COLUMBUS, Ohio — The University of Notre Dame hockey team completed the weekend sweep of the Ohio State Buckeyes with a 4-3 overtime victory in Columbus.
The first few minutes saw the Buckeyes outshooting the Irish, 8-2, but the game held scoreless through the two media timeouts.
OSU would strike first however, netting a powerplay goal just 16 seconds into their second man-advantage of the night as the Irish were off for a trip.
Notre Dame answered before the end of the frame with a powerplay goal of their own when Sutter Muzzatti and Cole Knuble connected with less than 10 seconds left in the first frame to make it a 1-1 contest.
An early powerplay opportunity in the second period gave the Irish a chance at the lead after a Buckeye was called for a major infraction just one minute into the stanza. Despite numerous chances, the Irish were unable to convert on the extended man-advantage and play resumed to full strength still knotted, 1-1.
The Buckeyes broke the stalemate at 10:13 of the second period when a turnover in their end resulted in an odd-man rush the other way to make it a 2-1 game.
Shortly after the Buckeyes goal, the Irish almost had the answer when the fourth line combined for a trio of chances near the crease but were unable to tuck it over the line before being called for a hold at 12:33 of the frame. Notre Dame managed to escape the kill unscathed as they continued to search for the game-tying goal late in the second.
Cole Brown almost had Evan Werner on a breakaway with just under five minutes to go in the middle frame but the freshman got tripped up in the neutral zone prior to making the pass and the Buckeyes were sent to the box for two minutes. The Irish could not convert on the man-advantage and returned to full strength trailing by a goal late in the second.
A penalty on the Irish with 65 seconds left in the second period sent them to the box for the remainder of the frame. Nicholas Kempf made a series of key saves in the final seconds before his team managed to clear the puck out of harm’s way and send the game into the second intermission, still trailing by one.
The Irish managed to kill off the remainder of that second period infraction but were called moments later for interference after a play behind the Irish net. A shot from the Buckeyes in the final seconds of their powerplay bounced off the far post but the Irish were able to kill off the third period penalty early to keep it a one-goal game.
After a lengthy offensive zone pressure partway through the third, the Irish were caught on the rush and a shot trickled through the five-hole of Kempf at 7:18 to make it a 3-1 contest. An OSU attacker was tied up with an Irish defender but managed to get the shot off in front of the crease as Notre Dame faced a two-goal deficit for the first time since the first period of Thursday night’s game.
The Irish pulled within one off the stick of Carter Slaggert who capitalized on a misplayed puck in front of the Buckeyes’ net at 9:55 of the third. The play was set up by Pano Fimis who chipped the puck out from the end boards before the goalie tried to poke check it out of the way. Slaggert stifled the clearing attempt with a quick wrister into the back of the net.
A tripping call on the Buckeyes at 10:59 of the third gave the Irish powerplay another chance to even the tally shortly after the Slaggert goal. The chance was short-lived however as a cross-checking call against Notre Dame gave the two teams 57 seconds of four-on-four play.
After the special teams play, Cole Knuble was caught on a breakaway but his attempt was denied at the crease to keep it a one-goal game.
With just over a minute to play, the Irish opted for the extra attacker as Kempf headed to the bench.
A shot at the buzzer snuck under the Buckeyes’ netminder as time expired and both teams celebrated – the Irish for tying it up and the Buckeyes for the win. A quick review deemed the puck crossed the goal line with 0.1 and the Irish bench celebrated as a “let’s go Irish” chant rang out throughout the Schottenstein Center.
In overtime, freshman Pano Fimis was the hero for Notre Dame as he net the game-winner at the 3:16 mark of the three-on-three session.
The win marked the team’s third consecutive overtime victory, marking the first time in program history the team has won three straight games in the extra session.
UP NEXT
The Irish head north to Michigan for the first round of the Big Ten Conference Tournament. The quarterfinals matchup between the Irish and Wolverines will take place Wednesday, March 11 with a 7pm puck drop set inside Yost Ice Arena.
New this season, the playoff format will feature a one-game quarterfinal rather than best-of-three as in years past. The semifinals would follow on Saturday, March 14 before the championship game slated for March 21.