University of Minnesota Athletics
10/22/2026 11:30:00 PM | Men's Hockey
Coach Larson secures first win in Maroon and Gold
MINNEAPOLIS - A four-goal third-period barrage, highlighted by two tallies from newcomer Christian Humphreys, powered the Minnesota men's hockey team to a 5-3 upset of No. 3 North Dakota Thursday night at 3M Arena at Mariucci. Mason Moe and Evan Murr each recorded two assists, while goaltender Luca Di Pasquo made 21 saves to help the Golden Gophers secure their first win under head coach Brett Larson.
Minnesota (1-3-1 overall, 0-0-0 B1G) broke a 1-1 tie with three goals in a span of 2:42 in the third period before sealing the victory with an empty-net goal in front of a sold-out crowd. The Fighting Hawks (4-1-0 overall, 0-0-0 NCHC) cut the deficit to one late in the contest before suffering their first loss of the season thanks to Jacob Kvasnicka's game-winning goal 3:39 into the final frame.
The Gophers fed off the energy of the home crowd early, earning a power play at 2:52 but failed to convert. A brief scramble in front of the UND net led to a potential goal, but a video review determined play had stopped before the puck crossed the line.
Minnesota's penalty kill came up big midway through the opening period, blocking five attempts during a Fighting Hawks power play. The Gophers then struck first with 2:39 remaining as sophomore Tate Pritchard forced a turnover that led to a 3-on-2 rush. His patience paid off, finding Tanner Henricks at the left faceoff dot where he hammered the one-timer to give the Maroon and Gold a 1-0 lead at the first intermission.
UND pushed back in the second period, but the Gophers generated chances of their own. Tanner Ludtke rang a shot off the bottom of the crossbar, and Beckett Hendrickson had his bid denied on a partial breakaway. The visitors finally evened the score on a rebound at 9:45, converting a power-play opportunity. The home side had a chance to regain the lead on a late man advantage but could not capitalize, sending the teams back to the locker room tied 1-1.
Minnesota wasted little time taking control in the third. Just 2:02 into the period, Murr threaded a cross-ice pass to Humphreys at the back post for a 2-1 lead. Kvasnicka doubled the advantage 65 seconds later, finishing a rebound after Brooks Cullen started an odd-man rush and Moe drove to the near post.
The Gophers struck again on the power play, with Humphreys scoring his second goal of the night just 15 seconds after the advantage began. Murr's point shot was kicked aside by the goaltender, but Humphreys followed the play and buried the rebound to make it 4-1. UND challenged the goal for a potential high stick earlier in the sequence, but video review upheld the call.
The Fighting Hawks answered with a goal at 7:02 in the final frame and added another during a late push to pull within one as the clock showed 5:19 remaining. Di Pasquo delivered a key glove save while Minnesota was shorthanded to help preserve the lead during a tense, critical moment. The visitors pulled the goalie in the closing minutes, only to see Hendrickson seal the Maroon and Gold victory with an empty-net goal from inside his own blue line, capping the 5-3 home-opening upset.
Noteworthy
Making his home debut, Humphreys engrained himself in the rivalry's lore thanks to his two-goal effort, his first two goals since joining the Gophers ... Henricks also picked up his first goal with the Maroon and Gold and is the first Minnesota defenseman to find the back of the net in 2026-27 ... His marker was the first time the Gophers have held a lead at any point this season ... After scoring in Duluth last Friday, Kvasnicka recorded his second goal in the last three outings, this time with the eventual game-winning goal ... Hendrickson's late goal gave the junior a point in all three series-opening contests played ... For the third time in five games this year, Murr added his name to the scoresheet as the senior collected his first multi-point performance of the campaign ... The Stillwater, Minn., native now has a team-leading four assists and four points ... After registering the first multi-point outing of his career in his last appearance at 3M Arena at Mariucci, Moe picked up right where he left off behind a two-assist performance Thursday ... Cullen collected a helper in his home debut and has a point in all three games to begin a series ... Ludtke continued his stretch of picking up points against the Fighting Hawks thanks to an assist Thursday ... The senior tallied a goal in each outing at UND a season ago ... Loftus was a puck-eating machine, leading the Gophers with six of their 20 blocked shots while chipping in with an assist, his second of the season ... Di Pasquo closed out his second win over the Fighting Hawks in as many appearances during a 21-save performance ... UND entered the night with the third-best power play in the nation but was held to a 1-for-5 effort by the Gophers penalty kill.
Coach Larson's Comments
"Feels nice to finally get a win," Minnesota head coach Brett Larson said. "I like that we stacked two really good games back-to-back now. We felt we'd been getting better every time we touched the ice, and I know we're going to need to be a lot better tomorrow because I know they will be. Just proud of the boys tonight and going to enjoy the win for about 10 minutes here."
Next Up: Home vs. No. 3 North Dakota (Oct. 23)
The Gophers go for the sweep to close their Homecoming series against the Fighting Hawks Friday night at 6 p.m. inside 3M Arena at Mariucci live on FOX9+ and streaming via B1G+. Fans also can listen to an audio broadcast through the Gopher Radio Network 103.5 FM/AM-1130 KTLK and iHeartRadio.
