There was nothing pretty about the goal Casey Mittelstadt scored other than it giving Minnesota its second shutout victory over a No. 1 ranked team this month.
Known for his highlight-reel plays that are replayed on television and the internet, the freshman forward made one for himself Friday. Mittelstadt, just as he imagined himself as a kid growing up in Eden Prairie, scored his first-ever collegiate overtime winning goal.
Mittelstadt crashed the net in front of Fighting Irish goaltender Cale Morris. Being at the right place, he tapped in a Rem Pitlick shot that Morris could not quite control and sent the 3M at Mariucci crowd into celebration 3:35 into OT in a 1-0 win.
“That’s a pretty special moment,” he said. “Being a Gopher is something that I’ve always dreamed of. Now that I’m actually here I get to make plays out here and wear the jersey and it’s pretty special.”
The victory gives No. 13 Minnesota (16-12-1, 7-9-1-1 Big Ten) a three-game winning streak and breathing room in the Pairwise rankings, which mimic the criteria used to select the NCAA Tournament field. The team also earned three much-needed points in the Big Ten conference standings.
One point separates third and sixth place in the Big Ten with the Gophers, Wisconsin and Penn State all tied for fourth with 23 points.
“We didn’t crack. That was the big thing for us that we stayed with it,” said Minnesota head coach Don Lucia. “You just sensed it was going to be one goal game. I’m happy you expect your big time players to make a play at the end of the game. That’s exactly what happened.”
Morris and sophomore goaltending counterpart Mat Robson spent much of the night engaged in a goaltender duel. Robson, starting his second consecutive game, finished with 25 saves for his second career shutout in six games.
“We didn’t crack. That was the big thing for us that we stayed with it”
He needed all 25. The Gophers ended regulation in a scoreless game for the first time since losing to Minnesota State 1-0 in a WCHA first round series March 14, 2008.
“You can’t really think about losing or winning. You just gotta make that next save and keep yourself composed,” said Robson about his mindset.
Cal Burke had an early shorthanded breakaway opportunity that Robson stopped and set the tone for Minnesota, who shut out St. Cloud State earlier this month. The home team controlled the pace early, out-shooting Notre Dame (19-5-1, 13-2-0-0 Big Ten) 9-4 in the first period and pestered Morris.
Minnesota added 13 more in the second and finished with 33 shots.
“We didn’t have to chase them tonight. That was really important,” Lucia said. “They don’t give up much. Their D core is really good. They got a great mix of skilled on the back end and some heavy guys who are hard to play against and defend. They know their role. They do a good job”
Morris, who entered Friday’s game with a nation-leading .951 save percentage, once again came through. Despite an emphasis on crashing the net, avoiding highlight-reel shots from far out and trying to get more second chances, the Gophers were once again held at bay by the sophomore. It was a similar scene to late November when Minnesota put up 84 shots on Morris and came away with two goals in two losses in South Bend.
Both teams were 0-3 on the power play. Having its 16 game winning streak snapped Sunday, the Fighting Irish were shut out for a second consecutive game.
Notre Dame and Minnesota play again Saturday night. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. Fox Sports North PLUS will broadcast.
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