COLLEGE HOCKEY: NOTRE DAME AT MINNESOTA
By JOHN FINERAN
Coming off its best offensive performance of the season in Saturday’s 7-4 hockey victory over No. 10 Michigan, Notre Dame travels to Minneapolis for a weekend Big Ten series with No. 3 Minnesota.
WHEN/WHERE: Friday at 8 p.m. EST and Saturday at 6 p.m. EST in 3M Arena at Mariucci (10,257) in Minneapolis, Minn.
RADIO: WZOC-FM (94.3) and UND.com (Tyler Reidy).
TV/STREAMING: B1G+
BIG TEN STANDINGS AND SCHEDULE: (Numbers in parentheses before school are its rankings in this week’s USCHO.com media poll, this week’s USA Hockey-The Rink Live coaches poll and current PairWise rating)
- (1/1/1) Michigan State 9-1-2, 28 points (18-2-2 overall)
- (3/3/4) Minnesota 9-2-1, 27 points (18-4-2 overall)
- (8/8/9) Ohio State 8-4-0, 23 points (15-6-1 overall)
- (rv/rv/19) Wisconsin 5-9-0, 20 points (9-12-1 overall)
- (10/10/12) Michigan 7-5-0, 18 points (13-8-1 overall)
- (nr/nr/38) Notre Dame 2-11-1, 9 points (7-14-1 overall)
- (nr/nr/31) Penn State 1-9-2, 7 points (8-10-2 overall)
Friday, Jan. 17: Notre Dame at Minnesota, 8 p.m.; Michigan State at Michigan, 7 p.m.; Canisius at Penn State, 7 p.m. (non-conference); Long Island at Wisconsin, 8 p.m. (non-conference); Ohio State is idle.
Saturday, Jan. 18: Notre Dame at Minnesota, 6 p.m.; Michigan at Michigan State, 7:30 p.m.; Canisius at Penn State, 5 p.m. (non-conference); Long Island at Wisconsin, 7 p.m. (non-conference); Ohio State is idle.
Friday, Jan. 24: Lindenwood at Notre Dame, 7 p.m. (non-conference); Minnesota at Michigan State, 7 p.m.; Ohio State at Penn State, 7 p.m.; Michigan at Wisconsin, 8 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 25: Lindenwood at Notre Dame, 6 p.m. (non-conference); Ohio State at Penn State, 5 p.m.; Minnesota at Michigan State, 6 p.m.; Michigan at Wisconsin, 8:30 p.m.
LAST WEEKEND: Both Notre Dame and Minnesota are coming off weekend Big Ten series splits. The recaps:
Michigan 5, Notre Dame 3 (Compton Family Ice Arena, Jan. 10): Irish jumped out to 2-0 lead in first period on goals by Cole Knuble (7:19) and Blake Biondi (8:52), but Wolverines scored next five goals until Alex Kumlin’s second period goal at 17:10 ended scoring. Nicholas Kempf made 28 saves as Irish were outshot by Wolverines 33-31.
Ohio State 5, Minnesota 1 (Value City Arena/Schottenstein Center Jan. 10): Buckeyes never trailed and led 4-0 in the third period when Gophers defenseman Sam Rinzel scored at 9:01. Nathan Airey started in goal for Gophers and had 19 saves before being replaced at 2:31 of third period by Liam Souliere, who made six stops.
Notre Dame 7, Michigan 4 (Compton Family Ice Arena, Jan. 11): Wolverines jumped to a 1-0 lead and were on power play when Justin Janicke’s first of three goals at 12:50 got the Irish rolling. Paul Fischer added his first of the year at 17:10 to give the Irish 2-1 lead after first period. Then three goals in a span of a program record 32 seconds of the second period by Hunter Strand (5:37), Janicke (5:52) and Danny Nelson (6:09) gave Irish 5-1 lead. Michigan battled back with two goals to make it 5-3 Irish after two but Strand (7:07) made it 6-3 and Janicke completed his hat trick and five-point night with empty-net goal at 19:59.9. Nelson finished the net with +6 plus/minus and goalie Owen Say stopped 37 Michigan shots.
