University of Minnesota Athletics
Friday, February 13
South Bend, IN
6:00 PM
University of Minnesota
at
Notre Dame
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Photo by: Brace Hemmelgarn
Minnesota Begins Road Swing at Notre Dame
2/12/2026 11:00:00 AM | Men's Hockey
Beginning of four-straight away games
MINNEAPOLIS - The University of Minnesota men's hockey team continues its Big Ten Conference slate with a road trip to South Bend, Ind., for a weekend series at Notre Dame Feb. 13-14 from Compton Family Ice Arena.
The Golden Gophers and Fighting Irish open the series Friday night at 6 p.m. (CT) before the final game takes place Saturday at 5 p.m. (CT). Both games will be streamed live on Peacock, while audio coverage will also be available through the Gopher Radio Network 103.5 FM/AM-1130 KTLK.
LAST TIME ON THE ICE
Minnesota dropped both games at home against Ohio State, falling 6-2 Friday before a tight 2-1 decision Saturday at 3M Arena at Mariucci. Brodie Ziemer opened the scoring on the power play in the series opener, but the Buckeyes surged with four goals in a nine-minute span across the first intermission to pull away. In Saturday's finale, Brody Lamb tied the game early in the second period after OSU struck first, but the visitors answered midway through the third to complete the weekend sweep.
ZIEMER KEEPS LIGHTING THE LAMP
Brodie Ziemer is operating at a point-per-game pace and is leading the Gophers in scoring with 29 points in 29 games, while his 11 power-play goals own the NCAA's top spot. The sophomore closed 2025 on a blistering run, lighting the lamp in six of the final seven outings with a pair of three-game goal streaks and piled up eight goals and 11 points across that stretch. The Chaska, Minn., native delivered back-to-back multi-goal efforts at Ohio State in December to earn B1G First Star honors (Dec. 9). Ziemer has continued that trend in 2026, finding the back of the net seven times in 10 games for a career-best 19 goals, which ranks fifth in the country. He has a knack for lighting the lamp on Saturday where he has scored in six of the past eight Saturday outings dating back to November, including five consecutive before last weekend. His two-goal effort in the series finale versus Wisconsin (Jan. 31) extended his goal-scoring streak to three games, his third streak of three games this year, and included the first shorthanded marker of his tenure.
LAMB KEEPS FEASTING
Senior captain Brody Lamb has been a driving force behind the Gophers' offense, ranking second on the team with 28 points on 14 goals and 14 assists, setting a new career high in points. He reached double-digit goals for the third-straight season with the 15th power-play tally of his career versus Michigan (Jan. 17). The Byron, Minn., native posted consecutive three-point outings at Denver (Nov. 29) and Ohio State (Dec. 4), recording four multi-point performances over the final eight games of 2025 before adding his team-leading eighth multi-point effort of the season against Wisconsin (Jan. 31). By reaching the scoresheet in both outings versus the Buckeyes, Lamb pushed his point streak to a career-long seven games.
MOONEY MAGIC
LJ Mooney's breakaway goal to close the sweep of the Fighting Irish on Nov. 8 highlighted the speed and skill of the Gophers' rookie. It was the first multi-point night of his young career, and he has barely slowed down since, tallying six more multi-point performances to put up 19 points in the last 16 games. The West Mifflin, Pa., native has at least one point in 13 of 15 series played, totaling six goals and a team-leading 20 assists, including 17 points on Minnesota's 26 total power-play goals where his vision and creativity are on full display. His two points in the series opener versus Ohio State (Feb. 6) stretched Mooney's point streak to seven games, tying the longest of any Gopher this season.
LUKE DOING IT ALL
Captain Luke Mittelstadt has opened his final season playing some of the best hockey of his career, putting up 14 points over his last 18 appearances and is playing more than 26 minutes per game. The Eden Prairie, Minn., native is second for the Gophers with 17 assists, tops in the B1G and eighth among all NCAA defensemen, with 14 of those points coming while running the blue line on the man advantage. His first goal of the year, a power-play game winner against Notre Dame (Nov. 8), ended a 23-game scoring drought and capped the series sweep, while his second goal was also the winner to finish a B1G sweep of Wisconsin (Jan. 31).
PÅHLSSON'S PRODUCTION STAR
Påhlsson delivered a breakout weekend to power the Gophers to a sweep of No. 8/7 Wisconsin and earned the first weekly award of his career as the Big Ten Second Star of the Week (Feb. 3). The sophomore totaled five points on three goals and two assists with multi-point performances in both games. His outburst nearly doubled his season production, entering the series with six points over his previous 21 contests. The Swede scored the first power-play goal of his career Friday, the eventual game winner, then followed with a season-high three points Saturday, including his first multi-goal game as a Gopher. He now has points in five of eight career games against the Badgers, accounting for 11 of his 29 career points and both of his game-winning goals.
