A NIGHT OF HORRORS – NO. 2 WOLVERINES MAKE IRISH PAY FOR PENALTIES WITH 5-3 HOCKEY VICTORY
By John Fineran
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – A pair of major penalties turned Halloween into Friday the 13th for Brock Sheahan’s Notre Dame hockey team in its Big Ten season opener against No. 2 Michigan.
The Wolverines converted on both of them as well as scoring two other power-play goals as the Fighting Irish were penalized nine times for 56 minutes in an eventual 5-3 setback before 4,507 fans watching at the Lefty Smith Rink in the Compton Family Ice Arena.
“It’s unacceptable,” the first-year coach said after Notre Dame gave the high-flying Wolverines (8-1-0, 1-0-0 Big Ten for 3 points) five power-play opportunities, four of which they turned into goals against beleaguered goaltender Nicholas Kempf of the Irish (3-3-1, 0-1-0 Big Ten for 0 points). “Two five-minute major penalties were (legitimate) five-minute majors… you can’t question those. You put a very talented hockey team in a position they want to be in.
“It’s unfortunate because if you watch the 5-on-5 play, it was really good,” Sheahan continued. “I like a lot of what I saw. It’s just unfortunate we haven’t learned that lesson (staying out of the penalty box) yet.”
Coach Brandon Naurato’s Wolverines entered the game with the nation’s leading offense (5.75 goals per game) and leading defense (1.50 goals allowed per game) and was second in power-play conversion (40 percent). They finished it by scoring four goals with the man-advantage in five attempts.
Will Horcoff, a 6-foot-5 sophomore left wing, scored Michigan’s first two goals with quick snap shots that were set up by his linemate, senior center TJ Hughes, who later added an insurance power-play goal of his own in the third period for a three-point night.
The Irish got a three-point night from junior center and captain Danny Nelson, who assisted on the team’s first two goals in the second period by junior left wing Brennan Ali (at 13:51) and junior right wing Evan Werner (at 15:32 on a power play), who played last season at Michigan and scored three times against the Irish. Nelson then added a power-play goal of his own at 18:57 of the third period, tipping home a cross-crease pass from Cole Knuble to end the evening’s scoring.
“We played well for the most part,” said Nelson, whose teammates outshot the Wolverines 33-27 after starting in a 13-1 hole with the first of the two major penalties. “It obviously got away from us with those penalties. It’s never good to take penalties, especially against a team like Michigan which has a great power play.”
The first major was assessed to freshman defenseman Caeden Carlisle who hit a Michigan player from behind into the backboards at 5:07 of the opening period, and after a video review, was assessed a five-minute major and a 10-minute game misconduct. Horcoff scored on that power play, then after he scored another, the Wolverines got another five-minute power play when Irish senior defenseman Axel Kumlin made contact to the head of a Michigan player at 4:51 of the second period and was banished from the game, leaving Sheahan with just five defensemen the rest of the night.
Sophomore defenseman Dakoda Rheaume-Mullen made it 3-0 at 7:40 of the second period after Kumlin went to the Irish locker room. Rheaume-Mullen, by the way, is the brother of former Notre Dame goaltender Dylan St. Cyr. Their mother Manon, a former Canadian Olympic goaltender, made NHL history playing goal for the Tampa Bay Lightning during a 1992 exhibition game against the St. Louis Blues.
It became 4-0 after freshman left wing Aidan Park tipped home a shot by defenseman Tyler Duke with the teams at even strength at 11:45 of the second period.
After the Irish closed out the middle period just down two goals, they appeared to have the momentum coming out for the third period. But senior defenseman and captain Michael Mastrodomenico was called for tripping at 6:33, and 11 seconds later, Hughes provided the final dagger to make it 5-2.
Michigan freshman goaltender Jack Ivankovic finished with 30 saves, 25 of which came in the final two periods as Notre Dame began to assert itself offensively. Kempf, meanwhile, made 22 saves, 10 of which came in the final two periods but was not to be blamed.
Thirty-seven seconds after Hughes’ goal, Werner collided with Ivankovic after he was hit in the helmet by the stick of Michigan defenseman Drew Schock. Werner was penalized for goalie interference and there was no call against Schock for his action that sent Werner into the goalie, though a replay showed it on the scoreboard much to the dismay of Sheahan. The collision, meanwhile, did set off several other skirmishes that ended up with Schrock, teammate Kienan Draper and Notre Dame’s Cole Brown and Knuble receiving 10-minute misconducts.
Following the game, Notre Dame honored associate head coach Andy Slaggert in his final game with the team, showing video messages from his three sons Graham, Landon and Carter. Naurato. The Wolverines then shook hands with Slaggert, who embraced each of the Irish players one final time after the school’s alma mater. The elder Slaggert, who played for Lefty Smith and Ric Schafer and assisted Dave Poulin, Jeff Jackson and Sheahan, is joining the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers as a scout after 33 years at his alma mater.
The two teams conclude their series tonight at 6 p.m. It will be a “Whiteout Night” for the Irish, who will be honoring their late protege Rudy Chapman, a 13-year-old from Middlebury who died last summer of bone cancer.
