Gophers sweep No. 3 North Dakota, and Wyatt Cullen arrives

Minnesota was 0-3-1 on Thursday morning. By Friday night the Gophers had swept the No. 3 team in the country, and the college season has a real problem on its hands: a Mariucci team that just found its legs.

I'll say it plainly. This is the most important weekend in college hockey so far, and it wasn't close. No. 2 Michigan State lost at New Hampshire. Minnesota changed its whole season in 48 hours against its oldest rival.

Thursday: three goals in under three minutes

The first game turned in a blink, and the Gophers' transition game did the damage. Tied 1-1 to start the third, Christian Humphreys scored at 2:02. Jacob Kvasnicka followed about a minute later. Humphreys added a power-play goal 15 seconds into the advantage, and that was the game. Beckett Hendrickson's empty-netter from inside his own blue line closed it 5-3.

It was Minnesota's first win under Brett Larson, and the first time the Gophers had held a lead at any point this season. Luca Di Pasquo made 21 saves. "Feels nice to finally get a win," Larson said.

Friday: the freshman's night

Then Wyatt Cullen happened. The freshman from Moorhead scored three goals and added an assist, his first NCAA goals, and he did it in a game Minnesota had no business winning on paper.

North Dakota outshot Minnesota 45-22. Melvin Strahl, in his first start for the Gophers, made a career-high 42 saves, 19 of them in the third. Cullen scored on the power play in the second, then twice in the third to push it to 5-2. Sam Laurila's late goal with the extra attackers only made it 5-3.

The receipts: it's Minnesota's first sweep of North Dakota since November 2011. It's the first Gophers hat trick against the Hawks since Casey Hankinson's four-goal game in 1996. The previous four series between them had all ended in splits.

The number

The number: 45-22. That's the Friday shot count against Minnesota, and the Gophers won anyway. You can't build a season on a goalie stopping 42 every night. But you can build a season on a team learning it can win ugly against a top-three opponent.

And North Dakota was No. 3 in this week's USCHO poll while Minnesota wasn't in the top 20 at all. Expect that to look very different Monday.

Prospect watch: Wyatt Cullen

• Rights: Nashville Predators, 10th overall in the 2026 NHL Draft
• Status: unsigned, freshman forward at Minnesota
• This weekend: 3 goals, 1 assist Friday, his first NCAA goals
• Kessler's read: the draft slot was a bet on his hands and hockey sense. Friday was the first real dividend.

What it means

North Dakota is 4-2-0 and still a national contender with real structure. Its power play has scored in every game this season, and the Hawks head to Austin, Texas, to play Michigan State on Oct. 31. One bad trip to Minneapolis doesn't change who they are.

Minnesota is 2-3-1, and that record is lying to you about a roster that finally looks organized. The Gophers open Big Ten play at home against Penn State on Oct. 30 and 31.

Kessler's call: Minnesota cracks the USCHO top 20 Monday and takes at least one of the two games from Penn State. Mariucci has been loud before. This felt like the start of something.