University of Minnesota Athletics
Saturday, February 14
South Bend, IN
5:00 PM
University of Minnesota
10-19-2, 6-13-1
2
at
3
Notre Dame
6-20-4, 2-15-1
1
2
3
F
Minnesota
1
1
0
2
Notre Dame
0
1
2
3
Team Stats
MIN
UND
Shots
25
24
PPG
0
1
SHG
0
1
Penalties
1
2
Penalty Mins
2
4
Faceoffs Won
29
29
Game Leaders
+/-
2
Goals
1
Sh
2
A
0
+/-
1
Goals
1
Sh
1
A
0
+/-
-1
Goals
0
Sh
3
A
1
Players Mentioned
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Goaltender
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's HockeyForward
/ Men's HockeyForward
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's HockeyDefense
/ Men's Hockey
Goaltender
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Photo by: Brad Rempel
Gophers See Lead Slip Late in Road Loss Saturday
2/14/2026 7:45:00 PM | Men's Hockey
Irish score twice in final 10 minutes
SOUTH BEND, Ind. - The Golden Gophers men's hockey team saw their one-goal lead slip away in the final 10 minutes of the third period during a 3-2 loss at Notre Dame inside Compton Family Ice Arena Saturday night.
Cal Thomas and Javon Moore gave Minnesota (10-19-2 overall, 6-13-1 B1G, 22 points) a 2-1 advantage at the end of two periods before the Fighting Irish (6-20-4 overall, 2-15-1 B1G, 9 points) got a power-play tally late in the third period to tie the game. The home side scored the winning goal with 51 seconds remaining in regulation.
The first chance of the night belonged to the Maroon and Gold thanks to a tenacious effort from Beckett Hendrickson to force a turnover behind the home net, leading to a shot by Tate Pritchard. Notre Dame followed with a surge of pressure that had to be thwarted by the defense and netminder Luca Di Pasquo, which allowed the Gophers' offense to take charge. Brody Lamb knocked the puck away from an Irish forward in the offensive zone onto the stick of Brodie Ziemer, who put a pass to the slot where Thomas had jumped into the play. The senior captain ripped home the go-ahead tally just under the crossbar at 6:21.
Holding the one-goal edge, Minnesota continued on the attack with Graham Harris and Leo Gruba each testing the home netminder in the middle of the period. The intensity on the ice quickly ramped up and turned into a physical battle both during play and after the whistle. Notre Dame controlled the action in the closing minutes of the frame but could not get one past Di Pasquo and the Gophers held their 1-0 lead at intermission.
After Di Pasquo delivered a pair of glove saves beginning the second stanza, the visitors generated sustained pressure as they cycled lines and made life difficult for the Irish to break out of their own end. The Gophers earned the first power play of the night at the 13:21 mark, only to see Notre Dame create a 2-on-1 the other way and score the tying goal on a shorthanded one-timer.
With less than a minute to play in the frame, the size and speed of Moore was too tough for the Irish to handle and he put Minnesota back in front, 2-1. Mason Moe's battle along the wall allowed the freshman to pick up the puck and walk around one defender before rushing the net for a goal tucked inside the back post with 51 seconds on the clock. In the closing seconds, a penalty behind the play gave the Gophers another man advantage that extended into the final period and the visitors held the 2-1 edge through 40 minutes.
Using a fresh sheet of ice for the remaining 1:22 of the power play, the Maroon and Gold looked to stretch its margin, but the opportunity was wiped away. The visitors used the momentum shift to maintain zone time and got shots from Hendrickson and Moe until Notre Dame fought back to test the Gophers where the defense helped Di Pasquo by blocking shots and getting sticks in passing lanes.
The first penalty to Minnesota was assessed at 8:23 and with time winding down on the power play, the Irish won an offensive-zone faceoff and got the equalizer via a one-timer from the right circle, making it 2-2. The next run of play was full of nerves from both teams, and neither could get the puck to settle through the neutral zone. In the final minute of regulation, the Irish were able to clear a puck around the boards for a 3-on-2 and found the eventual winning tally with just 51 seconds remaining.
