SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame hockey team opened their home slate of Big Ten Conference competition with a convincing 4-1 victory over storied foe Ohio State Friday night in front of a capacity crowd inside Compton Family Ice Arena.
The two teams skated a rather quiet first period, with neither team able to break the netminding at either end of the ice and no whistles froze the puck dead for penalty infractions through the opening 20 minutes of play.
Both teams returned to the ice after the first intermission hungry to open the scoring. The Irish did just that at 2:31 of the second stanza with Tyler Carpenter burying the puck for the 1-0 lead to spark the scoring frenzy.
The Irish went on to net two more in the second period, both on the powerplay, to carry the 3-0 lead into the final period of regulation.
The score remained the same through the first half of the third period before Hunter Strand’s battle for the puck behind the Buckeyes’ net turned into a premium scoring opportunity for his linemate Grant Silianoff to take the 4-0 lead at 10:24.
OSU would get one back late in the third period to snap the shutout bid but the Irish held on for the 4-1 final and their first conference victory of the season.
GOALS
- Ryan Siedem’s shot on goal was initially saved but Tyler Carpenter awaited the loose puck off the pads of OSU’s Terness in net to take the 1-0 lead less than three minutes into the second period. Brennan Ali also earned an assist on the play.
- Justin Janicke ripped a shot on net from the top of the far circle in the waning seconds of Notre Dame’s first powerplay opportunity of the night. Siedem gathered the puck at the top of the left point, skating it in towards the logo before sending a pass over to Justin who fired his shot into the back of the net at 9:07 of the second period. Hunter Strand was credited with an assist on the eventual game-winner.
- The Irish net their second powerplay goal of the period off the stick of Landon Slaggert at 14:48 of the second to give Notre Dame the 3-0 lead. Drew Bavaro found Danny Nelson at the top of the slot for the one-timer shot which bounced off the pads of Terness and onto Landon’s tape where he eventually batted it home. The goal came on the two-man advantage late in the second period and was the captain’s team-leading eighth of the year.
- The final Irish goal of the night was Grant Silianoff’s first of the year and gave Notre Dame the 4-0 lead at 10:24 of the third period. Strand chased down the puck behind the OSU net, poking it off the stick of a Buckeye defender and chipped it out to Ali who raced in on net. The rookie drew the OSU netminder towards himself, allowing Silianoff the wide open net for the even strength tally.
KEY STATS
- The Irish outshot their opponent 46-35 Friday night, with Ryan Bischel boasting a .971 save percentage in net for the home team.
- In a period in which they scored three goals, the Irish posted a 22-8 edge in shots on goal in the second period.
- With his eighth goal of the season, Landon Slaggert leads the team in goals while is tied with Drew Bavaro for a team-best eight points.
- Nine individuals highlighted the box score Friday night for the Irish, including Ryan Siedem, Hunter Strand, and Brennan Ali who each posted two assists in the win. For Ali, it was his first career multi-point game while it was Siedem’s first with the Irish, and Strand’s career-high in assists.
- With seven shots on goal, Danny Nelson led the team in the category and earned the primary helper on Landon’s second period goal to go up 3-0.
UP NEXT
The Irish and Buckeyes finish out the first half of the regular season series Saturday night with a 6 p.m. puck drop on Military Appreciation Night.
Fans are encouraged to arrive early for game two to catch members of the Notre Dame Army ROTC program rappel from the rafters before a crowd-sung national anthem.
Irish hockey hats will be given away at the entrance to the first 1,000 fans in attendance, courtesy of Dick’s Sporting Goods.