The last four times the Gophers played at North Dakota, they came home with a split. That trend continued Saturday, when the top-ranked Gophers fell 2-1 to the No. 5 Fighting Hawks for their first loss of the season.

The Gophers (3-1) trailed 2-0 a minute into the third period after goals by North Dakota’s Jayden Perron and Jake Livanavage. Jaxon Nelson scored on a tip at 8 minutes, 4 seconds of the third to pull the Gophers within a goal, but they were unable to get the equalizer at Ralph Engelstad Arena. North Dakota (3-1) outshot the Gophers 34-22 and got 21 saves from goaltender Ludvig Persson.

Gophers goaltender Justen Close saw his shutout streak end at 154 minutes, 58 seconds when Perron scored at 5:48 of the second period to give North Dakota a 1-0 lead. The fifth-year senior had recorded back-to-back shutouts, including a 4-0 victory in Friday’s series opener. Close had 32 saves in another strong performance.

Livanavage made it 2-0 only 59 seconds into the third period, skating down the right wing and slipping a shot from a sharp angle through Close’s pads. The Fighting Hawks were 0-6 on the power play, while the Gophers were 0-2.

As in Friday’s series opener, both teams tested the goaltenders early in a fast-paced first period. The goalies held firm, turning away quality scoring chances in the opening minutes.

Each team failed to convert on a power-play opportunity in the first. In the second period, North Dakota improved dramatically from Friday’s game, when it was badly outplayed. The Fighting Hawks got to pucks faster and were more persistent, which yielded many more scoring chances than the Gophers — and the game’s first goal.

They came close to scoring on a power play that lingered into the second period, when Riese Gaber hit a goalpost. North Dakota kept after it and got the goal on a well-timed play. Garrett Pyke sent the puck toward the net from the center point, and Perron, in front, redirected it past Close.

Consecutive penalties on the Gophers left them shorthanded for an early chunk of the period. They killed both, but by the midpoint, North Dakota was outshooting them 6-2 in the frame. Over the first 32 minutes, it had 44 shot attempts to the Gophers’ 28.

The Gophers were unable to score when they got a second power-play attempt late in the period. They managed only three shots to North Dakota’s nine, putting only one shot on net in the final 14 minutes of the period.

Livanavage, a freshman defenseman, didn’t need any help to double his team’s lead. He carried the puck into the Gophers’ zone and cut into the right circle, slinging a shot that squeaked through Close’s pads less than a minute into the third period.

Nelson redirected Ryan Chesley’s shot past Persson to make it a one-goal game with 11:56 remaining.

Since 1948, the Gophers and North Dakota have played in all but three seasons. Next year will be the fourth without the classic rivalry on the schedule, but Gophers coach Bob Motzko said the interruption will last only one season. The teams plan to start a new four-year deal in 2025-26.

The Star Tribune did not send the writer of this article to the game. This was written using a broadcast, interviews and other material.