Noteworthy
Having gone 40 games without a goal, Thomas snapped the Gophers' longest current goal drought as he scored for the first time during the campaign and first since a goal versus Notre Dame at home on Jan. 17, 2025 ... It was the senior's third goal of his four-year career and fifth point of the season ... Moore continued to show off his game during the road trip and tallied his sixth goal this year, picking up his third point of the series ... The Carver, Minn., product has now registered at least one point in three of four meetings with the Irish and ended his nine-game goal skid ... Lamb extended his team-leading point streak to nine games behind a first-period assist, his 16th helper, and the senior reached the 30-point mark for the first time in his career ... His point streak is one game shy of the longest by a Big Ten skater this year and the third-longest active streak in the NCAA ... As he has done all year, Ziemer added his name to the scoresheet, recording his Gopher-best 31st point overall on his 11th assist ... The sophomore has a career-high, seven-game point streak and 19 points across his past 15 appearances ... Moe collected his first point since an assist on the road at Penn State on Jan. 10 and became Minnesota's 10th player to reach double-digit scoring ... For the second time in 2026, Jimmy Clark tallied a point as the junior has two assists over the last 12 outings ... Making his 10th-consecutive start in goal, Di Pasquo turned aside 21 shots but suffered his first loss versus the Irish in four meetings ... Ironman goalie Zach Wiese was on the bench for his 150th-straight game, having never missed a game in his four-year career ... Minnesota entered the night unbeaten at 8-0-1 when holding a lead at the end of two periods, suffering its first loss in that scenario Saturday ... Of the 11 goals scored against Notre Dame in four games this season, 10 different Gophers have found the back of the net with only Lamb recording multiple tallies.
Coach Motzko's Comments
"Disappointing on how it happened because we played our tails off tonight. We put ourselves in a great position on the road, but we take an offensive-zone faceoff with a stick, and they get a power play goal. Then we had a mix up on a faceoff, in the offensive zone, to give up a 3-on-2. That's the game; and those are painful lessons," Minnesota head coach Bob Motzko said. "We'll take the bye; we'll just charge up. We have two series to go before the playoffs. Our guys are focused, and we'll get this thing moving forward."
Next Up: Away at No. 2 Michigan (Feb. 26-27)
Minnesota continues its four-game road swing with a trip to Ann Arbor, Mich., for a Thursday and Friday conference series versus the second-ranked Wolverines of Michigan. Both games will be carried live on Big Ten Network, while an audio broadcast will be available through the Gopher Radio Network 103.5 FM/AM-1130 KTLK.
Cal Thomas and Javon Moore gave Minnesota (10-19-2 overall, 6-13-1 B1G, 22 points) a 2-1 advantage at the end of two periods before the Fighting Irish (6-20-4 overall, 2-15-1 B1G, 9 points) got a power-play tally late in the third period to tie the game. The home side scored the winning goal with 51 seconds remaining in regulation.
The first chance of the night belonged to the Maroon and Gold thanks to a tenacious effort from Beckett Hendrickson to force a turnover behind the home net, leading to a shot by Tate Pritchard. Notre Dame followed with a surge of pressure that had to be thwarted by the defense and netminder Luca Di Pasquo, which allowed the Gophers' offense to take charge. Brody Lamb knocked the puck away from an Irish forward in the offensive zone onto the stick of Brodie Ziemer, who put a pass to the slot where Thomas had jumped into the play. The senior captain ripped home the go-ahead tally just under the crossbar at 6:21.
Holding the one-goal edge, Minnesota continued on the attack with Graham Harris and Leo Gruba each testing the home netminder in the middle of the period. The intensity on the ice quickly ramped up and turned into a physical battle both during play and after the whistle. Notre Dame controlled the action in the closing minutes of the frame but could not get one past Di Pasquo and the Gophers held their 1-0 lead at intermission.
After Di Pasquo delivered a pair of glove saves beginning the second stanza, the visitors generated sustained pressure as they cycled lines and made life difficult for the Irish to break out of their own end. The Gophers earned the first power play of the night at the 13:21 mark, only to see Notre Dame create a 2-on-1 the other way and score the tying goal on a shorthanded one-timer.
