The Gophers were strong early before falling apart in a 3-2 NCAA Tournament loss to Notre Dame.
Connor Reilly gave the Gophers a 1-0 lead two minutes into the first period and Minnesota went up 2-0 on a goal by Vinnie Lettieri just 30 seconds into the second. Then the wheels fell off.
Notre Dame scored two goals in 44 seconds in the second to tie the game 2-2 and Anders Bjork’s second goal of the game proved to be the winner in the third.
Minnesota was the No. 1 seed in the Northeast Regional. Notre Dame, the No. 4 seed, will play Massachusetts-Lowell in the regional final on Sunday.
The Gophers failed to make the NCAA Tournament last season and the year before they lost in the first round of the Northeast Regional to Minnesota-Duluth. The last time Minnesota advanced in the tournament was 2013-14, when they lost to Union in the National Championship game.
