After his team was humiliated in a six-goal loss to North Dakota on Thanksgiving night, Gophers men's hockey coach Bob Motzko was eager to see how his players would respond on Friday against the third-ranked Fighting Hawks.
Minnesota's energy, focus and compete level were much better in the series finale, and the pace of play on both sides resembled memorable battles from the teams' days as WCHA rivals. The result, however, didn't change over 24 hours as North Dakota hung on for a 3-2 victory and sweep at 3M Arena at Mariucci.
"I hate lessons, but we learned one and they're not fun," Motzko said, referring to Thursday's 9-3 loss. "… To a man, we came with an effort tonight to play a hockey game against a really good hockey team. Unfortunately, we made a couple of mistakes, and it cost us."
Jasper Weatherby and Jordan Kawaguchi scored in the second period, when North Dakota (12-1-2) took control to extend its unbeaten streak to 11 games (10-0-1). The Fighting Hawks, perhaps sending a message by wearing the black sweaters they designate for games of added importance, faced a Gophers team looking to atone.
Minnesota (5-8-3) got goals from senior defenseman Tyler Nanne in the first period and freshman forward Ben Meyers in the third. Goalie Jared Moe made 19 saves as the Gophers outshot UND 25-22.
Early on, things were in Minnesota's favor, with Nanne scoring for a 1-0 lead 2:41 into the game during a four-on-four situation. Nanne intercepted a clearing pass and took a shot from the point that goalie Adam Scheel couldn't stop.
"Tyler responded like a captain tonight," Motzko said.
Nanne's goal drew a roar from the Minnesota portion of a crowd of 9,823 that was much more evenly split than Thursday, when the UND faithful created an Engelstad South-like atmosphere as the goals piled up.
