NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The No. 8/8 Fighting Irish opened the season with a nearly flawless performance, dominating Robert Morris in a 19-7 win to open the 2021 campaign.
Sophomore Pat Kavanagh turned in one of the best individual performances in program history, tying Notre Dame records for points in a game (9) and assists in a game (7). In total, 13 Notre Dame players scored at least one goal, with junior Quinn McCahon leading the team with three.
As impressive as the attack was for the Irish, the defense was equally as dominant, holding a Colonial team that entered the game averaging 14.7 goals a game to just seven over the course of 60 minutes. Liam Entenmann made 10 saves while allowing just five scores and Kyle Thornton led the close defense with three caused turnovers.
The Irish also got it done at the faceoff X, winning 23-of-30 against Robert Morris. Kyle Gallagher finished 13-of-15 in the opener with 11 ground balls. Charlie Leonard also had a solid showing, going 9-of-12 with six ground balls.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Irish wasted no time getting going on the offensive end, scoring six goals in the opening 15 minutes to build an early 6-1 advantage.
The visitors scored early in the second quarter to make it a 6-2 game before Notre Dame closed the half with six straight to make it a 10-goal game heading into intermission at 12-2. The final goal was one of the highlights of the day, as Griffin Westlin found Kavanagh, who made a leaping finish to put the exclamation mark on the half.
Notre Dame managed to build its lead in the third period, outscoring Robert Morris 4-2 to move the score to 16-4 through 45 minutes of action. The Irish were able to play some reserves in the fourth frame and found the back of the net three more times en route to a 19-7 win.