Notre Dame Hockey: Minnesota Series Preview

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish hockey team played in another series split last weekend vs Michigan Wolverines. This weekend they hit the road for a series with the Minnesota Gophers who are ranked #3 in the country and are currently second in the Big Ten Conference.

Where, when, how to see

• Where: 3M Arena at Mariucci, Minneapolis, MN
• When: Friday, January 17 at 20 ET; Saturday 18 January at 6 p.m. ET
• How to watch: Both games are streamed on B1G+

Notre Dame split a home series with the Michigan Wolverines last weekend in two high-scoring affairs. The Irish offense showed over two games, but the defense/goalkeeping was uncharacteristically porous. This ended in a streak where Notre Dame outscored Michigan 10-9. The Irish offense hasn’t proven it can consistently score at that rate, but it’s an encouraging sign nonetheless that they have that ability. The defense will need to get back into shape, but if the defense can do that without the offense regressing, it could help drive a run from this team.

Notre Dame and Minnesota have met earlier this season, just before Thanksgiving. That series was in South Bend, and Minnesota won both games in fairly non-competitive fashion. The Irish were also able to score that series, at least slightly above their season average. The problem again was their defense. However, any team will struggle against this Minnesota offense, where the top four points on their team are better than anyone on the Irish roster. They are led by junior Jimmy Snuggerud, who has 30 points on the season, but is far from their only threat. They are a team loaded with talent and are ranked #3 in the country for a reason, and the Irish will need to slow them down to have any chance this weekend.

Last weekend, Notre Dame was powered by a career day from Justin Janicke, who had a hat trick and 5 points in their two-game win. He is now only behind Cole Knuble in points and is making a charge to catch up with his teammate. The return of Danny Nelson also helped as he had 3 points of his own in their win last week. Consistent scoring from other top players like these two is another key to making a late-season push for Notre Dame.

What needs to improve from last weekend for Notre Dame is their goaltending. Nicholas Kempf got the start on Friday and endured the worst of the weekend in the game one loss. Both he and Owen Say, who started and won game two, performed below their season averages against Michigan. The tandem has been good, if not great, even though Say was named to the Mike Richter Award Initial Watchlist earlier this week. Playing even at their season average would have allowed for a fairly easy sweep last weekend. Combine that with increased scoring and the Irish might just be turning the corner.

Forecast

Going on the road against the number 3 team in the country is no easy task. Notre Dame has already lost to Minnesota twice at home and they don’t match up well. The Irish face the distinct possibility of being swept this weekend and, depending on other results, falling into last place in the Big Ten. Achieving a split would be a huge win for this team, but it won’t be easy.