Notre Dame Hockey: Irish Lose Ugly to Minnesota

Separated by just three points in the Big Ten standings, the no. 10 Minnesota Golden Gophers and no. 11 Notre Dame Fighting Irish met at Compton Family Ice Arena on Friday for their second season series. The Gophers swept the Irish this past October in Minneapolis.

First Period

Bob Motzko’s squad got the scoring started early and often. During a Minnesota 3 on 1, Grant Cruikshank got the first goal of the night with a shot from the left circle. A few minutes later, Pittsburgh Penguins’ 2nd round pick Tristan Broz put in a rebound to make it 2-0. Matthew Galajda’s rough night would continue when Blake McLaughlin banked one off the back of his pad to make it 3-0 just 11 minutes into the contest.

Second Period

Despite a change in the Notre Dame net and a fresh period, Minnesota showed no signs of slowing down. Less than a minute into the middle frame, captain Sammy Walker had an open net in front of him after a cross-crease pass from Matthew Knies, a 2nd round draft pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs. A Trevor Janicke power-play goal narrowed the Minnesota lead, but McLaughlin got it right back for the Gophers with his second of the night.

Third Period

Down 5-1, the Irish controlled the third period, nearly doubling up their opponent in shot attempts, but couldn’t shrink the lead of the Gophers. After a whistle, Adam Karashik and Jackson LaCombe were both called for roughing, leading to two minutes of 4 on 4 hockey. However, the penalties would expire without either team lighting the lamp.

Game Summary

Scoring

Minnesota: Grant Cruikshank at 06:05 in the 1st, assisted by Ryan Johnson and Jack Perbix

Minnesota: Tristan Broz at 08:40 in the 1st, assisted by Jackson LaCombe and Carl Fish

Minnesota: Blake McLaughlin at 11:09 in the 1st, assisted by Sammy Walker and Justen Close

Minnesota: Sammy Walker at 00:37 in the 2nd, assisted by Matthew Knies and Chaz Lucius

Notre Dame: Trevor Janicke (PPG) at 16:22 in the 2nd, assisted by Chase Blackmun and Spencer Stastney

Minnesota: Blake McLaughlin at 19:25 in the 2nd, assisted by Bryce Brodzinski and Jackson LaCombe

Penalties

Notre Dame: Landon Slaggert for clipping at 14:52 in the 1st

Minnesota: Matthew Knies for hooking at 16:41 in the 1st

Minnesota: Aaron Huglen for slashing at 01:42 in the 2nd

Notre Dame: Team penalty for too many players on the ice at 03:29 in the 2nd

Minnesota: Tristan Broz for tripping at 15:38 in the 2nd

Notre Dame: Adam Karashik for charging at 01:06 in the 3rd

Minnesota: Rhett Pitlick for hooking at 07:46 in the 3rd

Notre Dame: Adam Karashik for roughing at 15:25 in the 3rd

Minnesota: Jackson LaCombe for roughing at 15:25 in the 3rd

Goalies

Notre Dame: Matthew Galajda, 2 saves

Notre Dame: Ryan Bischel

Minnesota: Justen Close

Moving Forward

The Irish will conclude their series with Minnesota on Saturday, January 29, at 6:00 PM ET. The game can be streamed on Peacock.