University of Minnesota Athletics
Sunday, March 9
6:00 PM
University of Minnesota
25-10-4
1
vs
4
Notre Dame
12-24-1
1
2
3
F
Notre Dame
1
1
2
4
Minnesota
0
0
1
1
Team Stats
NOT
MIN
Shots
21
39
PPG
0
1
SHG
0
0
Penalties
3
0
Penalty Mins
6
0
Faceoffs Won
36
27
Game Leaders
Skaters
+/-
0
Goals
1
Sh
3
A
0
+/-
-1
Goals
0
Sh
2
A
1
+/-
0
Goals
0
Sh
1
A
1
+/-
-2
Goals
0
Sh
6
A
0
Players Mentioned
Goaltender
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Defense
/ Men's HockeyForward
/ Men's HockeyDefense
/ Men's HockeyForward
/ Men's HockeyForward
/ Men's Hockey
Photo by: Sage Zipeto
Gophers Drop Game Three of B1G Series to Irish Sunday
3/9/2025 10:30:00 PM | Men's Hockey
'U' finds out NCAA seed March 23
MINNEAPOLIS - The No. 3 Minnesota men's hockey team could not overcome a two-goal deficit and dropped a 4-1 contest against Notre Dame Sunday night during game three of the Big Ten Conference Tournament Quarterfinals inside 3M Arena at Mariucci.
The Golden Gophers (25-10-4 overall) gave up goals to the Fighting Irish (12-24-1 overall) in both the first and second periods before finally breaking the shutout with a Matthew Wood power-play goal in the third. Notre Dame scored twice over the final eight minutes, including an empty-net tally, completing the B1G tournament upset.
In one of the game's first shifts, Erik Påhlsson fired a shot that hit the outside of the post and Jimmy Snuggerud followed with an attempt that was kept out of the net by the shaft of the goalie's stick. The early surge led to a Notre Dame penalty at the 3:50 mark but a turnover nearly proved costly as the Irish pounced and had a shorthanded bid. The man advantage was erased despite four chances on target and momentum stayed with the Gophers as they continued to attack in the offensive zone, posting eight of the first nine total shots on goal before the media timeout.
The visitors were able to generate an odd-man rush the other way after a Maroon and Gold giveaway with six minutes remaining in the opening frame. Netminder Nathan Airey stood tall in goal and made a pad save before covering the puck during a scramble in the crease as Notre Dame pushed for the game's first goal. The Irish eventually capitalized on a rebound in front of the net after Airey made the initial save to jump ahead, 1-0, with 2:35 showing on the clock and carried the one-goal lead into intermission.
It was Notre Dame that came out of the locker room on the rush and was in control for the entire period, hitting the post from a sharp angle 30 seconds after the puck was dropped. The visitors extended their advantage to 2-0 at the 3:44 mark, scoring via a back-door pass. The Gophers had to fight to get back into the game and August Falloon controlled the puck behind the Irish net before finding Brody Lamb for a dangerous shot at the near post. Airey needed to deliver another clutch save as kicked out the right pad to keep it a two-goal contest.
A check from behind by Notre Dame 9:08 into the period gave Minnesota another look while 5-on-4 but the home team was unable to maintain puck possession in the offensive zone. The best chance during the two minutes came for the Irish as they rang a 2-on-1 off the right post and the visitors were able to hold off a late attack from the Gophers, carrying the 2-0 lead through two completed periods.
The Maroon and Gold opened the final period on the offensive, registering shots from close range as the Irish elected to sit back and defend. Brothers John and Luke Mittelstadt each fired attempts at the top of the goal crease that had to be knocked aside by the Notre Dame goaltender. Wood had an open net in front of him on a rebound, only for him to be tackled to the ice, giving the Gophers a power play at the 7:59 mark.
Minnesota was not going to be denied again as Wood rifled a shot through traffic that found the back of the net, igniting the crowd as it became a one-score game, 2-1. The goal came eight seconds into the man advantage as Oliver Moore won the initial draw back to Sam Rinzel at the point. Rinzel pushed a pass across the blue line to Wood, who secured the 100th point of his collegiate career via the goal.
The Irish regained their two-goal edge with 7:51 remaining in regulation and held off an all-out attack from the Gophers down the stretch. Minnesota elected to pull its goalie for an extra attacker, but it was Notre Dame that scored into the empty net and secured the series upset, winning 4-1, despite the home side holding a 39-21 edge in shots on goal.
Noteworthy
Entering the night with 99 career points, Wood reached the century mark thanks to his power-play tally, the 17th goal for him this season ... The junior has a career-long goal streak of four games and posted eight goals over his last 10 appearances, reaching 38 points for the year ... It was the third-consecutive game where Rinzel picked up a helper and the sophomore has 21 assists and 31 points in 2024-25 ... Moore collected his 20th assist during his sophomore campaign to hit 32 total points ... He now has 12 points in the past 10 outings ... Airey closed the night with 17 saves, including nine in the second period ... Aaron Huglen took the ice for the 150th game of his four-year career with Minnesota Sunday ... For the third time in a game this year, the Maroon and Gold did not commit a single penalty ... The Gophers scored a power-play goal for the sixth-straight contest and 29th for the season.