Minnesota 6, Ohio State 1 (Value City Arena/Schottenstein Center, Jan. 11): Gophers jumped to a 3-0 first-period lead on goals by Mike Koster (2:42), Mason Nevers (7:49) and Connor Kurth (8:04). Koster added his second power-play goal at 3:36 and Jimmy Snuggerud added another power-play goal at 13:55 to put Gophers up 5-0 after two. Ryan Chesley made it 6-0 at 8:24 of third before Buckeyes ended Liam Souliere’s shutout bid at 17:45. Souliere stopped 32 other Buckeye shot.
THE RIVALRY: Minnesota leads 45-27-6 in the series which began with a pair of 2-1 victories over Notre Dame on Feb. 9-10, 1925 at the Minneapolis Arena. … Last season, the teams split their home series – Notre Dame won 4-2 on Nov. 17, 2023 and Minnesota rebounded 4-1 on Nov. 18 in 3M Arena at Mariucci in Minneapolis; then Notre Dame won 6-1 Feb. 16, 2024 before Minnesota won 3-2 in overtime Feb. 17 at Compton. … Earlier this season at Compton Family Ice Arena, the Gophers swept the Irish, winning 6-3 on Nov. 22 and 5-3 on Nov. 23. The recaps:
Minnesota 6, Notre Dame 3 (Compton Family Ice Arena, Nov. 22, 2024): After Hunter Strand gave Irish 1-0 lead at 2:56 of first period, Brody Lamb of Gophers tied it at 6:30. Sam Rinzel scored on power play 38 seconds into second period and Gophers never trailed again, finishing 3-of-5 on power play (Rinzel added another and Aaron Huglen had other). Oliver Moore and Connor Kurth added the other Gopher goals, while Jack Larrigan and Blake Biondi scored for Irish. Irish goalie Owen Say made 32 saves, seven more than his counterpart Nathan Airey, as Gophers outshot Irish 38-28.
Minnesota 5, Notre Dame 3 (Compton Family Ice Arena, Nov. 23, 2024): Irish jumped out to 1-0 lead in first on power-play goal by Axel Kumlin (8:10). But Gophers tied it on goal by Oliver Moore (18:43) and then got two second-period goals by Jimmy Snuggerud (1:45 on power play; 7:59) to take 3-1 lead. But Irish responded on goals by Danny Nelson (14:48) and Brennan Ali (19:38) to send game into third period tied at 3-3. It remained that way until 13:15 when Brodie Ziemer scored game-winner and Mike Koster closed out scoring at 19:49 into empty net. Irish goalie Nicholas Kempf made 34 saves while counterpart Nathan Airey made 20 as Gophers outshot Irish 39-23.
SCOUTING FIGHTING IRISH: Senior right wing Justin Janicke, one of five Irish who hail from Minnesota, earned Big Ten Second Star of the Week honors after his three-goal, three-assist performance last weekend against the Wolverines. … His hat trick Saturday was the first of his Irish career and his five-point night tied a Big Ten game record. … Janicke has nine goals and 12 assists for 21 points is one behind team-leader Cole Knuble (8-4-22) and his goals total matches fellow Maple Grove native, sophomore center Danny Nelson (9-7-16). … Danny Nelson and Janicke play on a line with sophomore left wing Brennan Ali (4-9-13). … Knuble centers for a line with senior left wing Hunter Strand (6-4-10) and graduate right wing Blake Biondi (7-10-17), a native of Hermantown, Minn. … Junior Axel Kumlin (4-10-14) paces defensemen with sophomore Paul Fischer (1-10-11) and junior Michael Mastrodomenico (3-7-10) also in double figures. … Sophomore defenseman Henry Nelson (2-2-4), Danny’s older brother, and graduate left wing Grant Silianoff (2-1-3) are the other Minnesota natives. … Junior goaltender Owen Say (2.92 goals-against average, .920 saves percentage, 6-8-0 record) is on the watch list for the Mike Richter Award which is annually given to the NCAA Division I top goaltender. … Say, who is averaging 32.93 saves per game this season to lead Big Ten, shares netminding duties with freshman Nicholas Kempf (3.15 goals-against average, .911 saves percentage, 1-6-1 record). … Graduate defenseman Zach Plucinski (0-1-1) leads team with 33 blocked shots, two more than Fischer. … Danny Nelson leads Big Ten in faceoff wins with 270.
