SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame embarks on their first true road game of the calendar year this weekend as they head to Minnesota to face off against the Golden Gophers, Jan. 17-18, in Minneapolis. The games will air locally on Fox9 and stream live on B1G+.
SERIES OVERVIEW
Opponent: #3/3 Minnesota Golden Gophers | Jan. 17-18
Location: Minneapolis, Minn. | 3M Arena at Mariucci
Schedule: 7p.m. CT (Fri.) | 5p.m. CT (Sat.)
TV: Fox9 | B1G+
Live Stats: FightingIrish.com
Radio: fightingirish.com/radioaffiliates/
Game Notes: Notre Dame
QUICK HITS
- The Irish and Golden Gophers reunite for their second weekend series of the season this weekend as they get set to face off in Minneapolis, Jan. 17-18.
- In their last meeting, Brennan Ali and Axel Kumlin both boasted career nights as the two recorded for a goal and two assists each. Jack Larrigan also scored his first collegiate goal earlier this season against the Golden Gophers when the two teams first clashed inside Compton Family Ice Arena.
- In their most recent series, the Irish split a pair of games with then-No. 9/9 Michigan. After a 5-3 loss Friday night, the Irish responded with a dominant 7-4 victory Saturday.
- Fueled by Justin Janicke’s first career hat trick, five individuals boasted multiple points in the contest while Owen Say made 37 stops in net to clinch the victory.
- The Irish led Michigan 2-1 after one period of play but it was a memorable second period that insured the victory. At 5:37 of the middle stanza, Hunter Strand tipped a shot in from Jimmy Jurcev to make it a 3-1 game. The primary assist was the first point of Jurcev’s career.
- Janicke net his second of the night just 15 seconds after Strand’s tally, to give the Irish a 4-1 lead and force the Wolverines to make a change in goal. Just 17 seconds later, and on their first shot since the change in goalie, Danny Nelson scored his first of the calendar year.
- The three goals in 32 seconds set a program record.
- With five points on the night, including his first career hat trick, Janicke became the first Irish skater to boast five points in a single game since Bobby Nardella in the 2018-19 season.
- Danny Nelson was on the ice for six of the team’s seven goals Saturday night for a +6 on-ice rating which set a Big Ten Conference record. The sophomore center appeared on the box score three times Saturday night with a goal and two assists.
- On Friday night, Cole Knuble had a hand in all three Irish goals, picking up a goal and two assists. The team leader in points became the first Irish player to 20 points this season and now sits at 22 points in 18 games played thus far (8-14-22).
- Justin Janicke’s six point weekend (3-3-6) also escalated him to 20 points. He now boasts 21 points through 22 games.
- The opening contest of 2025 marked Notre Dame’s fourth-ever appearance in an outdoor contest, having previously played at Soldier Field (2013), Fenway Park (2014) and Notre Dame Stadium (2019).
- The Irish and Nittany Lions went to an eight-round shootout, the team’s first shootout of the season, Friday night. After the Nittany Lions scored in the first round of the shootout, Hunter Strand evened it up in round two. Nicholas Kempf proceeded to stop seven straight shots in the shootout to clinch the victory after Ryan Helliwell scored in the eighth round to give the Irish the advantage.
- The Irish wore a new jersey for Friday’s contest with the design meant to replicate those of the iconic Chicago flag and the Chicago Cubs (MLB).
- Notre Dame’s signature leprechaun could be seen on the front of the white jersey inside the “C” of the Cubs organization while the striping on the sleeves takes an Irish twist on the city’s flag, replacing the notable red stars with gold shamrocks.
- The teams closed out the weekend on Sunday with the first game at Compton Family Ice Arena of the new year where the Irish fell 3-0 to Penn State.
- The Irish closed out the first half of the season with a trip to Columbus, Ohio to face the Buckeyes.
- In two games, Danny Nelson led the team with a pair of goals while Nicholas Kempf stopped a career-best 41 saves in Friday’s overtime contest.
- The Irish team returned 19 student-athletes from the 2023-24 roster, including 11 forwards, six defensemen and two goaltenders. The forwards include graduate senior Grant Silianoff and seniors Justin Janicke, Hunter Strand and Tyler Carpenter. Returning defensemen include four who appeared in the final series of the 2023-24 season in Michael Mastrodomenico, Paul Fischer, Zach Plucinski and Henry Nelson.
- Notre Dame returned two 20+ point scorers from a season ago as Danny Nelson (9-14-23) and Cole Knuble (9-11-20) are now in their sophomore seasons with the Irish.
- In total, eight returners posted double-digit points last season. In addition to Nelson and Knuble, Hunter Strand (4-15-19), Justin Janicke (4-12-16), Paul Fischer (2-14-16), Brennan Ali (3-10-13), Maddox Fleming (3-9-12) and Grant Silianoff (4-7-11) look to improve upon their double-digit performances a season ago.
- At the last line of defense, the Irish return Jack Williams in goal and added two new netminders to the mix in Nicholas Kempf (USNTDP) and Owen Say (Mercyhurst).
- The Irish added 10 new faces to the squad in 2024-25, including five freshmen and five transfers. The 10 newcomers consist of five forwards, three defensemen and two goaltenders.
NOTRE DAME vs. MINNESOTA
- In 78 all-time meetings between the Irish and Golden Gophers, Minnesota holds a 45-27-6 edge.
- At Mariucci, the Irish trail the all-time series by a 16-23-3 margin and earned a split with the Golden Gophers a season ago in Minneapolis.
- Earlier this season, Jack Larrigan net his first collegiate goal against Minnesota in game one of the season series.
- In game two of the weekend series at Compton Family Ice Arena, Axel Kumlin and Brennan Ali both earned career nights with three points each off a goal and two assists.