It had been two weeks since they had played a game, but after a bit of a slow start, the Minnesota Gophers found their legs and found their way back to the conference tourney title game.
Trailing in the second period, the Minnesota Gophers got solid goaltending and woke up offensively to sweep their weekend series versus visiting Michigan State.
It took only nine ticks of the clock for Minnesota Gophers rookie Logan Cooley to give his team a lead, and that was just the beginning of their dominance of the Spartans on Friday.
Controlling the play for long stretches, the Minnesota Gophers built a four-goal lead then withstood a Michigan State rally in the third period to close their six-game road trip with a 5-1-0 mark.
Michigan State has a new coach, a new attitude and a familiar name in goal, but don't tell the Spartans that it's a big deal to have Minnesota -- ranked atop one national poll -- visiting this weekend. They're all about getting better, no matter the foe.
Minnesota Gophers fans can make their plans for the opening weekend of March, as their sweep of Michigan State clinched home ice in the opening round of the Big Ten playoffs.
Trailing by a pair halfway through their game with Michigan State, the Minnesota Gophers got a trio of goals from rookies and rallied for their eighth consecutive win versus the Spartans.
