SOUTH BEND, Ind. — The Irish were forced to settle for a weekend split with the Spartans following a 4-0 loss at the hands of Michigan State University in game two of the Big Ten Conference series.
The ice was fast Saturday night to start the contest with both teams trading a flurry of shots in the opening minutes.
With the game scoreless halfway through the first period and the media break behind them, the Irish were whistled for a trip and faced their first penalty kill of the night.
Just 26 seconds later a Spartan was sent to the box for extracurriculars and the teams skated 4v4. As the Irish penalty expired MSU was flagged for another infraction and the Irish saw just under half a minute of five-on-three action. A chance from the point from Drew Bavaro was the team’s best look on the two-man advantage but they were unable to capitalize eventually both Spartans returned to the ice.
The Spartans once again struck first, catching the Irish in the middle of a change to take the 1-0 lead with 2:27 to play in the opening period. The tally would stand as the only of the period as the Irish faced the 1-0 deficit through 20 minutes of play despite outshooting the Spartans 14-12.
MSU dominated the first half of the second period, registering 14 shots on goal but Ryan Bischel continued to stand on his head and keep it a one-goal game.
A huge stop in the Irish end at 12:04 of the second period included a blocked shot by Patrick Moynihan on a wide open net. The blocked shot triggered an odd man rush the other direction led by Landon Slaggert and Cole Knuble. Slaggert found Moynihan racing up ice on his right wing but the shot of the graduate’s stick went just inches wide of the Spartan net to stay 1-0 in favor of the visitors.
The Spartans extended their lead at 13:06 of the second period with a wraparound tally beating Bischel to the post.
After picking up a bit of momentum in their offensive end late in the period, the Irish took a crosschecking penalty with 1:28 left in the frame and were tasked with their second kill of the night.
With less than a minute to play in the middle stanza Landon Slaggert picked up a loose puck and raced down the ice the other way but had the puck poke-checked off his stick as he came crashing in on net and his was denied his own rebound.
The Spartans capitalized on the rush back the other way, taking the 3-0 lead into the final period of regulation and the Irish were faced with a challenging third.
Notre Dame held possession early in the third period and drew a boarding call just 1:18 into the frame for a powerplay opportunity. The man-advantage was short lived however as a tripping penalty against the Irish made it four-on-four just a minute later.
A shot from the Spartans at 11:59 of the third made it 4-0 as the puck ricocheted off the far post and into the back of the net.
KEY STATS
- The Irish went 38 for 60 from the face-off dot, led by Hunter Strand’s 76.9-percent success rate winning 10 of his 13 draws.
- Notre Dame blocked 18 shots in the contest with Zach Plucinski boasting a team-best three.
- In goal, Ryan Bischel finished the night with 38 stops for a two game total of 68 on 73 attempts for a .931 save percentage.
- With 30 shots on goal by the Irish, Drew Bavaro posted nine for a team-high.
UP NEXT
The Irish hit the road to Wisconsin to battle the Badgers in a two-game series February 9-10.