It’s not even Thanksgiving, but with teams like Michigan State and Wisconsin piling up Big Ten points, Saturday’s game had a bit of a “must win” feel for the Minnesota Gophers if they have designs on a third straight conference title.

They did. And they do.

The Gophers played a dominating second period and matched Notre Dame’s defensive effort, getting their first conference home win of the season with a 4-1 victory over the Irish at 3M Arena at Mariucci.

Rhett Pitlick netted a pair of goals while Ryan Chesley and Jaxon Nelson also scored for the Gophers (6-4-2 overall, 2-3-1 Big Ten) who got 35 saves from Justen Close in the win.

The Irish (7-4-2, 3-1-2) saw their seven-game unbeaten streak snapped despite a first-period goal from Carter Slaggert and 29 saves from Ryan Bischel.

They traded goals in the first period. Pitlick got things started with his third of the season and second of the weekend, grabbing a bouncy carom off the end boards and popped a shot behind Bischel for a 1-0 lead.

Notre Dame hemmed the Gophers into the defensive zone for a long stretch, and the play ended with the puck behind Close as the goalie stopped the puck but could not cover it, and it sat unattended long enough for Slaggert to lift it over the goalie’s pad and in. It was Slaggert’s first career goal.

As they had done in the series opener, Minnesota dominated the middle period, doubling the Irish shots on goal and taking a commanding lead. Chesley got it started with his first of the season, a high shot that beat Bischel over the shoulder. Nelson followed with a loose puck shot to put the Gophers up by two.

Nelson nearly made it a 4-1 lead less than a minute later, deflecting a Sam Rinzel shot past Bischel. Officials on the ice immediately signaled no goal, saying that Nelson played the puck with a high stick. After a lengthy video review, they upheld the on-ice call.

The college rule is that a player cannot play the puck with their stick higher than the crossbar. Nelson is the Gophers’ tallest forward at 6-feet-4, so despite his stick being below his shoulders on the play, it may have been above the crossbar, which is 4 feet high.

Pitlick gave Minnesota some breathing room late with a tap-in after a cross-ice pass from Mike Koster.

Briefly

— Bob Motzko juggled his line prior to Saturday’s game, dressing seven defenders after utilizing six players on the blue line in the series opener. Freshman defenseman Max Rud returned to the lineup after not playing on Friday, while sophomore forward Charlie Strobel was not in uniform for the first time this season.

— The Gophers stay at home for Thanksgiving, playing a Friday-Sunday two-game set versus Michigan State next weekend. They will host the Spartans at 7 p.m. CST on Black Friday, and will play a 1 p.m. matinee with the Spartans on Sunday, Nov. 26.

Related Articles

Men’s hockey: Ryan Bischel, Notre Dame shut down Gophers

Men’s hockey: Gophers rally to tie Michigan

Men’s hockey: Jimmy Clark’s two-goal night sparks Gophers’ come-from-behind win at Michigan

College men’s hockey: Gophers settle for tie in Duluth

Back to business, Gophers men’s hockey team holds off Bulldogs to snap three-game losing streak