The Gophers men’s hockey team swept Notre Dame in a two-game home series.

This is the first series in which the Gophers swept another team all season. Their record now sits at 4-7-1.

The Gophers started the scoring in the second period with a goal by sophomore forward Beckett Hendrickson.

Strong defense kept the Fighting Irish off the scoreboard, and the Gophers held onto the lead for the rest of the game, including scoring two empty-net goals during the third period. Senior forward Brody Lamb and sophomore defenseman John Whipple brought the score to 3-0.

Riding that high, the Gophers went into the second game of the series ready to fight. Lamb got an early goal in the first period. However, Notre Dame outshot the Gophers 12-8 in the second period.

Notre Dame got their first and only goal of the series three minutes into the second period, tying the game before senior defenseman Luke Mittlestadt brought the Gophers back in the lead.

The Gophers won the second game of the series 4-1, with the last goal by freshman forward LJ Mooney. In the end, the Gophers had 35 shots on goal while Notre Dame had 34.

For the first time, Minnesota’s junior goaltender Luca Di Pasquo started both games of the series, and it paid off. He made 19 saves in the first game and 33 in the second.

Di Pasquo said starting both games is a great feeling, but he also has to stay leveled.

“If you get the opportunity to go two in a row, you gotta produce and you gotta take advantage of it,” Di Pasquo said.

Gophers head coach Bob Motzko said Di Pasquo should feel good about himself after that game.

This year’s Gophers team is young, as most players left to play professionally after last season. Mooney is one of those young guys.

Mooney said one of the biggest things he is learning from the upperclassmen is their work ethic.

“Getting here and watching how hard some of the older guys work, and just trying to put that in my game and practice,” Mooney said. “They are all just great role models for me.”

Before this series, the Gophers were swept by border rivals, No. 1 Wisconsin, in Madison. Motzko said their success this weekend is exactly what this team needed.

“We had a heck of a week of practice, our guys, they haven’t been down,” Motzko said. “Hopefully, this is a weekend where they can gain a little confidence to continue to get better.”

Next weekend, the Gophers play Long Island — a team that Minnesota has never played before — on Nov. 14.