(Minneapolis, MN) — The 20th-ranked Golden Gopher men’s hockey team allowed four goals in the third period on Thursday night and lost to sixth-rated Michigan, 6-1. This was only the third home loss ever for the Minnesota men in Big Ten Conference play and the first conference setback this season at home. Michigan built a 2-0 lead after two periods and then exploded in the third period to take a 6-0 lead. The Gophers got late goals from Steve Johnson of Excelsior and Tommy Novak of River Falls, Wisconsin. Michigan’s Alex Kile scored a hat trick. The victory pushes the Wolverines past Minnesota in the league standings by two points. The Gophers can reclaim the conference lead with a win Friday night in the final game of the weekend set at Mariucci Arena. The puck will drop at 8 P-M.