University of Minnesota Athletics
Saturday, January 18
3M Arena at Mariucci
5:00 PM
University of Minnesota
19-5-2, 10-3-1
3
vs
4
Notre Dame
8-15-1, 3-12-1
1
2
3
OT 1
F
Notre Dame
1
2
0
1
4
Minnesota
1
1
1
0
3
Team Stats
N.D
MIN
Shots
31
33
PPG
0
0
SHG
0
0
Penalties
2
2
Penalty Mins
4
4
Faceoffs Won
30
31
Game Leaders
Skaters
+/-
2
Goals
0
Sh
5
A
2
+/-
1
Goals
1
Sh
6
A
0
+/-
2
Goals
1
Sh
5
A
0
+/-
1
Goals
1
Sh
2
A
0
Players Mentioned
Defense
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Defense
/ Men's HockeyForward
/ Men's HockeyForward
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Photo by: Sage Zipeto
Gophers Fall to Notre Dame in OT Saturday
1/18/2025 8:30:00 PM | Men's Hockey
'U' rallies in third before dropping series finale
MINNEAPOLIS - Matthew Wood scored in the third period to force overtime before the No. 3 Golden Gophers fell to Notre Dame 4-3 in a Big Ten Conference men's hockey matchup Saturday evening inside 3M Arena at Mariucci.
Minnesota (19-5-2 overall, 10-3-1 B1G) missed out on the season series sweep of the Fighting Irish (8-15-1 overall, 3-12-1 B1G) but was still able to collect an important point towards the B1G standings. Jimmy Snuggerud and Luke Mittelstadt each scored in the contest and the Gophers fell for just the second time this season when scoring at least three goals.
A minute into the action Brodie Ziemer and Snuggerud forced an offensive-zone turnover and a Snuggerud shot fell behind the Notre Dame netminder before being covered at the last second as the Gophers had an early jump. The first six shots of the night belonged to the Maroon and Gold covering nearly six minutes until the visitors struck for the opening tally for the second-straight night. The Irish got a shot from the point through traffic that was deflected in the slot for a 1-0 edge at the 7:43 mark.
After intercepting a pass at his own blue line in the middle of the opening frame, Sam Rinzel showed off his speed and pushed up the ice for a 2-on-1, only to see his shot snagged by the goalie's glove to keep it a one-goal deficit. Minnesota broke through on the next shift as Ziemer shoveled a pass ahead to Snuggerud at center ice and the junior skated right around an Irish defenseman. He attacked the net and was patient with the puck on his stick before sliding the tying goal under the pads with 7:27 remaining in the first period. Neither team was able to produce a go-ahead tally before the buzzer sounded for intermission of a 1-1 tie.
The second period started with the Gophers pressuring again where Snuggerud let a shot go from the slot that ricocheted off the goaltender's mask and out of play. Notre Dame fought right back and was able to cycle the puck before regaining the lead just 2:25 into the stanza on a shot from the left faceoff dot. In net for the Maroon and Gold, Souliere needed to stay sharp and turn away chances from the visitors as they maintained a forecheck, allowing his offense to pick up the intensity. Ziemer came inches away from pulling even as his bid rang off the crossbar five minutes into the frame. His line would not be denied at the 5:30 mark as Erik Påhlsson found a streaking Mittelstadt and the junior roofed a backhand on a breakaway while falling to the ice.
The Irish went to a power play in the middle of the second and forced Souliere to battle for five saves, while his teammates blocked two shots to erase the man advantage. With 9:06 left in the period, a bouncing puck at the blue line proved costly as Notre Dame caught the home side off guard and scored on an odd-man rush to move back in front, 3-2.
Looking to extend the lead, the visitors earned another chance at a 5-on-4, which was negated a minute later on an Irish penalty. Minnesota got its first crack at a power play, but the shortened opportunity went away without converting. A perfect cross-crease pass from Snuggerud to Wood gave the junior a look at an open cage, but his shot sailed wide as the Gophers tried to get the tying goal late in the frame's final two minutes before going to the locker room facing a 3-2 deficit.
The third period was a back-and-forth battle, and the Maroon and Gold was able to maintain a strong forecheck as the Irish tried to sit back and defend, firing only two shots in the 20-minute stanza. Wood finally delivered 7:14 into the final frame to even the score thanks to a slick effort in front of the goal. Oliver Moore pulled up inside the blue line and waited for his teammates to arrive before dishing off to Wood between the circles. The junior danced around a Notre Dame defenseman and buried a quick backhand shot inside the left post. A minute after tying the game, 3-3, Minnesota earned a man advantage with 12:08 to play in regulation that expired before putting any shots on target.
