6:30 p.m. Friday, 6 p.m. Saturday at Notre Dame NBCSN Friday, no TV Saturday, 1130-AM, 103.5-FM
Fourth-ranked Irish are on a streak
Preview: In the first-ever conference series between the two, the Big Ten's top two teams are each coming off nonconference sweeps last week. The Irish (10-3-1, 4-0 Big Ten), ranked No. 4 in theuscho.com poll, have won seven consecutive games after sweeping Rensselaer on the road, 4-1 and 1-0 in overtime. The Gophers (9-4-1, 3-2-1 Big Ten), ranked No. 6, defeated Harvard 4-2 and 2-1 in overtime. The Irish defeated the Gophers 3-2 in the first round of the NCAA playoffs last season. In their last trip to South Bend, in November 2015, the Gophers went 1-1.
Players to watch: Notre Dame G Cale Morris has been the Big Ten's First Star of the Week the past two weeks. Morris stopped 63 of the 64 shots he faced in the two victories over Rensselaer. On the season, the sophomore is 9-1 with a .945 save percentage and 1.75 GAA. F Jake Evans is tied for second in Division I scoring (22 points) and first in assists (17). F Rem Pitlick leads the Gophers with 17 points (seven goals, 10 assists). Pitlick has at least one point in eight consecutive games. F Tommy Novak has 13 points (two goals, 11 assists).
Numbers: The Gophers had 50 shots on goal in the 2-1 victory over Harvard — the first time since Jan. 17, 2015, they've had that many. The Gophers lead the all-time series with the Irish 27-15-4. The Gophers are 7-6-1 in South Bend.
JOEL RIPPEL
