All season long, the Gophers’ coaches have tried to deliver a simple message. College hockey is hard. And if you’re going to win, you need to accept — even relish — that reality.

That wisdom hasn’t always gotten through. Saturday, the Gophers heard it loud and clear, embracing the challenge on their way to a 4-1 victory over Notre Dame. Facing one of the top defenses in the nation, the No. 6 Gophers hung tough after the Irish tied the score 1-1, scoring three goals in a row at 3M Arena at Mariucci.

Rhett Pitlick got the first and last goals, and Ryan Chesley scored the game-winner at 8 minutes, 27 seconds of the second period. It was his first goal of the season. Jaxon Nelson also scored for the Gophers.

Carter Slaggert scored the lone goal for No. 17 Notre Dame, which saw a seven-game unbeaten streak end. Irish goalie Ryan Bischel stopped 29 shots, while the Gophers’ Justen Close had 37 saves.

After Friday’s 4-2 loss, Gophers coach Bob Motzko noted a common theme running through three of the Gophers’ four defeats. He said his young team lacks the maturity to persevere through a 60-minute game, getting down when things get tough.

Though they played well in chunks of the game, they got frustrated when they didn’t score. That led to some “elementary mistakes,” Motzko added, as the Gophers strayed from the sharp execution they typically show in practice.

“They want it to be easier, and it’s not,” he said, with a deep sigh. “We need to have a hockey team that matures. We’ll keep working on it.”

Friday, the Gophers scored the first goal and outshot the Irish 34-23, but they were outscored 4-1 over the final 48 minutes. They opened the scoring again Saturday on a heads-up play by Pitlick just 2:10 into the game.

With the puck behind the Notre Dame net. Irish defenseman Michael Mastrodomenico went to retrieve it. The puck got loose, and Pitlick pounced, slinging it past Bischel.

The Irish tied it through tenacity. After Close stopped a shot by Ryan Siedem, Tyler Carpenter snagged the rebound in front of the net and tried to push it in. The puck hit Close’s pad and slid away from him toward Slaggert, who flipped it over the prone goalie to tie it 1-1 at 16:38 of the first period.

Through the latter part of the period, the Irish often controlled the play with their physicality and discipline. They started the second period well, hitting Close with four shots before the Gophers got their first.

This time, the Gophers hung tough. At 8:27, Chesley restored their lead. With a scrum in front of the Notre Dame net, he took aim from the right circle and fired the puck into the far corner of the goal to put the Gophers up 2-1.

Nelson followed at 15:20, scooping up the rebound of Mason Nevers’ shot and backhanding it past Bischel. He nearly scored again 39 seconds later when he deflected in a shot from Sam Rinzel, but officials waved off the goal because of a high stick.

Bischel kept the margin from growing on a Gophers power play early in the third period. He made superb stops on shots by Pitlick and Jimmy Snuggerud to foil the Gophers on a well-executed power play.