Coach Motzko's Comments
"We were pretty much in control of what we wanted to do, and we made two system mistakes and then we're chasing the game," Minnesota head coach Bob Motzko said. "We're going to find ways to score goals, most of the time, but we can't make those two mistakes we made. I liked the whole weekend. I thought a lot of our play was really good. I just didn't like the two goals we gave up tonight to fall behind, because we were pretty much controlling how we wanted to play."
Next Up: NCAA Regionals (March 27-30)
Minnesota will return to action in three weeks when it heads to the 2025 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Regionals March 27-30. The Gophers will learn their destination and opponent for the national tournament when the official bracket is released during the selection show on Sunday, March 23, live on ESPNU and ESPN+.
The Golden Gophers (25-10-4 overall) gave up goals to the Fighting Irish (12-24-1 overall) in both the first and second periods before finally breaking the shutout with a Matthew Wood power-play goal in the third. Notre Dame scored twice over the final eight minutes, including an empty-net tally, completing the B1G tournament upset.
In one of the game's first shifts, Erik Påhlsson fired a shot that hit the outside of the post and Jimmy Snuggerud followed with an attempt that was kept out of the net by the shaft of the goalie's stick. The early surge led to a Notre Dame penalty at the 3:50 mark but a turnover nearly proved costly as the Irish pounced and had a shorthanded bid. The man advantage was erased despite four chances on target and momentum stayed with the Gophers as they continued to attack in the offensive zone, posting eight of the first nine total shots on goal before the media timeout.
The visitors were able to generate an odd-man rush the other way after a Maroon and Gold giveaway with six minutes remaining in the opening frame. Netminder Nathan Airey stood tall in goal and made a pad save before covering the puck during a scramble in the crease as Notre Dame pushed for the game's first goal. The Irish eventually capitalized on a rebound in front of the net after Airey made the initial save to jump ahead, 1-0, with 2:35 showing on the clock and carried the one-goal lead into intermission.
It was Notre Dame that came out of the locker room on the rush and was in control for the entire period, hitting the post from a sharp angle 30 seconds after the puck was dropped. The visitors extended their advantage to 2-0 at the 3:44 mark, scoring via a back-door pass. The Gophers had to fight to get back into the game and August Falloon controlled the puck behind the Irish net before finding Brody Lamb for a dangerous shot at the near post. Airey needed to deliver another clutch save as kicked out the right pad to keep it a two-goal contest.
A check from behind by Notre Dame 9:08 into the period gave Minnesota another look while 5-on-4 but the home team was unable to maintain puck possession in the offensive zone. The best chance during the two minutes came for the Irish as they rang a 2-on-1 off the right post and the visitors were able to hold off a late attack from the Gophers, carrying the 2-0 lead through two completed periods.
The Maroon and Gold opened the final period on the offensive, registering shots from close range as the Irish elected to sit back and defend. Brothers John and Luke Mittelstadt each fired attempts at the top of the goal crease that had to be knocked aside by the Notre Dame goaltender. Wood had an open net in front of him on a rebound, only for him to be tackled to the ice, giving the Gophers a power play at the 7:59 mark.
Minnesota was not going to be denied again as Wood rifled a shot through traffic that found the back of the net, igniting the crowd as it became a one-score game, 2-1. The goal came eight seconds into the man advantage as Oliver Moore won the initial draw back to Sam Rinzel at the point. Rinzel pushed a pass across the blue line to Wood, who secured the 100th point of his collegiate career via the goal.
The Irish regained their two-goal edge with 7:51 remaining in regulation and held off an all-out attack from the Gophers down the stretch. Minnesota elected to pull its goalie for an extra attacker, but it was Notre Dame that scored into the empty net and secured the series upset, winning 4-1, despite the home side holding a 39-21 edge in shots on goal.
Noteworthy
Entering the night with 99 career points, Wood reached the century mark thanks to his power-play tally, the 17th goal for him this season ... The junior has a career-long goal streak of four games and posted eight goals over his last 10 appearances, reaching 38 points for the year ... It was the third-consecutive game where Rinzel picked up a helper and the sophomore has 21 assists and 31 points in 2024-25 ... Moore collected his 20th assist during his sophomore campaign to hit 32 total points ... He now has 12 points in the past 10 outings ... Airey closed the night with 17 saves, including nine in the second period ... Aaron Huglen took the ice for the 150th game of his four-year career with Minnesota Sunday ... For the third time in a game this year, the Maroon and Gold did not commit a single penalty ... The Gophers scored a power-play goal for the sixth-straight contest and 29th for the season.
Coach Motzko's Comments
"We were pretty much in control of what we wanted to do, and we made two system mistakes and then we're chasing the game," Minnesota head coach Bob Motzko said. "We're going to find ways to score goals, most of the time, but we can't make those two mistakes we made. I liked the whole weekend. I thought a lot of our play was really good. I just didn't like the two goals we gave up tonight to fall behind, because we were pretty much controlling how we wanted to play."
Next Up: NCAA Regionals (March 27-30)
Minnesota will return to action in three weeks when it heads to the 2025 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Regionals March 27-30. The Gophers will learn their destination and opponent for the national tournament when the official bracket is released during the selection show on Sunday, March 23, live on ESPNU and ESPN+.
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