LACHANCE LEADS THIRD-PERIOD RALLY BY NO. 13 BOSTON U. TO BEAT IRISH 4-3 IN FRIENDSHIP FOUR CHAMPIONSHIP

by | Dec 1, 2024 | Headlines, Hockey, RRSN News | 0 comments

By JOHN FINERAN

For 51-plus minutes Saturday at the SSE Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Notre Dame was in control of No. 13 Boston University in the championship game of the Friendship Four tournament.

But coach Jeff Jackson’s Irish forgot to lock the backdoor, and the Terriers escaped and ran loose in the 15thminute of the third period. B.U. scored twice within 20 seconds to finish off a three-goal rally in the final 20 minutes that catapulted the Terriers to a stunning 4-3 victory which ruined Notre Dame hockey program’s first excursion to the Isle of Ireland.

Boston University sophomore co-captain Shane Lachance, whose father Scott played for the Terriers and 13 years in the National Hockey League and whose maternal grandfather Jack Parker was a Hall of Fame coach at B.U. for 40 seasons, lifted his team on his shoulders. The 6-foot-5 left wing assisted on the first two third-period goals (by Gavin McCarthy at 7:00 and by Ryan Greene at 15:18) to erase Notre Dame’s 3-1 lead and then scored the game-winner at 15:38 off beleaguered Irish netminder Owen Say.

Lachance, who scored the final goal in Boston University’s 6-2 Hockey East victory Friday over Merrimack, was named the four-team tournament’s most valuable player and then received the Belpot Trophy bell with fellow co-captain Greene to ring on the ice in front of Irish, who were hoping for a happy plane trip home to South Bend.

As it is, Notre Dame (6-10-0) will have to be content with its 5-2 opening victory over Harvard Friday that broke a seven-game losing streak in the Big Ten. The Irish did give the 8-5-1 Terriers all they could handle Saturday while playing without leading scorer, sophomore center Cole Knuble, who had a goal and assist in Friday’s win over Harvard but has now missed four of the last six Notre Dame games because of a lower-body injury. The Irish also were missing defenseman Henry Nelson (upper-body injury) for a sixth straight game but did have the services of grad defenseman Zach Plucinski, who returned from an upper-body injury which cost him three games.

After surrendering a shorthanded goal to Boston University’s Kamil Bednarik 7:48 into the first period, Notre Dame got goals 15 seconds apart later in the period from senior center Hunter Strand (12:24) and senior right wing Justin Janicke (12:39). They then made it 3-1 on graduate right wing Blake Biondi’s seventh goal of the season (and third of the weekend) at 4:01 of the second period. Six other players scored assists.

But while they narrowly outshot the Terriers 14-13 in the third period (and 31-30 for the game), the Irish couldn’t get the equalizer against Boston University senior goaltender Mathieu Caron despite pulling Say for most of the final 1:34 of regulation. Caron finished with 28 saves, two more than Say.

The Irish, who are expected back at the Compton Family Ice Arena Sunday night at 6:30 p.m. after their tours of Dublin and Belfast and their second-place finish, won’t play again until they travel to Ohio State Dec. 13-14 for a two-game Big Ten series against the No. 12 Buckeyes, who were swept this weekend at Princeton.

Boston University started quickly in the first period, pressuring Say to make four saves in the first 6:28 before defenseman Brehdan Engum was sent off for cross checking at 7:32. Sixteen seconds afterward, Bednarik broke in and used Irish defenseman Paul Fischer as a screen to beat Say. Fischer later got Notre Dame’s first shot at Caron at 8:14.

Notre Dame tied the game at 12:24 after Carter Slaggert got possession in the Irish defensive zone and passed the puck to Michael Mastrodomenico at center ice. The junior defenseman backhanded the puck to Strand who broke behind the Terriers’ defense in alone on Caron to score.

Center Danny Nelson, who won 19 of 27 faceoffs, won the following puck drop and the Irish had three players converge on the puck at the Boston University blueline. Nelson skated into the zone before dropping the puck to left wing Brennan Ali, who skated out of the corner and sent a cross-ice pass over to Slaggert, who batted the puck out of the air past Caron at 12:39 for a 2-1 lead.

