Minnesota’s vaunted defense led by two Hobey Baker-nominated players struggled against their archrival.

Minnesota’s conference struggles continued dropping three more Big Ten games in the last week.

Aggressive defense got the Gophers into foul trouble early on, and Iowa’s defense created frustration.

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Both defensemen are nominated for the Hobey Baker Award, a top individual award in collegiate hockey.

One of the most crucial conference matchups for the Gophers this season is on Friday and Saturday against rival Wisconsin.

The Gophers were dominated in the early parts of the dual match against Iowa on Friday, ultimately costing them the match.

Minnesota’s conference struggles continued with a pair of blowout losses against Rutgers and Maryland.

The Gophers experienced their first loss since November.

Originally from a small town outside of Helsinki, Finland, Laitinen came to Minnesota with hopes of playing hockey at an elite level.