In the rare Sunday-Monday series, the Gophers ended the weekend well, topping the Nittany Lions 3-2 in the opener of Minnesota’s first Big Ten series of 2014.
It was the first time the two schools had met, as Penn State added hockey last season to make the 2013 formation of the six-team Big Ten hockey conference a possibility.
In the inaugural game between the two squads, the Gophers got goals from a few unlikely sources, as three defensemen supplied the offense for the U.
Opening the scoring just three minutes into the contest was sophomore Brady Skjei, his third of the year on a blast from the point.
Adding a second was Mike Reilly, who is no stranger to finding the back of the net despite playing defense, his eighth of the year in the second period.
He now leads Big Ten defensemen in goals, and is third in the NCAA among defensemen.
Putting a bow on the victory was Ben Marshall late in the third, his third of the year to give Minnesota the win after Penn State tied it earlier in the third.
The Gophers and Nittany Lions conclude their series tomorrow at 6 p.m.
