SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The No. 15/16 Fighting Irish got back on track with a convincing 12-7 win over No. 17/19 Michigan at Arlotta Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Notre Dame used a big second quarter, outscoring the Wolverines 5-0, to propel the team to the win.
The Irish attack was led by the Kavanagh brothers, as both Pat and Chris finished with a team-high four points. Chris led the scoring with three goals and added an assist while Pat was the distributor, dishing out a game-high four assists. The trio of Eric Dobson, Wheaton Jackoboice and Bryce Walker each added two goals.
The Notre Dame defense kept one of the country’s best attacks in check, holding the visitors to a season-low seven goals. Irish goalie Liam Entenmann had a huge performance, making a career-high 19 saves on the day.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Notre Dame scored the opening goal on the game’s first possession thanks to a score from Dobson. The Wolverines managed to score two goals and take a 2-1 lead after the opening 15 minutes of play.
The second quarter was all Irish, as Notre Dame posted five goals in the period and held Michigan scoreless to take a 6-2 lead into the halftime break. Jackoboice paced the Irish in the second quarter, scoring twice while Jeffery Ricciarcelli, Chris Kavanagh and Walker each added one.
The Irish and Wolverines each scored twice in the third quarter to move the score to 8-4 entering the final frame.
Notre Dame started on fire in the fourth, scoring four straight in just over five minutes of play to put the game out of reach at 12-4. The Wolverines managed to score the final three goals but the Irish came away with a dominant 12-7 victory.
NOTRE DAME PLAYER OF THE GAME
Entenmann was dominant on Saturday, posting a career-high 19 saves, while only allowing seven goals in the victory. The junior played a huge role in Notre Dame’s 5-0 second quarter run, making seven saves in the frame to allow the Irish to pull away.
NOTRE DAME STAT OF THE GAME
Michigan’s Josh Zawada entered the game leading the country in points per game (6.75) but the Irish defense put the clamps on the attackman, holding him to just one off a fourth quarter goal. Arden Cohen was the primary defender on Zawada and limited him to tough looks throughout the game.
GAME NOTES
- Notre Dame improves to 4-1 against Michigan in the all-time series.
- The Irish held Michigan to a season-low seven goals.
- The Kavanagh brothers each recorded four points, marking the second time this season they each recorded four or more points in a game.
- Notre Dame’s defense finished with 10 caused turnovers, marking the fourth game in five outings during the 2022 season with double-digit caused turnovers.
- The Irish cleared the ball at 92 percent on Saturday, going 23-for-25.
- Despite losing the faceoff battle, the Irish recorded 30 ground balls to Michigan’s 23.
UP NEXT
The Irish open up ACC play with a road matchup against No. 2 Virginia at Klöckner Stadium at 1 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 26. The game will air on ACCN.
— ND —