Gophers beat No. 3 North Dakota 5-3 in home opener

A four-goal third-period barrage, highlighted by two tallies from newcomer Christian Humphreys, powered the Minnesota men s hockey team to a 5-3 upset of No. 3 North Dakota Thursday night at 3M Arena at Mariucci. Mason Moe and Evan Murr each recorded two assists, while goaltender Luca Di Pasquo made 21 saves to help the Golden Gophers secure their first win under head coach Brett Larson. Minnesota (1-3-1 overall, 0-0-0 B1G) broke a 1-1 tie with three goals in a span of 2:42 in the third period before sealing the victory with an empty-net goal in front of a sold-out crowd. The Fighting Hawks (4-1-0 overall, 0-0-0 NCHC) cut the deficit to one late in the contest before suffering their first loss of the season thanks to Jacob Kvasnicka s game-winning goal 3:39 into the final frame. The Gophers fed off the energy of the home crowd early, earning a power play at 2:52 but failed to convert. A brief scramble in front of the UND net led to a potential goal, but a video review determined