Score from action tonight at Mariucci Arena in Minneapolis: Minnesota 7, Notre Dame 2 Notre Dame has an up-and-coming young team, with only two seniors and seven juniors listed on the roster that appeared in the game program. The Fighting Irish skated very competitively with the Gophers. In the second period they came back from a 3-0 deficit to cut the Minnesota lead to 3-2. A Gopher goal with 7 seconds to play in the period, however, put the lead out of reach. In the final 20 minutes the Gophers increased their lead and eventually won the game 7-2. Tomorrow the Irish depart for Fairbanks, Alaska, to play the Nanooks this weekend. Coach Ric Schafer should be proud of his team. They play a very classy style of hockey, and will soon be a force to be reckoned with. And, speaking of Ric Schafer, Carol White, my wife Paula, and I had the pleasure of meeting with him after the game. Ric's message is that Notre Dame is coming back. He hopes to continue the improvement of the Notre Dame hockey program, by increasing the number of scholarships from the present six, and developing fan interest at Notre Dame. Ric hopes to bring his team into the WCHA or CCHA in the near future. We wish the Fighting Irish good luck in Alaska and in the rest of the season. We hope to see them in Mariucci Arena again soon. Erik J. Biever University of Minnesota MMMMM MMMMM St. Paul Campus Libraries (612)625-9777 MM MM MM MM BITNET: e-biev@uminn1 MM MMM MM INTERNET: [log in to unmask] MMMMM MMMMM