When the Gophers men’s hockey team endured a 2-3-1 slump in conference play to start January that included a six-goal drubbing at Michigan State, the thoughts of Minnesota winning its seventh Big Ten regular-season title seemed remote.

The Gophers drew a fired-up crowd to Williams Arena after upsets of USC and UCLA, then lost to the Big Ten’s last-place team.

Yanic Konan Niederhauser, who missed the last meeting because of a sprained ankle, had 24 points, 7 boards and 5 blocks for the Lions.

Regained shooting confidence from Mike Mitchell Jr. helped the Gophers start fast. Despite Femi Odukale heading to the bench with two quick fouls only 1:54 into the game, two thre