Gophers top Bemidji State in home opener, read Friday night's game story.
The Gophers kicked off their season at Mariucci Arena with a surge offense – a benefit of returning nine of the last year's top 10 scorers.

Seven of the nine scored a point in the home opener led by Taylor Cammarata's goal and two assists and Travis Boyd's two goals. Bemidji State freshman goaltender Michael Bitzer (Moorhead, Minn.) gave up only three goals in two games against No. 2 North Dakota two weeks ago, but couldn't slow down the Gophers.

The impressive offensive output is what fans were expecting from their highly touted No. 1-ranked team. Coach Don Lucia and Boyd weren't as impressed with the Gophers' defense. They turned the puck over exiting their own zone on several occasions and picked up seven penalties on the night.

"If you really look at it, [goaltender Adam Wilcox] made a lot of big time saves for us tonight and if he doesn't make those saves they could have easily put in five goals and we could have had a serious game," Boyd said. "But that's why he is who he is. He's the top goaltender in the nation for a reason."

The Gophers will play back-to-back games for the first time this weekend. Saturday night's series finale with Bemidji State starts at 7 p.m.

Friday's box score.

Postgame video
Senior forward Travis Boyd
Coach Don Lucia