Where does Gophers hockey rank nationally after splitting series at North Dakota?

Minnesota has held its own against one of the toughest schedules in college hockey.

Outside view of 3M Arena at Mariucci | Picture via: University of Minnesota Athletics

Gophers men's hockey jumped from No. 13 to No. 12 in the latest U.S. College Hockey Online (USCHO) top 20 poll after last weekend's series split against rival North Dakota on the road.

Gophers men's hockey moved up from No. 13 to No. 12 in the latest USCHO top 20 after splitting last weekend's series at North Dakota.

They will have another ranked matchup this weekend against No. 18 UMD at home. https://t.co/vM2M0GbX8Q pic.twitter.com/f6ZVqZy45u

— Tony Liebert (@TonyLiebert) October 20, 2025

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Minnesota is 2-3-1 through the first three weeks of the season, but it's against one of the toughest schedules in the sport. With series against No. 9 Boston College and No. 8 North Dakota in the rearview, things don't get easier with another ranked matchup against No. 18 Minnesota-Duluth this weekend at home.

College hockey is making the switch from the pairwise to the NPI (NCAA Percentage Index) this season, for how it analytically ranks teams for the NCAA Tournament. College Hockey News (CHN) put together its first NPI ratings of the season, and there are some interesting results.

Latest NPI ratings

Oct. 20 NPI | Picture via: College Hockey News

Minnesota is notably 34th in the entirely computerized ratings. The 2-3-1 overall record is likely what is holding the Gophers back from being higher, but the challenging nonconference schedule will likely help in the long run. A series at home this weekend against No. 5 Minnesota-Duluth will likely have a huge impact on their rating this time next week.

We're less than one month into the season, so making big reactions to polls and ratings is a bit naive, but every team Minnesota has faced so far is rated higher. Ultimately, the Gophers have proven they can hang with some of the top teams in the sport. They need to start rattling off some wins if they want to garner more respect nationally at this point in the year.

Minnesota's series against its intra-state rival UMD, will start on Friday night at 7 p.m. CT and then wrap up on Saturday night at the same time. Both games will be broadcast on FOX9+ and Big Ten Network+ simultaneously.