Gophers men's hockey was thrown into the Big Ten deep end in their first series after winter break against No. 9 Penn State on the road. They struggled on Friday night with a 3-0 shutout loss.

The third-ranked Minnesota women’s hockey team led, then trailed, then rallied for victory in a 4-3 win at No. 12 Minnesota State University in Mankato.

The Gopher men's hockey team hasn't played in a month. The women came out of their holiday break with a non-conference sweep that included a program record 14-goal outburst. Both resume conference play with important matchups to begin the second half of the season.

There are eight players with Minnesota ties on the women's team, including Gophers forward Abbey Murphy, Frost stars Taylor Heise, Grace Zumwinkle, Kelly Pannek, Kendall Coyne-Schofield, Lee Stecklein, and Britta Curl-Salemme, and Ottawa Charge standout Rory Guilday.

The Minnesota men’s hockey team concluded a seven-week stretch away from home Saturday night with a 5-2 loss at Penn State.

From the frozen ponds and lakes to the packed indoor rinks serving as community hubs, hockey is uniquely celebrated and cherished in Minnesota like no other state in the country.