NOTRE DAME, Ind. — The No. 17 Fighting Irish and No. 18 Nittany Lions split their weekend series as Penn State defeated Notre Dame, 3-2, on Saturday night at the Compton Family Ice Arena (4,950).
Notre Dame (18-13-3, 11-11-2-2 B1G) outshot the Nittany Lions (19-13-2, 11-12-1-1 B1G) 40-37 on the night, including a 16-7 mark in the third period, but Penn State’s Peyton Jones made 38 saves.
“We’ve had some great games,” head coach Jeff Jackson said. “It’s just a matter of finding a way to do it on a consistent basis.”
Nikita Pavlychev opened the scoring for Penn State 5:14 into play.
Andrew Peeke put the Irish on the board with less than five minutes remaining in the opening frame when he fired a one-timer to tie the game at 1-1. Bobby Nardella posted the primary assist on his senior night to become the 54th Irish skater in program history to tally 100 career points (23-77-100).
The Irish outshot the Nittany Lions 17-11 in the first, as the sides entered the first intermission in the 1-1 tie.
After Penn State moved back ahead early in the second period, Cam Burke knotted the game at 2-2 as he picked up a rebound in the crease and buried the puck for his fourth of the season.
Cale Morris saved 18 shots in the middle frame to buoy the Irish defense and keep the score even after 40 minutes.
Evan Barratt scored what proved to be the game-winning goal on the power play 5:55 into the final period.
The Irish had multiple scoring chances in the closing minutes after Morris was pulled for an extra attacker, but were unable to net the equalizer.
Cale Morris recorded 34 saves on Saturday night for the Irish, while Jones finished with 38 saves for Penn State.
The Irish were 1-for-6 on the power play, while the Nittany Lions finished 2-for-4.
The Fighting Irish Class of 2019, which includes Jack Jenkins, Dylan Malmquist, Bobby Nardella and Joe Wegwerth, were honored before their final regular-season home contest in an Irish uniform.
Notre Dame Goal Descriptions
1-1 | Andrew Peeke tied the game at one with a 5-on-3 goal at 15:26 of the first period. His one-timer from Bobby Nardella beat Penn State goaltender Peyton Jones low to the stick side. Dylan Malmquist also tallied an assist on the goal. With the assist, Nardella recorded his 100th career point (23-77-100).
2-2 | Cam Burke slotted home a rebound in front to knot the game, 2-2, at the 13:58 mark of the second period. Pierce Crawford fired a shot on goal that bounced off the pads of Jones and onto Burke’s stick. Matt Steeves also recorded an assist on the goal for his second point of the weekend (1-1-2). Crawford, who had an assist in Friday night’s game, also recorded two points in the home series (0-2-2).
Up Next
As the No. 2 seed, Notre Dame will play host to a home, best-of-three Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal series next weekend at the Compton Family Ice Arena (March, 8-10). All three games are scheduled for 7 p.m. with television/streaming coverage to be announced. Tickets: UND.com/BuyTickets.
Notes
- With the primary assist on Andrew Peeke’s first period power-play goal, senior defenseman Bobby Nardella (23-77-100) became the 54th player in program history to hit the 100-career points plateau.
- Nardella is now tied for sixth in program history for points by a defenseman.
- Peeke’s power-play goal was his third of the season, a career high for the junior.
- Dylan Malmquist (0-3-3), Matt Steeves (1-1-2), Pierce Crawford (0-2-2) and Bobby Nardella (0-2-2) are all on two-game point-streaks heading into the postseason.
Trio Up For Hobey Vote
- It was announced on Jan. 16 that forward Cal Burke, goaltender Cale Morris and defenseman Bobby Nardella have each been selected to Phase One of the Hobey Baker Award’s fan ballot (vote at www.hobeybaker.com).
- Awarded annually to college hockey’s top player, the Hobey Baker award includes candidates exhibiting the exceptional character traits of the award’s namesake, Hobey Baker, with consideration given to scholastic achievement and sportsmanship.
- Morris, who was awarded the 2018 Mike Richter Award as college hockey’s top goaltender, was named a Top-10 Finalist for the Hobey Baker Award last season.
- Morris was the fourth player in Notre Dame history to be among the 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker, joining Anders Bjork (2017), David Brown (2007) and Dave Poulin (1982).
- Morris, a Larkspur, Colorado, native, was also the first player from the Centennial State to play his way into the Hobey Top 10.
- The Fan Balloting (Phase I) of the Hobey Baker award calendar will continue until March 10.
- On March 20, the Top 10 Finalists will be announced, at which time Phase II Fan Balloting will begin and run through March 31.
- The Hobey Hat Trick Finalist Announcement will be made on April 4.
- The 2019 Hobey Baker Award winner will be announced from a field of three Hobey Hat Trick finalists on Friday, April 12, during the 2019 NCAA Frozen Four Championship in Buffalo, New York.
— ND —