MADISON, Wis. - Notre Dame opened Big Ten play on Friday evening inside the Kohl Center in Madison, falling to No. 2/2 Wisconsin by a score of 7-1.
Evan Werner scored Notre Dame’s goal off a power play. The senior now has a team-high four goals on the season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Badgers jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead over the first five minutes of play, as Ryan Botterill scored at the 3:05 mark followed by a goal less than two minutes later from Zach Wooten.
Neither team found the back of the net for the remainder of the opening 20 minutes of play as the hosts took a 2-0 advantage into the first intermission.
Less than five minutes into the second period the Irish went on the power play for the first time in the game but was unable to convert.
Notre Dame narrowly pulled one back, as Pano Fimis beat the goalie but was denied by the post at the 6:36 mark of the period. Two minutes later Wisconsin tacked on a third goal off the stick of Finn Brink to make it 3-0.
The Badgers added one more goal in the final four minutes of the second period to make the score 4-0 heading into the final 20 minutes of regulation.
After two goals from Wisconsin extended its lead the Irish got on the board courtesy of a power-play goal from Werner at the 4:36 mark of the third period to make it 6-1, his team-high fourth of the season.
Wisconsin scored one more goal in the third to make the final score 7-1.
UP NEXT
The Irish take on the Badgers for game two of the series on Saturday at 6 p.m. ET inside Kohl Arena. The game will be streamed on B1G+.