NCAA statistics (through Jan. 12 games): Scoring offense, 2.77 goals per game (35th); scoring defense, 3.18 goals per game (50th); scoring margin, -0.41 goals per game (45th); power-play percentage, 0.258 (16 of 62) (8th); penalty-kill percentage, 0.750 (51 of 68) (52nd); faceoff win percentage, 0.522 (735-672) (18th); penalty minutes per game, 9.86 (26th).
SCOUTING GOLDEN GOPHERS: Minnesota’s roster is loaded with talent everywhere you look – 14 Gophers have been drafted by NHL teams, including four in the first round: junior right wing Jimmy Snuggerud (2022 St. Louis), sophomore defenseman Sam Rinzel (2022 Chicago), sophomore center Oliver Moore (2023 Chicago) and junior right wing Matthew Wood (2023 Nashville). … Team’s goaltending tandem of graduate Liam Souliere (1.60 goals-against average, .938 saves percentage, 8-3-0 record, 2 shutouts) and sophomore Nathan Airey (2.26 goals-against average, .910 saves percentage, 10-1-2 record, 1 shutout) both are on the Mike Richter Award watch list. … Souliere, a grad transfer from Penn State, earned Big Ten Third Star of the Week honors after making six saves in relief of Airey in Minnesota’s 5-1 loss at Ohio State and then making a season-high 32 saves while allowing a late goal in 6-1 victory the following night. … But the Gophers are known more for their scoring – they have 98 goals this season (4.08 per game), 21 of which have come on the power play. … Snuggerud (12-18-30) leads team in scoring by three points over junior left wing Connor Kurth (11-16-27) with Wood (8-18-26) third. … Junior right wing Brody Lamb has a team-high 13 goals, eight of them on the power play, seven assists and 20 points. … Minnesota’s defense is led by the 6-foot-5 Rinzel (9-15-24), junior Ryan Chesley (7-9-16), junior Luke Mittelstadt (0-13-13) and grad Mike Koster (3-6-9). … Chesley leads team in blocked shots with 40, five more than Koster and seven more than Mittelstadt.
NCAA statistics (through Jan. 12 games): Scoring offense, 4.08 goals per game (1st); scoring defense, 2.08 goals per game (8th); scoring margin, 2.00 goals per game (1st); power-play percentage, 0.253 (21 of 83) (11th); penalty-kill percentage, 0.732 (41 of 56) (60th); faceoff win percentage, 0.485 (701-745) (45th);penalty minutes per game, 7.58 (54th).
COACHES: Notre Dame, Jeff Jackson (414-280-74 in his 20th and final season at school with NCAA Frozen Four appearances in 2008, 2011, 2017 and 2018; 596-332-99 overall record includes 182-52-25 record in six seasons at Lake Superior State where his teams won national championships in 1992 and 1994 and finished runner-up in 1993). … Minnesota, Bob Motzko (154-75-19 in seventh season at Minnesota; 430-267-68 in 20th season overall includes 276-192-49 record in 13 seasons at St. Cloud State).
JEFF JACKSON ON:
(Notre Dame) “It’s exciting to see the kids smile and look forward to playing again. We didn’t necessarily come out fast (against Michigan Saturday night). They scored the first goal, but that shorthanded goal scored by Justin Janicke was a momentum changer for us. We got a little confidence from that. When we got the 5-1 lead … we gave the momentum back a little bit. For the most part, in the third period, we did a better job playing with the lead, playing the game the right way.”
(Return of Danny Nelson and Paul Fischer from World Juniors) “They both have a big impact in our lineup. They are two of our most talented players. With them in the lineup, it gives us a little more balance with our top lines as far as scoring goes, and obviously Paul a top-pairing defenseman going up against the other teams’ top lines. It was nice to see him score his first goal because he has some offensive tools. He’s a real leader back there for us.”
(Danny Nelson’s +6 plus-minus night against Michigan Saturday) “He can play the game at both ends. He’s a pretty good two-way player. He has a lot of offensive potential and he’s show that We’re excited to see how he grows and develops. When you watch him play, he looks like a pro already the way he carries himself with his skating and size. He’s a guy who can dominate play because he can skate well and he’s a big kid (6-foot-2, 215 pounds). And he competes.”
