MINNEAPOLIS - North Dakota received arguably its best goaltending performance on the road all season. Unfortunately for the 15th-ranked Fighting Sioux, he was upstaged by his counterpart.
UND junior Aaron Dell (Airdrie, Alberta) made a season-high 30 saves on 32 shots, but still suffered the loss as Minnesota's Kent Patterson turned aside all 24 shots he faced in a 2-0 Golden Gophers' victory.
The shutout for Patterson was already his fifth in nine games this season, tying Robb Stauber's single-season record set back in 1987-88. The senior wasn't tested as often as Dell, but did his part in propelling the WCHA-leading Gophers to their third straight win and eighth in nine games.
It also marked the second time UND was shut out in three games.
UND was unable to light the lamp despite receiving seven power play opportunities, including a full 5-minute man advantage in the second period after Minnesota freshman Seth Ambroz received a major and game misconduct for contact to the head. The Sioux managed four shots on goal, but their inability to find the net energized the Gophers and the Mariucci Arena crowd.
"One of things we have to do is loosen up a little bit," said UND coach Dave Hakstol. "We have some guys out their forcing things a little bit. We worked awfully hard. I thought we played real hard defensively. We're pressing offensively and that's natural for guys that want to be leaders and difference-makers in the game."
With 12:44 remaining in the middle frame, Minnesota finally opened the scoring on a Nick Bjugstad power-play goal. The sophomore forward ripped a wrist shot from the hashmarks that beat Dell high to the blocker side, giving the Gophers all of the offense they would need.
Bjugstad's goal was the only scoring generated by Minnesota's league-leading power play, which entered the night clicking at 35.9 percent. The Sioux were able to kill six of seven chances and have now thwarted 14 of 15 over the last three-plus games.
Fellow UM sophomore Tom Serratore iced the game with a breakaway goal with 8:43 remaining in the third period.
Hakstol said he was pleased with Dell's performance.
"He played very well. He did his job. I thought Aaron did a very good job for his team."
As expected, the game was a spirited tilt with a combined 69 minutes in penalties handed out, including 47 in the second period alone.
On Saturday, UND will look to avoid its first sweep at the hands of the Gophers since 2005-06, and its regular season sweep at Mariucci since the 1996-97 season.
Notes: Junior Corban Knight (High River, Alberta) won 16 of 23 faceoffs (69.6 percent) ... Senior defenseman Ben Blood (Plymouth, Minn.) played in his 109th straight game, tops among all active Sioux ... UND has scored the game's first goal in just three of nine games this season. Minnesota has scored first in eight of nine.
~Go Sioux ~
