Gophers hockey quietly red-hot after nonconference gauntlet

Minnesota has a pair of top-five wins over the last two weeks.

Sophomore Gophers forward Erik Pahlsson (No. 72) skating with the pick against Penn State. | Picture credit: Brace Hemmelgarn

Gophers men's hockey had a bumpy start to the 2025-26 season with a 2-7-1 record. It looked like things were pointed in the right direction after a sweep over Notre Dame, but a stunning 6-2 loss to Long Island University at home seemed like rock bottom. They've quietly won three of their last four, two of which have come against top-five teams.

Minnesota played one of the hardest schedules in the country to begin the season. Losses against Boston College, North Dakota, Minnesota Duluth and Wisconsin weren't catastrophic, as they're all still ranked in the United States Hockey Online (USCHO) top 20 poll. It was the loss to LIU that raised serious alarms.

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After that Nov. 14 loss to the Sharks at 3M Arena at Mariucci, Minnesota responded with a 6-3 win the following night, a 3-2 win over No. 5 Penn State at home, a hard-fought 2-1 loss the next night, and most recently an impressive 6-5 overtime win over No. 4 Denver in Colorado at Ball Arena.

The Gophers are now 7-9-1, and they've won five of their last seven games. Their nonconference gauntlet is now in the rearview, with a lone exhibition against Bemidji State on Jan. 2 as their only non-Big Ten game remaining on their regular-season schedule.

Mile high W ✅ pic.twitter.com/Je0Z16CVZf

— Minnesota Men’s Hockey (@GopherHockey) November 30, 2025

Minnesota is a relatively young team with a lot of new faces, so the slow start shouldn't come as a huge surprise. They've started to find their groove over the last month. True freshmen LJ Mooney, Javon Moore and Mason Moe are among the young players who have settled into their roles on the team.

The college hockey season is a marathon and not a sprint, and Minnesota has positioned itself relatively well with a 3-3 Big Ten record in its early slate of conference games. Their final series of 2025 will be this weekend on the road against Ohio State, which is one of two conference foes that currently rank below them in the standings.

The Gophers did not receive any votes in this week's USCHO poll, and they're currently No. 36 in the NCAA Percentage Index (NPI). There's still a lot that needs to happen before they're back in the NCAA Tournament discussion. But for example, Penn State began last season 6-9 before making a run all the way to the Frozen Four.