Minnesota (1-3-1 overall, 0-0-0 B1G) broke a 1-1 tie with three goals in a span of 2:42 in the third period before sealing the victory with an empty-net goal in front of a sold-out crowd. The Fighting Hawks (4-1-0 overall, 0-0-0 NCHC) cut the deficit to one late in the contest before suffering their first loss of the season thanks to Jacob Kvasnicka's game-winning goal 3:39 into the final frame.
The Gophers fed off the energy of the home crowd early, earning a power play at 2:52 but failed to convert. A brief scramble in front of the UND net led to a potential goal, but a video review determined play had stopped before the puck crossed the line.
Minnesota's penalty kill came up big midway through the opening period, blocking five attempts during a Fighting Hawks power play. The Gophers then struck first with 2:39 remaining as sophomore Tate Pritchard forced a turnover that led to a 3-on-2 rush. His patience paid off, finding Tanner Henricks at the left faceoff dot where he hammered the one-timer to give the Maroon and Gold a 1-0 lead at the first intermission.
UND pushed back in the second period, but the Gophers generated chances of their own. Tanner Ludtke rang a shot off the bottom of the crossbar, and Beckett Hendrickson had his bid denied on a partial breakaway. The visitors finally evened the score on a rebound at 9:45, converting a power-play opportunity. The home side had a chance to regain the lead on a late man advantage but could not capitalize, sending the teams back to the locker room tied 1-1.
Minnesota wasted little time taking control in the third. Just 2:02 into the period, Murr threaded a cross-ice pass to Humphreys at the back post for a 2-1 lead. Kvasnicka doubled the advantage 65 seconds later, finishing a rebound after Brooks Cullen started an odd-man rush and Moe drove to the near post.
The Gophers struck again on the power play, with Humphreys scoring his second goal of the night just 15 seconds after the advantage began. Murr's point shot was kicked aside by the goaltender, but Humphreys followed the play and buried the rebound to make it 4-1. UND challenged the goal for a potential high stick earlier in the sequence, but video review upheld the call.
The Fighting Hawks answered with a goal at 7:02 in the final frame and added another during a late push to pull within one as the clock showed 5:19 remaining. Di Pasquo delivered a key glove save while Minnesota was shorthanded to help preserve the lead during a tense, critical moment. The visitors pulled the goalie in the closing minutes, only to see Hendrickson seal the Maroon and Gold victory with an empty-net goal from inside his own blue line, capping the 5-3 home-opening upset.
Noteworthy
Making his home debut, Humphreys engrained himself in the rivalry's lore thanks to his two-goal effort, his first two goals since joining the Gophers ... Henricks also picked up his first goal with the Maroon and Gold and is the first Minnesota defenseman to find the back of the net in 2026-27 ... His marker was the first time the Gophers have held a lead at any point this season ... After scoring in Duluth last Friday, Kvasnicka recorded his second goal in the last three outings, this time with the eventual game-winning goal ... Hendrickson's late goal gave the junior a point in all three series-opening contests played ... For the third time in five games this year, Murr added his name to the scoresheet as the senior collected his first multi-point performance of the campaign ... The Stillwater, Minn., native now has a team-leading four assists and four points ... After registering the first multi-point outing of his career in his last appearance at 3M Arena at Mariucci, Moe picked up right where he left off behind a two-assist performance Thursday ... Cullen collected a helper in his home debut and has a point in all three games to begin a series ... Ludtke continued his stretch of picking up points against the Fighting Hawks thanks to an assist Thursday ... The senior tallied a goal in each outing at UND a season ago ... Loftus was a puck-eating machine, leading the Gophers with six of their 20 blocked shots while chipping in with an assist, his second of the season ... Di Pasquo closed out his second win over the Fighting Hawks in as many appearances during a 21-save performance ... UND entered the night with the third-best power play in the nation but was held to a 1-for-5 effort by the Gophers penalty kill.
Coach Larson's Comments
"Feels nice to finally get a win," Minnesota head coach Brett Larson said. "I like that we stacked two really good games back-to-back now. We felt we'd been getting better every time we touched the ice, and I know we're going to need to be a lot better tomorrow because I know they will be. Just proud of the boys tonight and going to enjoy the win for about 10 minutes here."
Next Up: Home vs. No. 3 North Dakota (Oct. 23)
The Gophers go for the sweep to close their Homecoming series against the Fighting Hawks Friday night at 6 p.m. inside 3M Arena at Mariucci live on FOX9+ and streaming via B1G+. Fans also can listen to an audio broadcast through the Gopher Radio Network 103.5 FM/AM-1130 KTLK and iHeartRadio.
Players Mentioned
Team Stats
UND
MIN
Shots
24
35
PPG
1
1
SHG
0
0
Penalties
5
7
Penalty Mins
10
14
Faceoffs Won
39
24
Game Leaders
Thursday, October 22
Thursday, October 22
Monday, October 19
Friday, October 02









































































