- 4 GOPHERS PULL AWAY IN THIRD PERIOD, 5-3, TO HAND SLUMPING IRISH SEVENTH STRAIGHT DEFEAT
By JOHN FINERAN
If Notre Dame’s injury-plagued hockey team ever is able to get out of its own way, it might finally put an end to the losing streak which reached seven games Saturday night in a 5-3 Big Ten Conference loss to first-place Minnesota.
Coach Jeff Jackson and his staff once again had to juggle the lineup because of the absence of several key players and with others playing hurt against the No. 4 Gophers, who increased their lead to five points over idle No. 2 Michigan State while completing a two-game road sweep of Notre Dame following its 6-3 victory Friday.
The limping Irish, now 5-9-0 overall and 1-7-0 in the Big Ten for three points, did manage to excite a sellout crowd of 5,011 at the Lefty Smith Rink in the Compton Family Ice Arena by pulling even at 3-3 after the second period with two consecutive goals by sophomores Danny Nelson and Brennan Ali. But coach Bob Motzko’s talented and offensively skilled Golden Gophers (12-2-0 overall, 6-0-0 Big Ten for 17 points) won it in the third period with two unanswered goals – freshman left wing Brodie Ziemer’s game-winner at 13:15 and graduate defenseman Mike Koster’s empty-netter 11 seconds before the final horn.
“We made an effort to get back into the game,” Jackson said. “We had a lot of new guys in the lineup, a few who hadn’t played much before. I give them credit – they worked hard. They gave us a little energy, a little life. But again, we shot ourselves in the foot with a chance to tie the game by taking another bad penalty.”
Referees Jake Rekucki and Anthony Vikhter reviewed a check by Notre Dame sophomore Maddox Fleming that sent a Gopher into the boards at 17:38 of the third period that eventually was called a minor penalty for checking from behind. The resulting power play never allowed Notre Dame to consistently mount any pressure on Minnesota goalie Nathan Airey even after Jackson pulled his freshman netminder Nicholas Kempf at 18:22. Koster’s empty-net goal then sealed Notre Dame’s fate.
“I’ll just keep sitting guys out for taking bad penalties,” Jackson continued. “It’s the only recourse that I have.”
The Irish were without their top two scorers Cole Knuble and Justin Janicke. Knuble, who missed the Michigan State series with a lower-body injury, played sparingly Friday but still got a third-period assist to increase his team-leading points total to 14 (six goals, eight assists). But Jackson decided to rest him Saturday night.
Janicke, a senior forward and alternate captain who had 11 points on three goals and eight assists, was benched by Jackson because of his five-minute kneeing major and game disqualification late in Friday’s second period.
Notre Dame already was without two of its top six defensemen in sophomore Henry Nelson and graduate Zach Plucinski, who had upper-body injuries from previous series against Michigan and Michigan State, respectively. Nelson, the older brother of fellow sophomore Danny Nelson, now has missed four games and Plucinski two as the Irish leave Sunday to eventually make their way to Belfast, Northern Ireland, to play in the Friendship Four tournament.
Saturday night, Jackson decided to split up his freshman defenders Jimmy Jurcev and Jaedon Kerr and pair them with junior Axel Kumlin and senior Ryan Helliwell, respectively. Junior Hunter Weiss saw his first action of the season as the team’s seventh defensemen. Fleming took over for Knuble on a line with center Danny Nelson and sophomore left wing Brennan Ali. Janicke’s absence gave playing opportunities to fourth-line center Jayden Davis, who has been in and out of the lineup with injuries, and allowed the freshman debut of freshman forward Michael Schermerhorn.
“Obviously, putting a bunch of young guys out there against a team like Minnesota you get a little nervous,” Jackson said. “You just have to put them out there. They handled it pretty well. We miss two of our top forwards and two of our top defensemen. It’s hard to replace them. Losing is tough, but I’m not going to allow us to beat ourselves with the discipline.”
Kumlin, a transfer from Miami over the summer, responded with his first three-point effort with the Irish, opening Notre Dame’s scoring at 8:10 of the first period with a power-play goal (his third of the year) and second-period assists on Danny Nelson’s sixth goal of the year at 14:48 and Ali’s fourth at 19:38, the latter on another power play.
Ali also had his first three-point night with the Irish, adding assists on Kumlin’s and Nelson’s markers. Sophomore defenseman Paul Fischer had a pair of assists.
Kempf finished with 34 saves while allowing four goals for Notre Dame. His Minnesota counterpart, Airey, stopped 20 Irish shots. Offensively, the Gophers added 11 goals over the weekend and now have 60 for the season. Saturday night, 6-foot-2 junior right wing Jimmy Snuggerud had a three-point night with two goals and assist while Ziemer had a goal and assist and defensemen Sam Rinzel and Luke Mittelstedt each had two assists.
Kumlin’s opening goal was answered by Minnesota’s Oliver Moore at 18:43 of the first period. Snuggerud then scored on a second-period power play at 1:45 with a blistering shot that Kempf never saw and then made it 3-1 by jumping on a rebound of a Ziemer shot to beat Kempf at 7:59. But goals by Danny Nelson and Ali, both set up by Kumlin, sent the game into the third period tied at 3-3.