MICHIGAN 5, NOTRE DAME 3
At Lefty Smith Rink in Compton Family Ice Arena, South Bend, Ind.
Michigan 1 3 1—5
Notre Dame 0 2 1—3
First Period—Scoring: 1. Michigan, Will Horcoff 8 (Michael Hage, TJ Hughes) PP 7:44. Penalties: Michigan 0-0, Notre Dame 2-15.
Second Period—Scoring: 2. Michigan, Will Horcoff 9 (TJ Hughes, Henry Mews) PP 1:18; 3. Michigan, Dakota Rheaume-Mullen 3 (Ben Robertson, Jayden Perron) PP 7:40; 4. Michigan, Aidan Park 3 (Tyler Duke, Josh Eernisse) EV 11:45; 5. Notre Dame, Brennan Ali 3 (Danny Nelson, Jimmy Jurcev) EV 13:51; 6. Notre Dame, Evan Werner 3 (Paul Fischer, Danny Nelson) PP 15:32. Penalties: Michigan 2-4 (2-4), Notre Dame 3-17 (5-32).
Third Period—Scoring: 7. Michigan, TJ Hughes 4 (Henry Mews, Adam Valentini) PP 6:44; 8. Notre Dame, Danny Nelson 2 (Cole Knuble, Pano Fimis) PP 18:57. Penalties: Michigan 3-22 (5-26), Notre Dame 4-24 (9-56).
Shots on goal: Michigan 27 (13-9-5), Notre Dame 33 (5-14-14).
Goalie saves: Michigan, Jack Ivankovic 30 (5-12-13); Notre Dame, Nicholas Kempf 22 (12-6-4).
Power-play opportunities: Michigan 4 of 5, Notre Dame 2 of 3.
Faceoffs won: Michigan 21 (7-10-4), Notre Dame 28 (9-10-9).
Blocked shots: Michigan 7 (2-3-2), Notre Dame 9 (6-2-1).
Referees: Colin Kronforst and Jacob Rekucki. Linesmen: Christopher Williams and Jonathan Sladek. Attendance: 4,507 (4,852c). Records: Michigan 8-1-0, 1-0-0 Big Ten for 3 points; Notre Dame 3-3-1, 0-1-0 Big Ten for 0 points.
BIG TEN STANDINGS AND SCHEDULE
(Numbers in parentheses are school’s rankings in this week’s USCHO.com media/USA Hockey-The Rink Live coaches polls):
Conference Overall
GP Pts W-L-T GF-GA W-L-T GF-GA
(4/4) Penn State 2 6 2-0-0 7-5 9-1-0 41-26
(2/2) Michigan 1 3 1-0-0 5-3 8-1-0 51-15
(14/14) Wisconsin 1 3 1-0-0 5-2 5-0-2 27-11
(1/1) Michigan State 0 0 0-0-0 0-0 5-1-0 23-11
(nr/nr) Notre Dame 1 0 0-1-0 3-5 3-3-1 27-24
(19/18) Minnesota 1 0 0-1-0 2-5 2-6-1 22-31
(17/17) Ohio State 2 0 0-2-0 5-7 4-4-0 23-17
THIS WEEK
Thursday, Oct. 30
Penn State 3, Ohio State 2
Wisconsin 5, Minnesota 2
Friday, Oct. 31
Michigan 5, Notre Dame 2
Penn State 4, Ohio State 3
Saturday, Nov. 1
Michigan at Notre Dame, 6 p.m. (Peacock)
Minnesota at Wisconsin, 7 p.m. (B1G+)
NEXT WEEK
Friday, Nov. 7
Notre Dame at Minnesota, 8 p.m.
Wisconsin at Michigan, 7 p.m.
Penn State at Michigan State, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 8
Notre Dame at Minnesota, 8 p.m.
Penn State at Michigan State, 4 p.m.
Wisconsin at Michigan, 7 p.m.
UPCOMING SCHEDULES FOR TOP 20 TEAMS IN USCHO.com MEDIA POLL
1. Michigan State (Big Ten) (5-1-0) is idle this weekend. Next: Nov. 7-8 vs. No. 4 Penn State.
2. Michigan (Big Ten) (8-1-0) won at Notre Dame Friday, 5-3. Next: Saturday at Notre Dame; Nov. 7-8 vs. No. 14 Wisconsin.
3. Western Michigan (NCHC) (5-2-0) won at St. Cloud State Friday, 6-5. Next: Saturday at St. Cloud State; Nov. 7-8 vs. No. 6 Denver.
4. Penn State (Big Ten) (9-1-0) won at No. 17 Ohio State Thursday, 3-2; won at No. 17 Ohio State Friday, 4-3. Next: Nov. 7-8 at No. 1 Michigan State.
5. Boston University (Hockey East) (3-4-1) lost at No. 12 Maine Friday, 5-4 (OT). Next: Saturday at No. 12 Maine; Nov. 7 vs. Merrimack, Nov. 8 at Merrimack.
6. Denver (NCHC) (3-3-1) lost to Alaska-Anchorage Friday, 4-3 (OT). Next: Saturday vs. Alaska-Anchorage; Nov. 7-8 at No. 3 Western Michigan.
