MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. ? Minnesota defenseman Mike Vannelli scored two goals, including the game winner, to lead the second-ranked Gophers to a 6-1 win over the 10th-ranked UND men's hockey team on Friday.
Both of Vannelli's goals came on the power play for the Gophers, who were 4-of-10 on the power play in the game.
UND's record dropped to 14-10-1 overall and 7-8-0 in the WCHA. Minnesota upped its mark to 14-5-4 overall and 9-4-2 in the WCHA.
The Gophers have won three games in a row over the Sioux for the first time since the 2001-02 season.
Minnesota scored three power play goals in the second period to break open the game.
The first of those was a goal by Vannelli 45 seconds into the second that made it 2-0.
UND narrowed the score to 2-1 at 13:44 of the second on a shorthanded goal by Erik Fabian (Jr., Roseau, Minn.). Fabian's goal came while the Sioux were attempting to kill off a five-minute Minnesota power play resulting from a checking from behind penalty called on UND forward Scott Foyt (Jr., Andover, Minn.).
The Sioux had killed off the first 4:14 of the major penalty, but the Gophers scored twice in the final 46 seconds of the power play. Minnesota's goals were scored by Ryan Potulny and Vannelli.
With UND shorthanded for much of the second, Minnesota outshot the Sioux 25-11 in the period.
That came after the Gophers outshot the Sioux 17-3 in the first period and held the Sioux without a shot on goal for more than half the period. UND first shot on net came 11:09 into the game when defenseman Matt Smaby (Jr., Minneapolis, Minn.) fired a slap shot from inside the blue line.
The only goal of the first period came 10:02 into the game on Minnesota defenseman Alex Goligoski's fifth goal of the season.
UND's best scoring chance in the first came midway through the period when a 2-on-1 with Travis Zajac (So., Winnipeg, Manitoba) and Ryan Duncan (Fr., Calgary, Alberta) resulted in Duncan's backhanded shot attempt deflecting up high over the net.
North Dakota outshot Minnesota 6-2 in the first eight minutes of the third period, but the Gophers upped their lead to 6-1 on a Justin Bostrom goal at 6:22 of the third.
The Sioux outshot Minnesota, 14-6, in the third period.
The teams will conclude their series on Saturday with a 7:07 p.m. game.
NOTES: The three shots on goal equaled a season low for shots in a period by UND. The Sioux also had just three in their 3-2 win over St. Cloud State on Nov. 19 ... the last time the Sioux gave up as many goals to Minnesota was in a 6-0 shutout by the Gophers over UND on Oct. 23, 2004, in Grand Forks.
