Mats Zuccarello delivered the decisive goal in a fight-filled game at 2:08 of overtime, after Philadelphia's Tony DeAngelo served up the equalizer with 1:28 to go in the third period, to end a three-game losing streak.
Despite a logjam at center, Naz Reid has forced himself into the rotation with strong performances.
Senior Jackson LaCombe is among the nation's top scoring defensemen.
The Gophers have outscored opponents 62-6 during their winning streak, which started at the beginning of December. But three of the marquee schools in women's hockey are just ahead, starting with UMD.
John Shuster has hosted players from the semipro Duluth FC team in his home since 2019 and recently became a co-owner alongside developer Alex Giuliani.
Dan O'Brien, long a part of the Gophers program and since with St. Thomas Academy, will be assisted by two Hall of Famers, Dave Nelson and Jeff Ferguson.