(The Gophers) “They are a very talented team. It’s not going to be a lot different than what we saw with Michigan as far as speed and transition. They may have a little more depth than Michigan, and they are maybe a little better on the blueline. But they are certainly a contender for the national championship this year. They and Michigan State have been pretty dominant in our conference this year. It’s probably one of Bobby’s (Minnesota coach Bob Motzko) better teams, in my opinion. Their defense is really good and they have some prolific scorers. The power play has four first-round (NHL) draft picks on it. Again it’s about their speed and transition, and we have to find a way to minimize that by possessing the puck and making good choices defensively.”
(Possibly his final coaching trip to Land of 10,000 Lakes) “Minnesota has always been a proud program. When we were having our best years, we were competing with them generally all the time. We’ve had a lot of players come from the state. A lot of players and coaches, including Lefty Smith and his assistant, Tim McNeill, who recruited a lot of players from that area, and we kind of carried on that tradition. (Associate head coach) Andy Slaggert’s in-laws are from Minnesota, so he spends a lot of time up there. The one thing about the kids from that state is they are ‘middle-of-the-country’ kids’ –education is important, family is important, and in many cases, religion is important. That all ties into Notre Dame. I’m sure that’s part of the reason why we’ve had success recruiting there.”
BOB MOTZKO ON:
(Jeff Jackson) “He and I have been at it (coaching rivals) a long time – the old CCHA days, NCAA tournaments, then in the Big Ten. I think every coach has the utmost respect for Jeff. Class act. What he did at Lake Superior State is crazy, and then what’s turned Notre Dame into. He’s a Hall of Famer and a great guy.” (Quotes courtesy of Jess Myers of the Pioneer Press)
NEXT UP: Notre Dame returns home for a Jan. 24-25 non-conference series with Lindenwood with faceoffs at 7:05 p.m. Friday and 6:05 p.m. … Minnesota travels to Michigan State Jan. 24-25 with faceoffs at 6 p.m. Friday and 5 p.m. Saturday.
THIS WEEK’S SCHEDULE FOR USCHO.com MEDIA POLL TEAMS AND OTHERS
- Michigan State(Big Ten) (18-2-2) at No. 10 Michigan Friday, vs. No. 10 Michigan Saturday.
- Boston College(Hockey East) (14-4-1) beat Harvard 3-1 Tuesday, vs. No. 6 Providence Friday, at No. 6 Providence Saturday
- Minnesota(Big Ten) (18-4-2) vs. Notre Dame Friday, vs. Notre Dame Saturday.
- Western Michigan(NCHC) (13-4-1) at No. 14 North Dakota Friday, at No. 14 North Dakota Saturday.
- Maine(Hockey East) (15-4-2) vs. No. 17 Connecticut Friday, vs. No. 17 Connecticut Saturday.
- Providence (Hockey East) (15-3-2) at No. 2 Boston College Friday, vs. No. 2 Boston College Saturday.
- Denver (NCHC) (17-5-0) is idle Next: Jan. 24-25 at Minnesota Duluth.
- Ohio State (Big Ten) (15-6-1) is idle. Next: Jan. 24-25 at Penn State.
- UMass Lowell(Hockey East) (12-6-2) vs. Stonehill Saturday.
- Michigan (Big Ten) (13-8-1) vs. No. 1 Michigan State Friday, at No. 1 Michigan State Saturday.
- Boston University(Hockey East) (11-7-1) at No. 19 New Hampshire Friday, vs. No. 19 New Hampshire Saturday.
- Minnesota State(CCHA) (15-5-2) vs. Michigan Tech Friday, vs. Michigan Tech Saturday.
- Arizona State (NCHC) (11-8-1) at No. 15 St. Cloud State Friday, at No. 15 St. Cloud State Saturday.
- North Dakota (NCHC) (12-8-1) vs. No. 4 Western Michigan Friday, vs. No. 4 Western Michigan Saturday.
- St. Cloud State(NCHC) (11-9-0) vs. No. 13 Arizona State Friday, vs. No. 13 Arizona State Saturday.
- Quinnipiac (ECAC) (13-7-1) vs. Colgate Friday, vs. Cornell Saturday.
