Gophers split; Tommies top St. Cloud; Duluth, Bemidji roll in Alaska; Murphy scores five as Gopher women sweep BU
It’s the opening weekend of Division I men’s college hockey and the action around the State of Hockey did not disappoint. The outcomes, however, might have been disappointing depending on who you’re a fan of. Here’s the rundown of action from October 3-4, 2025 on this week’s edition of Minnesota’s College Hockey Scoreboard Show - and there will no overstating the impact of Gavin McKenna’s first weekend of college hockey here.
We’ll begin on the men’s side …
Eighth-ranked Minnesota opened its season with a split against Michigan Tech. On Friday, Brodie Ziemer scored twice and the Gophers exploded for four goals in the third period to top the Huskies 6-3 at Mariucci. A night later, Tech turned the tables, outshooting Minnesota 33-13 and rallying from a 3-2 deficit to take the finale 5-3, giving new head coach Bill Muckalt his first win behind the bench. Byron native Brody Lamb scored his second of the year, while former Gopher Owen Bartoszkiewicz earned the win in net for the Huskies.
Nineteenth-ranked St. Thomas made its season debut with a dramatic 4-3 road win at St. Cloud State. The Tommies built a 3-0 lead on goals from Lucas Wahlin, Charlie Shoen, and Jake Braccini before the Huskies battled back to tie it with tallies from Mason Reiners, Noah Urness, and Austin Burnevik. A late five-minute major proved costly as Nathan Pilling buried the game-winner with under five minutes to play, giving St. Thomas the win in its opener.
Minnesota-Duluth opened its season with authority, sweeping Alaska in Fairbanks. On Friday, Hermantown brothers Max Plante and Zam Plante combined for three goals — two from Max — in a 5-1 victory. The next night, UMass Lowell transfer Scout Truman scored twice, while Jayson Shaugabay and Harper Bentz each netted their first of the year as UMD completed the sweep 4-1 at the Carlson Center.
Bemidji State rolled through its Alaskan trip, matching a program high with nine goals in Friday’s opener, then finishing the sweep with a shutout. In the 9-2 win over Alaska Anchorage, Connor McLennon and Reilly Funk each scored twice. On Saturday, five different Beavers found the back of the net, including Mitch Wolfe and Tory Lund, while rookie goaltender Max Hildebrand stopped 23 shots for a shutout in his first collegiate start.
Over to the women’s side, third-ranked Minnesota stayed perfect, sweeping 13th-ranked Boston University. On Friday, Abbey Murphy scored twice and added an assist, and Bella Fanale netted her fourth of the year in a 5-0 win at Walter Brown Arena. Murphy followed with a hat trick on Saturday, giving her nine goals through four games as the Gophers rolled again, 5-2, improving to 4-0 on the year — and 4-0 against the city of Boston.
Minnesota State also earned a sweep, handling Lindenwood in Mankato. On Friday, Northfield’s Ayla Puppe scored twice in a 4-0 shutout as the Mavericks outshot Lindenwood 45-17. Saturday’s rematch was tighter, with Makayla Moran netting the game-winner midway through the third for a 3-2 win, pushing Lindenwood to 0-6 on the year — all against WCHA opponents.
Bemidji State collected its first wins of the season with a sweep of Robert Morris. On Friday, three different Beavers scored, including Andover native Isa Goettl, and goaltender Kaitlin Groess stopped 12 shots for the shutout in a 3-0 win. Saturday was all Hailey Armstrong, who scored all four Bemidji goals in a 4-1 victory — tying the school record for goals in a game, matching Kerri McEwen’s mark set back in 1999.
What’s coming up Looking ahead, the second weekend of Division I men’s hockey features a marquee matchup in Minneapolis as #8 Minnesota hosts #6 Boston College in a Thursday–Friday series at Mariucci Arena. #18 Minnesota State travels west for two games at Nebraska Omaha, while #19 St. Thomas faces #11 North Dakota in a home-and-home — Friday in Grand Forks and Sunday back in St. Paul at Grand Casino Arena. Minnesota Duluth opens its home slate with a non-conference series against Augustana, and St. Cloud State and Bemidji State renew their in-state rivalry with a home-and-home, starting Friday in Bemidji and wrapping up Saturday in St. Cloud.
On the women’s side, #3 Minnesota meets #11 St. Cloud State in a home-and-home — Friday at Ridder Arena and Saturday at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center. Top-ranked Wisconsin hosts #5 Minnesota Duluth in a high-profile WCHA clash in Madison. #2 Ohio State welcomes Bemidji State for two, while Minnesota State hosts St. Thomas in a conference matchup in Mankato.
I’m Jason Bryant (@jasonmbryant). Leave a rating, review, or feedback at collegehockeyscoreboardpod.com and be sure to check out all the shows from The Sota Pod. For now, that’s Minnesota’s College Hockey Scoreboard Show for October 5, 2025.
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