Notre Dame made it 3-1 at 4:01 in the second period when Biondi carried the puck off the right boards into the faceoff circle to Caron’s left. As B.U. defenseman Gavin McCarthy came toward Biondi, the Irish forward sent a shot along the ice past Caron off the post and into the net. Defensemen Ryan Helliwell and Jaedon Kerr each received assists.

Boston University got back into it at 7:00 of the third period when McCarthy’s shot from the point got past a screened Say to make it 3-2. Matt Copponi and Lachance received assists on the goal.

Say kept the Irish on top when he made five saves on a Boston University power play after Notre Dame’s Ian Murphy went off for boarding at mid-ice at 11:27.

But after the 15-minute mark, Lachance dug out the puck in the corner and centered to an unguarded Greene, who beat Say at 15:18. Then 20 seconds later, Lachance came from behind the Irish net and picked up a loose puck just to Say’s left to give his team the lead for good.

Caron made saves on Grant Silianoff (17:37), Murphy (18:07), Strand (18:36) and Danny Nelson (19:54.6) to preserve the victory.

BOSTON UNIVERSITY 4, NOTRE DAME 3

Friendship Four Tournament at SSE Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland

Notre Dame              2          1          0—3

Boston University     1          0          3—4

First Period—Scoring: 1. Boston University, Kamil Bednarik 1 (unassisted) SH 7:48; 2. Notre Dame, Hunter Strand 4 (Michael Mastrodomenico, Carter Slaggert) EV 12:24; 3. Notre Dame, Justin Janicke 5 (Brennan Ali, Danny Nelson) EV 12:39. Penalties: Notre Dame 0-0, Boston University 1-2.

Second Period—Scoring: 4. Notre Dame, Blake Biondi 7 (Ryan Helliwell, Jaedon Kerr) EV 4:01. Penalties: Notre Dame 1-2 (2-4), Boston University 2-4 (3-6).

Third Period—Scoring: 5. Boston University, Gavin McCarthy 2 (Matt Copponi, Shane Lachance) EV 7:00; 6. Boston University, Ryan Greene 5 (Shane Lachance, Quinn Hutson) EV 15:18; 7. Boston University, Shane Lachance 7 (Quinn Hutson) EV 15:38. Penalties: Notre Dame 2-4 (4-8), Boston University 2-4 (5-10).

Shots on goal: Notre Dame 31 (10-7-14), Boston University 30 (9-8-13).

Goalie saves: Notre Dame, Owen Say 26 (8-8-10), Boston University, Mathieu Caron 28 (8-6-14).

Faceoffs won: Notre Dame 37 (13-10-14), Boston University 25 (4-9-12).

Power-play opportunities: Notre Dame 0 of 3, Boston University 0 of 3.

Blocked shots: Notre Dame 10 (1-3-6), Boston University 11 (2-8-1).

Referees: Bobby Esposito and Jeremy Tufts. Linesmen: Jeff McCorkle and Steven Murray. Attendance: 9,000 (10,800).

Records: Notre Dame 6-10-0 (1-7-0 Big Ten); Boston University (8-5-1, 4-2-1 Hockey East)

BIG TEN STANDINGS: (Numbers in parenthesis are school’s rankings in this week’s USCHO.com media/USA Hockey-The Rink Live coaches polls):

  1. (3/4) MINNESOTA 6-0-0, 17 points (13-2-1 overall)
  2. (1/1) MICHIGAN STATE 4-0-0, 12 points (10-1-0 overall)

T3. (6/6) MICHIGAN 4-0-0, 11 points (10-3-1 overall)

T3. (nr/nr) WISCONSIN 3-5-0, 11 points (5-8-1 overall)

  1. (12/12) OHIO STATE 2-2-0, 5 points (9-4-1 overall)
  2. (rv/nr) NOTRE DAME 1-7-0, 3 points (6-10-0 overall)
  3. (rv/nr) PENN STATE 0-6-0, 1 point (6-7-0 overall)

Tuesday, Nov. 26: Penn State 3, Colgate 2 (non-conference).

Wednesday, Nov. 27: Penn State 7, Colgate 1 (non-conference).