With critical league points on the line, the game turned physical and the Gophers challenged for a major penalty at the 12:05 mark after a Notre Dame player cross-checked Moore after a stoppage. The review did not go in favor of the home side and the teams continued to skate 5-on-5. Whistles were put away down the stretch and no one could break the deadlock, sending the contest into overtime.
After winning the initial draw during the extra session, the Irish never gave up the puck for more than a second as Minnesota was chasing play. That led to Notre Dame's eventual winner at the 3:46 mark thanks to a pass across the slot for a one-timer and handed the Gophers their second home loss of the season.
Noteworthy
For the second night in a row, Snuggerud got a first-period equalizer, this time with his 15th goal of the campaign ... The junior finished the season series versus the Irish with eight points on five goals and three assists ... Behind eight goals and 13 points over the past 10 appearances, Snuggerud has vaulted into a tie for the NCAA scoring lead at 33 points ... Mittelstadt stretched his season-long point streak to four games, scoring his first goal this year and first since Mar. 2, 2024, against Michigan in the regular-season finale ... The Eden Prairie, Minn., product has seven points in his last six outings, totaling 15 for the season, and is the 20th different player to find the back of the net this year ... One night after his five-game point streak was stopped, Wood put his name on the scoresheet again with his ninth goal and 27th total point ... Påhlsson tallied the second multi-point effort of his freshman season with two helpers Saturday, becoming the 13th skater to reach double-digit points for Minnesota in 2024-25 ... Ziemer collected a point for the third-consecutive series finale and has five helpers and 13 points during the year ... With an assist, Moore now has at least one point in six of the last seven games to end a weekend series and has registered 19 points for the campaign ... Kurth picked up his 17th assist of the year and 28th total point, which ranks eighth in the country, as the junior has tallied 12 points over a 10-game stretch ... Souliere recorded 27 saves in the loss Saturday but still holds a 1.78 goals-against average and a .932 save percentage overall ... Minnesota allowed its opponent to score first for the third time over the past four games and 13th time in 26 games of 2024-25 ... It was another sellout crowd for the Gophers as Saturday's announced attendance was 10,346.
Coach Motzko's Comments
"We got the response out of Notre Dame we knew we were going to get, and they had a terrific response all night," Minnesota head coach Bob Motzko said. "They had a few guys that outplayed a lot of our guys. We woke up, had a good third period to get back but that's the lesson. The second half of the year, we're going to be in these every night."
Next Up: Away at No. 1 Michigan State (Jan. 24-25)
It's a battle of two powerhouse teams as Minnesota travels to East Lansing, Mich., for a B1G series against the nation's top-ranked Spartans of Michigan State Jan. 24-25.
Minnesota (19-5-2 overall, 10-3-1 B1G) missed out on the season series sweep of the Fighting Irish (8-15-1 overall, 3-12-1 B1G) but was still able to collect an important point towards the B1G standings. Jimmy Snuggerud and Luke Mittelstadt each scored in the contest and the Gophers fell for just the second time this season when scoring at least three goals.
A minute into the action Brodie Ziemer and Snuggerud forced an offensive-zone turnover and a Snuggerud shot fell behind the Notre Dame netminder before being covered at the last second as the Gophers had an early jump. The first six shots of the night belonged to the Maroon and Gold covering nearly six minutes until the visitors struck for the opening tally for the second-straight night. The Irish got a shot from the point through traffic that was deflected in the slot for a 1-0 edge at the 7:43 mark.
After intercepting a pass at his own blue line in the middle of the opening frame, Sam Rinzel showed off his speed and pushed up the ice for a 2-on-1, only to see his shot snagged by the goalie's glove to keep it a one-goal deficit. Minnesota broke through on the next shift as Ziemer shoveled a pass ahead to Snuggerud at center ice and the junior skated right around an Irish defenseman. He attacked the net and was patient with the puck on his stick before sliding the tying goal under the pads with 7:27 remaining in the first period. Neither team was able to produce a go-ahead tally before the buzzer sounded for intermission of a 1-1 tie.
