SOUTH BEND, Ind. — The University of Notre Dame hockey team fell to eighth-ranked Minnesota in an overtime thriller Saturday night to take the weekend split and four of six possible conference points in a tight race for home ice in the Big Ten playoffs.
A fast-paced first period saw shots even, 4-4, halfway through with both teams scoreless. A flurry of saves for Ryan Bischel gave the Gophers the edge in shots as the game hit the first media timeout of the night.
The Irish were whistled for the first infraction of the game at 11:35 of the opening period but a successful kill gave the home team a bit of momentum late in the frame.
Despite chances late on either side, the two teams skated to the locker rooms for the first intermission still looking for the opening goal.
The Gophers’ wraparound attempt hit the skate of an Irish defender and into the back of the Irish net for the 1-0 tally.
Justin Janicke tied it up less than five minutes later with a wraparound trick of his own. Tyler Carpenter had been pushed into the crease by a Minnesota defender and the Gophers challenged but the goal was upheld and the visitors were charged their timeout.
The Irish took the lead at 13:22 of the second stanza when Brady Bjork forced a turnover in the neutral zone and fed the puck to Jayden Davis who ripped a shot into the back of the net for the 2-1 tally. However, the lead was short-lived as Minnesota scored the equalizer just 18 seconds later to tie it back up.
The score remained tied through the horn signaling the end of the second and both sides faced a big third period ahead.
The two teams continued the hunt for the elusive third goal to break the tie but with two Mike Richter Award semifinalists on either end of the ice, that proved to be a tough task.
Minnesota thought they had scored the go-ahead goal late in the final period of regulation but the official behind the net emphatically waved it off due to a collision in the crease. After a lengthy review the call on the ice stood and the Irish held onto the tie.
With 80 seconds to play in the third period, the Irish called timeout in the attempt to draw up the winning play in regulation but their last effort was cast aside and extra hockey began.
The two teams traded possession in the opening minute before Drew Bavaro traveled up ice and fired a wrister on the Minnesota net that was gloved down and passed along to the Gophers for their response. The answer came from Jimmy Snuggerud at 1:18 of the overtime session as the Irish were forced to settle for the split on senior night.
GOALS
- Justin Janicke opened the Irish scoring Saturday night to knot the game at 1-1 early in the second period. His wraparound chance beat Justen Close in the Gophers net with the assists awarded to Paul Fischer and Hunter Strand.
- With the Gophers looking to clear the puck through the neutral zone just under 14 minutes into the second period, Brady Bjork forced a turnover just over center ice and fed a pass over to Jayden Davis at the offensive blueline for the 2-1 tally.
KEY STATS
- With the lone assist on Jayden Davis’ goal in the second period, Brady Bjork tallied his first collegiate point – on his senior night.
- Ryan Bischel stood tall in net Saturday night, stopping 36 shots for a .923 save percentage, including 14 stops in the final period of regulation to force the overtime frame.
- The Irish blocked 18 Gopher shots on the night, led by Drew Bavaro with a team-best six. An additional six Irish skaters boasted multiple blocks in the contest.
- Following the game, the Irish honored the 12 members of its graduating classes following the game Saturday night.
- With two successful kills on the night, the Irish finished the weekend a perfect 4-4 on the kill while zero opportunities on the man-advantage Saturday evening gave the powerplay unit a .500 success rate, having scored on the man-advantage in game one.
UP NEXT
The Irish conclude the regular season at Big Ten rival Michigan next weekend, February 23-24. Game one of the weekend series at Yost Ice Arena is set for an 8pm start before a 6:30pm tilt to close out the regular season Saturday. Both games of the weekend series are set to air on the Big Ten Network.