Notre Dame hockey will travel to Minneapolis to face off against No.1 Minnesota.
The Gophers (11-1-0, 9-1-0-0-0-0 Big Ten) have been successful so far this season with 10 of their 11 wins coming by two goals or more. The Gophers were perfect until their series split last weekend against No. 12 Wisconsin.
This is just the second time the Irish (5-6-1, 3-4-1-0-1-1 Big Ten) will hit the road this season. Their only other road trip resulted in a two game series sweep of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
The Irish are coming off of a home series split against Arizona State last weekend. In that series, sophomore forward Max Ellis stood out for the Irish with a pair of assists in Notre Dame’s 5-4 game-one win and a pair of goals in their 5-3 game-two loss. Ellis was awarded the Big Ten’s Second Star of the Week for his efforts in the series.
Freshman forward Landon Slaggert also stood out in that series, scoring a pair of goals in the game-one victory. The game was his first since winning a gold medal with Team USA at the IIHF World Junior Championship in Edmonton.
Minnesota’s Brock Faber, Ryan Johnson and Jackson LaCombe were also on Team USA with Slaggert.
The Gophers lead the all time series against the Irish with a 33-22-5 record dating back to a Gopher 2-1 overtime win during the 1924-1925 season.
The Irish had a 1-1-2 mark against the Gophers during last years’ regular season. In last year’s road series, the Irish were 1-0-1 with a 2-2 tie and 5-3 victory.
The Gophers were the first team in history to eliminate the Irish from the Big Ten tournament last season, defeating Notre Dame two games to one.
This game will serve as a homecoming for some players, as there are nine Minnesotans currently on the Irish roster.
Game one will take place Friday at 8 p.m. and can be viewed on Fox Sports North Plus. Game two will take place Saturday at 6 p.m. and can be viewed on Fox Sports North.
