By JOHN FINERAN
Notre Dame dug itself a big hole Friday night in the first period at surging Penn State in their Big Ten Conference series opener.
A three-goal Nittany Lions outburst in the final 3:59 of the dreadful first period, more self-imposed mistakes and some difficult officiating calls (and non-calls) helped to keep coach Jeff Jackson’s Irish from rallying past the 18th-ranked Nittany Lions, who captured a 5-3 victory before an overflow crowd of 6,606 in the Pegula Ice Arena in State College.
Fourth-line center Dane Dowiak, a sophomore from Pittsburgh, scored two goals and senior defenseman Simon Mack had three first-period assists as coach Guy Gadowsky’s squad improved its post New Year’s Day hot streak to 8-2-3, including 7-1-2 in the last 10 games. The Nittany Lions are 15-11-3 overall this season and 6-10-3 in the Big Ten for 23 points, one behind slumping fifth-place Wisconsin.
The Irish, meanwhile, fell to 9-19-1 overall and remained deep in the Big Ten cellar with their 3-15-1 league record and 11 points in the final season of Jackson’s Hall of Fame career which is still two victories shy of 600. Although the Irish picked up a 2-1 shootout win over Penn State after a 3-3 tie in their outdoor game at Wrigley Field on Jan. 3, Notre Dame has not won a non-overtime Friday night game since it beat Harvard 5-2 in the Friendship Four Tournament in Belfast, Northern Ireland on Nov. 29. After winning their first four Friday night games, the Irish are 1-9-1 on Fridays since.
Despite being outshot 15-4 in the first period to trail 3-0, the Irish twice rallied to within one goal of the Nittany Lions, the first time after second-period goals by sophomores Carter Slaggert (5:18) and Brennan Ali (8:41).
Then after Dowiak’s second goal of the game – Penn State’s eighth shorthanded goal of the season – came three seconds before the second period ended, Notre Dame graduate right wing Blake Biondi scored his team-leading sixth power-play goal (and 11th overall) 53 seconds into the third period against Penn State junior goaltender Arsenii Sergeev.
That made it 4-3 and the score remained that way until Penn State sophomore defenseman Cade Christenson got control of the puck behind his own net and banked a clearing pass off the glass that went 200 feet into the vacated Irish net at 18:52.
The 6-foot-4 Sergeev, a native of Russia whose post-Jan. 1 return from injury has sparked the Nittany Lions, finished with 24 saves, eight fewer than his Notre Dame counterpart, junior Owen Say, who deserved better from his teammates.
Notre Dame tested Sergeev twice early Friday night, with the Penn State goalie denying defenseman Axel Kumlin 38 seconds into the game and then Irish leading scorer Cole Knuble at 3:53. The Irish wouldn’t test Sergeev again until fourth-line left wing Niko Jovanovic, playing for only the sixth time, got a shot on goal at 18:40 with the Irish trailing 2-0.
Penn State opened the scoring at 16:01 after Laubach and Aiden Fink got around Irish defenseman Michael Mastrodomenico, playing for the first time in weeks after an upper-body injury, for a 2-on-0 break against Say. Laubach fed Fink and then got a return pass to beat Say for the 1-0 lead, with Mack picking up his first assist. It became 2-0 just 41 seconds later when Mack’s shot was deflected by Matt DiMarsico in mid-air past Say.
Danny Nelson got Notre Dame’s final shot on goal in the period at 19:07 after which Ali was whistled off for roughing. On the ensuing power play, Notre Dame was making a penalty-kill change when Mack got the puck at the point and fired it at the net. Say was at the top of his crease and screened by defenseman Zach Plucinski. As the Irish goalie’s right leg barely came out of the crease, Dowiak skated into him, sending Say to the ice. Dowiak then got control of the puck on the other side of the crease and scored into the vacated net at 19:50.
The Irish asked for a review and got one, but the referees didn’t call goaltender interference, allowing the goal and angering Jackson as the Irish trailed 3-0 after one.
But Notre Dame came out in the second period and controlled play for the most part, outshooting Penn State 10-5 in the first 11:17 and rallying behind goals by Slaggert and Ali to close the gap to 3-2.
Late in the second period, Dowiak and Mastrodomenico came together at center ice, with the Penn State player riding the Irish defenseman into the boards headfirst. But there was no penalty called.
The Irish eventually got a power-play when Mack went off for cross checking at 19:44. Knuble was trying to maintain control of the puck along the boards when Dowiak snuck in behind him. Dowiak got the puck free into center ice past Irish defenseman Paul Fischer before soloing in on Say for a breakaway goal at 19:57 for a 4-2 Penn State lead.
Though Biondi would again make it a one-goal deficit 53 seconds into the final period, Penn State kept the pressure on Say, especially late in the third period. The Irish goaltender kept it a one-goal deficit with big saves on JJ Wiebusch (at 14:00 and 14:47), on DiMarsico (at 14:50) and then on Tyler Paquette (at 17:16).
Jackson pulled Say for an extra attacker at 18:26, and Sergeev made a save on Biondi five seconds later. Christenson later got control of the puck behind the Penn State net and shot it off the glass down the length of the ice to score the insurance goal.
The two teams conclude their series Saturday at 5 p.m.
PENN STATE 5, NOTRE DAME 3
At Pegula Ice Arena, State College, Pa.
Notre Dame              0          2          1—3
Penn State                3          1          1—5
First Period—Scoring: 1. Penn State, Reese Laubach 14 (Aiden Fink, Simon Mack) EV 16:01; 2. Penn State, Matt DiMarsico 10 (Simon Mack, Cade Christenson) EV 16:42; 3. Penn State, Dane Dowiak 7 (Simon Mack, Reese Laubach) PP 19:50. Penalties: Notre Dame 4-8, Penn State 2-4.
Second Period—Scoring: 4. Notre Dame, Carter Slaggert 4 (Hunter Strand, Grant Silianoff) EV 5:18; 5. Notre Dame, Brennan Ali 6 (Jimmy Jurcev, Ian Murphy) EV 8:41; 6. Dane Dowiak 8 (unassisted) SH 19:57. Penalties: Notre Dame 1-2 (5-10), Penn State 2-4 (4-8).
Third Period—Scoring: 7. Notre Dame, Blake Biondi 11 (Justin Janicke, Paul Fischer) PP 0:53; 8. Penn State, Cade Christenson 2 (unassisted) EN 18:52. Penalties: Notre Dame 0-0 (5-10), Penn State 0-0 (4-8).
Shots on goal: Notre Dame 27 (4-14-9), Penn State 37 (15-12-10).
Goalie saves: Notre Dame, Owen Say 32 (12-11-9); Penn State, Arsenii Sergeev 24 (4-12-8).
Power-play opportunities: Notre Dame 1 of 2, Penn State 1 of 3.
Faceoffs won: Notre Dame 26 (12-10-4), Penn State 33 (10-12-11).
Blocked shots: Notre Dame 9 (4-2-3), Penn State 12 (4-6-2).
Referees: Jonathon Sitarski and Anthony Vikhter. Linesmen: John Waleski and Logan Bellgraph. Attendance: 6,606 (5,704).
Records: Notre Dame 9-19-1 overall, 3-15-1 Big Ten for 11 points; Penn State 15-11-3 overall, 6-10-3 Big Ten for 23 points.