COLUMBUS, Ohio – The University of Notre Dame hockey program fell to 10-11-2 on the season following a 3-2 defeat at Ohio State University Friday night. The Irish came back strong early in the final period of regulation, scoring twice in the first 10 minutes to tie things up, but a powerplay goal halfway through the final frame sealed their fate at Value City Arena.
The Irish held possession through the opening minutes of play Friday but an offensive zone faceoff win resulted in a tripping infraction against the visitors and the penalty kill unit went to work at 3:30 of the opening period.
Notre Dame successfully killed off three penalties in the opening frame before the Buckeyes were able to sneak a puck past Ryan Bischel in the Irish net to open the scoring.
At the first intermission the Irish continued to seek a break onto the scoreboard and found themselves down by one through 20 minutes of play.
The Irish peppered the Buckeye end in shots but were unable to break the OSU goaltending nearly halfway through the second period. The Buckeyes then regained possession and forced an odd-man rush up ice the other way, firing a shot top shelf to beat Bischel and take the 2-0 lead.
The score held through the remainder of the middle frame and the Irish were tasked to overcome the two goal deficit in the final period of regulation.
Drew Bavaro finally broke the scoring drought for the Irish just 65 seconds into the third period to slice the Buckeyes’ lead in half.
The Irish tied it up at just under halfway through the final frame with a goal from Danny Nelson.
Shortly after the Irish game-tying goal, Notre Dame was whistled for a slash and headed back to the penalty kill. The Buckeyes capitalized on the man-advantage and regained the lead at 11:32 of the third period.
Notre Dame opted for the extra attacker with just over two minutes to play in regulation and the offensive end draw. Trevor Janicke nearly had the team’s third goal of the night but his shot from the doorstep hit the pads of the Buckeyes’ netminder and play continued.
The Irish won one final faceoff but the horn sounded and the 3-2 score went final with the visiting team dropping to 10-11-2 on the year.
GOALS
- The Irish got on the board just 1:05 into the third period when Drew Bavaro skated into the slot, finding a lane and firing a shot into the back of the net to make it a 2-1 game. Landon Slaggert and Patrick Moynihan won the puck battle along the boards to get the puck up to Bavaro, each earning assists on the goal.
- In his first game back following his trip to the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championships, Danny Nelson picked up the puck in the neutral zone and skated it in, all alone, for the 2-2 tally at 9:33 of the third period to tie it up. Brennan Ali, who found the tape of Nelson, was credited with the assist.
KEY STATS
- The Irish won the battle at the circle, led by Danny Nelson’s .571 percentage (12-9). In total the Irish won 37 of 67 faceoffs Friday night in Columbus.
- Cole Knuble and Drew Bavaro led the Irish in shots on goal, firing four shots on net each.
- Bavaro scored the first goal for the Irish on the night and his fifth of the season.
- With four blocked shots, Ryan Siedem led the team in the category.
- In his return to the lineup, Danny Nelson net his fourth goal of the season, and first of 2024.
- Named a Mike Richter Award Watchlist honoree Friday afternoon, Ryan Bischel finished the night with 34 saves and a .919 save percentage.
UP NEXT
The Irish and Buckeyes close out the regular season series Saturday night with puck drop set for 7:15 p.m. The first period will stream on the FOX Sports App before moving to Big Ten Network at 8 p.m.