Gophers top Notre Dame 4-1 in conference opener

The Gophers men’s hockey team opened the Big Ten season with a 4-1 win over Notre Dame Friday night at 3M Arena at Mariucci.

Delano native Ben Meyers opened the scoring for Minnesota with 5:14 left in the first period when he snuck a wrap-around goal post Fighting Irish goalie Matthew Galajda. Former Blaine Bengal Bryce Brodzinki made it 2-0 Gophers less than six minutes into the second period when his wicked wrister found the back of the net.

Notre Dame finally got on the scoreboard in the third period on goal by Graham Slaggert. Minnesota answered late in the third period when freshman Mason Nevers scored his fourth goal of the season on a slick backhander to give the Gophers a comfortable 3-1 lead with 1:56 left in regulation. Blake McLaughlin added an empty netter for a 4-1 final score.

Gophers goalie Jack Lafontaine was solid in net stopping 28 of the 29 shots he faced.

The Gophers improve to 4-3 this season while Notre Dame drops to 4-2. The two teams square off again Saturday night at 5:00 p.m. in Minneapolis.