Notre Dame tops Gophers men’s hockey team in overtime

Matthew Wood scored in the third period to force overtime before the No. 3 Golden Gophers fell to Notre Dame 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.