7. Quinnipiac (ECAC) (5-2-1) is idle this weekend. Next: Nov. 4 vs. Alaska Fairbanks, Nov. 7 at Yale, Nov. 8 at Brown.
8. North Dakota (NCHC) (4-3-0) lost to No. 10 Minnesota Duluth Friday, 4-3 (OT). Next: Saturday vs. No. 10 Minnesota Duluth; Nov. 7-8 at Omaha.
9. Connecticut (Hockey East) (3-3-1) tied Harvard Friday, 1-1 (OT). Next: Saturday vs. Merrimack, Nov. 7 vs. No. 16 Providence, Nov. 8 at No. 16 Providence.
10. Minnesota Duluth (NCHC) (8-1-0) won at No. 8 North Dakota Friday, 4-3 (OT). Next: Saturday at No. 8 North Dakota; Nov. 7-8 vs. St. Cloud State.
11. Boston College (Hockey East) (2-4-1) lost to Northeastern Thursday, 4-1; lost at Northeastern Friday, 3-0. Next: Nov. 7-8 at Vermont.
12. Maine (Hockey East) (4-2-1) beat No. 5 Boston University Friday, 5-4 (OT). Next: Saturday vs. No. 5 Boston University; Nov. 6-7 at No. 13 Massachusetts.
13. Massachusetts (Hockey East) (6-2-0) beat No. 20 Cornell Friday, 2-1. Next: Saturday vs. No. 20 Cornell; Nov. 6-7 vs. No. 12 Maine.
14. Wisconsin (Big Ten) (5-0-2) beat No. 19 Minnesota Thursday, 5-2. Next: Saturday vs. No. 19 Minnesota; Nov. 7-8 at No. 2 Michigan.
15. Colorado College (NCHC) (5-2-0) lost to Omaha Friday, 3-2. Next: Saturday vs. Omaha; Nov. 7-8 at Arizona State.
16. Providence (Hockey East) (3-2-1) beat UMass Lowell Friday, 5-2. Next: Saturday at UMass Lowell, Nov. 7 at No. 9 Connecticut, Nov. 8 vs. No. 9 Connecticut.
17. Ohio State (Big Ten) (4-4-0) lost to No. 4 Penn State Thursday, 3-2; lost to No. 4 Penn State Friday, 4-3. Next: Nov. 14-15 at No. 14 Wisconsin.
18. Minnesota State (CCHA) (4-1-2) won at St. Thomas Friday, 3-1. Next: Saturday vs. St. Thomas; Nov. 7-8 vs. Bowling Green.
19. Minnesota (Big Ten) (2-6-1) lost at No. 14 Wisconsin Thursday, 5-2. Next: Saturday at No. 14 Wisconsin; Nov. 7-8 vs. Notre Dame.
20. Cornell (ECAC) (0-1-0) lost at No. 13 Massachusetts Friday, 2-1. Next: Saturday at No. 13 Massachusetts, Nov. 7 at Harvard, Nov. 8 at Dartmouth.
RESULTS AND SCHEDULE
Thursday, Oct. 30
Atlantic Hockey Association
Holy Cross 5, Sacred Heart 2
Non-conference
Long Island 9, Maryville 3 (exhibition)
Friday, Oct. 31
Atlantic Hockey Association
Holy Cross 2, Sacred Heart 2 (OT) (Holy Cross wins shootout, 1-0)
Robert Morris 4, Niagara 2
Bentley 3, Mercyhurst 1
ECAC
RPI 5, Union 2
Hockey East Association
New Hampshire 4, Vermont 2
NCHC
Arizona State 4, Miami 1
CCHA
Bemidji State 4, Bowling Green 4 (OT) (Bemidji State wins shootout, 1-0)
Augustana 2, Northern Michigan 1
Non-conference
Long Island 2, Maryville 1 (exhibition)
Lake Superior State 3, St. Lawrence 3 (OT)
Clarkson 6, Michigan Tech 4
Princeton 5, Alaska Fairbanks 2
Lindenwood 1, Ferris State 0
RIT 3, Colgate 1
Air Force 2, Brown 0
Saturday, Nov. 1
ECAC
Union at RPI, 4 p.m.
Atlantic Hockey Association
Bentley at Mercyhurst, 5 p.m.
Robert Morris at Niagara, 6 p.m.
Army at Canisius, 7 p.m.
Hockey East Association
Vermont at New Hampshire, 7 p.m.
NCHC
Arizona State at Miami, 6:05 p.m.
CCHA
Bemidji State at Bowling Green, 6:07 p.m.
Northern Michigan at Augustana, 7:07 p.m.
Non-conference
Dartmouth at Stonehill, 7 p.m.
Michigan Tech at St. Lawrence, 7 p.m.
Lake Superior State at Clarkson, 7 p.m.
Alaska Fairbanks at Princeton, 7 p.m.
Brown at Air Force, 7:05 p.m.
Lindenwood at Ferris State, 7:07 p.m.
RIT at Colgate, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 2
Non-conference
Yale at Dartmouth, 5 p.m.
Tuesday, Nov. 4
Non-conference
Stonehill at Harvard, 7 p.m.