And now, back to the games that count.

Ryan Norman had two goals and an assist, and the Gophers men's hockey team scored seven times over the final two periods in a 7-1 exhibition victory over Trinity Western before an announced crowd of 5,292 at 3M Arena at Mariucci.

The Gophers put up 89 shots in all, including 50 on goal, as Trinity Western goalie Lucas Mills finished with 43 saves, shutting out the Gophers in the first period before the home team broke through with three goals in the second and four more in the third.

Following their season-opening home-and-home with defending national champion Minnesota Duluth, the Gophers played a lone exhibition game for the second consecutive weekend, having beaten the United States Under-18 team 7-1 in Plymouth, Mich., on Oct. 13. They return to regular-season action next weekend with another lone game against a former WCHA rival, against North Dakota in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.

Trinity Western is a private Christian university located in Langley, British Columbia.

STAFF REPORTS