By: Meghan Lange
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — Friday marked career win No. 600 for Catalino Family Head Hockey Coach Jeff Jackson as his Irish hockey program battled to a 3-2 victory at No. 3/3 Minnesota to open the Big Ten Playoff Quarterfinals. The Notre Dame team took the early lead just 90 seconds into the contest and would not relent en route to the game one win in a best-of-three series.
Axel Kumlin opened the scoring just 90 seconds into the contest with a shot when his dump-in floated into the offensive end and was tipped by the glove of Liam Souliere into the back of the net.
Following Owen Say’s series of saves in the crease, the Irish managed to clear the puck and get a fresh line on the ice. It was then where Michael Mastrodomenico net the team’s second goal of the night to make it a 2-0 game.
With 1:33 left on the clock the Irish were called for too many men on the ice after a miscommunication at the bench during a change as the visitors were shorthanded for the first time of the night. The Gophers capitalized on the man-advantage, beating Say with a deflection out front as just 6.4 seconds remained on the clock in the first period.
The Irish came back after a strong first period and wasted no time lighting the lamp again as Brennan Ali picked off a pass from Souliere behind the Gophers net and buried a backhander at 1:18 of the second stanza. The third Irish goal forced a change in net for the Gophers as sophomore Nathan Airey headed to the Minnesota crease.
The Gophers were called for too many men on the ice and the Irish headed to the powerplay in the first half of the second. Blake Biondi rang a shot off the crossbar on the man-advantage as the Irish nearly took a three-goal lead about halfway through the second period.
With 5:09 left in the period the Irish were called for a knee and headed to the box for their second penalty of the night. A little over a minute later the Gophers followed up with a penalty for tripping and the teams were tasked with four-on-four play for 58 seconds. After killing off their infraction, the Irish saw 62 seconds of powerplay opportunity but could not capitalize as the period reached the 18-minute mark.
The Irish were once again whistled for a penalty with under two minutes to play in the period as a skater was sent to the box for slashing with 1:42 left in the frame.
Notre Dame’s penalty kill fought through the horn to keep it a two-goal game despite late pressure from the Gophers’ powerplay unit as they headed to the third period with 18 seconds left on the penalty.
The Irish were successful in the early third period kill as Notre Dame won the opening faceoff off the stick of Danny Nelson and sent the puck deep into the Gophers zone.
Partway through the third period the Gophers managed to find the back of the net to slice the Irish lead in half, 3-2, with a shot that went over Say’s blocker at 8:16 of the third.
Following a physical back-and-forth frame the Gophers pulled their netminder with 1:32 remaining in the period after a series of chances in the Irish end.
Perhaps the save of the game came with just 43 seconds remaining in the contest as sophomore center Cole Knuble blocked a shot by a Gopher in the center of the attack zone to keep the shot off net and give the Irish a look at the empty net. Despite a shot at the open goal mouth trickling just wide in the waning seconds of regulation, the Irish held on to clinch the game one victory in the best-of-three series.
GOALS
- The Irish looked for a change just under 90 seconds into the contest as Cole Knuble fed a pass across the neutral zone to Axel Kumlin who skated over the red line and dumped the puck deep into the offensive zone as he turned towards the bench.
- Michael Mastrodomenico extended the Irish lead with a shot from the slot that beat Liam Souliere glove side for the 2-0 tally. Ian Murphy held the puck along the deep halfwall before finding Carter Slaggert in the neutral zone. Slaggert skated the puck across the blueline before sending the puck over to Mastrodomenico who fired his shot into the back of the net for his fourth of the year.
- The Irish reclaimed their two-goal lead at 1:18 of the second period as Brennan Ali picked off a pass from Souliere behind the net. The Gophers’ netminder settled the puck behind his own net before saucing it out for one of his teammates. Ali swooped in, intercepting the pass and burying a shot backhand to make it a 3-1 contest.
KEY STATS
- The win marked career victory No. 600 for Catalino Family Head Hockey Coach Jeff Jackson and his 418th win behind the Irish bench.
- Owen Say made 30 saves between the pipes en route to the win as the junior netminder made a series of key saves in the final minutes of regulation to hold on for the 3-2 final.
- With an assist on the game’s opening goal, the team’s point-leader, Cole Knuble, extended his point-streak to five games and now boasts 38 points on the season (11-27-38).
- The Irish opened the scoring with a pair of goals from the blue line as Axel Kumlin and Michael Mastrodomenico combined to give the Irish the 2-0 lead in the first period.
- Brennan Ali’s game-winner came with 18:42 left in the second-period after the sophomore intercepted a pass deep in the Gophers zone to make it a 3-1 contest.
- Including his blocked shot in the final minute of the third to help save the contest, Knuble’s three blocks on the night led the team.
- Paul Fischer’s five shots on goal led the Irish while the blueliner also registered two blocked shots in the contest to help lift the Irish to victory.
- The Irish held the narrow edge at the faceoff dot at a 50.8 percentage, led by Tyler Carpenter with a 60 percent rate (3-of-5) and Danny Nelson’s 16 wins for a 59.3 success rate.
UP NEXT
The Irish and Gophers will continue the best-of-three series Saturday night with puck drop slated for 7p.m. CT inside 3M Arena at Mariucci.