cIn its first road game of the season, Minnesota had a standout first period that gave the team the upper hand over Michigan State en route to a 3-1 win.

Gophers’ goaltendender Jack LaFontaine started again in his fifth-straight appearance. LaFontaine allowed just one goal, scored by junior defenseman Cole Krygier with three minutes remaining in regulation.

Minnesota had the upper hand for most of the night, outshooting the Spartans 34-25 and dominating on special teams. Minnesota drew seven penalties on Michigan State and scored two power play goals, one by senior forward Scott Reedy in the second period and the first goal of the game from Ben Meyers with assists from Ryan Johnson and Mike Koster .

Sampo Ranta also scored in the first period to build off the early 1-0 lead. Fighting traffic in front of the net, Ranta received an assist from Robbie Stucker and was able to shovel the puck in while facing backwards.

No one is more dangerous in front of the net than Sampo Ranta. In this essay we will… pic.twitter.com/oHu0DIo7RZ

— Minnesota Men’s Hockey (@GopherHockey) December 4, 2020

“I thought it was a very, very good first road game. … Special teams and goaltending dictated the score of the game tonight, but I really liked how we played from start to finish,” Gophers’ head coach Bob Motzko said postgame.

Minnesota will face the Spartans again tomorrow night at 7 p.m., with the game available to watch or stream through the Big Ten Network.