Minnesota-Duluth may have started the weekend ranked No. 13 in the national polls, but the Bulldogs proved they have far more bite than that.
Minnesota-Duluth on Saturday knocked off top-ranked Minnesota for a second straight night, winning 2-1 at AMSOIL Arena in Duluth.
After shutting out the Gophers, 3-0, on Friday night in Minneapolis, UMD (8-4-0 overall) took advantage of its home ice on Saturday evening, jumping out to a quick, 2-0 advantage in the first stanza. Dominic Toninato and Karson Kuhlman tallied UMD's early goals, much to the delight of a partisan crowd of 7,424 at AMSOIL Arena.
Stellar work between the pipes by netminder Kasimir Kaskisuo kept the host Bulldogs in control throughout most of Saturday's action.
Finally, though, Minnesota (7-3-0 overall) dented the scoreboard with 8 minutes, 42 seconds remaining, when freshman winger Leon Bristedt slammed home his second goal of the season. That represented the Gophers' first goal in nearly six periods.
Later, Kaskisuo survived a last-minute barrage when the Gophers pulled goalie Adam Wilcox off the ice. Wilcox ended the night with 32 saves; Kaskisuo recorded 24 saves.
Thus, Minnesota fell to 0-2-0 away from Mariucci Arena this season.
The Gophers' next outing is next Friday, when Minnesota hosts the U.S. Under-18 team at Mariucci Arena in an exhibition. UMD visits Omaha next weekend for a two-game, NCHC series.
