The Gophers were playing in front of their biggest home crowd of the season and they fed off their energy as soon as the game tipped off. Minnesota began 10-14 from the field and quickly jumped out to a 27-11 lead before giving Oregon a chance to even settle into the game.

The Gophers won in the paint. Center Nathan Bittle, who was Oregon’s leading scorer at 13.6 points per game, did not score Saturday. Minnesota also outrebounded Oregon 35-26, including 10-4 on the offensive glass. The U had 11 second-chance points to Oregon’s zero.

On Saturday, for the second time in four meetings this season, the Gophers and Michigan State men’s hockey teams went into overtime. And for the second time the Spartans won a shootout to earn the extra point in the Big Ten standings.

It was a much better effort from the fourth-ranked Gophers men's hockey team and it'll officially go down as a 3-3 tie with No. 2 Michigan State. But it was the Spartans who picked up the extra point in a shootout Saturday in East Lansing,

Jimmy Snuggerud scored twice and helped the No. 4/3 Golden Gophers men's hockey team rally for a 3-3 tie on the road at No. 2 Michigan State inside Munn Ice Arena Saturday night.