So your football team just got blown out in the national championship game? Take heart, Notre Dame fans — your hockey team is darn good, and has a chance to beat the top team in the country tonight in Minneapolis.
At Mariucci Arena, it’s the No. 2 Fighting Irish against the No. 1 Golden Gophers as Minnesota wraps up non-conference play before heading into the remaining WCHA-only schedule.
The Gophers are coming off of a shellacking of former No. 1 Boston College, and as the Daily Gopher puts it: “Beating the #1 and #2 teams in the land in back-to-back games would be an awesome way to start 2013 and get Minnesota rolling into the new year.”
The game also reunites Minnesota coach Don Lucia with his son Mario, a rising Fighting Irish freshman star. He had a broken tibia early in the season, but has five goals and five assists since returning. The forward tells the Star Tribune: “I’ve marked this on my calendar since the beginning of the season,”
On the Minnesota bench, the Gophers will have to win without its leading scorer, Eric Haula. The Pioneer Press reports he’ll miss the game with a wrist injury.
As for that Boston College game, check out the highlights of an impressive 8-1 win:
