By John Fineran
The Notre Dame hockey team went prospecting for goals 70 miles up the road Saturday night in Kalamazoo, but for the second straight night, the seventh-ranked Western Michigan Broncos had the vault well-guarded, thanks to their sophomore goaltender Hampton Slukynsky.
The 6-foot-2, 175-pound Slukynsky, who blanked the shorthanded Irish Friday by making 18 saves, made 33 Saturday as the defending NCAA champions scored their second straight 4-0 non-conference victory over beleaguered Notre Dame before an over capacity crowd of 4,047 fans at the Lawson Arena.
The shutout victory was Slukynsky’s third of the season. It also was the fifth straight victory and ninth in their last 10 games for coach Pat Ferschweiler’s 14-6-0 Broncos, who now will prepare for an important National Collegiate Hockey Conference series at No. 6 Denver next Friday and Saturday.
Meanwhile, Notre Dame first-year coach Brock Sheahan and his team, now 4-13-1 overall, returned home after suffering their fifth straight defeat and their 11th setback in 12 games, and things won’t get any easier the next two weekends in a return to Big Ten Conference play. The Irish bus to Ann Arbor for a Friday-Saturday series next weekend with No. 1 Michigan and then fly to State College, Pa., to play No. 8 Penn State Jan. 16-17.
Outshot 30-18 in Friday’s loss, Notre Dame was again outdrawn by Western Michigan, this time by a 44-33 shot count. But for the second straight night, the Fighting Irish got another solid performance in goal while awaiting the return of sophomore Nicholas Kempf, who spent the Christmas break playing for Team USA in the World Juniors Championship.
Friday night, senior backup Jack Williams got the starting nod for the first time in his career at Notre Dame and stopped 26 shots in a losing effort. Saturday, it was grad-transfer Luke Pearson’s turn in goal for his first start at Notre Dame, and the 6-foot-2 Pearson, who hadn’t started a game since he stopped 28 shots for Yale in a 5-1 loss to ECAC rival Dartmouth on March 1 last season, finished with career-high 40 saves.
But not even the return of three important forwards Saturday night – junior center and co-captain Danny Nelson, junior right wing Cole Knuble and freshman left wing Cole Brown – could help the Irish solve Slukynsky. Knuble and Nelson, who spent the Christmas break playing for the runner-up U.S. Collegiate Selects team in the Spengler Cup in Switzerland, totaled six and three shots, respectively. Brown, who missed the series opener because of a fighting penalty incurred in Notre Dame’s 9-2 loss to Dec. 6 to Wisconsin, managed only two shots.
Pearson was on his game from the start as the Broncos pressured him with the first five shots of the game in the opening 5:15. Senior defenseman and co-captain Michael Mastrodomenico got Notre Dame’s first shot on Slukynsky at 6:50. Knuble had Notre Dame’s best scoring chance at 17:46 when he broke in alone but Slukynsky turned the shot away. The period ended 0-0 with the Broncos holding a 16-10 edge in shots.
Center Owen Michaels, who scored in Friday’s game in South Bend, got the Broncos started in the second period when he scored at 1:38 off assists from linemates William Whitelaw and Ty Henricks.
It remained 1-0 until the Broncos scored two goals in a span of 31 seconds midway through the period. Defenseman Sam Sjolund beat Pearson from the slot at 11:59 and then Grant Slukynsky, the junior brother of the goaltender, made it 3-0 at 12:30. It remained that way at the period’s conclusion despite a 14-13 shot advantage by Notre Dame. Three good scoring chances by right wing Evan Werner, defenseman Paul Fischer and Knuble were turned aside by Slukynsky in the 13th and 14th minutes on one of Notre Dame’s four power-play opportunities in the game.
Western’s final goal of the game was scored by Zaccharya Wisdom at 17:12 of the third period on a power play.
WESTERN MICHIGAN 4, NOTRE DAME 0
At Lawson Arena, Kalamazoo, Mich.
Notre Dame 0 0 0—0
Western Michigan 0 3 1—4
First Period—Scoring: None. Penalties: Notre Dame 1-2, Western Michigan 2-4.
