NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame hockey team completed the sweep of the Northern Michigan University Wildcats Sunday evening with a 5-4 victory over the visiting team.
The Wildcats struck first with an unassisted goal at 8:14 of the first period before the Irish came back with two late goals to end the opening period up 2-1.
Ryder Rolston opened up the second period with a goal 4:41 into play to give the Irish a two-goal lead.
Nearly halfway through the second stanza, the Wildcats pulled within one again with a back door goal at 8:40 of the second period.
After two periods of play, the Irish hung to their 3-2 lead while more than doubling up the Wildcats in shots, 29-13.
The Irish continued to apply pressure in the third period, anxiously trying to stretch their lead but NMU found the equalizer at 11:40 of the period in an attempt to force overtime.
Notre Dame pressed the Irish defensive corp hard in the waning minutes, putting 18 shots on goal in the final frame. With the Wildcats whistled for a penalty with less than three minutes to play, the Irish powerplay unit went to work to break the stalemate. Drew Bavaro found what seemed to be a go-ahead goal at 17:42 of the period to make it 4-3, Irish.
With the Wildcat net empty, Jesse Lansdell capitalized with a goal of his own at 19:03 to make it 5-3 but NMU would get one more goal Sunday evening to round out the scoring and make it a 5-4 final.
GOALS
- A tough-angle shot below the right circle found twine late in the first period to even the score, 1-1. Grant Silianoff’s first goal of the season was assisted by Jesse Lansdell who gathered the puck behind the net.
- A missed pass by the Wildcats at the blue line allows Landon Slaggert to corral the loose puck and find an open Solag Bakich up-ice on the rush. The senior forward got the NMU netminder low and tapped the puck through the five-hole for the 2-1 lead.
- Ryder Rolston scored an unassisted goal at 4:41 of the second period. The junior pressed the Wildcat defensemen off the faceoff and picked the puck off at the top of the circle before firing off a shot from the slot to make it a 3-1 game.
- Drew Bavaro net his first with the Irish at 17:42 of the third with a powerplay tally to break the tie. Jackson Pierson picked up a pass from Ryder Rolston before sending it back to the point for Bavaro who ripped a shot off and into the net.
- Jesse Lansdell rounded out the ND scoring Sunday with an empty net tally. The senior’s first of…