Minnesota (3-1-0, 1-1-0 WCHA) held a 34-18 advantage in shots in the game, but Tech (2-2-0, 1-1-0 WCHA) found a way to stay in the game.
Ambroz scored his first of the game on a rebound 17:45 into the game, and Minnesota led at the first intermission before the Huskies tied it up.
Chad Pietila took a pass up the center of the ice from Carl Nielsen then dodged a defender while keeping possession of the puck. He scored into the top left corner for his second goal of the weekend.
The tie score lasted for five minutes before the Gophers made a blue line-to-blue line
pass to Erik Haula who scored on a wrister from atop the right circle.
Tech got a fortunate bounce to re-tie the game late in the second. Alex Petan's shot from the half wall was tipped by Ryan Furne into UM goalie Adam Wilcox. The puck caromed into the air and was deflected into the goal by Gopher forward Nick Bjugstad.
The teams skated through 16 minutes of the third without a goal despite several good chances for both squads.
Ambroz broke the deadlock at the 16:25 mark with his second goal of the game.
Just one minute later, Wilcox made a nice save on a wide open chance by Chad Pietila
right in front of the net.
Tech pulled its goaltender Pheonix Copley for the extra attacker with 1:10 to play but could not get the equalizer.
"It was a physical game again tonight, and I thought it was a gutsy effort by our guys," said head coach Mel Pearson. "We played right with the No. 1 team, and sometimes it doesn't go your way.
"They scored on more of their opportunities than we did, and that was the difference."
Copley made 31 saves for the hosts while Wilcox tallied 16. Neither team scored a power-play goal on seven combined chances (five for Minnesota).
Michigan Tech will be back in action with another tough WCHA series next weekend in Denver. The Huskies and Pioneers will play at 9:37 p.m. ET Friday, and 9:07 p.m ET on Saturday.
The following is a reprint of Friday night's MTU-Minnesota game story, again, courtesy of the Michigan Tech Sports Information office.
HOUGHTON — Michigan Tech buried its scoring chances and freshman goaltender Pheonix Copley played a strong game as the Huskies defeated No. 1-ranked Minnesota 5-3. Blake Pietila scored two goals and Dennis Rix added a goal and an assist.
The hosts scored just 3:32 into the game, built a 3-1 lead after one period and a 5-2 lead after two en route to the win.
"We got off to a good start," said head coach Mel Pearson. "(Alex) Petan scored a great goal, and things seemed to go in for us. We really capitalized on our chances."
Petan scored the game's opening goal with a SportsCenter Top 10 play. Fellow freshman Jujhar Khaira passed to Petan on a 2-on-1 breakaway. The pass was out in front of Petan. He dove to stop the puck, then stood up and buried a shot into the top right corner.
Minnesota (2-1-0, 0-1-0 WCHA) tied the score with a four-on-four goal after Nate Schmidt put home a rebound at the 9:13 mark.
The Huskies answered five minutes later with back-to-back goals. Blake Pietila tipped a shot from Ryan Furne while on the power play at the 14:48 mark. Twenty-two seconds later, Dennis Rix scored his third goal in as many games with a tap in of a C.J. Eick centering pass.
The Gophers pulled within 3-2 when Nick Bjugstad netted a shot 2:51 into the second period. Again, the Huskies answered with two goals.
Rix feathered a pass to Chad Pietila on a breakaway and Pietila didn't miss. He went top shelf for his first goal of the season in his first game. Minnesota changed goaltenders after the tally, but Tech scored the next goal anyway.
Blake Pietila notched his second of the night after Tanner Kero backhanded a pretty pass with a defender draped on his back. The goal came at the 18:27 mark of the second.
Copley made several big saves to keep the Huskies in a 5-2 lead deep into the third period. The Gophers finally scored on the power play with little over two minutes remaining. UM brought on the extra attacker for the final 1:57, but Tech was able withstand the pressure.
"Pheonix played a heck of a hockey game," said Pearson. "He was a difference maker for us tonight."
The Huskies' netminder made 28 saves on 31 Gopher shots. Tech put 26 shots on goal. Both teams were 1-for-3 on the power play.
