Former Gophers and Olympic hockey player Len Lilyholm was one of three people who died Saturday in a head-on collision on Interstate 35 in northern Iowa.

Lilyholm, of Palm Beach, Fla., was 83.

According to the Des Moines Register, the crash happened about 8:55 a.m. near the Manly/Forest City exit in Worth County, when a car driven by Lilyholm crossed the median and traveled southbound in the northbound lane.

His car hit a vehicle driven by Bradley Vonnahme, 41, of Coon Rapids, Iowa. Lilyholm's wife, Carol, 82, and Vonnahme also died in the crash. Three others, including a 6-year-old, were injured and taken to a nearby hospital.

Before joining the Gophers program in 1959, Lilyholm played for Robbinsdale High School. He scored four goals in a state tournament game in 1959.

During his three seasons with the Gophers, he played on the "Buzzsaw Line" with Dave Brooks and Gary Schmalzbauer.

After graduation, he played four seasons with the U.S. National Team and was a member of the 1968 U.S. Olympic team, which finished sixth at the Grenoble, France, games.

He spent four seasons for the Rochester Mustangs of the USHL before playing for the Minnesota Fighting Saints for one season.

Before his hockey career ended, Lilyholm began working for an architectural firm. Lilyholm helped in the design of the St. Paul Civic Center, which opened in 1973.