Gophers blow by Notre Dame 5-0, Wilcox returns to top form with 9th career shutout, read Friday night's game story.

Swedish freshman Leon Bristedt sounded comfortable in his first conversation with the media on Friday night. It helped that he had just scored his first collegiate goal in the Gophers' 5-0 rout of Notre Dame.

The first-line forward showed off why he's skating with the top line when he finished a breakaway with a top shelf goal that knocked the goaltender's water bottle off the top of the net midway through the first period.

"I needed that one. I've been struggling a little bit in the beginning. I had a couple of chances before, but got the third one in here. It felt good, really good," Bristedt said. "I would say the first goal is always the hardest and I got the first goal so it's something to build from."

Bristedt said he picked the spot and delivered the accurate shot after misfiring on a couple attempts earlier in the game.

The first month of the season has been more difficult than Bristedt thought it would be. Adapting to a different style of play he described as more "north-south" compared to the European "east-west" style has taken longer than he expected.

Playing with Kyle Rau and Hudson Fasching has helped the transition. The Swede made sure to praise his new linemates.

"They're both great players and are both probably going to play in the NHL next season," Bristedt said. "I'm watching them and learning from them and they play with great speed and good grit. It's fun."

Bristedt spoke with a subtle accent and communicated well for English being his second language. I'm sure this will be the first of many postgame chats he has with the media.

Friday's box score.

Postgame video

Coach Don Lucia

Sophomore forward Taylor Cammarata