Minnesota scored three unanswered goals in the third period, coming back to take down top-ranked Ohio State, 4-2 on the road.
Sophomore forward Peyton Hemp gave the No. 2 Golden Gophers (7-0-0, 7-0-0 WCHA) the lead with 9:51 to go in regulation, banking the puck in off OSU junior netminder Amanda Thiele, who could not seal the quick enough.
Sophomore goaltender Skylar Vetter was sensational for Minnesota, making 43 saves. Freshman defender Nelli Laitinen, fifth-year co-captain Taylor Heise and fifth-year forward Abigail Boreen also scored for the Gophers.
NEED TO KNOW: Get up to speed on the top women's hockey games this weekend
Graduate defender Sophie Jaques and junior forward Jenna Buglioni each scored for the No. 1 Buckeyes (8-1-0, 8-1-0 WCHA) as the defending champions sustained their first loss of the season. Thiele made 28 saves.
Laitinen opened the scoring with 10:59 left in the first when she kept the puck in at the point before firing a shot through the traffic in front and in.
The Buckeyes threw just about everything they had at Vetter heavily outshooting the Gophers, and finally broke through with under two minutes left in the second.
On the power play, Buglioni evened it up 1-1 with 1:20 remaining in the period when she jammed in a loose puck at the left post.
OH HOW SWEEP: How Ohio State swept UMD in last week's national championship rematch
Jaques gave OSU a 2-1 lead just 37 seconds later, stuffing in a rebound in front of the crease after Vetter and the Gophers struggled to control the puck.
Heise, the reigning Patty Kazmaier Award winner, tied it 2-2 just 19 seconds into the third, driving wide of Jaques before her centering pass deflected past Thiele off the blue-liner’s stick.
Game 2 between the Buckeyes and the Gophers will be Saturday at 3 p.m. in Columbus.
