Minnesota, ranked third in the nation, had won nine games in a row and hadn’t lost to Bemidji State since 2016.

The No. 3 Golden Gophers men's hockey team has caught fire with nine straight victories, their latest victim being the Bemidji State beavers in a 4-2 game at Mariucci Arena Thursday night in Minneapolis.

A three-goal first period helped the No. 3 Minnesota men's hockey team skate to its ninth-consecutive victory, 5-3 over Bemidji State in a rare Thursday night game from 3M Arena at Mariucci.

The Gophers men’s hockey team scored three goals in the first period and got an empty-net goal from Brody Lamb with 66 seconds remaining to outlast Bemidji State 5-3 on Thursday at 3M Arena at Mariucci. Lamb’s goal was his second of the game. The Gophers (10-1) won their ninth consecutive game.

In a unusual Thursday night game, the Minnesota Golden Gophers men’s hockey team knocked off Bemidji State 5-3 in the first game of a home and home series with the Beavers. The two teams will now head back up to Bemidji for Saturday’s series finale.