No. 3 Minnesota (17-3-2) vs. Mercyhurst (2-17-3)

Minnesota opened game one with a dominant first-period performance where the Gophers outshot Mercyhurst 16-0 before Jimmy Snuggerud scored the first goal. Leading 2-0 to start the second, Brody Lamb tallied his team-leading thirteenth goal to extend the Gophers lead to 3-0.

Mercyhurst stormed back with two goals of their own to bring it to 3-2, but two late-period goals from Matthew Wood and John Mittelstadt regained Minnesota's three-goal advantage heading into the final frame. In his return to the lineup following an injury, freshman Erik Påhlsson scored a shorthanded empty net goal to cap off a three-point night in a 6-2 Minnesota victory. 

It took only nine short seconds for the Gophers to light the lamp in game two, with Matthew Wood firing it home for his eighth goal of the season. Minnesota kept their foot on the gas and doubled the lead just over two minutes later. Ryan Chesley added a third goal under eight minutes into period one. Waconia native Nick Michel later made it 4-0, scoring his first goal as a Gopher.

Leading 4-1 to start the third period, a stretch pass from Ryan Chesley to Beckett Hendrickson led to a breakaway goal, and the Gophers skated to a 5-2 victory. Chesley recorded a three-point night, and goaltender Liam Souliere made 27 saves in the win, improving his record to 7-3-0. 

Minnesota will take its first road trip of the new year and head to Columbus to take on the Buckeyes, with an early 4:00 PM start on 1/10 and a 5:30 PM start on 1/11. 

Minnesota Duluth (6-11-1) vs. Alaska Fairbanks (7-9-4)

After closing out the year with a 4-2 win over Bemidji State on New Year's Eve, Minnesota Duluth opened 2025 by hosting the Nanooks. Without Adam Kleber and Max Plante in the lineup due to the World Juniors, an opening goal from Carter Loney led to a 1-0 UMD lead at the first intermission.

The Nanooks tied the game early in the second, but Aaron Pionk rifled home his first goal of the season to put the Bulldogs back in front heading into the third. Exactly five minutes into the third period, Haden Kruse from Nisswa, MN, scored to make it 2-2, and the game eventually went to overtime. Extra time went goalless, and the game ended in a tie, with goaltender Klayton Knapp making 34 saves for the Bulldogs. 

Game two was another low-scoring battle that was scoreless through the first period, with the Bulldogs outshooting the Nanooks 13-3. Minnesota Duluth outshot Alaska Fairbanks by a wide margin in period two, but the Nanooks scored the lone goal to lead 1-0 after two.

Late in period three, with their goaltender pulled, Blake Bechen scored with 1:02 remaining to tie the game and force overtime for the second night in a row. Rosemount's Broten Sabo beat goaltender Klayton Knapp 2:11 into overtime to win it for the Nanooks.

The Bulldogs will return to conference play for the remainder of the regular season, starting with a home matchup against No. 10 St. Cloud State (11-7-0) this weekend. Friday's game will start at 7:07 PM, followed by a 6:07 PM game on Saturday. 

St. Thomas (6-10-4) at Lindenwood (4-15-1) 

Following a close 2-1 defeat against St. Cloud State last weekend, St. Thomas opened the second half of the season on the road against Lindenwood. In game one of the series, junior Jake Braccini scored with 56 seconds remaining in period one to put St. Thomas in front. Midway through the second, Cooper Gay doubled the Tommies lead, but a late-period power play Lindenwood goal led to a 2-1 scoreline at the second intermission.

The Tommies went on to outshoot the Lions 16-5 in the final frame, but Lindenwood notched the lone goal in the period, leading to overtime. Mendota Heights native Chase Foley buried the overtime winner for St. Thomas, marking his tenth point this season for the Tommies. 

In the rematch on Saturday, the game was scoreless into the back half of the second period when Luc Laylin broke the deadlock on the power play. Tied 1-1 to open the final frame, Lindenwood took a 2-1 lead 8:20 into the period, but the Tommies responded soon after, with Lucas Wahlin retying the game before Matthew Gleason scored a go-ahead goal with 5:52 left on the clock. An empty net goal sealed a 4-2 St. Thomas victory, marking the Tommies' first sweep of the season. Liam Malmquist tallied four assists on the weekend to remain the team's leading scorer with 23 points in 20 games. 

The Tommies will look to continue their win streak when hosting Ferris State (6-12-2) this coming weekend, with puck drop at 7:07 PM on 1/10 and 6:07 PM on 1/11.