LUCA A SHUTOUT STAR
Luca Di Pasquo stopped 52-of-53 shots he faced to lead the Gophers to a series sweep of Notre Dame and was named the B1G Second Star of the Week (Nov. 11). The Livonia, Mich., native recorded his first shutout with the Maroon and Gold, third of his career, and also added an assist in the third period for the first point of his NCAA tenure. The junior continued that trend by making 33 saves in the series finale against the Irish before backstopping Minnesota with a brilliant, career-best 47-save performance to secure an upset over No. 4 Denver (Nov. 29). Despite dropping all four games against the nation's top two teams in the middle of January, Di Pasquo made 171 saves, 42.8 per game, and owned a .924 save percentage, while his .925 save percentage in league play ranks third among all B1G netminders.
POWER PLAY POTENCY
After striking just four times in the first 13 games of the season, the power play has converted 22 times over their last 16 outings, including goals in seven straight before the streak ended Saturday. That has risen the Gophers to the national lead at 31.3 percent as the 5-on-4 unit has surged thanks to Brodie Ziemer potting nine in that stretch. The 22 goals since Nov. 15 are the most by any team in the NCAA as Minnesota is converting at a 47.8 percent clip (22-for-46) during that span. Freshman LJ Mooney leads the team with 17 points on the man advantage this year, while Ziemer (16), Brody Lamb (15) and Luke Mittelstadt (14) have also reached double-digit points.
AN INSIDE LOOK AT NOTRE DAME
The Irish enter the weekend series with a 1-12-2 record across their past 15 outings after getting one of a possible six points during their road trip to Wisconsin last weekend in a pair of one-goal losses. Notre Dame boasts the NCAA's fifth-best power play that is converting at 28.6 percent, but the team ranks 62nd nationally in scoring defense as it allows 4.1 goals per game. Evan Werner is pacing the team with 15 goals and 28 points, while three other players have at least 20 points for the Irish offense. Netminder Nicholas Kempf has played more than 1,500 minutes between the pipes and posted a 3.70 goals-against average and an .891 save percentage.
HISTORY WITH THE FIGHTING IRISH
Minnesota improved its all-time record against Notre Dame to 50-31-6 (.609) after sweeping the first matchup more than four months ago, while the last seven meetings between the two programs have all taken place at 3M Arena at Mariucci. The Gophers have won three-straight road battles versus the Irish and are 8-2-2 since 2020 in games at Compton Family Ice Arena. Earlier this season, goaltender Luca Di Pasquo led the Maroon and Gold to two victories by stopping 52-of-53 shots, including a 19-save shutout in the series opener. It was a balanced offensive effort as 12 different players recorded at least one point with Brody Lamb and LJ Mooney posting a team-best three points against Notre Dame back in November.
TOP 10 VICTORIES
Thanks to a sweep of No. 8/7 Wisconsin at home to close January, the Gophers have now logged five victories over top-10 opponents, accounting for half of their total wins this season. The stretch began with a road triumph at No. 8 North Dakota on Oct. 18 and continued with a home victory over No. 5 Penn State on Nov. 21. Minnesota then delivered an upset of No. 4 Denver in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game on Nov. 29 to close the first half of the season, before the wins against the Badgers snapped a seven-game skid. The sweep marked the 51st and 52nd top-10 victories of Head Coach Bob Motzko's tenure and the 13th time his Gophers have swept a top-10 opponent.
ROAD CHALLENGES IN LEAGUE PLAY
Minnesota has struggled on the road in B1G play, going 1-7-0 through eight away games and suffered sweeps at No. 14 Wisconsin, No. 9 Penn State, and No. 2 Michigan State. During that stretch, the Gophers were outscored 32-18, scoring more than two goals just twice, while opponents are converting 37 percent of their power-play chances to average 4.0 goals per game. Slow starts and possession have been key factors, as Minnesota has fallen behind in six of the eight contests and won just 40.1 percent of faceoffs overall.
DEFENSEMAN 'U'
Minnesota was the lone college hockey program in the country with more than 10 blue liners in the NHL last season. A total of 12 former Gopher defensemen took the ice in the NHL during the 2024-25 campaign, accounting for more than 600 games played. Highlighted in that group was Erik Johnson becoming the ninth former Minnesota skater to reach the 1,000-game milestone when he hit the mark last November and capped by Nate Schmidt's Stanley Cup victory with the Florida Panthers. At the collegiate level, Minnesota has dominated the Big Ten Conference's postseason awards dedicated to defensive play, winning six of the 12 Defensive Player of the Year awards distributed, including three of the last four.
