Friday night's matchup between the University of Minnesota Duluth and the University of Minnesota was anything but your usual run-of-the mill Western Collegiate Hockey Association game.

A penalty shot, a nullified goal, a couple of checking-from-behind major penalties and a boatload of power play opportunities were some of the elements in the Gophers 3-2 victory over the Bulldogs played before a sellout crowd of 5,447 at the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center.

Minnesota scored once in each of the three periods to snap a five-game winless drought in Duluth and post their first win on the Bulldogs' home ice since Feb. 21, 2003. Ben Gordon scored the only goal of the opening period with a power play tally 5:56 into the game. The Bulldogs, who played nearly a quarter (4:19) of the period two men down, were outshot 14-4 in the first 20 minutes, yet thanks to some stellar goaltending by freshman Alex Stalock, trailed by one at the first intermission. The Bulldogs lost the services of one of their top offensive threats, sophomore left wing Mason Raymond, 6:27 into the game when he received a five-minute penalty and game misconduct for checking from behind.

The No. 2 Gophers (7-1-0 and 3-0-0 in the WCHA) went up 2-0 with 3:54 remaining in the second on Kyle Okposo's eighth goal of the year and extended that lead to 3-0 when Ryan Stoa scored on a breakaway while the Gophers were shorthanded 53 seconds into the third. UMD's Bryan McGregor, who earlier in the game had a shorthanded goal waved after the Bulldogs (following a lengthy discussion by the officials) were called for having too many men on the ice, answered a little more than two minutes later. The senior left wing one-timed a feed from freshman center Jordan Fulton from between the faceoff circles for his first goal of the year.

Midway through the period, Minnesota's Evan Kauffman was awarded a penalty shot -- the first by a Bulldog opponent in nealry 10 years -- and was denied by Stalock. Then, with 3:36 left in regulation, sophomore left wing Michael Gergen ripped a shot from the slot past Minnesota netminder Kellen Briggs to bring the Bulldogs to within one. Fulton also assisted on Gergen's goal along with junior center Matt McKnight. UMD played the last 4:56 of the third period on the power play thanks to a five-minute major on Minnesota's Alex Goligoski.

The Bulldogs, who entered the night with the nation's most productive power play, were scored just once on 10 man advantage opportunities while Minnesota was one-of-seven.

Stalock, making his seventh start in as many games, finished with 27 saves for UMD, which drops to 2-3-2 overall and 1-3-1 in the WCHA. Briggs turned aside 26 of 28 shots.

The two teams will meet again Saturday night when the Bulldogs will commemorate the 40th anniversary of the opening of the DECC.