The University of Minnesota men's hockey team opened their first weekend series of 2020 with a loss on the road to Michigan State University on Friday.

The Spartans nearly earned a shutout against the Gophers. They netted three goals in the first period and added one more in the second. Minnesota did light the lamp in the third to prevent the shutout but lost 4-1.

Freshman Jackson LaCombe earned his first career goal and scored the only goal of the game for the U of M.

Jack LaFontaine made six saves and allowed three goals before being pulled out of the net. Jared Moe made 14 saves and allowed just one more goal.

The Gophers fall to 7-10-4 and 2-5-4-3 Big Ten. They will play game two against the Spartans on Saturday. Puck-drop is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.

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