COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The top-ranked Minnesota men's hockey squad jumped out to a quick lead and never looked back on Friday, routing host Ohio State by a 5-1 margin.
Minnesota clinched a first-round bye in the upcoming Big Ten tournament with Friday's victory at Value City Arena. Minnesota pulled within one win of the inaugural Big Ten regular-season championship.
The contest's key stretch came in the second period, when the visiting Gophers (24-4-5 overall, 13-2-2 Big Ten) tallied three goals.
Minnesota led, 2-0, by 18:05 of the first period, when Kyle Rau found the back of the net.
Then, Minnesota's offensive onslaught began in earnest. By the time Connor Reilly ripped a vicious slap shot for a goal late in the second period, the Gophers owned a decisive, 4-1 advantage.
Mike Reilly paced the Minnesota attack, doling out three assists. Meanwhile, Gophers netminder Adam Wilcox produced 30 saves.
Ohio State (15-12-3, 5-8-4-3) got a goal from Tanner Fritz.