Second Period—Scoring: 1. Western Michigan, Owen Michaels 5 (William Whitelaw, Ty Henricks) EV 1:38; 2. Western Michigan, Sam Sjolund 4 (Zach Bookman, Garrett Szydlowski) EV 11:59; 3. Western Michigan, Grant Slukynsky 5 (Zach Nehring, Liam Valente) EV 12:30. Penalties: Notre Dame 1-2 (2-4), Western Michigan 1-2 (3-6).
Third Period—Scoring: 4. Western Michigan, Zaccharya Wisdom 9 (Liam Valente, Zach Nehring) PP 17:12. Penalties: Notre Dame 4-16 (6-20), Western Michigan 3-6 (6-12).
Shots on goal: Notre Dame 33 (10-14-9), Western Michigan 44 (16-13-15).
Goalie saves: Notre Dame, Luke Pearson 40 (16-10-14), Western Michigan, Hampton Slukynsky 33 (10-14-9).
Power-play opportunities: Notre Dame 0 of 4, Western Michigan 1 of 3.
Faceoffs won: Notre Dame 22 (6-11-5), Western Michigan 28 (9-9-10).
Blocked shots: Notre Dame 7 (1-1-5), Western Michigan 5 (0-4-1).
Referees: Brian Hankes and Anthony Vikhter. Linesmen: Christopher Williams and Logan Bellgraph. Attendance: 4,047c (3,667).
Records: Notre Dame 4-13-1, Western Michigan 14-6-0.
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-SW-OW-OL GF-GA W-L-T GF-GA
(2/2) Wisconsin 10 22 8-2-0-0-2-0 49-31 13-3-2 75-46
(1/1) Michigan 10 20 7-3-0-0-1-0 41-25 16-4-0 96-41
(3/3) Michigan St. 8 15 5-3-0-0-1-1 22-14 14-4-0 63-31
(8/9) Penn State 8 13 4-4-0-0-0-1 17-25 11-6-0 51-47
(nr/nr) Minnesota 8 13 4-4-0-0-0-1 24-23 8-10-1 58-63
(nr/nr) Ohio State 8 6 2-6-0-0-1-1 27-38 6-11-1 55-62
(nr/nr) Notre Dame 8 1 0-8-0-0-0-1 13-37 4-13-1 45-73
SATURDAY’S GAMES
Non-conference
Western Michigan 4, Notre Dame 0
Bowling Green 5, Ohio State 3
Michigan 7, U.S. Under-18 Team 5 (exhibition)
RIT 1, Penn State 0
Connecticut 3, Long Island 1
Canisius 4, Lindenwood 3
Alaska Fairbanks 5, Providence 1
Stonehill 3, St. Lawrence 3 (OT) (Stonehill wins shootout, 1-0)
Boston University 8, Simon Fraser 2 (exhibition)
Union 9, Royal Military College 0 (exhibition)
Clarkson 6, Niagara 2
Vermont 3, RPI 0
Merrimack 3, Brown 2
Cornell 3, Omaha 2
Colgate 3, New Hampshire 2
North Dakota 6, Mercyhurst 1
Augustana 4, Colorado College 2
Maine 3, Denver 3 (OT) (Maine wins shootout, 2-1)
Atlantic Hockey America
Sacred Heart 3, Robert Morris 1
Bentley 8, Holy Cross 3
CCHA
Lake Superior State 2, Northern Michigan 1 (OT)
St. Thomas 8, Ferris State 4
ECAC
Princeton 3, Harvard 2
Quinnipiac 5, Dartmouth 3
TOURNAMENTS
Cactus Cup (Thousand Palms, Calif.)
St. Cloud State 3, UMass Lowell 2 (championship)
Minnesota State 4, Yale 3 (consolation)
Desert Hockey Classic (Tempe, Ariz.)
Arizona State 5, Air Force 2 (championship)
Michigan Tech 5, Alaska Anchorage 0 (consolation)
SUNDAY’S GAMES
Non-conference
U.S. Under-18 Team at Michigan State, 4 p.m. (exhibition)
RIT at Penn State, 5 p.m.
