Game Two rally sets up winner-take-all finale in Gopher men’s hockey’s B1G series vs. Notre Dame

Four players found the back of the net leading the No. 3 Golden Gophers to a 4-2 win over Notre Dame in game two of the Big Ten Conference Tournament Quarterfinals Saturday from 3M Arena at Mariucci. The win forces a decisive game three that is set for Sunday night at 6 p.m. with a spot in the semifinals on the line.

Connor Kurth scored the go-ahead goal for Minnesota (25-9-4 overall) early in the third period before setting up Matthew Wood for the eventual game winner three minutes later to even the weekend series versus the Fighting Irish (11-24-1 overall). Brodie Ziemer sealed the victory via an empty-net tally with 29 seconds to play as part of a two-point night, while Jimmy Snuggerud added two assists.

After pulling off the upset in game one Friday, the visitors carried the momentum into Saturday as they put a shot off the crossbar in the opening minutes. The Maroon and Gold responded with back-to-back strong shifts where freshmen Beckett Hendrickson and Ziemer each tested the Notre Dame goaltender, firing the game’s next six shots overall.

The Gophers continued their offensive attack and pinned the Irish in their own zone for more than three minutes, leading to the first power play of the night for the home side at the 12:55 mark. The man advantage was erased without getting a shot on frame and the action went end-to-end. With just 63 seconds remaining in the first period, Minnesota netminder Nathan Airey delivered a highlight-reel glove save to keep Notre Dame off the board and the game went to intermission scoreless.

Less than three minutes into the second stanza, the Irish broke the deadlock after their initial shot hit the inside of the post and the long rebound ended up on the forward’s stick for a 1-0 margin. Holding the one-goal cushion, it was the visitors that tilted ice in its favor and tested Airey and the Gophers back line. Mason Nevers nearly got Minnesota on the scoreboard at the 9:43 mark but his attempt near the right post was covered inches before it crossed the goal line as the team activated its defensemen for chances from the blue line.

During a delayed penalty on Notre Dame, the Maroon and Gold were able to sustain possession in the offensive zone before a blocked shot stopped play and sent the home team to its second man advantage. A shot from Wood at the right circle caromed off the post and the Gophers were able to hang onto the puck in the offensive zone. Snuggerud worked a pass down low to Ziemer, who quickly found the stick of Oliver Moore, where he got a fortunate bounce as his one-timer deflected off a Notre Dame skate and into the net for a 1-1 tie with 7:30 remaining in the second period. The teams battled through to the end of the frame and went to the locker room still even at one apiece.

In the first five minutes of the final frame, Minnesota forced an Irish turnover at the blue line and Jimmy Clark darted towards the goal. The sophomore slipped a pass to the far post where Kurth’s stick was on the ice and waiting for the pass to push the Gophers in front, 2-1. Nine seconds after the go-ahead goal, Minnesota was called for its lone penalty of the contest. Notre Dame had a chance to tie but a quick poke-check from Moore negated the bid before the team killed off the remainder of the man advantage.

The Gophers stretched the lead to 3-1 less than a minute after erasing the power play as Ryan Chesley fired a stretch pass off the boards and caught Kurth in stride. The junior battled through a check behind the goal line and was able to backhand a pass to the crease where Wood chipped the puck into the top corner at the 7:18 mark. The Irish fought back to make it a one-goal game in the middle of the period as they ramped up the intensity and elected to pull their goalie in the last minute of regulation. After Moore won a defensive-zone faceoff, Sam Rinzel quickly moved the puck ahead to Snuggerud, who found Ziemer streaking up the ice and the rookie buried an insurance tally into an open cage as Minnesota skated to a 4-2 victory.

Airey closed his first start since Jan. 24 by making 21 saves and improved to 12-2-2 for the year, setting up the Sunday showdown with a spot in the B1G Semifinals up for grabs.

Noteworthy

Kurth put together his 10th multi-point outing this year with a goal and an assist during the third period and now has 17 goals and 21 helpers … Eighteen of his 38 points for the season have come in the final frame, helping Minnesota outscore its opposition by a 54-28 margin in third periods … After his five-game point streak was snapped Friday, Moore got right back to work starting a new one with his 12th goal of the season and second on the man advantage … The sophomore has 11 points in nine games, posting 31 for the year … Wood buried his seventh goal over the past nine outings, reaching 16 for the year, and is now one point shy of 100 for his NCAA career … The Nanaimo, B.C., native also stepped in and won 7-of-8 faceoffs to help the Gophers to a 57.4 percent effort at the dot as a team … For just the second time over his last nine appearances, Ziemer reached the scoresheet as he tallied his 11th helper and 12th goal, increasing his season point total to 23 thanks to the sixth time registering multiple points … Snuggerud picked up his 12th point of the season against the Irish and pushed his point streak to five games behind his 49th point … He posted his 16th multi-point effort of the year, including five in six games versus Notre Dame, and is one point shy of his career high of 50 points set in 2022-23 … Clark delivered an assist for the third-consecutive Saturday game and has six points in his last six appearances to push his point total to 21 for the season … Chesley became the ninth Gopher to reach 20 points this season with an assist Friday, doing so for the first time in his tenure, while the junior captain led Minnesota with four blocked shots … Thanks to his 20th assist of the year, Rinzel joined four other Minnesota players with 30 or more points, which ranks fifth amongst all defensemen in the nation … The Gophers struck for a power-play tally in their season-long, fifth-straight contest and sixth in six games against the Irish this year … Notre Dame has scored the opening goal in all six meetings versus Minnesota this season … The Maroon and Gold claimed the 25th win of the campaign and have hit that mark three times over the last four seasons.

Coach Motzko’s Comments

“Hard-fought playoff game, both teams. Most important, I liked how we played, really start to finish,” Minnesota head coach Bob Motzko said. “I didn’t like a couple of our funnels back into our zone, that was it. Otherwise, our guys played their tails off and so did Notre Dame. It was a great hockey game. Great atmosphere, crowd got going; that’s playoff hockey.”

Next Up: Home vs. Notre Dame (B1G Tournament Quarterfinals – March 9)

Minnesota and Notre Dame meet Sunday evening at 6 p.m. inside 3M Arena at Mariucci for a winner-take-all game three in the B1G Quarterfinals.

Courtesy: University of Minnesota Sports Information