SCSU holds off Gophers, 4-3; Mankato State tops UMD, 5-1

The top-ranked Gophers men’s hockey team’s bid for a comeback fell short against St. Cloud State Saturday night as the Huskies held on for a 4-3 victory at the National Hockey and Event Center, the Star Tribune reports.

The No. 8 Huskies (18-11-1, 15-6-1)  had a 4-1 lead over the Gophers (19-5-4, 11-5-4 WCHA) by 6:40 in the third period, but goals by Gophers Nick Bjugstad at 10:53 and Nate Condon cut the lead to 4-3.

Huskies goaltender Ryan Faragher held off the Gophers for the rest of the third period, however, to help SCSU secure the victory for a weekend series split.

The loss at St. Cloud marked the Gophers’ first road defeat in their past eight games away from home, dating back to Nov. 3.

Meanwhile, No. 11 Minnesota State University-Mankato continued their pursuit of their first NCAA Tournament bid in 10 years with a 5-1 victory over the Bulldogs at the University of Minnesota-Duluth.

The Mavericks improved to 18-9-3 and 12-9-1 in the WCHA with their back-to-back wins Friday and Saturday over the Bulldogs.