The eight-game losing streak against in-state Division I rivals for the Gophers men's hockey team is finally over.
Minnesota beat Minnesota State Mankato 1-0 on Saturday at Mariucci Arena as sophomore goalie Eric Schierhorn got his sixth career shutout.
The workhorse sophomore was pulled after two periods the night before in a 4-1 loss to the Mavericks at their arena. But he was stellar in the rematch, stopping 23 shots, including 11 in the third period.
The lone goal was scored by Justin Kloos, the Gophers captain. He got his third goal of the season on a power play at 2 minutes, 46 seconds of the second period. Tyler Sheehy and Mike Szmatula were credited with assists.
"Eric has done a good job bouncing back," Gophers coach Don Lucia said. "He wasn't happy with his game [Friday]. But more than that we bent our knees and battled harder and did a lot of good things tonight."
The No. 7 Gophers (5-3-2) had gone 1-15 vs. the four in-state teams since November 2014. That one win was against MSU Mankato, 4-0 at the Verizon Center on Nov. 13, 2015.
In Saturday's game, Minnesota controlled the second period, outshooting the Mavericks 16-3, which tied the season low for shots allowed in a period.
Kloos' goal came at the end of the Gophers' first power play — only two seconds were left.
