The third-ranked Gophers men's hockey team bounced back from an ugly opening loss and used a three-goal first period to spark a dominant 6-1 victory over No. 11 Ohio State Saturda

Gophers goalkeeper Liam Souliere, shown during a December game, made 32 saves Saturday against Ohio State, his career high. (Aaron Lavinsky/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

The third-ranked Golden Gophers men's hockey team put together a dominating performance on the road at No. 11 Ohio State and skated to a 6-1 victory inside Value City Arena Saturday night.

The top of the Big Ten standings continue to tighten after the Gophers fell 5-1 to Ohio State on Friday in Columbus. The 11th-ranked Buckeyes (15-5-1, 8-3 Big Ten) scored the game’s first four goals before Sam Rinzel finally found the back of the net for the U in the latter stages of the third period.

The Buckeyes scored twice on a five-minute power play, contributing to a 5-1 rout in a Big Ten game.