For the first time this season, the Gophers have lost back-to-back games.

Notre Dame built a three-goal lead and held on for a 4-3 victory over the Gophers in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game on Saturday at Mariucci Arena.

Thousands of fans in the announced crowd of 10,242 missed the home team's frantic late rally. They left after the Fighting Irish took a 4-1 lead with 6 minutes, 16 seconds to play.

Gophers linemates Nick Bjugstad and Zach Budish scored 31 seconds apart to cut Notre Dame's lead to one-goal with 2:16 to play. The final minute featured three faceoffs in the Irish end, but nothing close to a tying goal.

"We made it interesting," Gophers captain Taylor Matson said. "But we are underachieving right now, and we are looking for answers."

After an emotional sweep of visiting North Dakota, the Gophers were 9-1 on Nov. 5. Since then, they have a 6-6-1 record. They lost to Northeastern 3-2 in championship game of the Mariucci Classic and, with this loss to the Irish, their final nonconference record falls to 4-4-1.

"I thought [the Irish] dictated the play early and were able to seize control," Gophers coach Don Lucia said. "We got better at times as the game went on, but we couldn't find the rhythm to our game tonight."

Until very late.

Bjugstad, on his third day back from the World Juniors, got the Gophers second goal after they pulled their goalie for a 5-on-3 skater advantage. Budich's goal came 5-on-5.

"All around, it was not a very good effort from the team and myself," Bjugstad said. "They did everything they needed to do, and we didn't really do what we wanted to do to capitalize tonight."

The Gophers (15-7-1) were rated No. 3 in the USCHO.com national poll and No. 5 in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll. The Irish were just the opposite. The USA Today voters looked smarter after this game.

Riley Sheahan, a 6-2 junior center, was a one-man magician with a stick for the Irish (13-6-3). He had two goals on special teams and one assist.

This was the first meeting between these two teams since March 27, 2004, when the Gophers beat the Irish 5-2 in an NCAA tournament game in Grand Rapids, Mich.

The Irish came out as if they were still upset, outshooting the Gophers 14-5 in the opening period and taking a 1-0 lead on T.J. Tynan's power-play goal with 2:06 left. Tynan just rejoined the Irish after the World Juniors.

Matson's rebound goal on a power play midway through the second period tied the score at 1-1.

Sheahan scored twice to put the Irish up 3-1 before the middle period ended. He scored a power-play goal from the right circle and then, 3 1/2 minutes later at 17:53, an unassisted, shorthanded goal on a breakaway.

Jeff Costello, Sheahan's linemate, gave the Irish a 4-1 lead with 6:16 to play. Sheahan won a faceoff in the Gophers' end and got the puck to Costello for what proved to be the game-winner.

"Against big-time teams like Notre Dame, it comes down to specialties," Matson said. "You can't give up a shorty, a lost faceoff for a goal and [two] power-play goals."

Maybe playing next weekend at North Dakota, the team most Gophers consider their archrival, will inspire them.

"Everything is just about want and heart for this team," Matson said. "We know we have it. We proved it at the beginning of the year."