The Golden Gophers and Fighting Irish open the series Friday night at 6 p.m. (CT) before the final game takes place Saturday at 5 p.m. (CT). Both games will be streamed live on Peacock, while audio coverage will also be available through the Gopher Radio Network 103.5 FM/AM-1130 KTLK.
LAST TIME ON THE ICE
Minnesota dropped both games at home against Ohio State, falling 6-2 Friday before a tight 2-1 decision Saturday at 3M Arena at Mariucci. Brodie Ziemer opened the scoring on the power play in the series opener, but the Buckeyes surged with four goals in a nine-minute span across the first intermission to pull away. In Saturday's finale, Brody Lamb tied the game early in the second period after OSU struck first, but the visitors answered midway through the third to complete the weekend sweep.
ZIEMER KEEPS LIGHTING THE LAMP
Brodie Ziemer is operating at a point-per-game pace and is leading the Gophers in scoring with 29 points in 29 games, while his 11 power-play goals own the NCAA's top spot. The sophomore closed 2025 on a blistering run, lighting the lamp in six of the final seven outings with a pair of three-game goal streaks and piled up eight goals and 11 points across that stretch. The Chaska, Minn., native delivered back-to-back multi-goal efforts at Ohio State in December to earn B1G First Star honors (Dec. 9). Ziemer has continued that trend in 2026, finding the back of the net seven times in 10 games for a career-best 19 goals, which ranks fifth in the country. He has a knack for lighting the lamp on Saturday where he has scored in six of the past eight Saturday outings dating back to November, including five consecutive before last weekend. His two-goal effort in the series finale versus Wisconsin (Jan. 31) extended his goal-scoring streak to three games, his third streak of three games this year, and included the first shorthanded marker of his tenure.
LAMB KEEPS FEASTING
Senior captain Brody Lamb has been a driving force behind the Gophers' offense, ranking second on the team with 28 points on 14 goals and 14 assists, setting a new career high in points. He reached double-digit goals for the third-straight season with the 15th power-play tally of his career versus Michigan (Jan. 17). The Byron, Minn., native posted consecutive three-point outings at Denver (Nov. 29) and Ohio State (Dec. 4), recording four multi-point performances over the final eight games of 2025 before adding his team-leading eighth multi-point effort of the season against Wisconsin (Jan. 31). By reaching the scoresheet in both outings versus the Buckeyes, Lamb pushed his point streak to a career-long seven games.
MOONEY MAGIC
LJ Mooney's breakaway goal to close the sweep of the Fighting Irish on Nov. 8 highlighted the speed and skill of the Gophers' rookie. It was the first multi-point night of his young career, and he has barely slowed down since, tallying six more multi-point performances to put up 19 points in the last 16 games. The West Mifflin, Pa., native has at least one point in 13 of 15 series played, totaling six goals and a team-leading 20 assists, including 17 points on Minnesota's 26 total power-play goals where his vision and creativity are on full display. His two points in the series opener versus Ohio State (Feb. 6) stretched Mooney's point streak to seven games, tying the longest of any Gopher this season.
LUKE DOING IT ALL
Captain Luke Mittelstadt has opened his final season playing some of the best hockey of his career, putting up 14 points over his last 18 appearances and is playing more than 26 minutes per game. The Eden Prairie, Minn., native is second for the Gophers with 17 assists, tops in the B1G and eighth among all NCAA defensemen, with 14 of those points coming while running the blue line on the man advantage. His first goal of the year, a power-play game winner against Notre Dame (Nov. 8), ended a 23-game scoring drought and capped the series sweep, while his second goal was also the winner to finish a B1G sweep of Wisconsin (Jan. 31).
PÅHLSSON'S PRODUCTION STAR
Påhlsson delivered a breakout weekend to power the Gophers to a sweep of No. 8/7 Wisconsin and earned the first weekly award of his career as the Big Ten Second Star of the Week (Feb. 3). The sophomore totaled five points on three goals and two assists with multi-point performances in both games. His outburst nearly doubled his season production, entering the series with six points over his previous 21 contests. The Swede scored the first power-play goal of his career Friday, the eventual game winner, then followed with a season-high three points Saturday, including his first multi-goal game as a Gopher. He now has points in five of eight career games against the Badgers, accounting for 11 of his 29 career points and both of his game-winning goals.
