I’m not sure I can recall a better and more fun weekend for the Gophers in Dinkytown. A sweep of your number one rival in hockey, followed by winning Floyd of Rosedale, storming the field, and upending Iowa’s CFP hopes? It doesn’t get much better than that.
And after football’s rough loss to Purdue on the road, along with the tough start to the season for Gopher Hockey, this was a much needed weekend for Gopher fans.
Let’s dive into it.
Mariucci Was Rocking, and North Dakota Went Home Empty-Handed
There are few things sweeter in college hockey than sweeping North Dakota, and the Gophers did exactly that this weekend.
Mariucci was absolutely electric. The atmosphere was everything college hockey should be, with a fired-up crowd, plenty of energy, and a Gophers team that looked every bit as good as we hoped they would. Minnesota played with confidence, intensity, and swagger. And we learned that Wyatt Cullen is an absolute stud.
And can we talk about that new goal horn? It’s absolutely glorious. Hearing that thing blast through Mariucci might be worth the price of admission alone.
College hockey is better when Minnesota and North Dakota are going at it. Watching the Gophers battle North Dakota makes me miss the old WCHA and how every weekend felt like a huge rivalry. The Big Ten is getting better but will never match the intensity of the WCHA.
Anyways, after the rough start to the season for Brett Larson and the Gophers, sweeping #3 North Dakota and sending them back to Grand Forks without a win is about as sweet as it gets.
Floyd of Rosedale is Staying in Minneapolis
I’m not sure I’ve ever watched a football game where both teams seemed so determined to lose. But somehow, someway, the Gophers escaped with a 13-10 victory over No. 15 Iowa and brought Floyd of Rosedale back to Minnesota.
The most frustrating part of the game was the number of opportunities Minnesota had to put the game away. Naturally, Iowa eventually tied the game late in the fourth quarter, because apparently Minnesota fans aren’t allowed to enjoy a comfortable victory. But when it mattered most, Drake Lindsey connected with Jalen Smith for a huge gain, setting up Luke Drzewiecki’s 46-yard game-winning field goal as time expired.
Was it pretty? Absolutely not. Was it frustrating? Incredibly. But we’ll never apologize for a win over the Hawkeyes. Ever.
It was quite the site to see the Hawkeye fans watch their College Football Playoff hopes vanish at the stadium they call “Kinnick North.” It’s even sweeter to watch it happen to them at the hands of P.J. Fleck, whom I know they all have a ton of respect for. It’s going to be a long drive back to Iowa.
And real quick, how crazy is it to have elite kicking on both the Vikings AND Gophers this year? Neither Will Reichard or Luke Drzewiecki have missed a field goal this season (knock on wood). It’s a weird time to be a football fan in Minnesota.
And it was a tough weekend to be a Hawk in Minnesota.
