Early scuffle sets physical tone for Gophers-North Dakota rivalry

Minnesota-North Dakota is widely considered the most intense rivalry in college hockey, and we saw why on Thursday night in Minneapolis. An early scuffle in the first period set the tone for the entire game.

First-year defenseman Axel Lofgren got physical with North Dakota forward Cody Croal, which resulted in four players earning minor roughing penalties.

A little scrap in this rivalry. Buckle up for this series.

VIDEO: @Fox9Sports | B1G+ pic.twitter.com/CwFSo6zs4s

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— Ryan Bowlin (@rybo_2) October 23, 2026

That physicality continued throughout the game, and the officials were busy. There were 10 penalties in the first two periods alone. North Dakota was able to take advantage, with its first goal of the game coming on a power play, but things were tied 1-1 after two periods.

One of the best rivalries in college sports made Thursday night the Gophers’ most physical game of the season to date. It felt like there was pushing and shoving after every single whistle all night.

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This story was originally published by Bring Me The Sports on Oct 23, 2026, where it first appeared in the MN Gophers section. Add Bring Me The Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.