Colgate at New Hampshire, 7 p.m.
CCHA
Northern Michigan at Lake Superior State, 4:07 p.m.
SCHEDULES FOR THE USCHO.COM MEDIA POLL TOP 20 TEAMS AND OTHERS
- Michigan (Big Ten) (16-4-0) beat U.S. Under-18 Team Saturday, 7-5 (exhibition). Next: Jan. 9 vs. Notre Dame; Jan. 10 vs. Notre Dame.
- Wisconsin(Big Ten) (13-3-2) was idle Saturday. Next: Jan. 9 vs. Alaska-Anchorage; Jan. 10 vs. Alaska-Anchorage.
- Michigan State(Big Ten) (14-4-0) was idle Saturday. Next: Sunday vs. U.S. Under-18 Team (exhibition); Jan. 9 at Ohio State; Jan. 10 at Ohio State.
- North Dakota (NCHC) (16-4-0) beat Mercyhurst Saturday, 6-1. Next: Jan. 9 at Colorado College; Jan. 10 at Colorado College.
- Minnesota Duluth(NCHC) (14-6-0) was idle Saturday. Next: Jan. 9 vs. Lindenwood; Jan. 10 vs. Lindenwood.
- Denver (NCHC) (12-7-2) tied No. 15 Maine Saturday, 3-3 (OT) (Maine won shootout, 2-1). Next: Jan. 9 vs. No. 7 Western Michigan; Jan. 10 vs. No. 7 Western Michigan.
- Western Michigan(NCHC) (14-6-0) beat Notre Dame Saturday, 4-0. Next: Jan. 9 at No. 6 Denver; Jan. 10 at No. 6 Denver.
- Penn State(Big Ten) (11-6-0) lost at RIT Saturday, 1-0. Next: Sunday vs. RIT; Jan. 9 vs. Minnesota; Jan. 10 vs. Minnesota.
- Dartmouth(ECAC) (12-4-0) lost at No. 10 Quinnipiac Saturday, 5-3. Next: Jan. 9 vs. No. 18 Harvard.
- Quinnipiac(ECAC) (14-4-2) beat No. 9 Dartmouth Saturday, 5-3. Next: Jan. 9 vs. No. 20 Union; Jan. 10 vs. RPI.
- Connecticut(Hockey East) (11-5-3) won at Long Island Saturday, 3-1. Next: Jan. 9 vs. UMass Lowell; Jan. 10 at UMass Lowell.
- Northeastern(Hockey East) (10-7-0) was idle Saturday. Next: Jan. 9 at Vermont; Jan. 10 at Vermont.
- Boston College(Hockey East) (11-6-1) was idle Saturday. Next: Jan. 9 vs. Stonehill (exhibition).
- Minnesota State (CCHA) (12-5-5) beat Yale Saturday, 4-3, in Cactus Cup consolation. Next: Jan. 10 vs. St. Thomas; Jan. 16 at Michigan Tech; Jan. 17 at Michigan Tech.
- Maine (Hockey East) (12-7-2) tied at No. 6 Denver Saturday, 3-3 (OT) (Maine won shootout, 2-1). Next: Jan. 9 at No. 16 Providence; Jan. 10 at No. 16 Providence.
- Providence(Hockey East) (9-7-2) lost to Alaska Fairbanks Saturday, 5-1. Next: Jan. 9 vs. No. 15 Maine; Jan. 10 vs. No. 15 Maine.
- Cornell (ECAC) (9-4-0) beat Omaha Saturday, 3-2. Next: Jan. 9 vs. Alaska Fairbanks; Jan. 10 vs. Alaska Fairbanks.
- Harvard(ECAC) (7-5-1) lost at Princeton Saturday, 3-2. Next: Jan. 9 at No. 9 Dartmouth; Jan. 12 vs. No. 19 Boston University.
- Boston University(Hockey East) (9-8-1) beat Simon Fraser Saturday, 8-2 (exhibition). Next: Jan. 9 at Massachusetts, Jan. 10 vs. Massachusetts.
