Gophers goaltender Luca Di Pasquo made 37 saves as Minnesota rallied for its biggest win of the season, 4-2, at No. 2-ranked Michigan on Thursday in Ann Arbor, Mich. despite being outshot 39-15 by the hosts.

The Wolverines held a 1-0 lead after the first period on a power-play goal by Adam Valentini, but Brodie Ziemer knotted the count at 1-all on the only score of the middle frame.

While the initial stanzas featured just a goal apiece, the Gophers exploded for three tallies in the third.

LJ Mooney gave the visitors their first lead of the game on a power play strike at 2:42 of the final frame. It was a lead that held until the final horn as Tanner Ludtke followed Mooney’s goal with one of his own just 73 seconds later.

Michigan cut Minnesota’s advantage to 3-2 on a T.J. Hughes goal at 8:43, however, the Gophers gained that back on an empty netter by Ziemer — with Di Pasquo gaining the assist — at 18:26 as coach Bob Motzko’s squad skated away with a two-goal triumph in the first matchup of the two-game series. Luke Mittelstadt also had two assists in the contest.

With the victory, Minnesota (11-19-2 overall, 7-13-1 Big Ten) leapt over Ohio State for fifth-place in the conference standings, while circuit-leading Michigan (25-7-1, 16-6-1) could not improve on its one-point lead on Michigan State for first place.

The two teams close out their “weekend” set at 5 p.m. Friday in Ann Arbor.

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