Cullen's Hat Trick Secures Sweep of No. 3 UND - University of Minnesota Athletics

Team	1	2	3	F
North Dakota	1	1	1	3
Minnesota	1	2	2	5

MINNEAPOLIS - Freshman Wyatt Cullen quickly made himself a household name for the Golden Gophers men's hockey team after a hat trick and four-point performance to lead Minnesota to a series sweep of No. 3 North Dakota, winning 5-3 Friday evening inside a sold-out 3M Arena at Mariucci.

Minnesota (2-3-1 overall, 0-0-0 B1G) erased a 2-1 deficit in the second period, scoring four-straight goals, and capped a statement series thanks to Cullen's breakout night. The Moorhead, Minn., native put away his second and third goals four minutes apart in the third period to close out the Maroon and Gold's first sweep of the Fighting Hawks (4-2-0 overall, 0-0-0 NCHC) since 2011. Fellow newcomer Melvin Strahl delivered a 42-save masterpiece to finish off the team's perfect weekend, while Austin Burnevik, Jacob Kvasnicka, and Brodie Ziemer each chipped in with multi-point efforts.

The energy from Thursday night's win helped bring life to the Gophers early as it drew a penalty in the first two minutes of the contest that was erased by the visitors. The hard hitting also carried over from the series opener as the action went back and forth and Strahl delivered a pair of saves to settle into the night.

After Jacob Rombach broke up a play in the defensive zone, Beckett Hendrickson picked up the loose puck and started an odd-man rush. The junior slid a pass around a sliding UND defenseman right to the waiting stick of Brodie Ziemer at the back post. The Gophers captain put away the opening tally at the 5:58 mark.

Holding the one-goal edge at the midpoint of the frame, the Maroon and Gold moved into penalty killing roles but an offensive-zone faceoff win by the Fighting Hawks led to the tying tally with 7:18 on the clock. The Gophers had to kill off a penalty that carried into the second period, but momentum stayed with the visitors and UND struck for a 2-1 lead at 5:38, converting a Minnesota turnover.

The home side continued to fight for loose pucks and eventually got a power play of its own with 11:38 to play in the second stanza. After LJ Mooney won the ensuing faceoff, the top unit went to work and Mooney feathered a pass through the slot, finding Cullen at the right circle. The freshman ripped home his first goal as a Gopher, pulling the Maroon and Gold into a 2-2 tie.

Five minutes later, the Minnesota offense struck again and moved back in front, 3-2, as Christian Humphreys blasted a one-timer off a slick feed from Burnevik. A penalty in the final two minutes of the second period gave the Fighting Hawks another 5-on-4 opportunity that stretched into the final frame as the Gophers held their one-goal edge.

Seconds after erasing the man advantage, Hendrickson outmuscled a UND defender on the way to the net and drew a penalty. Despite not scoring on the man advantage, Minnesota used the momentum and pushed their advantage to 5-2 with Cullen scoring twice in a span of 4:32. His second of the night came following a clean zone entry from Kvasnicka, leading to another perfect Burnevik pass where the junior froze the goalie before setting up a one-timer for Cullen at the right circle.

The freshman completed the hat trick in the middle of the third period, slipping home a bid from close range after Kvasnicka forced a turnover deep in UND's zone. The Fighting Hawks lived up to their nickname and made it a battle down the stretch, capitalizing on a penalty in the closing minutes to score while skating 6-on-4 with 2:11 showing on the clock.

Strahl and his Maroon and Gold skaters shut down every chance the remainder of the night, including more than two minutes of tense, extended zone time after UND pulled its netminder. The Gophers held on to secure the series sweep, winning 5-3.

Noteworthy
Cullen showcased his offensive upside scoring his first NCAA tallies to go with an assist during the four-point performance, his first outing of multiple points as a Gopher ... He is the first Maroon and Gold skater to record a hat trick since Brody Lamb scored three power-play goals against St. Thomas almost exactly two years ago on Oct. 26, 2024, and the first to record a hat trick versus UND since Nov. 9, 1996, when Casey Hankinson had a four-goal night ... After starting the year scoreless in his first three games, Ziemer has a point in each of the last three outings, totaling five points for the year ... Humphreys was not done scoring for the weekend as the sophomore followed up his two-goal game from Thursday by burying his third goal against the Fighting Hawks, getting the go-ahead tally in the second period ... Burnevik and Kvasnicka each put together their first multi-point performances in Maroon and Gold sweaters with two helpers apiece ... For the fourth time in six outings in 2026-27, Hendrickson added his name to the scoresheet on his second assist of the year ... Coming off a 30-point freshman campaign, Mooney picked up his first point of the year with an assist, his 19th career point on the man advantage ... Not to be overshadowed by the offensive outburst, Strahl was an anchor for the Gophers in goal, posting a career-high 42 saves, including 19 in the third period alone, as he made his first start at Minnesota ... Nine different players recorded a blocked shot in the victory as the team combined for 17 compared to just three blocks by UND players ... The previous four series between the two rivals ended in splits before the Gophers swept in 2026-27.

Coach Larson's Comments
"I feel like going through two really tough opponents on the road, prepared us to play a team like North Dakota," Minnesota head coach Brett Larson said. "I just love our leadership, I really do. The bench right now is really positive. The guys are encouraging each other. The guys are pulling each other along. I just felt like we were pulling the rope. There was no panic and they just stuck with it. You know, we've really talked about our culture and what we want to build, and the guys keep using the word relentless. Relentless means we don't let off the way we play."

Next Up: Home vs. Penn State (Oct. 30-31)
Minnesota continues the longest homestand in 3M Arena at Mariucci history Oct. 30-31 when it welcomes the Nittany Lions of Penn State for a Halloween weekend series to open Big Ten Conference play. Both games will be available to watch on FOX9+ and streaming via B1G+, while audio coverage can be heard via the Gopher Radio Network 103.5 FM/AM-1130 KTLK and iHeartRadio.

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Austin Burnevik

Wyatt Cullen

Beckett Hendrickson

Christian Humphreys

Jacob Kvasnicka

Brody Lamb

LJ Mooney

Jacob Rombach

Melvin Strahl

Brodie Ziemer

Wyatt Cullen

Brodie Ziemer

Austin Burnevik

Jacob Kvasnicka

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Players Mentioned

Austin Burnevik

Wyatt Cullen

Beckett Hendrickson

Christian Humphreys

Jacob Kvasnicka

Brody Lamb

LJ Mooney

Jacob Rombach

Melvin Strahl

Brodie Ziemer

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Wyatt Cullen

Brodie Ziemer

Austin Burnevik

Jacob Kvasnicka

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