LUCA A SHUTOUT STAR
Luca Di Pasquo stopped 52-of-53 shots he faced to lead the Gophers to a series sweep of Notre Dame and was named the B1G Second Star of the Week (Nov. 11). The Livonia, Mich., native recorded his first shutout with the Maroon and Gold, third of his career, and also added an assist in the third period for the first point of his NCAA tenure. The junior continued that trend by making 33 saves in the series finale against the Irish before backstopping Minnesota with a brilliant, career-best 47-save performance to secure an upset over No. 4 Denver (Nov. 29). Despite dropping all four games against the nation's top two teams in the middle of January, Di Pasquo made 171 saves, 42.8 per game, and owned a .924 save percentage, while his .925 save percentage in league play ranks third among all B1G netminders.
POWER PLAY POTENCY
After striking just four times in the first 13 games of the season, the power play has converted 22 times over their last 16 outings, including goals in seven straight before the streak ended Saturday. That has risen the Gophers to the national lead at 31.3 percent as the 5-on-4 unit has surged thanks to Brodie Ziemer potting nine in that stretch. The 22 goals since Nov. 15 are the most by any team in the NCAA as Minnesota is converting at a 47.8 percent clip (22-for-46) during that span. Freshman LJ Mooney leads the team with 17 points on the man advantage this year, while Ziemer (16), Brody Lamb (15) and Luke Mittelstadt (14) have also reached double-digit points.
AN INSIDE LOOK AT NOTRE DAME
The Irish enter the weekend series with a 1-12-2 record across their past 15 outings after getting one of a possible six points during their road trip to Wisconsin last weekend in a pair of one-goal losses. Notre Dame boasts the NCAA's fifth-best power play that is converting at 28.6 percent, but the team ranks 62nd nationally in scoring defense as it allows 4.1 goals per game. Evan Werner is pacing the team with 15 goals and 28 points, while three other players have at least 20 points for the Irish offense. Netminder Nicholas Kempf has played more than 1,500 minutes between the pipes and posted a 3.70 goals-against average and an .891 save percentage.
HISTORY WITH THE FIGHTING IRISH
Minnesota improved its all-time record against Notre Dame to 50-31-6 (.609) after sweeping the first matchup more than four months ago, while the last seven meetings between the two programs have all taken place at 3M Arena at Mariucci. The Gophers have won three-straight road battles versus the Irish and are 8-2-2 since 2020 in games at Compton Family Ice Arena. Earlier this season, goaltender Luca Di Pasquo led the Maroon and Gold to two victories by stopping 52-of-53 shots, including a 19-save shutout in the series opener. It was a balanced offensive effort as 12 different players recorded at least one point with Brody Lamb and LJ Mooney posting a team-best three points against Notre Dame back in November.
TOP 10 VICTORIES
Thanks to a sweep of No. 8/7 Wisconsin at home to close January, the Gophers have now logged five victories over top-10 opponents, accounting for half of their total wins this season. The stretch began with a road triumph at No. 8 North Dakota on Oct. 18 and continued with a home victory over No. 5 Penn State on Nov. 21. Minnesota then delivered an upset of No. 4 Denver in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game on Nov. 29 to close the first half of the season, before the wins against the Badgers snapped a seven-game skid. The sweep marked the 51st and 52nd top-10 victories of Head Coach Bob Motzko's tenure and the 13th time his Gophers have swept a top-10 opponent.
ROAD CHALLENGES IN LEAGUE PLAY
Minnesota has struggled on the road in B1G play, going 1-7-0 through eight away games and suffered sweeps at No. 14 Wisconsin, No. 9 Penn State, and No. 2 Michigan State. During that stretch, the Gophers were outscored 32-18, scoring more than two goals just twice, while opponents are converting 37 percent of their power-play chances to average 4.0 goals per game. Slow starts and possession have been key factors, as Minnesota has fallen behind in six of the eight contests and won just 40.1 percent of faceoffs overall.
DEFENSEMAN 'U'
Minnesota was the lone college hockey program in the country with more than 10 blue liners in the NHL last season. A total of 12 former Gopher defensemen took the ice in the NHL during the 2024-25 campaign, accounting for more than 600 games played. Highlighted in that group was Erik Johnson becoming the ninth former Minnesota skater to reach the 1,000-game milestone when he hit the mark last November and capped by Nate Schmidt's Stanley Cup victory with the Florida Panthers. At the collegiate level, Minnesota has dominated the Big Ten Conference's postseason awards dedicated to defensive play, winning six of the 12 Defensive Player of the Year awards distributed, including three of the last four.
Gopher Round Table: Men's Hockey
Thursday, February 12
Highlights: Gophers 2, Ohio State 6
Friday, February 06
Cinematic Recap: Minnesota Sweeps Wisconsin
Wednesday, February 04
Brodie Ziemer Goal
Sunday, February 01