The Saturday slump continues for Notre Dame hockey.
With Saturday’s 2-1 loss to the Wisconsin Badgers, the Irish are now winless in their last three Saturday games. Their third straight series split concludes a three-week homestand that saw the Irish enter every series finale with a chance to sweep. Each time against Alaska, Long Island and Wisconsin, Notre Dame failed to do so.
This weekend provided more questions than answers for the Irish. To start, graduate defenseman Zach Plucinski’s elbowing penalty with 21 seconds remaining in a 2-2 tie put Notre Dame’s usually solid Friday performance in jeopardy entering overtime. It took an undisciplined Wisconsin penalty and a goal by red-hot sophomore forward Cole Knuble to salvage two points in a 3-2 overtime win.
Credit the Badgers for responding well. They did not want to leave the ice after Knuble scored the winner, believing the officials had missed an interference call against Irish sophomore forward Danny Nelson that allowed the goal to go in. The loss dropped Wisconsin to 1-6, but they picked themselves up off the mat Saturday. The Badgers sought vengeance in the most effective way, beating Notre Dame to every puck, stifling the Irish breakout and frustrating Notre Dame’s special teams units. Unlike Friday, when they got off to a poor start, the Badgers were the better team from start to finish Saturday night.
But that’s becoming a familiar story for Notre Dame. Notre Dame has now spent three weeks at home winning ugly on Friday and struggling to find a rhythm on Saturday. Veteran Irish head coach Jeff Jackson even decided to go to his hottest goaltender, junior Owen Say, on back-to-back nights for the first time all season in hopes of changing the Saturday night mojo. With a .960 save percentage through five games, Say has been one of the hottest goaltenders in the country to start the season, but he could not help the Irish to buck the trend.
“I know we can be better,” Jackson said. “This is going to be a little bit of a process for us. We are going through some growing pains with some of the guys that we have.”
Notre Dame will now have to find itself on the road. Next week, the Irish will begin a two-week road swing that includes stops at No. 11 Michigan and No. 3 Michigan State.
The Wolverines this past weekend swept No. 5 Boston University at Agganis Arena, and are finding their stride in a 5-2-1 start. The Spartans were not in action, but are 5-1 to begin the year. The road ahead does not get easier. With Big Ten conference play just beginning, only time will tell for Notre Dame.
Friday: Notre Dame 3, Wisconsin 2 (OT)
Notre Dame got off on the right foot to start the series. Its strong start resulted in sophomore defenseman Henry Nelson’s goal, assisted by his brother Danny (and graduate forward Blake Biondi, 7:38 into the first period). Wisconsin improved as the period wore on, and continued to play better into the second period with nothing to show for it.
That all changed after an interference call against Notre Dame. On the power play, freshman forward Ryan Botterill deflected a point shot into the net for his first career goal, tying the game (assists to Logan Hensler and Tyson Dyck at 15:02 of the second period). Wisconsin was at its best in the minutes following Botterill’s goal. Graduate forward Owen Lindmark thought he had given the Badgers the lead when he snuck a goal line shot past Say (assist to Ben Dexheimer and Kyle Kukkonen at 18:16 of the second), but sophomore forward Brennan Ali scored 31 seconds later to tie the game (assists to junior defenseman Axel Kumlin and senior defenseman Ryan Helliwell at 18:47 of period two). Notre Dame escaped the second period with a tie despite a 21-7 shot margin against it.
Neither team scored in the third period, but Wisconsin dictated the play. Plucinski’s penalty gave Wisconsin a 4-on-3 power play entering overtime, but the Irish were able to kill it. Wisconsin then made a discipline error of its own, as freshman forward Gavin Morrissey was whistled for tripping. On the ensuing power play, Knuble waltzed across the blue line and snapped the game-winning goal.
Saturday: Wisconsin 2, Notre Dame 1
Wisconsin came ready to play in game two, outshooting the Irish 16-7 over the course of the opening frame. It nearly got the opening goal, too, when Dyck’s slot shot dribbled through the arm of Say and sat on the goal line. The officials signaled goal, but after a lengthy review determined the puck had not crossed the line.
Not discouraged, the Badgers continued to press until Lindmark opened the scoring early in the second with his second goal in as many nights (assists to Kukkonen and Weston Knox at 5:34 of the second period). Notre Dame’s forwards could not muster a response, but Helliwell did. He beat senior netminder Tommy Scarfone on a line rush to tie the score (assists to Knuble and Kumlin at 12:26 of the second). The stalemate would last until the waning moments of the period, when junior forward Simon Tassy struck on the power play to give Wisconsin the lead for good (assists to Christian Fitzgerald and Dexheimer at 19:25 of the second).
Notre Dame had a handful of chances in the third, including Knuble ringing one off the iron. Still, Scarfone only had to make six saves to clinch the win for Wisconsin.
