Wyattrick: Wyatt Cullen Buries UND With Three Goal Night
Freshman’s hat trick leads Minnesota to a 5-3 win over No. 3 North Dakota and completes the Gophers’ first sweep of the Fighting Hawks since 2011.
The Minnesota Golden Gophers entered the weekend looking for answers. They left with a sweep of their biggest rival, a signature win for new head coach Brett Larson, and a freshman who introduced himself to college hockey in a big way.
Wyatt Cullen scored three goals, including two in the third period, as Minnesota defeated No. 3 North Dakota 5-3 Friday night at 3M Arena at Mariucci. The freshman also added an assist for a four point night, capping a weekend in which the Gophers won both games against the Fighting Hawks.
The victory completed Minnesota’s first sweep of North Dakota since November 2011.
Cullen, the 10th overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, recorded his first collegiate goals in spectacular fashion. After North Dakota took a 2-1 lead early in the second period, Cullen tied the game on the power play, taking a pass from LJ Mooney at the right circle and firing it home.
Christian Humphreys gave Minnesota a 3-2 lead five minutes later, finishing a feed from Austin Burnevik. The Gophers carried that advantage into the third period before Cullen took over.
Cullen struck again at the right circle, finishing another setup from Burnevik to make it 4-2. Just over four minutes later, he completed the hat trick after Jacob Kvasnicka forced a turnover deep in the North Dakota zone, giving Minnesota a three goal cushion.
North Dakota made things interesting late, scoring with its goaltender pulled to cut the deficit to 5-3 with 2:11 remaining. The Gophers weathered the final push to secure the win and the sweep.
While Cullen earned the headlines, goaltender Melvin Strahl delivered an equally important performance. Making his first start at Minnesota, Strahl stopped 42 shots, including 19 in the third period, as North Dakota outshot the Gophers 45-22.
Minnesota also blocked 17 shots, compared with just three for the Fighting Hawks, showing the defensive commitment necessary to finish off the series.
Brodie Ziemer opened the scoring Friday, while Humphreys and Cullen provided the offense as Minnesota erased its second period deficit. Burnevik and Kvasnicka each recorded two assists.
For Larson, the sweep was an early indication that the difficult opening schedule might be preparing his team for exactly these kinds of games.
I think what prepared us for this weekend is that we played the hardest schedule in college hockey. Michigan Tech’s one of the hardest places to win in. We were just learning and growing as a team. Duluth’s a really good team. We we came back from a rough night the first night, we’re able to get a tie.
Brett Larson
The Gophers had opened the season with a pair of losses at Michigan Tech before going 0-1-1 against Minnesota Duluth. Their response against North Dakota was emphatic: two 5-3 victories over a team that entered the weekend ranked third nationally.
Cullen’s breakout performance will understandably dominate the conversation, but Minnesota’s weekend was about more than one freshman finding the back of the net. The Gophers got timely scoring, a standout performance from Strahl, and enough defensive commitment to finish two close games against a top opponent.
The Gophers now turn their attention to Penn State, which visits Mariucci on Oct. 30/31 to open Big Ten play. After a difficult start, Minnesota has given itself something to build on.
