Former St. Cloud State coach Bob Motzko faces off with the Huskies for the first time as head coach of Minnesota Sunday, Dec. 29, 2019, at 3M Arena at Mariucci. Huskies Vs Gophers 5 Zach Dwyer, zdwyer@stcloudtimes.com, St. Cloud Times via Imagn Content Services, LLC

Gophers men's hockey reveals 2025-26 non-conference schedule

Originally posted on Minnesota Golden Gophers on SI
By Tony Liebert | Last updated Jun 9, 2025 11:59 AM ET

Gophers men's hockey has officially released their 2025-26 non-conference schedule. The 12-game slate includes a few old Western College Hockey Association (WCHA) rivals and a pair of blue-bloods. It all starts on Oct. 3 and 4 with a season-opening series against Michigan Tech at home.

Full 2025-26 non-conference schedule:

Oct. 3: vs. Michigan Tech
Oct. 4: vs. Michigan Tech
Oct. 9: vs. Boston College
Oct. 10: vs. Boston College
Oct. 17: @ North Dakota
Oct. 18: @ North Dakota
Oct. 24: vs. UMD
Oct. 25: vs. UMD
Nov. 14: vs. Long Island
Nov. 15: vs. Long Island
Nov. 28 or 29: @ Denver (Ball Arena)
Jan. 2: @ Bemidji State (exhibition)

BREAKING: Gophers men's hockey has officially released their 2025-26 non-conference schedule.

They will open the season on October 3 against Michigan Tech, their first meeting since leaving the WCHA.

Early thoughts? pic.twitter.com/f90jUXTUg1
— Tony Liebert (@TonyLiebert) June 9, 2025

Notes/Takeaways

Minnesota's season-opening series against Michigan Tech will be their first meeting since both programs were in the WCHA in 2010-11. It will be their 43rd and 44th meeting all-time, a series the Gophers lead 31-7-4.

The Boston College series will be played on Thursday and Friday, leading into the football team's Homecoming game against Purdue. They last faced off in 2016-17, but that game was played in Chestnut Hill, Mass. This will be the Eagles' first time playing at 3M Arena at Mariucci since 2013-14, when they played a two-game series in October.

Related: Gophers sign two-time USHL champion defenseman Finn McLaughlin

This will be the Gophers' first game against bitter rival North Dakota since the 2023-24 season, after taking a scheduled year off. The Fighting Hawks are expected to be much improved this season after making a multitude of changes this offseason.

This will mark the third-straight year Minnesota has met with UMD in the non-conference. The Bulldogs haven't compiled a winning record since the 2020-21 season, but the intra-state rivalry is always competitive.

Minnesota's non-conference schedule will be rounded out with a home meeting against the Long Island University Sharks, which do not belong to a conference. They're an independent Division I program. At the end of the month, the Gophers will travel west to play Denver at Ball Arena, the home of the Colorado Avalanche.