SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Irish hockey team rounded out 2023 with the weekend sweep over visiting Augustana Sunday night to improve to 10-8-2 on the season. Three underclassmen scored in the contest, including sophomore Michel Mastrodomenico who net his first collegiate goal and Cole Knuble who capped off his four-goal weekend with the overtime game-winner.
The Irish nearly scored just 48 seconds into the game off a shot on the doorstep from Patrick Moynihan but the Augustana netminder Zack Rose kept it out and play continued in a 0-0 stalemate.
The Vikings took advantage of a loose puck out front early in the contest, jumping out to the 1-0 lead at 3:29 of the opening period, corralling the rebound twice before burying a shot by Ryan Bischel as the Irish faced their first deficit of the series.
The two teams traded a pair of penalties following the Vikings goal but neither team could capitalize on the man-advantage despite numerous shorthanded chances for the Irish penalty killers halfway through the opening period.
Michael Mastrodomenico scored his first collegiate goal at 14:19 of the first period to knot things up. The Kirkland, Quebec, native buried Hunter Strand’s rebound, beating the netminder glove side for the 1-1 tally.
The Irish and Vikings skated to the end of the opening period still tied 1-1 with both teams looking to break the stalemate in the second.
Notre Dame’s defensemen continued the scoring just under seven minutes into the middle frame when a shot from Paul Fischer at the top of the slot hit twine for the 2-1 Irish lead.
The Irish were able to kill off two ensuing penalties shortly after the go ahead tally and looked to be taking the lead into the second break but Augustana tied it back up late in the frame to force the 2-2 tie through two periods of play.
The Vikings carried that late goal momentum into the third period, nearly scoring again early in the frame but a stick play by Fischer on the goal line kept the puck out of the Irish net and the score tied.
Notre Dame and Augustana continued to battle through the remainder of regulation and overtime loomed large over both benches.
A hit along the right halfwall left an Irish skater shaken up in the waning seconds of the third period and the horn sounded on regulation before the next whistle blew. The Irish challenged the hit along the boards at the end of regulation for a potential major and found themselves on the powerplay for the entirety of overtime as the major…