Friday, Nov. 29: Notre Dame 5, Harvard 2 (Friendship Four semifinal at SSE Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland); Michigan State 4, Lindenwood 0 (non-conference); Minnesota 1, Alaska 1 (OT) (Alaska won shootout, 1-0) (non-conference); Western Michigan 4, Michigan 1 (non-conference); Princeton 3, Ohio State 1 (non-conference); Wisconsin 7, Alaska-Anchorage 1 (non-conference).

Saturday, Nov. 30: Boston University 4, Notre Dame 3 (Friendship Four championship at SSE Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland); Minnesota 5, Alaska 2 (non-conference); Princeton 3, Ohio State 1 (non-conference); Michigan 2, Western Michigan 1 (non-conference); Wisconsin 1, Alaska-Anchorage 1 (OT) (Wisconsin won shootout, 2-1) (non-conference)

Sunday, Dec. 1: Lindenwood at Michigan State, 4 p.m. (non-conference).

THE USCHO.com MEDIA POLL TEAMS AND THEIR SATURDAY GAMES

  1. Michigan State (Big Ten) (10-1-0) was idle. Next: Sunday vs. Lindenwood, Dec. 6-7 at Wisconsin.
  2. Denver (NCHC) (12-2-0) was idle. Next: Dec. 6-7 at No. 7 Western Michigan.
  3. Minnesota (Big Ten) (13-2-1) beat Alaska 5-2 Saturday. Next: Dec. 6-7 vs. No. 6 Michigan.
  4. Boston College (Hockey East) (10-3-0) was idle. Next: Wednesday, Dec. 4 vs. Connecticut; Friday, Dec. 6 at No. 16 UMass Lowell; Monday, Dec. 9 vs. No. 16 UMass Lowell.
  5. Maine (Hockey East) (9-2-2) beat Rensselaer 6-0 Saturday. Next: Sunday at Rensselaer, Dec. 6-7 vs. Stonehill.
  6. Michigan (Big Ten) (10-3-1) beat No. 7 Western Michigan 2-1 Saturday. Next: Dec. 6-7 at No. 3 Minnesota.
  7. Western Michigan (NCHC) (9-2-1) lost at No. 6 Michigan 2-1 Saturday. Next: Dec. 6-7 vs. No. 2 Denver.
  8. Colorado College (NCHC) (9-2-1) was idle. Next: Dec. 6-7 at No. 10 Providence.
  9. St. Cloud State (NCHC) (9-4-0) was idle. Next: Dec. 6-7 vs. Omaha.
  10. Providence (Hockey East) (10-3-2) beat St. Lawrence 2-1 Saturday in Adirondack Winter Invitational at 1980 Rink Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid, N.Y. Next: Dec. 6-7 vs. No. 8 Colorado College.
  11. Cornell (ECAC) (4-2-3) tied No. 18 Quinnipiac 3-3 (OT) (Cornell won shootout, 1-0) Saturday in The Frozen Apple at Madison Square Garden in New York. Next: Friday, Dec. 6 vs. Colgate, Saturday, Dec. 7 at Colgate.
  12. Ohio State (Big Ten) (9-4-1) lost at Princeton 3-1 Saturday. Next: Dec. 5-6 vs. Penn State.
  13. Boston University (Hockey East) (8-5-1) beat Notre Dame 4-3 Saturday in the Friendship Four championship at SSE Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Next: Saturday, Dec. 7 vs. Massachusetts, Dec. 11 at Massachusetts.
  14. North Dakota (NCHC) (7-7-1) tied Bemidji State 3-3 (OT) Saturday (North Dakota won shootout, 2-0). Next: Dec. 6-7 at Miami.
  15. Dartmouth (ECAC) (5-1-1) was idle. Next: Sunday at Vermont, Friday, Dec. 6 vs. St. Lawrence; Saturday, Dec. 7 vs. No. 20 Clarkson.
  16. UMass Lowell (Hockey East) (10-3-1) tied Clarkson 4-4 (OT) (UMass Lowell won shootout, 3-2) Saturday in Adirondak Winter Invitational at 1980 Rink Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid, N.Y. Next: Friday, Dec. 6 vs. No. 4 Boston College; Monday, Dec. 9 at No. 4 Boston College.
  17. Minnesota State (CCHA) (10-4-2) was idle. Next: Dec. 6-7 at Bowling Green.
  18. Quinnipiac (ECAC) (6-6-1) tied No. 11 Cornell 3-3 (OT) (Cornell won shootout, 1-0) Saturday in The Frozen Apple at Madison Square Garden in New York. Next: Friday, Dec. 6 vs. Rensselaer; Saturday, Dec. 7 vs. Union.
  19. Arizona State (NCHC) (6-7-1) was idle. Next: Dec. 6-7 vs. Minnesota Duluth.
  20. Clarkson (ECAC) (9-5-2) tied No. 16 UMass Lowell 4-4 (OT) (UMass Lowell won shootout, 3-2) Saturday at Adirondack Winter Invitational at 1980 Rink Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid, N.Y. Next: Friday, Dec. 6 at Harvard; Saturday, Dec. 7 at No. 15 Dartmouth.

