After the Minnesota Gophers men’s hockey team ascended to the No. 1 spot in the weekly rankings, it set up an important weekend showdown between Nos. 1 and 3 with Minnesota hosting third-ranked Michigan State. The weekend series could possibly cause another shift in the rankings. The two teams skated to a 3-all tie on Friday and the Spartans came back Saturday with a 5-3 win, scoring four goals in the third period to surpass the Gophers (15-3-2). Skating with a 3-1 lead, Minnesota allowed goals to Isaac Howard, Maxim Strbak, Charlie Stramel and an empty-netter by Red Savage over the final 8:52 on Saturday. Brodie Ziemer, Aaron Huglen and Brody Lamb scored for the Gophers, after Michigan State had taken a 1-0 lead midway through the second period. Ziemer had three goals in the weekend series and has eight on the season. Lamb’s power-play goal on Saturday was his 12th overall and second of the weekend. Liam Souliere made 25 saves in goal for Minnesota, which was outshot 30-27. The Gophers are now off until Jan. 3-4 when they host Mercyhurst for a weekend series. Related Articles College Sports | Men’s hockey: No. 1 Gophers and No. 2 Spartans skate to 3-3 tie College Sports | Gophers lose Taylor Woodson to season-ending knee injury College Sports | What UNC’s Belichick hire says about the changing landscape of college football College Sports | Gophers football adds commitment from Purdue tight end Drew Biber College Sports | Would another long, cold winter of Gophers men’s basketball bring change?