Ohio State moved to No. 5 in the Associated Press poll, and Michigan's victory against the Minnesota Golden Gophers has the Wolverines just outside the top-25.
Minnesota State freshman forward Dylan Margonari put the Mavericks ahead for good with 3:41 left in the game and JP Lafontaine added an empty netter to beat the second ranked Gophers 5-3 in Mankato to earn a split in their weekend series.
Despite being taken down by Minnesota State forward Matt Leitner, Minnesota forward Erik Haula tipped a Christian Isackson pass past Mavericks goalie Phil Cook before crashing into the boards hard. His goal brought the Gophers within 1.
The No. 2 Minnesota Golden Gophers host Minnesota State on Friday and Saturday, and No. 18 St. Cloud State travels to take on No. 3 Denver while Minnesota-Duluth gets to rest.
After a hot start, Minnesota was unable to capitalize against Michigan, falling 35-13. The Gophers fell to 5-4 on the season, and with the loss were unable to get bowl eligible.
Zach Budish's first goal of the season with 14:20 left in regulation proved to be the difference as Minnesota defeated in-state rival Minnesota State 3-2 Friday. The Gophers matched their season total with all three goals scored on the power play.