It was described as an added intensity on Wednesday in preparation for North Dakota, but morphed into sheer malice on Friday in the first game of the weekend series at Mariucci Arena.

There were times on Friday night where the penalty box could not hold the number of players serving penalties for either team, and in total, 69 penalty minutes âÄî 47 in the second period âÄî were dispersed.

Amidst the chaos, however, the Gophers skated away with a 2-0 win against the rival Fighting Sioux, and Kent Patterson recorded his fifth shutout of the season.

Although the first period featured little action and no goals were scored, the second period more than made up for it.

Thirty seconds into the period, Minnesota freshman Seth Ambroz was ejected from the game for contact to the head on Mario Lamoureux.

That was just the beginning of the pandemonium.

At 11:47 into the second period, Kent Patterson dove to cover up a loose puck in front of the net.

Four separate fights ensued âÄî seemingly one after another âÄî and when things settled, Minnesota came out with a power play opportunity — and capitalized.

Lamoureux went down after attempting to block a shot early in the power play, but could not manage to skate off the ice, essentially giving the Gophers a 5-on-3 advantage.

Nick Bjugstad controlled the puck seconds later and fired a shot top shelf on North Dakota goaltender Aaron Dell.

Less than a minute after Bjugstad scored to make it 1-0, another scrum broke out across the ice as Andrew MacWilliam charged into Patterson in attempt to pound in a rebound.

Minnesota again ended up with the man advantage when the referees regained control of the game, but did not score this time. The Gophers took a 1-0 lead into the second intermission.

In the third period, tempers died down, but the tension between the Minnesota and North Dakota prevailed.

Tom Serratore beat Dell five-hole to make it 2-0 and provide Minnesota with much needed insurance at 11:17 into the third period.  

North Dakota pulled Dell at with 75 seconds left in the game to gain an extra attacker, but never saw a realistic scoring opportunity.

The Gophers will conclude the series with the Fighting Sioux tomorrow at Mariucci Arena.