- Union(ECAC) (12-5-2) beat Royal Military College Saturday, 9-0 (exhibition). Next: Jan. 9 at No. 10 Quinnipiac, Jan. 10 at Princeton.
Others
Augustana (CCHA) (12-6-3) beat Colorado College Saturday, 4-2. Next: Jan. 9 at Northern Michigan; Jan. 10 at Northern Michigan.
New Hampshire (Hockey East) (10-8-0) lost to Colgate Saturday, 3-2. Next: Sunday vs. Colgate. Next: Jan. 16 vs. No. 12 Northeastern; Jan. 18 at No. 12 Northeastern.
Colorado College (NCHC) (8-9-3) lost at Augustana Saturday, 4-2. Next: Jan. 9 vs. No. 4 North Dakota; Jan. 10 vs. No. 4 North Dakota.
Holy Cross (Atlantic Hockey) (10-7-2) lost to Bentley Saturday, 8-3. Next: Jan. 10 vs. Merrimack; Jan. 16 vs. Air Force; Jan. 17 vs. Air Force.
Arizona State (NCHC) (11-10-1) beat Air Force Saturday, 5-2, in Desert Hockey Classic championship. Next: Jan. 9 vs. Miami; Jan. 10 vs. Miami.
Michigan Tech (CCHA) (12-8-2) beat Alaska-Anchorage Saturday, 5-0, in Desert Hockey Classic consolation. Next: Jan. 9 at Bemidji State; Jan. 10 at Bemidji State.
Massachusetts (Hockey East) (9-9-0) was idle Saturday. Next: Jan. 9 vs. No. 19 Boston University; Jan. 10 at No. 19 Boston University.
Bemidji State (CCHA) (9-8-3) was idle Saturday. Next: Jan. 9 vs. Michigan Tech; Jan. 10 vs. Michigan Tech.
Princeton (ECAC) (10-4-0) beat No. 18 Harvard Saturday, 3-2. Next: Jan. 9 vs. RPI; Jan. 10 vs. No. 20 Union.
St. Cloud State (NCHC) (10-10-0) beat UMass Lowell Saturday, 3-2, in Cactus Cup championship. Next: Jan. 9 at Omaha; Jan. 10 at Omaha.
St. Thomas (CCHA) (11-7-3) beat Ferris State Saturday, 8-4. Next: Jan. 10 at No. 14 Minnesota State; Jan. 16 vs. Bemidji State; Jan. 17 vs. Bemidji State.
Miami (NCHC) (11-7-2) was idle Saturday. Next: Jan. 9 at Arizona State; Jan. 10 at Arizona State.
Minnesota (Big Ten) (8-10-1) was idle Saturday. Next: Jan. 9 at No. 8 Penn State, Jan. 10 at No. 8 Penn State.
Ohio State (Big Ten) (6-11-1) lost at Bowling Green Saturday, 5-3. Next: Jan. 9 vs. No. 3 Michigan State, Jan. 10 vs. No. 3 Michigan State.
Notre Dame (Big Ten) (4-13-1) lost at No. 7 Western Michigan Saturday, 4-0. Next: Jan. 9 at No. 1 Michigan; Jan. 10 at No. 1 Michigan.
Bowling Green (CCHA) (9-5-4) beat Ohio State Saturday, 5-3.Next: Jan. 9 at Ferris State; Jan. 10 at Ferris State.
RIT (Atlantic Hockey) (11-8-0) beat No. 8 Penn State Saturday, 1-0. Next: Sunday at No. 8 Penn State; Jan. 9 vs. Robert Morris; Jan. 10 vs. Robert Morris.
Bentley (Atlantic Hockey) (10-6-2) won at Holy Cross Saturday, 8-3. Next: Jan. 9 at Air Force; Jan. 10 at Air Force.
Lindenwood (Independent) (9-9-0) lost to Canisius Saturday, 4-3. Next: Jan. 9 at No. 5 Minnesota Duluth; Jan. 10 at No. 5 Minnesota Duluth.