No.3 GOPHERS GOLDEN IN FIRST PERIOD, REGAIN FIRST PLACE AFTER 5-2 BIG TEN VICTORY OVER NOTRE DAME

by | Jan 18, 2025 | Headlines, Hockey | 0 comments

  1. No.3 GOPHERS GOLDEN IN FIRST PERIOD, REGAIN FIRST PLACE AFTER 5-2 BIG TEN VICTORY OVER NOTRE DAME

 

By JOHN FINERAN

 

No. 3 Minnesota showed why it’s one of the top college hockey teams in the country against visiting Notre Dame.

 

Coach Bob Motzko’s Golden Gophers, the nation’s most prolific scoring machine, dominated from the start of Friday’s Big Ten Conference hockey game with the Fighting Irish, rebounding from an early 1-0 deficit to score five first-period goals on way to a 5-2 victory before a sellout crowd of 10,362 in 3M Arena at Mariucci in Minneapolis, Minn.

 

The victory by the Gophers, now 19-4-2 overall, lifted them past No. 1 Michigan State into the Big Ten Conference lead with 30 points off their 10-2-1 league mark. The Spartans, who lost 3-2 in overtime at No. 10 Michigan Friday night, have 29 points in the league. The setback dropped Notre Dame to 7-15-1 overall and 2-12-1 for sixth place in the Big Ten with nine points.

 

If coach Jeff Jackson’s Fighting Irish had hopes that their 7-4 victory over the Wolverines last Saturday night might have turned around their season, the Gophers put a big dash into those hopes. From the opening faceoff, Notre Dame had trouble against a faster and more talented Minnesota team which features 14 NHL draft picks, including four first-rounders.

 

And even though sophomore defenseman Paul Fischer gave the Irish a stunning 1-0 lead at 4:02 when he knocked his own rebound past Minnesota goalie Nathan Airey, the Gophers answered just 22 seconds later when junior All-America right wing Jimmy Snuggerud scored the first of his two goals against Irish starting goaltender, freshman Nicholas Kempf.

 

The Gophers’ barrage against Kempf continued when defenseman Cal Thomas scored at 8:43 and then center John Mittelstadt scored the eventual game-winner less than 30 seconds later at 9:12.

 

Snuggerud and Mason Nevers scored two goals with 14 seconds of each other late in the period to conclude the first 20 minutes which saw the Gophers finish with a 42-12 edge in shot attempts, a 24-5 edge in shots on goal and a 5-1 lead that ended the night for Kempf, who finished with 19 saves.

 

Jackson sent out junior goaltender Owen Say to start the second period, and he was immediately tested by Minnesota’s Oliver Moore on a breakaway 21 seconds after the faceoff.

 

Irish first-year defenseman Jimmy Jurcev would score the first goal of his Notre Dame career at 6:35 of the period, taking a pass from sophomore center Cole Knuble and beating Airey over his right shoulder. Senior Justin Janicke, a native of nearby Maple Grove who was named Notre Dame’s captain for the remainder of the season before the game, also got an assist on Jurcev’s goal.

 

Say would later stop left wing Matthew Wood’s breakaway attempt at 8:52 to keep the score at 5-2. He would finish the period with 10 saves and then add 12 more in the scoreless third period for a total of 22.

 

For the game, Minnesota had a 46-15 edge in shots on goal and Airey stopped 13 of the 15 shots the Irish put on net. Say most likely will get the start in goal for Notre Dame Saturday night at 6 p.m. EST when the two teams conclude their series.

 

MINNESOTA 5, NOTRE DAME 2

At 3M Arena at Mariucci, Minneapolis, Minn.

Notre Dame              1          1          0—2

Minnesota                  5          0          0—5

First Period—Scoring: 1. Notre Dame, Paul Fischer 2 (Axel Kumlin) EV 4:02; 2. Minnesota, Jimmy Snuggerud 13 (Erik Pahlsson) EV 4:24; 3. Minnesota, Cal Thomas 1 (Luke Mittelstadt, Aaron Huglen) EV 8:43; 4. Minnesota, John Mittelstadt 3 (Beckett Hendrickson, Mike Koster) EV 9:12; 5. Minnesota, Jimmy Snuggerud 14 (Mike Koster) EV 17:50; 6. Minnesota, Mason Nevers 3 (Beckett Hendrickson) EV, 18:04. Penalties: Notre Dame 1-2, Minnesota 0-0.

Second Period—Scoring: 7. Notre Dame, Jimmy Jurcev 1 (Cole Knuble, Justin Janicke) EV 6:35. Penalties: Notre Dame 1-2 (2-4), Minnesota 1-2 (1-2).

Third Period—Scoring: None. Penalties: Notre Dame 0-0 (2-4), Minnesota 0-0 (1-2).

Shots on goal: Notre Dame 15 (5-6-4), Minnesota 46 (24-10-12).

Goalie saves: Notre Dame (41), Nicholas Kempf 19 (19-x-x) and Owen Say 22 (x-10-12); Minnesota, Nathan Airey 13 (4-5-4).

