Gophers slip past Badgers

Published 9:05 am Monday, February 18, 2013

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Minnesota has the third-best power play in the nation, and Wisconsin saw it first-hand three times in the Golden Gophers’ 3-2 win on Friday in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association.

Second-ranked Minnesota (20-5-4, 12-5-4) was 3-for-4 with a man advantage and came into the game scoring at a WCHA-best 25 percent on the power play.

“We’ve done a pretty good job all season, but what I liked tonight was our second unit got a couple of goals,” Minnesota coach Don Lucia said.

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With the win, Minnesota moved into a tie with North Dakota for second place in the WCHA. Both are three points behind St. Cloud State.

These points are really important for use late in the season,” said Nick Bjugstad, whose goal in the second period came with 30 seconds left in a four-minute power play.