ANN ARBOR, Mich. — A three-goal second period for the top-ranked Michigan Wolverines proved to be too much for the Notre Dame hockey team Friday night as they dropped a 5-2 battle to the home team inside Yost Ice Arena.
At the first media break of the night the score remained knotted at zero, with Nicholas Kempf boasting six saves in the first seven minutes on top of ND’s four shots on goal. The sophomore netminder made another huge save shortly after the break after an uncontested two-man rush up the ice for the Wolverines was padded aside by Kempf with 12:40 to go in the opening period.
The Irish were called for the first infraction of the night, a cross check deep in the Irish zone, with nine minutes left in the first frame. With Wolverines took advantage of the opportunity just 57 seconds into their powerplay, tucking a loose puck past a sprawled out Kempf after he made the initial save on the play.
The score remained 1-0 through the end of the first period with a scrum late sending both teams to the box to start the second stanza.
Michigan extended their lead to two goals early in the second frame when a shot beat Kempf over the glove to make it a 2-0 game. The top-ranked Wolverines would net two more before the end of the frame to make it a 4-0 contest but a late period goal from Niko Jovanovic got the Irish on the board with their first goal of 2026.
After a tussle to end the second consecutive period, the Irish saw their first powerplay chance of the night going into the third.
The Irish were unable to convert on the man-advantage to start the third as they continued to trail the home Wolverines.
Brennan Ali cut the UM lead to two with a rebound in front of the net at 6:41 of the final frame, making it a 4-2 contest with just over 13 minutes to go in regulation.
Cole Knuble had a chance to draw the Irish within one at 12:15 of the third period, creating an odd-man rush with Pano Fimis but his shot was gloved down by the Wolverine netminder, Jack Ivankovic to keep it a two-goal contest.
The Irish rang it off the post with 4:30 to play in the contest when Maddox Fleming’s beat the UM goaltender but ricocheted back into play after hitting the far pipe.
With just over three minutes to go in the third, the Irish opted for the extra attacker as they looked to close the 4-2 gap inside Yost Ice Arena. A race to the puck after it wound up in the neutral zone found the rubber chipped up in the air by a Wolverine attacker and end up in the empty net to make it a 5-2 final.
GOALS
- Maddox Fleming carried the puck along the deep boards before find Drew Mackie at the point who centered a pass who stood in the slot. Niko Jovanovic picked up the Mackie pass and ripped a wrister into the back of the net to get the Irish on the board late in the second period. The goal was Jovanovic’s first of the year while Mackie earned his first collegiate point with the primary assist on the play.
- Junior forward Brennan Ali made his return to the lineup Friday night, finding the back of the net partway through the third period for his fourth goal of the season. Paul Fischer’s shot from the point bounced through the crease and out, catching the tape of Ali’s stick who buried the rebound shot at 6:41. Axel Kumlin was credited with the second assist on the play.
UP NEXT
The Irish and Wolverines close out the regular season series Saturday night with a 7pm puck drop set for B1G+.