With less than a minute to play in the frame, the size and speed of Moore was too tough for the Irish to handle and he put Minnesota back in front, 2-1. Mason Moe's battle along the wall allowed the freshman to pick up the puck and walk around one defender before rushing the net for a goal tucked inside the back post with 51 seconds on the clock. In the closing seconds, a penalty behind the play gave the Gophers another man advantage that extended into the final period and the visitors held the 2-1 edge through 40 minutes.
Using a fresh sheet of ice for the remaining 1:22 of the power play, the Maroon and Gold looked to stretch its margin, but the opportunity was wiped away. The visitors used the momentum shift to maintain zone time and got shots from Hendrickson and Moe until Notre Dame fought back to test the Gophers where the defense helped Di Pasquo by blocking shots and getting sticks in passing lanes.
The first penalty to Minnesota was assessed at 8:23 and with time winding down on the power play, the Irish won an offensive-zone faceoff and got the equalizer via a one-timer from the right circle, making it 2-2. The next run of play was full of nerves from both teams, and neither could get the puck to settle through the neutral zone. In the final minute of regulation, the Irish were able to clear a puck around the boards for a 3-on-2 and found the eventual winning tally with just 51 seconds remaining.
Noteworthy
Having gone 40 games without a goal, Thomas snapped the Gophers' longest current goal drought as he scored for the first time during the campaign and first since a goal versus Notre Dame at home on Jan. 17, 2025 ... It was the senior's third goal of his four-year career and fifth point of the season ... Moore continued to show off his game during the road trip and tallied his sixth goal this year, picking up his third point of the series ... The Carver, Minn., product has now registered at least one point in three of four meetings with the Irish and ended his nine-game goal skid ... Lamb extended his team-leading point streak to nine games behind a first-period assist, his 16th helper, and the senior reached the 30-point mark for the first time in his career ... His point streak is one game shy of the longest by a Big Ten skater this year and the third-longest active streak in the NCAA ... As he has done all year, Ziemer added his name to the scoresheet, recording his Gopher-best 31st point overall on his 11th assist ... The sophomore has a career-high, seven-game point streak and 19 points across his past 15 appearances ... Moe collected his first point since an assist on the road at Penn State on Jan. 10 and became Minnesota's 10th player to reach double-digit scoring ... For the second time in 2026, Jimmy Clark tallied a point as the junior has two assists over the last 12 outings ... Making his 10th-consecutive start in goal, Di Pasquo turned aside 21 shots but suffered his first loss versus the Irish in four meetings ... Ironman goalie Zach Wiese was on the bench for his 150th-straight game, having never missed a game in his four-year career ... Minnesota entered the night unbeaten at 8-0-1 when holding a lead at the end of two periods, suffering its first loss in that scenario Saturday ... Of the 11 goals scored against Notre Dame in four games this season, 10 different Gophers have found the back of the net with only Lamb recording multiple tallies.
Coach Motzko's Comments
"Disappointing on how it happened because we played our tails off tonight. We put ourselves in a great position on the road, but we take an offensive-zone faceoff with a stick, and they get a power play goal. Then we had a mix up on a faceoff, in the offensive zone, to give up a 3-on-2. That's the game; and those are painful lessons," Minnesota head coach Bob Motzko said. "We'll take the bye; we'll just charge up. We have two series to go before the playoffs. Our guys are focused, and we'll get this thing moving forward."
Next Up: Away at No. 2 Michigan (Feb. 26-27)
Minnesota continues its four-game road swing with a trip to Ann Arbor, Mich., for a Thursday and Friday conference series versus the second-ranked Wolverines of Michigan. Both games will be carried live on Big Ten Network, while an audio broadcast will be available through the Gopher Radio Network 103.5 FM/AM-1130 KTLK.
Highlights: Gophers 2, Notre Dame 3
Saturday, February 14
Highlights: Gophers 2, Notre Dame 2
Friday, February 13
Gopher Round Table: Men's Hockey
Thursday, February 12
Highlights: Gophers 2, Ohio State 6
Friday, February 06