Others receiving votes

Union (ECAC) (9-3-1) beat Niagara 5-3 Saturday. Next: Friday, Dec. 6 at Princeton; Saturday, Dec. 7 at No. 18 Quinnipiac.

Massachusetts (Hockey East) (7-6-2) was idle. Next: Saturday, Dec. 7 at No. 13 Boston University; Wednesday, Dec. 11 vs. No. 13 Boston University.

Bentley (Atlantic Hockey) (9-4-1) was idle. Next: Sunday at Northeastern; Dec. 6-7 at Mercyhurst.

Harvard (ECAC) (3-4-1) beat Merrimack 4-2 Saturday in Friendship Four consolation at SSE Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Next: Friday, Dec. 6 vs. No. 20 Clarkson; Saturday, Dec. 7 vs. St. Lawrence.

Connecticut (Hockey East) (7-6-1) was idle. Next: Wednesday, Dec. 4 vs. No. 4 Boston College.

Notre Dame (Big Ten) (6-10-0) lost to Boston University 4-3 Saturday in Friendship Four championship at SSE Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Next: Dec. 13-14 at No. 12 Ohio State.

Penn State (Big Ten) (6-7-0) was idle. Next: Dec. 5-6 at No. 12 Ohio State.

Northeastern (Hockey East) (2-6-3) was idle. Next: Sunday vs. Bentley; Friday, Dec. 6 vs. New Hampshire; Saturday, Dec. 7 vs. Brown.

Bemidji State (CCHA) (7-6-2) tied North Dakota 3-3 (OT) Saturday (North Dakota won shootout, 2-0). Next: Dec. 6-7 at Lake Superior State.

Michigan Tech (CCHA) (7-4-1) tied Bowling Green 1-1(OT) Saturday (Bowling Green won shootout, 2-0). Next: Dec. 6-7 vs. St. Thomas.

New Hampshire (Hockey East) (6-4-2) beat RIT 6-1 Saturday. Next: Friday, Dec. 6 at Northeastern.

Colgate (ECAC) (7-7-2) was idle. Next: Friday, Dec. 6 at No. 11 Cornell; Saturday, Dec. 7 vs. No. 11 Cornell.

Niagara (Atlantic Hockey) (7-7-3) lost to Union 5-3 Saturday. Next: Dec. 6-7 at Air Force.

OTHER GAMES THIS WEEK

Tuesday

Stonehill 3, Army 1 (non-conference)

Friday

Robert Morris 4, American International 1 (Atlantic Hockey)

Air Force 1, Brown 1 (OT) (Brown won shootout, 2-1) (non-conference)

Holy Cross 6, Sacred Heart 1 (Atlantic Hockey)

Long Island 3, Yale 2 (non-conference)

Wisconsin 7, Alaska-Anchorage 1 (non-conference)

Lake Superior State 4, St. Thomas 2 (CCHA)

Augustana 4, Northern Michigan 1 (CCHA)

Saturday

Brown 5, Air Force 2 (non-conference)

American International 4, Robert Morris 2 (Atlantic Hockey)

Holy Cross 4, Sacred Heart 1 (Atlantic Hockey)

Lake Superior State 5, St. Thomas 3 (CCHA)

Augustana 4, Northern Michigan 1 (CCHA)

Long Island 3, Yale 0 (non-conference)

Alaska-Anchorage 1, Wisconsin 1 (OT) (Wisconsin won shootout, 2-1) (non-conference)

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