shut down the man advantage.
It took until the middle of the opening frame for the visitors to settle in where they generated a chance by Brooks Cullen after Javon Moore forced a turnover. UMD pushed right back and capitalized on an open player in the slot for a 2-0 edge with 9:28 to play in the period. The Gophers finally found a rhythm and put together their best sequence of the night following an unsuccessful power play. Kvasnicka picked up a loose puck in the neutral zone, walked right around two UMD defenders using a burst of speed, and closed the gap to one after tucking home Minnesota's first goal. The tally came with 1:02 to play in the period and the Gophers went to the locker room trailing 2-1.
Having cut the margin to one, Minnesota came out flying in the second stanza, searching for the equalizer, where Brooks Cullen wired a cross-ice pass from Beckett Hendrickson off the right post. Instead of pulling even, UMD responded and regained its two-goal edge at 4:58 by converting a turnover. A major penalty on the visitors in the middle of the period proved costly, giving the Bulldogs almost four minutes at 5-on-4. The lethal power play struck three times over a three-minute span to break the game open with a 6-1 advantage that carried into intermission.
After winning an offensive-zone faceoff, UMD pushed the margin to 7-1 at 4:22 using another screened shot. The Gophers were unable to mount any pressure down the stretch and suffered the road loss against a top-10 opponent.
Noteworthy
Kvasnicka showcased his elite speed in scoring his first collegiate tally in the first period ... He is the first from the Gophers' seven-member freshmen class and first of the 13 newcomers to find the back of the net in 2026-27 ... Cullen picked up his second assist of the year to tie for the team lead and has a point in two of three games to begin his college career ... Hendrickson added the secondary helper on the opening goal to also reach two points this year ... The junior has found the scoresheet in five of his last seven outings dating back to last season ... Goaltender Melvin Strahl made his Minnesota debut in relief as he took over in goal during the extended penalty kill ... The sophomore finished the night by making 14 saves ... Di Pasquo turned away 17 shots in nearly 31 minutes of action Friday ... The last time the Gophers allowed seven or more goals to UMD came during a 10-7 win on Feb. 27, 1999 ... Minnesota was outshot in the game by a 38-25 margin, aided by the Bulldogs 10 power-play shots ... The Gophers have now allowed their opponents to score the opening goal in all three contests this season and have not held a lead at any time ... The home team won for the first time in the past six games played in the in-state series.
Coach Larson's Comments
"Well, first off, I'm glad there's another day coming tomorrow because we're going to have to get a lot better. I just didn't like our compete level. It wasn't high enough, and it hasn't been the last couple games," Minnesota head coach Brett Larson said. "We were actually making a good push early in the second period. Then we had a tough turnover, it ended up in our net, and then the two penalties in a row, and the whole game changed."
Next Up: Away at No. 9 Minnesota Duluth (Oct. 17)
The Gophers close their season-opening four-game road stretch Saturday night at 6 p.m. in the series finale against the Bulldogs from AMSOIL Arena. Fans in the Twin Cities can watch live on FOX9+, while an audio broadcast will be available through the Gopher Radio Network 103.5 FM/AM-1130 KTLK and iHeartRadio.
Players Mentioned
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Goaltender
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Goaltender
/ Men's HockeyTeam Stats
UMN
UMD
Shots
25
38
PPG
0
3
SHG
0
0
Penalties
4
2
Penalty Mins
11
4
Faceoffs Won
24
34
Game Leaders
+/-
1
Goals
1
Sh
1
A
0
+/-
1
Goals
0
Sh
2
A
1
+/-
0
Goals
0
Sh
2
A
1
+/-
1
Goals
0
Sh
3
A
0
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