For the Gophers men’s hockey team to beat No. 1-ranked Notre Dame, the formula for success included a few ingredients: Control the puck, play tenacious defense and get to the gritty areas near the Fighting Irish crease.

And, oh yeah, get a puck past Fighting Irish goalie Cale Morris.

Casey Mittelstadt scored with 1 minute, 25 seconds left in overtime giving the Gophers a 1-0 victory over Notre Dame on Friday night at 3M Arena at Mariucci.

Morris, the nation’s leader in wins (19) and save percentage (.951) entering Friday night’s game, made 32 saves but didn’t get the shutout. That went to Gophers goalie Mat Robson, who stopped 25 shots.

With the victory, the Gophers have won two consecutive games against teams ranked No. 1. On Jan. 7, they beat St. Cloud State 2-0.

Minnesota improved to 16-2-1 and 7-9-1-1 in the Big Ten. Notre Dame (19-5-1, 13-2) lost its second consecutive game after a 16-game winning streak.

Gophers forward Casey Mittelstadt celebrated with his teammates after scoring the game-winning goal vs. Notre Dame
Anthony Souffle, Star Tribune
Gophers forward Casey Mittelstadt celebrated with his teammates after scoring the game-winning goal vs. Notre Dame

The Gophers went on the power play 1:30 into the first period when Irish defenseman Dennis Gilbert was called for hooking. Minnesota got three shots on goal during the man advantage but couldn’t beat Morris. The best scoring chance came when Notre Dame’s Cal Burke had a shorthanded breakaway that Robson steered aside.

The Gophers carried pay for the first seven minutes of the first, but then Notre Dame started to apply pressure. Minnesota had trouble clearing its zone, and defenseman Steve Johnson took a holding penalty at 8:02. The Gophers, however, killed the penalty without giving up a shot on goal.

Late in the first, the Gophers pressured the Irish and drew their third penalty of the period, with defenseman Jordan Gross going off for cross-checking at 17:04. Tyler Nanne had a great scoring chance on a back-door feed from Jack Ramsey but couldn’t connect.

Minnesota had nine shots on goal to Notre Dame’s four in the first period and had 17 shot attempts to the Irish’s eight.

Notre Dame came out strong to start the second period, with Robson making a big save and then Tyler Sheehy taking an interference penalty 34 seconds into the period. The Gophers again were strong on the penalty kill, ending the Irish threat.

The strong kill energized the Gophers and the crowd, and Minnesota started controlling play. Gross was called for hooking, and the Gophers nearly scored on the delayed penalty, but Morris made a key save. On the power play, Minnesota pressured again, but Morris denied Brent Gates Jr. and Tyler Nanne. Later in the period, Rem Pitlick broke in on Morris and whistled a shot of the goalie’s shoulder and the crossbar.

The last five minutes of the second period featured end-to-end action, with both teams nearly converting on the opponent’s turnovers. The goalies, however, stood tall, with Morris making 22 saves through two periods and Robson 13. In shot attempts, the Gophers held a commanding 38-18 lead through 40 minutes.

The Gophers had a great chance for the first goal with 12:35 left in the third, when winger Brannon McManus was alone on a breakaway. But Morris made a pad save, and the game remained scoreless.

With 2:49 left in the third, McManus, on the forecheck, was called for tripping. The Gophers killed the penalty, and in the final 30 seconds of the third, McManus rang the post with a shot.