The Irish opened up Big Ten Playoffs on Friday following a disappointing regular season with a marquee 3-2 upset victory in the first of a best-of-three series with the Golden Gophers.
Photo via Notre Dame Athletics
Notre Dame got on the board early when Axel Kumlin’s attempted dump-in from center ice ended up in Minnesota’s net just 1:30 into the contest. Cole Knuble received an assist on the goal that required some good luck.
The Irish extended their lead to 2-0 with 4:53 remaining in the first period when Michael Mastrodomenico wristed one past the Minnesota goalie. Carter Slaggert and Ian Murphy were credited with assists.
With 1:33 to play in the period, the Irish were assessed a penalty for too many players on the ice. The Golden Gophers did not let this power play opportunity go to waste as Matthew Wood got one past the Irish goalie, Owen Say, to cut Notre Dame’s lead to 2-1 with just six seconds remaining in the frame.
Say had a strong first period, finishing with 12 saves on 13 shots as the Irish offense tallied nine shots on goal.
Early in the second period, Notre Dame pounced on a mistake by the Minnesota goalie as he passed the puck from behind the net right to the Irish’s Brennan Ali, leaving him with one of the easiest shots in his hockey career. Ali’s unassisted goal came 1:18 into the period and gave the Irish a 3-1 advantage. Minnesota would change goalies following this score.
The rest of the second period was quiet offensively as no one could find a follow-up to Ali’s score. Both teams served and killed two penalties apiece as the defense locked in during the frame. Say added 11 saves to his total in a clean period for the netminder as the Irish offense managed another nine shots on goal in the period.
In the third period, Minnesota’s Sam Rinzel made it a 3-2 contest with 11:44 to play as he netted one past Say.
Besides the goal, the third period was a struggle for both sides offensively. The Irish defense played great down the stretch, not breaking down once Minnesota pulled their goalie for the extra attacker. The Golden Gophers outshot the Irish 8-6 in the frame but this was not enough as Notre Dame escaped game one with the victory.
Notably, this win marked the 600th of Head Coach Jeff Jackson’s career, making him the ninth coach to hit that number in NCAA Hockey history.
Irish Stars:
Owen Say: 30 saves, 2 goals allowed
Axel Kumlin: 1 goal on 2 shots, 1 blocked shot, +2
Michael Mastrodomenico: 1 goal on 4 shots, 1 blocked shot, +1
Key Team Stats:
Shots: Minn (32) - ND (24)
Power Play Success: Minn (1-3) - ND (0-2)
Faceoffs: ND (30) - Minn (29)
Blocked Shots: ND (15) - Minn (4)
Game two of this best-of-three is Saturday at 8:00 eastern, with a chance to upset the number-two seeded Golden Gophers on their home ice.
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