SOUTH BEND, Ind. — The Notre Dame hockey team kept the win-streak alive Friday night as they rolled to a 6-3 victory over visiting Robert Morris inside Compton Family Ice Arena. Despite trailing 2-0 in the first, the Irish bounced back with five different skaters finding the back of the net in the game one win.
The Colonials took an early lead when a shot from the point beat Kempf blocker side for the 1-0 tally less than six minutes into the contest. RMU extended their lead moments later when another shot from the point was redirected in front of the net at 6:36 of the opening frame making it a 2-0 game.
Sutter Muzzatti got Notre Dame on the board at 14:18 of the first period when Cole Brown’s centering feed found the grad student’s tape for the tap-in goal as time expired on the Irish powerplay. The Irish found the back of the net once more before the end of the period as Carter Slaggert tied it up with 2:59 to play in the first.
The game remained tied at the end of 20 minutes as both teams skated to the locker rooms deadlocked, 2-2.
RMU was whistled for a trip early in the second period but the Irish were unable to convert on the man-advantage and play continued, back at even-strength.
The two teams were whistled for coinciding cross-checking penalties at 13:28 of the second period and the ice freed up a bit as each side had four skaters out there. With more room for creativity, Muzzatti danced through the neutral zone and into the offensive end before tucking the puck behind Charlie Schenkel in the RMU net for the 3-2 lead.
The Muzzatti tally would prove the only one of the period as the Irish carried the one-goal lead into the period break.
Just three seconds into the final period of regulation the Irish were called for a cross-check and were forced to kill off a minor for the first time of the night. The Irish were successful on the kill however and maintained their 3-2 lead five minutes into the frame.
RMU was called for a slash shortly after the expiration of the Irish penalty and the Notre Dame powerplay unit returned to the ice but could not extend their lead on the man-advantage and play continued.
With 11:05 to play in regulation, Cole Knuble drew a hooking call against the Colonials behind their own net and sent the Irish back to the man-advantage for their fourth opportunity of the night. Danny Nelson’s shot from the top of the slot rang off the pipe about halfway through the powerplay chance but did not cross the goal line.
Brennan Ali broke the powerplay drought for the Irish at 9:33 of the third period as he found the back of the net for the first time this season.
The Irish scored twice more before the end of the game to secure the win. Michael Mastrodomenico fired a shot from inside the far circle to make it a 5-2 game with 5:01 to play in regulation.
The Colonials got one back less than a minute later but Pano Fimis’ first collegiate goal sealed the win for the Irish, giving them the 6-3 final.
GOALS
- Sutter Muzzatti’s team-leading fourth of the year got the Irish on the board Friday night after Cole Brown fired a puck from the far circle where Muzzatti redirected it in. Michael Mastrodomenico also picked up an assist on the play, collecting the puck along the near halfwall to set up the play.
- The second Irish goal of the night came off the stick of Carter Slaggert who hammered his shot home at 17:01 of the opening period. His linemate, Muzzatti, outmanned a defenseman racing in on the puck before passing it back into the slot where Slaggert stood waiting for the feed. Axel Kumlin’s up ice pass was credited for the second assist on the play.
- Muzzatti danced into the offensive zone, beating a series of defenders before tucking the puck behind the RMU netminder for the Irish lead.
- Brennan Ali deflected a pass from Axel Kumlin on the powerplay to extend the Irish lead to two goals halfway through the third period.
- Michael Mastrodomenico’s second of the year came late in the third period to give the Irish the three-goal lead. Dashel Oliver saucered a pass over to the senior to record his first collegiate point.
- The Irish scoring was rounded out by Pano Fimis’ first collegiate goal to give the Irish their sixth of the night. Credited with the assists on the goal were Jayden Davis and Sutter Muzzatti.
KEY STATS
- With two goals on the night, Sutter Muzzatti leads the team in both goals (four) and points (eight). The graduate forward’s four-point night ties his career high.
- Muzzatti doubled his season point total Friday night, netting the team’s opening goal before finding the back of the net again late in the second period to give the Irish the lead heading into the third. He had points on the first three Irish goals of the night, picking up the primary assist on Carter Slaggert’s late first period goal. He also had the second assist on Pano Fimis’ tally to round out the night.
- Dashel Oliver’s assist on Mastrodomenico’s third period goal was his first collegiate point. The rookie forward has appeared in all five games for the Irish this season.
- Fimis found the back of the empty net at 18:21 of the third period to notch his first collegiate goal.
- The Irish were tasked with just one penalty kill on the night, an infraction in the opening seconds of the third period, but managed to kill it off unscathed to boast one of the top PK percentages in the country. To date this season, the Irish have managed to kill off 22 of 23 chances shorthanded for a 95.7-percent success rate.
- Contrarily, the Irish were one-for-four on the powerplay Friday night with Mastrodomenico’s tally being the only official powerplay goal on the box score in the contest.
- At the draw, the Irish won 74.6-percent of faceoffs Friday night, with Danny Nelson boasting a rate of 80-percent, or 16-4. Every Irish skater to take more than one faceoff in the contest finished above .500 on the night.
- Nicholas Kempf stopped 24 shots in the contest to improve his season record to 3-2-0 between the pipes for the Irish.
- Shots finished even for both teams in the contest, with the Irish and Colonials trading 27 shots on goal a piece in the game. Meanwhile, the Irish, led by Jimmy Jurcev, Mastrodomenico, and Henry Nelson, boasted 10 blocked shots in the win. The three defensemen jumped in front of two shots each to help their team to victory Friday.
UP NEXT
The two teams close out their season series Saturday night with a 6pm puck drop set for Compton Family Ice Arena. Saturday’s contest is presented by Allegiant.