The Notre Dame hockey season is well underway with new head coach Brock Sheahan, and are now sporting a 3-2-1 record to start the year. Robert Morris was the second of a pair of two game home series with out of conference foes… and the Irish just missed the sweep.
From the ND press release:
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — The University of Notre Dame hockey team skated to a 2-2 tie Saturday night against the Colonials of Robert Morris inside Compton Family Ice Arena. Forwards Brennan Ali and Sutter Muzzatti net
the two Irish goals in the contest as the pair close out the two-game series with goals both nights.
The Irish registered the first four shots on goal in the contest, testing the Colonials early Saturday night. Carter Slaggert then kept the visitors off the board as he swept a loose puck off the doorstep just over eight minutes into the game as their first shot on net trickled through the crease and rested on the near post behind Nicholas Kempf.
RMU struck first Saturday night when a shot fired top shelf off the rush, beating Kempf on his blocker side.
Brennan Ali evened the tally less than two minutes after the RMU goal, batting in the loose puck to make it a 1-1 contest. The score would hold steady through the end of the period.
At the 4:49 mark of the second stanza, the Irish saw their first powerplay opportunity of the night after the Colonials were called for a hold. Despite a few chances for the Irish on the man-advantage, they were unable to get a quality shot on net and play returned to even strength with the score still knotted.
The two sides would trade chances throughout the remainder of the frame but neither could break the opposing goalie and the teams skated to the locker rooms for the second intermission still tied 1-1.
With 12:35 to play in the third, Cole Knuble drew a tripping call deep in the offensive end and the Irish saw their second powerplay chance of the night. After a brief delayed call while the Irish maintained possession, the team’s top powerplay unit went back on the ice.
Danny Nelson had a breakaway chance on the man-advantage but got tangled up with the netminder and bodies went flying. With RMU’s Schenkel out of his crease, Knuble found Fimis for a chance but the Colonials’ netminder jumped back in front of the net as Fimis’ shot ripped on net to make the save.
A shift change for the Irish put a fresh set of legs on the ice in the waning seconds of the man-advantage but with seven ticks left on the five-on-four chance, Sutter Muzzatti net his third goal of the weekend to put the Irish up 2-1.
Robert Morris tied things up with just 5:43 to play in regulation, making it a 2-2 tally late in the contest.
The Colonials and Irish continued to battle through the final minutes of regulation but the horn sounded on the end of the period with the score still deadlocked.
Notre Dame fired all shots on net in the overtime session but could not convert and the game officially went down as a tie.
The Colonials would win the three round shootout, 1-0, after their first shot beat Kempf in the crease at the far end of the ice.
GOALS
- Pano Fimis set up the opening Irish goal Saturday night when he intercepted a RMU pass behind the net before Brennan Ali gathered the loose puck in the crease to bury his second of the weekend. Cole Knuble also picked up an assist on the play when he created traffic in front of the net.
- Sutter Muzzatti tipped a pass from Ali back door for his third goal of the weekend to give the Irish the 2-1 lead halfway through the third. Cole Brown was credited with the second assist on the play for his fifth of the season.
UP NEXT
The Irish close out their three-week homestead with Michigan next weekend as they host the Big Ten rival to open conference play, Oct. 31-Nov. 1.