- Connecticut (Hockey East) (11-8-1) at No. 5 Maine Friday, at No. 5 Maine Saturday.
- Colorado College(NCHC) (10-9-1) vs. Minnesota Duluth Friday, vs. Minnesota Duluth Saturday.
- New Hampshire(Hockey East) (10-6-3) vs. No. 11 Boston University Friday, at No. 11 Boston University Saturday.
- Clarkson(ECAC) (12-6-2) at Yale Friday, at Brown Saturday.
Also receiving votes
Augustana (CCHA) (12-7-1) vs. Lindenwood Friday, vs. Lindenwood Saturday.
Cornell (ECAC) (6-5-4) at Princeton Friday, at No. 16 Quinnipiac Saturday.
Massachusetts (Hockey East) (10-9-2) at Merrimack Friday, vs. Merrimack Saturday.
Wisconsin (Big Ten) (9-12-1) vs. Long Island Friday, vs. Long Island Saturday.
Sacred Heart (Atlantic Hockey) (12-8-4) vs. American International Friday, vs. American International Saturday.
Bentley (Atlantic Hockey) (12-8-2) vs. Holy Cross Friday, vs. Holy Cross Saturday.
Michigan Tech (CCHA) (12-8-2) at No. 12 Minnesota State Friday, at No. 12 Minnesota State Saturday.
Dartmouth (ECAC) (8-6-2) at Union Friday, at Rensselaer Saturday.
Northeastern (Hockey East) (7-10-3) at Vermont Friday, at Vermont Saturday.
Bowling Green (CCHA) (11-7-3) at Ferris State Friday, at Ferris State Saturday.
Niagara (Atlantic Hockey) (11-9-3) at Mercyhurst Friday, vs. Mercyhurst Saturday.
Omaha (NCHC) (10-10-0) at Miami Friday, at Miami Saturday.
Others to watch
Notre Dame (Big Ten) (7-14-1) at No. 3 Minnesota Friday, at No. 3 Minnesota Saturday.
Penn State (Big Ten) (8-10-2) vs. Canisius Friday, vs. Canisius Saturday.
Vermont (Hockey East) (8-10-3) vs. Northeastern Friday, vs. Northeastern Saturday.
Merrimack (Hockey East) (8-11-1) vs. Massachusetts Friday, at Massachusetts Saturday.
Minnesota Duluth (NCHC) (8-11-1) at No. 18 Colorado College Friday, at No. 18 Colorado College Saturday.
Bemidji State (CCHA) (8-10-4) vs. Northern Michigan Friday, vs. Northern Michigan Saturday.
Lake Superior State (CCHA) (9-12-1) vs. St. Thomas Friday, vs. St. Thomas Saturday.
St. Thomas (CCHA) (8-10-4) at Lake Superior State Friday, at Lake Superior State Saturday.
Holy Cross (Atlantic Hockey) (9-11-2) at Bentley Friday, at Bentley Saturday.
Robert Morris (Atlantic Hockey) (8-10-3) vs. Canisius Tuesday ppd., vs. RIT Friday, vs. RIT Saturday.
Air Force (Atlantic Hockey) (11-12-1) at Army Friday, at Army Saturday.
Harvard (ECAC) (5-8-2) lost at No. 2 Boston College 3-1 Tuesday, Friday at Rensselaer, Saturday at Union
Princeton (ECAC) (6-8-1) vs. Cornell Friday, vs. Colgate Saturday.
Colgate (ECAC) (10-8-2) at No. 16 Quinnipiac Friday, at Princeton Saturday.
Union (ECAC) (12-8-1) vs. Dartmouth Friday, vs. Harvard Saturday.
Rensselaer (ECAC) (9-10-2) vs. Harvard Friday, vs. Dartmouth Saturday.
Long Island (Independent) (12-9-1) at Wisconsin Friday, at Wisconsin Saturday.
Lindenwood (Independent) (5-16-1) at Augustana Friday, at Augustana Saturday.
Stonehill (Independent) (7-19-0) at No. 9 UMass Lowell Saturday.
Alaska (Independent) (7-9-4) at Alaska-Anchorage Saturday.
Alaska Anchorage (Independent) (5-17-3) vs. Alaska Saturday.