The second period started with the Gophers pressuring again where Snuggerud let a shot go from the slot that ricocheted off the goaltender's mask and out of play. Notre Dame fought right back and was able to cycle the puck before regaining the lead just 2:25 into the stanza on a shot from the left faceoff dot. In net for the Maroon and Gold, Souliere needed to stay sharp and turn away chances from the visitors as they maintained a forecheck, allowing his offense to pick up the intensity. Ziemer came inches away from pulling even as his bid rang off the crossbar five minutes into the frame. His line would not be denied at the 5:30 mark as Erik Påhlsson found a streaking Mittelstadt and the junior roofed a backhand on a breakaway while falling to the ice.
The Irish went to a power play in the middle of the second and forced Souliere to battle for five saves, while his teammates blocked two shots to erase the man advantage. With 9:06 left in the period, a bouncing puck at the blue line proved costly as Notre Dame caught the home side off guard and scored on an odd-man rush to move back in front, 3-2.
Looking to extend the lead, the visitors earned another chance at a 5-on-4, which was negated a minute later on an Irish penalty. Minnesota got its first crack at a power play, but the shortened opportunity went away without converting. A perfect cross-crease pass from Snuggerud to Wood gave the junior a look at an open cage, but his shot sailed wide as the Gophers tried to get the tying goal late in the frame's final two minutes before going to the locker room facing a 3-2 deficit.
The third period was a back-and-forth battle, and the Maroon and Gold was able to maintain a strong forecheck as the Irish tried to sit back and defend, firing only two shots in the 20-minute stanza. Wood finally delivered 7:14 into the final frame to even the score thanks to a slick effort in front of the goal. Oliver Moore pulled up inside the blue line and waited for his teammates to arrive before dishing off to Wood between the circles. The junior danced around a Notre Dame defenseman and buried a quick backhand shot inside the left post. A minute after tying the game, 3-3, Minnesota earned a man advantage with 12:08 to play in regulation that expired before putting any shots on target.
With critical league points on the line, the game turned physical and the Gophers challenged for a major penalty at the 12:05 mark after a Notre Dame player cross-checked Moore after a stoppage. The review did not go in favor of the home side and the teams continued to skate 5-on-5. Whistles were put away down the stretch and no one could break the deadlock, sending the contest into overtime.
After winning the initial draw during the extra session, the Irish never gave up the puck for more than a second as Minnesota was chasing play. That led to Notre Dame's eventual winner at the 3:46 mark thanks to a pass across the slot for a one-timer and handed the Gophers their second home loss of the season.
Noteworthy
For the second night in a row, Snuggerud got a first-period equalizer, this time with his 15th goal of the campaign ... The junior finished the season series versus the Irish with eight points on five goals and three assists ... Behind eight goals and 13 points over the past 10 appearances, Snuggerud has vaulted into a tie for the NCAA scoring lead at 33 points ... Mittelstadt stretched his season-long point streak to four games, scoring his first goal this year and first since Mar. 2, 2024, against Michigan in the regular-season finale ... The Eden Prairie, Minn., product has seven points in his last six outings, totaling 15 for the season, and is the 20th different player to find the back of the net this year ... One night after his five-game point streak was stopped, Wood put his name on the scoresheet again with his ninth goal and 27th total point ... Påhlsson tallied the second multi-point effort of his freshman season with two helpers Saturday, becoming the 13th skater to reach double-digit points for Minnesota in 2024-25 ... Ziemer collected a point for the third-consecutive series finale and has five helpers and 13 points during the year ... With an assist, Moore now has at least one point in six of the last seven games to end a weekend series and has registered 19 points for the campaign ... Kurth picked up his 17th assist of the year and 28th total point, which ranks eighth in the country, as the junior has tallied 12 points over a 10-game stretch ... Souliere recorded 27 saves in the loss Saturday but still holds a 1.78 goals-against average and a .932 save percentage overall ... Minnesota allowed its opponent to score first for the third time over the past four games and 13th time in 26 games of 2024-25 ... It was another sellout crowd for the Gophers as Saturday's announced attendance was 10,346.
Coach Motzko's Comments
"We got the response out of Notre Dame we knew we were going to get, and they had a terrific response all night," Minnesota head coach Bob Motzko said. "They had a few guys that outplayed a lot of our guys. We woke up, had a good third period to get back but that's the lesson. The second half of the year, we're going to be in these every night."
Next Up: Away at No. 1 Michigan State (Jan. 24-25)
It's a battle of two powerhouse teams as Minnesota travels to East Lansing, Mich., for a B1G series against the nation's top-ranked Spartans of Michigan State Jan. 24-25.
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