Rinzel, a 6-foot-5 sophomore who scored twice in Friday’s victory, and Snuggerud then set up Ziemer for the game-winner at 13:15 of the third period.
MINNESOTA 5, NOTRE DAME 3
At Lefty Smith Rink in Compton Family Ice Arena, South Bend, Ind.
Minnesota 1 2 2—5
Notre Dame 1 2 0—3
First Period—Scoring: 1. Notre Dame, Axel Kumlin 3 (Paul Fischer, Brennan Ali) PP 8:10; 2. Minnesota, Oliver Moore 4 (Luke Mittelstadt, Leo Gruba) EV 18:43 Penalties: Minnesota 1-2, Notre Dame 1-2.
Second Period—Scoring: 3. Minnesota, Jimmy Snuggerud 6 (Sam Rinzel, Matthew Wood) PP 1:45; 4. Minnesota, Jimmy Snuggerud 7 (Brodie Ziemer, Luke Mittelstadt) EV 7:59; 5. Notre Dame, Danny Nelson 6 (Axel Kumlin, Brennan Ali) EV 14:48; 6. Notre Dame, Brennan Ali 4 (Axel Kumlin, Paul Fischer) PP 19:38. Penalties: Minnesota 2-4 (3-6), Notre Dame 3-6 (4-8).
Third Period—Scoring: 7. Minnesota, Brodie Ziemer 5 (Sam Rinzel, Jimmy Snuggerud) EV 13:15; 8. Minnesota, Mike Koster 7 (unassisted) EN 19:49. Penalties: Minnesota 0-0 (3-6), Notre Dame 2-4 (6-12).
Shots on goal: Minnesota 39 (12-13-14), Notre Dame 23 (8-8-7).
Goalie saves: Minnesota, Nathan Airey 20 (7-6-7), Notre Dame, Nicholas Kempf 34 (11-11-12).
Faceoffs won: Minnesota 33 (10-13-10), Notre Dame 38 (10-14-14).
Power-play opportunities: Minnesota 1 of 5, Notre Dame 2 of 2.
Blocked shots: Minnesota 7 (2-3-2), Notre Dame 18 (5-10-3).
Referees: Jake Rekucki and Anthony Vikhter. Linesmen: Pat Richardson and Christopher Williams. Attendance: 5,011 (4,852).
Records: Minnesota 12-2-0 overall, 6-0-0 Big Ten for 17 points; Notre Dame 5-9-0 overall, 1-7-0 Big Ten for 3 points.
BIG TEN STANDINGS: (Numbers in parenthesis are school’s rankings in this week’s USCHO.com media/USA Hockey-The Rink Live coaches polls):
- (4/4) MINNESOTA 6-0-0, 17 points (12-2-0 overall)
- (2/2) MICHIGAN STATE 4-0-0, 12 points (9-1-0 overall)
T3. (T5/5) MICHIGAN 4-0-0, 11 points (9-2-1 overall)
T3. (rv/rv) WISCONSIN 3-5-0, 11 points (4-8-0 overall)
- (14/12) OHIO STATE 2-2-0, 5 points (9-2-1 overall)
- (rv/rv) NOTRE DAME 1-7-0, 3 points (5-9-0 overall)
- (rv/rv) PENN STATE 0-6-0, 1 point (4-7-0 overall)
Thursday, Nov. 21: Michigan State 6, U.S. Under-18 Team 2 (exhibition).
Friday, Nov. 22: Minnesota 6, Notre Dame 3; Michigan 6, Penn State 5 (Wisconsin and Ohio State are idle).
Saturday, Nov. 23: Minnesota 5, Notre Dame 3; Michigan 10, Penn State 6 (Wisconsin and Ohio State are idle).
THIS WEEK’S USCHO.com MEDIA POLL TEAMS AND THEIR SATURDAY RESULTS
- Denver(NCHC) (12-2-0) lost to Arizona State, 5-2. Next: Dec. 6-7 at Western Michigan.
- Michigan State(Big Ten) (9-1-0) was idle. Next: Nov. 29-Dec. 1 vs. Lindenwood.
- Boston College(Hockey East) (9-3-0) lost at Northeastern, 4-2. Next: Friday, Nov. 29 vs. Dartmouth.
- Minnesota(Big Ten) (12-2-0) beat Notre Dame, 5-3. Next: Nov. 29-30 vs. Alaska.
T5. Maine (Hockey East) (8-2-2) was idle. Next: Nov. 30-Dec. 1 at Rensselaer.
T5. Michigan (Big Ten) (9-2-1) beat Penn State, 10-6. Next: Friday, Nov. 29 at Western Michigan; Saturday, Nov. 30 vs. Western Michigan.
- Colorado College(NCHC) (9-2-1) beat St. Cloud State, 1-0. Next: Dec. 6-7 at Providence.
- Cornell(ECAC) (4-2-2) beat Princeton, 5-0. Next: Saturday, Nov. 30 vs. Quinnipiac in The Frozen Apple at Madison Square Garden, New York.
