Notre Dame hockey took their season global this weekend when they traveled to Northern Ireland to compete in the 2024 Friendship Four. We have your recap of the event here:
Photo via Notre Dame Athletics
The 5-9-0 Irish were joined by Boston University, Harvard University, and Merrimack College in the tournament hosted in Belfast. The Irish matched up with Harvard while Boston squared off with Merrimack in the opening set of games.
Friday Result: vs Harvard (5-2, Win)
The Irish came out firing in their opener versus the Harvard Crimson. Led by two goals from forward Blake Biondi, the Irish were up 3-0 by the end of the first period.
While on the power play, Biondi found the back of the net off a great pass from forward Cole Knuble that gave the Irish an early 1-0 lead. Biondi’s fifth goal of the year was assisted by Knuble and forward Justin Janicke, both reaching nine assists this season.
Notre Dame added a pair of goals in 40 seconds with about three minutes remaining in the period.
The Irish fourth line made their impact felt when defenseman Jaedon Kerr netted his first collegiate goal. Forwards Tyler Carpenter and Jayden Davis were credited with assists on the goal that extended the lead to 2-0, both notching their first assists of the year.
Biondi capped a dominant first period with another goal 38 seconds following Kerr’s score. The forward added his second of the night when he rebounded in defenseman Michael Mastrodomenico’s blue-line shot. Defenseman Paul Fischer was also awarded an assist, marking his ninth of the season.
After outshooting the Crimson 10-4 and holding a 3-0 lead heading into the second period, Harvard decided to change their goalie. This provided some much-needed momentum for the opposition.
Under two minutes into the second, Harvard finally answered back to cut their deficit to 3-1. The Crimson’s Joe Miller poked in a rebound past Irish goalie Owen Say to get on the board.
Harvard was not done as the Crimson’s Cam Johnson capitalized on an Irish turnover to make it a 3-2 contest under seven minutes into the second. Johnson beat Say on a one-on-one breakaway for his first goal of the season.
The Irish were able to bring this one-goal lead into the final period after being outshot 16-6 in the second frame.
A defensive third period from both sides was broken up when Notre Dame capitalized on another power play opportunity with under six minutes remaining. Janicke added his fourth goal of the season off a rebound to extend the Irish lead to 4-2. Biondi and forward Danny Nelson were credited with assists on the clutch goal, marking Biondi’s third point of the night.
Knuble netted his seventh goal of the year on an empty net to officially put the game away, giving the Irish a 5-2 victory. Notre Dame advanced to the first-place game on Saturday with this win.
Key Players:
Blake Biondi (ND): 2 goals on 3 shots, 1 assist
Justin Janicke (ND): 1 goal on 2 shots, 1 assist, 1 blocked shot, +1
Cole Knuble (ND): 1 goal, 1 assist, +1
Key Stats:
Shots: Harvard (31) - ND (27)
Power Play Success: ND (2-3) - Harvard (0-1)
Blocked Shots: Harvard (19) - ND (11)
Faceoffs Won: ND (31) - Harvard (31)
Saturday Result: vs Boston University (3-4, Loss)
The Irish came up short against the Boston University Terriers in Saturday’s Friendship Four First-Place Game. Boston advanced to the final after defeating Merrimack 6-3 on Friday.
Boston got the scoring started when Kamil Bednarik converted a shorthanded opportunity as he danced through the Irish defense and beat goalie Owen Say. Bednarik’s first goal of the season occurred about eight minutes into the first period to give the Terriers an early 1-0 lead.
Notre Dame would respond with two goals of their own in a 15-second span with under eight minutes remaining in the period.
First, forward Hunter Strand finished off a great pass from Mastrodomenico to tie the game at one apiece. Forward Carter Slaggert was also credited with an assist on Strand’s fourth goal of the season.
It was Janicke just 15 seconds later who gave the Irish a 2-1 lead 13 minutes into the contest. Janicke swatted the puck into the back of the net thanks to assists from forwards Danny Nelson and Brennan Ali.
The Irish added another goal four minutes into the second period when Biondi deked past the Terriers' defense before converting his shot to extend the lead to 3-1. Biondi’s seventh goal of the season was assisted by defensemen Ryan Helliwell and Kerr. Notre Dame maintained the two-goal advantage heading into the final period.
Boston found a response seven minutes into the final frame when the Terriers got one past Owen Say from the blue line to cut their deficit to 3-2.
The wheels completely fell off for the Irish with five minutes remaining when Boston scored two goals, including the game-winner, in 20 seconds.
First, the Terriers’ Ryan Greene snuck one past Say right in front of the net to tie the game at three apiece. Just 20 seconds later, the same Boston line converted the eventual game-winner with under five minutes to go in the contest. Shane Lachance beat Say after wrapping around the back of the net to give Boston a 4-3 lead.
Ultimately, that was all it took for Boston to win the 2024 Friendship Four. The
Irish head back to the States with a commendable second-place finish. At 6-10-0, Notre Dame’s next series is slated for December 13 and 14 at Ohio State University.
Key Players:
Shane Lachance (BU): 1 goal on 6 shots, 2 assists, +3
Quinn Hutson (BU): 2 assists, 3 shots, +2
Key Stats:
Shots: ND (31) - BU (30)
Penalty Minutes: BU (10) - ND (8)
Faceoffs Won: ND (37) - BU (25)
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