Power-play opportunities: Notre Dame 0 of 1, Minnesota 0 of 2.

Faceoffs won: Notre Dame 23 (12-7-4), Minnesota 21 (8-7-6).

Blocked shots: Notre Dame 12 (5-4-3), Minnesota 3 (3-3-4).

Referees: Jonathon Sitarski and Nicholas Bet. Linesmen: Sam Shikowsky and Chad Roethlisberger. Attendance: 10,362 (10,257).

Records: Notre Dame 7-15-1 overall, 2-12-1 Big Ten for 9 points; Minnesota 19-4-2 overall, 10-2-1 Big Ten for 30 points.

 

BIG TEN STANDINGS AND SCHEDULE: (Numbers in parenthesis 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. (3/3/4) Minnesota 10-2-1, 30 points (19-4-2 overall)
  2. (1/1/1) Michigan State 9-2-2, 29 points (18-3-2 overall)
  3. (8/8/9) Ohio State 8-4-0, 23 points (15-6-1 overall)

4T. (10/10/12) Michigan 8-5-0, 20 points (14-8-1 overall)

4T. (rv/rv/19) Wisconsin 5-9-0, 20 points (10-12-1 overall)

  1. (nr/nr/38) Notre Dame 2-12-1, 9 points (7-15-1 overall)
  2. (nr/nr/31) Penn State 1-9-2, 7 points (9-10-2 overall)

Friday, Jan. 17: Minnesota 5, Notre Dame 2; Michigan 3, Michigan State 2 (OT); Penn State 4, Canisius 0 (non-conference); Wisconsin 6, Long Island 3 (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.

 

SCHEDULE FOR USCHO.com MEDIA POLL TEAMS AND OTHERS

  1. Michigan State(Big Ten) (18-3-2) lost at No. 10 Michigan 3-2 (OT) Friday. Next: Saturday vs. No. 10 Michigan (14-8-1).
  2. Boston College(Hockey East) (15-4-1) beat No. 6 Providence 3-0 Friday. Next: Saturday at No. 6 Providence (15-4-2).
  3. Minnesota(Big Ten) (19-4-2) beat Notre Dame 5-2 Friday. Next: Saturday vs. Notre Dame (7-15-1).
  4. Western Michigan(NCHC) (14-4-1) beat No. 14 North Dakota 3-2 (OT) Friday. Next: Saturday at No. 14 North Dakota (12-9-1).
  5. Maine(Hockey East) (15-5-2) lost to No. 17 Connecticut 4-2 Friday. Next: Saturday vs. No. 17 Connecticut (12-8-1).
  6. Providence (Hockey East) (15-4-2) lost at No. 2 Boston College 3-0 Friday. Next: Saturday vs. No. 2 Boston College (15-4-1).
  7. Denver (NCHC) (17-5-0) was idle Next: Jan. 24-25 at Minnesota Duluth (8-12-1).
  8. Ohio State (Big Ten) (15-6-1) was idle. Next: Jan. 24-25 at Penn State (9-10-2).
  9. UMass Lowell(Hockey East) (12-6-2) was idle. Next: Saturday vs. Stonehill (7-19-0).
  10. Michigan (Big Ten) (14-8-1) beat No. 1 Michigan State 3-2 (OT) Friday. Next: Saturday at No. 1 Michigan State (18-3-2).
  11. Boston University(Hockey East) (12-7-1) beat No. 19 New Hampshire 6-3 Friday. Next: Saturday vs. No. 19 New Hampshire (10-7-3).
  12. Minnesota State(CCHA) (16-5-2) beat Michigan Tech 5-2 Friday. Next: Saturday vs. Michigan Tech (12-9-2).
  13. Arizona State (NCHC) (12-8-1) beat No. 15 St. Cloud State 6-3 Friday. Next: Saturday at No. 15 St. Cloud State (11-10-0).
  14. North Dakota (NCHC) (12-9-1) lost to No. 4 Western Michigan 3-2 (OT) Friday. Next: Saturday vs. No. 4 Western Michigan (14-4-1).
  15. St. Cloud State(NCHC) (11-10-0) lost to No. 13 Arizona State 6-3 Friday. Next: Saturday vs. No. 13 Arizona State (12-8-1).
  16. Quinnipiac (ECAC) (14-7-1) beat Colgate 6-3 Friday. Next: Saturday vs. Cornell (7-5-4).
  17. Connecticut (Hockey East) (12-8-1) beat No. 5 Maine 4-2 Friday. Next: Saturday at No. 5 Maine (15-5-2).
  18. Colorado College (NCHC) (11-9-1) beat Minnesota Duluth 7-2 Friday. Next: Saturday vs. Minnesota Duluth (8-12-1).
  19. New Hampshire(Hockey East) (10-7-3) lost to No. 11 Boston University 6-3 Friday. Next: Saturday at No. 11 Boston University (12-7-1).
  20. Clarkson(ECAC) (13-6-2) beat Yale 7-4 Friday. Next: Saturday at Brown (5-9-2).

