Legendary Notre Dame Head Hockey Coach Jeff Jackson’s career behind the Irish bench has come to an end following a hard-fought 1-0 defeat at Michigan State in the Big Ten Semifinal on Saturday.
Photo by The Irish Tribune
The first period was quiet but the Spartans were silently imposing their will in the frame. Notre Dame Goalie Owen Say had an incredible first 20 minutes, tallying 17 saves, ultimately keeping the Irish in the contest. The Irish managed nine shots in the period, two of which occurred on a power play opportunity 14:51 into the frame following a Spartan cross-check. The teams took a scoreless game into the second period.
The Owen Say show continued in the second frame, adding another 19 saves to his clean sheet. This period took a little more effort from Say and the Irish defense as they killed several MSU power play opportunities. Carter Slaggert picked up a hooking penalty 5:37 into the frame. Then, Hunter Strand was sent to the box for a hooking call 10:33 into the period. Luckily, this penalty was offset just seven seconds later after MSU was assessed a hooking minor themselves. 13:46 into the frame, Zach Plucinski was the third Irish player to pick up a penalty following his interference minor. Strand then added his second hooking call in eight minutes with about 1:30 to play. The Irish and Spartans headed into the final frame scoreless after forty minutes as Say's incredible performance continued.
Unfortunately, just 19 seconds into the final period, MSU converted on the power play opportunity from Strand’s hooking penalty. Isaac Howard netted one past Say to give the Spartans a 1-0 lead.
The rest of the period was hard fought from both sides as offense became a premium as the Spartans outshot the Irish 10-4 in the frame. Notre Dame’s inability to control the puck late did not allow the Irish to pull Say for the extra attacker until 44 seconds were remaining in the game. The Spartans hung on to their 1-0 advantage to eliminate Notre Dame from the Big Ten Tournament, ending the Irish season and Head Coach Jeff Jackson’s career.
Irish Star
Owen Say: 45 saves, 1 goal against
Key Team Stats:
Shots: MSU (46) - ND (18)
Power Play Success: MSU (1-4) - ND (0-2)
Faceoffs: MSU (33) - ND (13)
Blocked Shots: ND (15) - MSU (8)
Notre Dame will open the 2025-26 season with Brock Sheahan ‘08 calling the shots behind the bench, making him the fifth head coach in program history.
Click to Join! - https://www.facebook.com/groups/legionoftheleprechaun
ความคิดเห็น