The No. 5 Minnesota Golden Gophers men's hockey team (4-1) defeated the St. Thomas Tommies (1-2-1) on Friday night 7-1, winning their third straight game.

The Tommies scored their lone goal in the first period but the Gophers then scored seven unanswered goals, out-shooting the Tommies 33 to 21 in the game.

Minnesota sophomore defenseman Sam Rinzel had a big night, scoring two goals and assisting on one in the win.

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Jimmy Snuggerud assisted twice while the Connor Kurth-Jimmy Clark-Matthew Wood line contributed to the team's four of seven goals on the night.

The Gophers answered after being down 1-0 with three goals in just over six minutes, as Ryan Chesley, August Falloon and Kurth all scored.

It marked Kurth's fifth goal in as many games.

Wood added another goal in the second period and Rinzel - two - and Brody Lamb added three more in the third period.

"The right guys got the puck tonight and made plays," Minnesota head coach Bob Motzko said. "We had some big-time goals out there, but a lot of the game was 50/50. The coach in me thinks that much more of the game was tight, especially the second period was hard ice. Some of our big boys made some great plays tonight and stretched that game."

The Gophers and Tommies will do it again on Saturday night, this time at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn. The pick drops at 8 p.m.