- WesternMichigan(NCHC) (8-1-1) beat Minnesota Duluth, 4-1. Next: Friday, Nov. 29 vs. Michigan; Saturday, Nov. 30 at Michigan.
- Providence(Hockey East) (8-3-2) beat Long Island, 4-3 (OT). Next: Friday, Nov. 29 vs. Clarkson at Adirondack Winter Invitational at 1980 Rink Herb Brooks Arena, Lake Placid, N.Y.
- St. Cloud State(NCHC) (9-4-0) lost at Colorado College, 1-0. Next: Dec. 6-7 vs. Omaha.
- North Dakota(NCHC) (7-6-0) beat Robert Morris, 1-0. Next: Friday, Nov. 29 at Bemidji State; Saturday, Nov. 30 vs. Bemidji State.
- Boston University(Hockey East) (6-5-1) was idle. Next: Friday, Nov. 29 vs. Merrimack in Friendship Four Tournament at SSE Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland; Saturday, Nov. 30 vs. Notre Dame or Harvard in Friendship Four Tournament at SSE Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
- Ohio State(Big Ten) (9-2-1) was idle. Next: Nov. 29-30 at Princeton.
- UMass Lowell(Hockey East) (9-3-0) beat Connecticut, 1-0. Next: Friday, Nov. 29 vs. St. Lawrence in Adirondack Winter Invitational at 1980 Rink Herb Brooks Arena, Lake Placid, N.Y.
- Dartmouth(ECAC) (5-0-1) was idle. Next: Nov. 29 at Boston College; Dec. 1 at Vermont.
- Minnesota State(CCHA) (10-4-2) beat Michigan Tech, 3-1. Next: Dec. 6-7 vs. Bowling Green.
- Quinnipiac(ECAC) (6-6-0) lost at Colgate, 3-2 (OT). Next: Saturday, Nov. 30 at Cornell.
- Clarkson(ECAC) (9-4-1) beat Yale, 4-0. Next: Friday, Nov. 29 at UMass Lowell; Saturday, Nov. 30 at Providence.
- Massachusetts(Hockey East) (6-5-2) was idle. Next: Sunday vs. Vermont.
Others receiving votes
Michigan Tech (CCHA) (6-4-0) lost to Minnesota State, 3-1. Next: Nov. 29-30 at Bowling Green.
Harvard (ECAC) (2-3-1) was idle. Next: Friday, Nov. 29 vs. Notre Dame in Friendship Four Tournament at SSE Arena, Belfast, Northern Ireland; Nov. 30 vs. Merrimack or Boston University in Friendship Four Tournament at SSE Arena, Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Penn State (Big Ten) (4-7-0) lost to No. 5T Michigan, 10-6. Next: Nov. 26-27 vs. Colgate.
Union (ECAC) (7-3-1) was idle. Next: Nov. 29-30 at Niagara.
New Hampshire (Hockey East) (4-4-2) was idle. Next: Nov. 29-30 vs. RIT.
Notre Dame (Big Ten) (5-9-0) lost to Minnesota, 5-3. Next: Friday, Nov. 29 vs. Harvard in Friendship Four Tournament at SSE Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland; Saturday, Nov. 30 vs. Merrimack or Boston University in Friendship Four Tournament at SSE Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Niagara (Atlantic Hockey) (7-4-3) beat American International, 2-1. Next: Sunday vs. American International; Nov. 29-30 vs. Union.
Bentley (Atlantic Hockey) (9-4-1) beat Air Force, 2-0. Next: Sunday, Dec. 1 at Northeastern.
Arizona State (NCHC) (6-7-1) beat No. 1 Denver, 5-2. Next: Dec. 6-7 vs. Minnesota Duluth.
Bemidji State (CCHA) (6-6-1) beat St. Thomas, 2-1. Next: Friday, Nov. 29 vs. North Dakota; Saturday, Nov. 30 at North Dakota.
Connecticut (Hockey East) (7-6-1) lost at No. 15 UMass Lowell, 1-0. Next: Wednesday, Dec. 4 at Boston College.
Augustana (CCHA) (6-6-0) beat Ferris State, 4-1. Next: Nov. 29-30 vs. Northern Michigan.
Air Force (Atlantic Hockey) (8-8-0) lost at Bentley, 2-0. Next: Nov. 29-30 at Brown.
Wisconsin (Big Ten) (4-8-0) was idle. Next: Nov. 29-30 vs. Alaska Anchorage.
OTHER GAMES THIS WEEK
Saturday, Nov. 23
Mercyhurst 3, Canisius 3 (OT) (Mercyhurst won shootout, 2-0). (Atlantic Hockey)
Stonehill 3, Lindenwood 1 (non-conference)
RIT 3, Sacred Heart 3 (OT) (Sacred Heart won shootout, 1-0). (Atlantic Hockey)
Brown 2, St. Lawrence 1 (OT) (ECAC)
Omaha 8, Miami 1 (NCHC)
Lake Superior State 4, Alaska Anchorage 4 (OT) (Alaska Anchorage won shootout, 1-0). (non-conference)
Sunday, Nov. 24
Lake Superior State at Alaska-Anchorage, 9:07 p.m. (non-conference)