MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — The University of Notre Dame hockey team advanced to the Big Ten Playoff Semifinals after a 4-1 victory over No. 3/3 Minnesota in game three of the best-of-three series in Minneapolis. Four separate Irish skaters scored in the contest as Owen Say posted 38 saves in goal en route to the win.
A fast paced first period saw the Irish take the first penalty of the night as Brennan Ali was sent to the box for a slash at 3:50 of the contest.
The Irish had a premium opportunity shorthanded as Cole Knuble raced in uncontested and Nathan Airey attempted to play the puck out of the zone but lost an edge. Knuble tripped over the netminder as he tried to corral the puck and could not send it over the goal line. Notre Dame managed to kill off the penalty unscathed and play returned to five-on-five just under six minutes into the contest.
At the first media timeout of the night the Gophers led 8-1 in shots on goal but Owen Say stood his ground in the ND crease to keep it scoreless just over halfway through the first frame.
The Irish took the lead at 17:25 of the night after a shot from Jack Larrigan at the near circle hit off the chest of Airey and into the air. Jayden Davis found the loose puck atop the crease and buried his shot for his first goal of the season.
Say was contested twice more at the opposite end of the ice before the end of the period but the Irish maintained the 1-0 lead as they headed to the first intermission of the evening.
The Irish extended their lead to two after Grant Silianoff buried a shot glove side with some assistance from Blake Biondi in front of the net.
At 9:08 of the second, the Irish were called for a crosscheck as Axel Kumlin and a Golden Gophers defensemen both raced to the puck along the offensive halfwall. The Irish were successful on the kill for the second time of the night, holding the Gophers without a shot through the two-minute stretch while Notre Dame had a shot that rang off the post shorthanded.
The Irish end was contested in the final minutes of the second period but the defense buckled down, posting two blocked shots and four saves in the last five minutes of the second stanza to keep the Gophers off the board heading into the third period.
Minnesota looked to get on the scoreboard early in the third period as they peppered the Irish end in shots but Ryan Helliwell and Axel Kumlin stepped up to block a pair of shots consecutively before regaining possession.
After a short stint in the Minnesota zone, the Gophers took the puck back and had numbers on the Irish but Henry Nelson poked the puck off target to deny a two-on-one chance from going into the back of the Irish net and Notre Dame held their two goal advantage six minutes into the third.
The Irish were called for a hold at 7:59 of the third period after Ryan Helliwell made a defensive play in front of the Notre Dame net and headed to the box for the team’s third penalty of the night. It took the Gophers just eight seconds to convert on the man-advantage as they sliced the Irish lead in half at 8:07 of the frame.
Notre Dame reclaimed the two-goal lead with 7:51 to play in regulation after Justin Janicke and Cole Knuble created a rush up ice before the sophomore backhanded a shot past the blocker of Airey in the Gophers’ net.
The Gophers pulled their netminder with just under four minutes to play in regulation and Hunter Strand would make them pay as he cashed in on the open ice for the empty net tally at 17:40 for the 4-1 final.
GOALS
- Jayden Davis gave the Irish the 1-0 lead late in the first period after settling a rebound in front of the crease. Zach Plucinski gathered a pass from Henry Nelson in the defensive end after a Minnesota dump-in and fed a pass up ice to Jack Larrigan who carried it into the offensive zone. The freshman fired a wrist shot on net from the circle but his chance was denied before Davis buried the rebound, as the sophomore lit the lamp for the first time this season.
- A pair of Notre Dame graduate students native to Minnesota made it 2-0 Irish at 3:44 of the second period after a centering pass from Blake Biondi was tipped towards the far boards where Grant Silianoff picked it up. Silianoff then fed the puck back to Biondi behind the net who attempted the wraparound but lost the puck in the crease to set up Silianoff. Axel Kumlin, who chipped the puck out of the defensive zone to set up the rush, was credited with the second assist.
- A give and go goal for Cole Knuble and Justin Janicke made it a 3-1 game at 12:09 of the third period. Knuble and Janicke jockeyed the puck int the offensive zone before Knuble backhanded it into the back of the net for his 12th of the season. Michael Mastrodomenico also picked up an assist on the play.
- Hunter Strand capped the win for the Irish in his 150th career game as the senior found the empty net on a clear from behind his own blue line. Paul Fischer saved a potential Gophers goal when he jumped in front of a shot before Carter Slaggert gathered the puck along the near boards and centered it to Strand for the final goal of the night.
KEY STATS
- Jayden Davis’ goal to open the scoring Sunday was his first of the year and third career goal. With a goal and two assists this season the forward has matched his point total from a season ago.
- The Irish blocked six shots in the opening period Sunday night to keep the Gophers off the board in the opening 20 minutes with Paul Fischer jumping in front of two pucks before the end of the first.
- A pair of Minnesota natives in Blake Biondi and Grant Silianoff combined for the team’s second goal of the night as Biondi assisted on Silianoff’s fifth of the season to give the Irish the 2-0 lead early in the middle frame.
- Skating in his 150th career game, Hunter Strand found the back of the net for the second consecutive night, ultimately clinching the Irish win with an empty net tally at 17:40 of the third.
- With his blocked shot to set up Strand’s empty netter, Fischer finished the night with four blocks.
- Ryan Helliwell’s career-best six blocked shots led the Irish defense Sunday as the team combined to post 23 blocks, including 10 in the final period of regulation to clinch the series.
- Zach Plucinski’s block in the final minute of the second period gave the graduate blueliner his 200th career blocked shot. The fifth-year Irish skater has appeared in 152 career games for the Blue and Gold.
- Owen Say registered 38 saves in the contest Sunday night to backstop his Irish team to victory. The junior netminder posted double digit saves in all three periods Sunday in the 4-1 win.
- Ten individuals highlighted the box score Sunday night, including the team’s leader in points, Cole Knuble, who boasts 39 points this season behind 12 goals and 27 assists.
- The Irish centers won 57.1 percent of the faceoff chances Sunday evening, led by Jayden Davis’ perfect four-for-four. Danny Nelson’s 17 faceoff wins was the most on the team while Strand’s 69.2 percent rate was the most of any center on either team (min. five faceoffs taken).
- With the win, the Irish advance to the Big Ten Tournament Semifinals for the first time since 2022.
UP NEXT
The Irish have advanced to the Big Ten Tournament semifinals and will face Big Ten Regular Season Co-Champion and No. 2/2 Michigan State University at Munn Ice Arena in East Lansing. The game is slated for a 6 p.m. puck drop on Saturday, March 15.