Gophers coach Don Lucia said at the start of this season that his team's success will depend a lot on how big a jump his sophomores have made since a year ago.
Looks like Seth Ambroz, for one, is better.
The big right wing on the third line scored twice as the 'U' edged Michigan Tech 3-2 in Houghton, Mich., for a split in their first WCHA series.
The Gophers went into the series ranked No. 1 in both polls, but lost the first game 5-3 on Friday.
Ambroz's second goal, with 3 minutes, 35 seconds left, broke a 2-2 tie. He also scored late in the opening period.
The victory was the 600th of Gophers coach Don Lucia's 25-year career. He is the 10th Division I college coach to reach that milestone. His record is now 600-329-83 overall, 321-174-54 at the 'U.'
The Gophers had a 34-18 dominance in shots, but Tech freshman goalie Pheonix Copley stopped 31 shots. Adam Wilcox, the Gophers freshman goalie, made 16 saves.
The U was 0 for 5 on power plays, Tech 0 for 2.