Gophers win border battle series opener against No. 16 Wisconsin

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Four skaters found the back of the net as Minnesota won round one of the border battle with No. 16 Wisconsin, beating the Badgers 4-1 Friday night.

The Gophers set the tone early, scoring back-to-back goals in the early minutes of the first period. Blake McLaughlin found the back of the net at 15:34, and Scott Reedy scored just over a minute later to give the home team a 2-0 advantage.

Sean Dhooghe got the Badgers on the board midway through the second period, but the Gophers responded with a pair of goals from Jonny Sorenson and Sampo Ranta in the third to seal the win.

Jack LaFontaine got the start in goal, making 34 saves to match a season-high before leaving with an injury.

The two teams meet for the series finale on Saturday at 7 p.m. on FOX Sports North.