Brannon McManus and Jack Perbix scored in the first period, but Minnesota twice let their lead slip away, falling 5-3 to No. 5 Notre Dame on Saturday in Minneapolis.
McManus, a junior, scored on a two-on-one at 12:34 of the first period to get the Gophers on the board, while Perbix, freshman, rifled a shot home from the top of the left circle at 16:13 for his first career goal.
The Irish answered in the second period, scoring back-to-back goals, but the tie didn't last long.
Sophomore Garrett Wait put the Gophers back in front at 14:28, stickhandling his way around a pair of sprawling Notre Dame defenders.
Minnesota wouldn't break through again.
Charlie Raith scored just over 90 seconds into the third period to put the Irish in front. Trevor Janicke tacked on an empty netter at 19:49.
Freshman goaltender Jared Moe started his third straight game for the Gophers, making a career-high 34 saves. Moe made 31 saves, his previous career high, Friday in the series opener and now has a .915 save percentage with a 2.37 GAA through five starts.
The Gophers earned just one point in the first Big Ten series of the season, topping Notre Dame in a three-on-three overtime Friday.