Also receiving votes

Augustana (CCHA) (13-7-1) beat Lindenwood 3-2 Friday. Next: Saturday vs. Lindenwood (5-17-1).

Cornell (ECAC) (7-5-4) at Princeton 6-2 Friday. Next: Saturday at No. 16 Quinnipiac (14-7-1).

Massachusetts (Hockey East) (10-10-2) lost at Merrimack 3-2 Friday. Next: Saturday vs. Merrimack (9-11-1).

Wisconsin (Big Ten) (10-12-1) beat Long Island 6-3 Friday. Next: Saturday vs. Long Island (12-10-1).

Sacred Heart (Atlantic Hockey) (13-8-4) vs. American International 5-2 Friday. Next: Saturday vs. American International (7-14-1).

Bentley (Atlantic Hockey) (12-9-2) lost to Holy Cross 3-2 (OT) Friday. Next: Saturday vs. Holy Cross (10-11-2).

Michigan Tech (CCHA) (12-9-2) lost at No. 12 Minnesota State 5-2 Friday. Next: Saturday at No. 12 Minnesota State (16-5-2).

Dartmouth (ECAC) (8-6-2) at Union Friday. Next: Saturday at Rensselaer (9-11-2).

Northeastern (Hockey East) (8-10-3) beat Vermont 2-1 (OT) Friday. Next: Saturday at Vermont (8-11-3).

Bowling Green (CCHA) (12-7-3) beat Ferris State 4-3 Friday. Next: Saturday at Ferris State (6-15-2).

Niagara (Atlantic Hockey) (11-10-3) lost at Mercyhurst 5-1 Friday. Next: Saturday vs. Mercyhurst (3-19-3).

Omaha (NCHC) (11-10-0) beat Miami 4-1 Friday. Next: Saturday at Miami (3-16-2).

Others to watch

Notre Dame (Big Ten) (7-15-1) lost at No. 3 Minnesota 5-2 Friday. Next: Saturday at No. 3 Minnesota (19-4-2).

Penn State (Big Ten) (9-10-2) beat Canisius 4-0 Friday. Next: Saturday vs. Canisius (7-12-2).

Vermont (Hockey East) (8-11-3) lost to Northeastern 2-1 (OT) Friday. Next: Saturday vs. Northeastern (8-10-3).

Merrimack (Hockey East) (9-11-1) beat Massachusetts 3-2 Friday. Next: Saturday at Massachusetts (10-10-2).

Minnesota Duluth (NCHC) (8-12-1) lost at No. 18 Colorado College 7-2 Friday. Next: Saturday at No. 18 Colorado College (11-9-1).

Bemidji State (CCHA) (8-11-4) lost to Northern Michigan 4-1 Friday. Next: Saturday vs. Northern Michigan (3-19-1).

Lake Superior State (CCHA) (9-13-1) lost to St. Thomas 4-3 (OT) Friday. Next: Saturday vs. St. Thomas (9-10-4)

St. Thomas (CCHA) (9-10-4) beat Lake Superior State 4-3 (OT) Friday. Next: Saturday at Lake Superior State (9-13-1).

Holy Cross (Atlantic Hockey) (10-11-2) beat Bentley 3-2 (OT) Friday. Next: Saturday at Bentley (12-9-2).

Robert Morris (Atlantic Hockey) (9-10-3) beat RIT 6-1 Friday. Next: Saturday vs. RIT (4-18-1).

Air Force (Atlantic Hockey) (11-13-1) lost at Army 3-2 Friday. Next: Saturday at Army (8-15-0).

Harvard (ECAC) (6-8-2) beat Rensselaer 5-2 Friday. Next: Saturday at Union (12-9-1).

Princeton (ECAC) (6-9-1) lost to Cornell 6-2 Friday. Next: Saturday vs. Colgate (10-9-2).

Colgate (ECAC) (10-8-2) lost at No. 16 Quinnipiac 6-3 Friday. Next: Saturday at Princeton (6-9-1).

Union (ECAC) (12-8-1) lost to Dartmouth 4-0 Friday. Next: Saturday vs. Harvard (6-8-2).

Rensselaer (ECAC) (9-11-2) lost to Harvard 5-2 Friday. Next: Saturday vs. Dartmouth (9-6-2).

Brown (ECAC) (5-9-2) beat St. Lawrence 3-2 Friday. Next: Saturday vs. No. 20 Clarkson (13-6-2).

Long Island (Independent) (12-10-1) lost at Wisconsin 6-3 Friday. Next: Saturday at Wisconsin (10-12-1).

Lindenwood (Independent) (5-17-1) lost at Augustana 3-2 Friday. Next: Saturday at Augustana (13-7-1).

Stonehill (Independent) (7-19-0) was idle. Next: Saturday at No. 9 UMass Lowell (12-6-2).

Alaska (Independent) (7-9-4) was idle. Next: Saturday at Alaska-Anchorage (5-17-3).

Alaska Anchorage (Independent) (5-17-3) was idle. Next: Saturday vs. Alaska (7-9-4).

 

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