Notre Dame (5-5-0) traveled to East Lansing this weekend for a series with the number four ranked Michigan State Spartans (7-1-0). Here is our recap of the quick trip up north:
Photo by The Irish Tribune
Michigan State 2024 Results (series result):
at Lake Superior State (2-0)
vs Boston College (1-1)
at Canisius (2-0)
vs Ohio State (2-0)
Friday: 8-3, Loss
Despite the lopsided score, the Irish kept this an exciting game for the first 30 minutes. Everything went south for the Irish when the Spartans had a four-to-zero run in about twenty minutes between the second and third periods.
Notre Dame played well offensively coming out of the gates. Forward Danny Nelson put the Irish up 1-0 just over a minute into the game when he deflected defenseman Michael Mastrodomenico’s blue-line shot past MSU goaltender Trey Augustine. This goal marked Nelson’s fourth of the season and would end up being his first of two goals on the night.
Michigan State responded about 12 and a half minutes later with back-to-back goals in just over two minutes. The Spartans officially took a 2-1 lead about 15 minutes into the first when a Justin Janicke turnover led to a shorthanded goal for MSU’s Red Savage, his fourth goal of the season.
The second period opened with both teams trading power-play goals just under four minutes into the frame. Nelson added his fifth goal of the season when he beat Augustine with some sweet moves right in front of the net thanks to an assist from forward Brennan Ali. MSU responded 55 seconds later when Joey Larson added his fourth goal of the season on a power play chance to give the Spartans a 3-2 lead.
Just over four minutes later, Mastrodomenico tied the game up about eight minutes into the second. The defenseman added his second point of the night and second goal of the season on a nice wrister that was assisted by forward Jack Larrigan, his first point of the year.
MSU then scored five consecutive goals to finish the game, proving why they are among the elite in college hockey. Irish starting goalie Owen Say had a rough day, allowing seven goals on 32 shots faced. Backup Jack Williams played the final ten minutes after Say was pulled.
Key Players:
Karsen Dowart (MSU): 2 goals on 3 shots, 1 assist, +1
Red Savage (MSU): 1 goal on 3 shots, 2 assists, 2 blocked shots, +2
Danny Nelson (ND): 2 goals on 3 shots
Michael Mastrodomenico (ND): 1 goal, 1 assist, 2 blocked shots
Key Stats:
Shots: MSU (41) - ND (30)
Power Play Sucess: MSU (2-3) - ND (1-4)
Faceoffs Won: MSU (38) - ND (38)
Saturday: 4-3, Loss
The Irish came up just short on Saturday night after nearly sending the game to overtime in the final minutes.
MSU got the scoring started just under 12 minutes into the first when Spartan Shane Vansaghi danced around the Irish defense before finding the top of the net to beat Irish goalie Nick Kempf.
Forward Blake Biondi and the Irish responded on a power play opportunity with under 30 seconds remaining in the first. Biondi’s third goal of the season came off assists by defenseman Paul Fischer and forward Justin Janicke to tie the game at 1-1. Unfortunately, there would be more action in this period.
Michigan State regained the lead with 0.6 seconds remaining on the clock when they overwhelmed Kempf with an onslaught of offense to close out the period. This gut-wrenching goal gave the Spartans a lead they never gave back.
The Spartans capitalized on this momentum just over a minute into the second period when MSU took a 3-1 two-goal advantage. Kempf was beaten by MSU’s Gavin O’Connell, his second goal of the year.
Not all hope was lost for the Irish as they bounced back around 13 minutes into the second when forward Ian Murphy redirected Fischer’s shot into the back of the net to cut the Spartan lead down to one. Fischer and Biondi added their second point of the night as they were credited with assists on Murphy’s second goal of the season.
MSU retook their two-goal lead with under two minutes remaining in the period when the Spartans’ Daniel Russell danced through the Irish defense before beating Kempf up top for his seventh goal of the season.
After the Spartans took this 4-2 lead, both teams turned it up defensively in the third period. Kempf stopped all seven shots faced while MSU goalie Trey Augustine saved 13 of 14 shots faced.
With a minute and a half left remaining in the game and their goalie pulled for the man advantage, Notre Dame defenseman Axel Kumlin found the back of the net to create some late-game drama. Kumlin’s second goal of the season was assisted by Biondi, marking the forward’s third point of the game.
The Spartans were able to kill the rest of the clock following the goal that made the game 4-3.
Key Players:
Blake Biondi (ND): 1 goal on 6 shots, 2 assists, 1 blocked shot, +2
Shane Vansaghi (MSU): 1 goal, 1 assist, +1
Key Stats:
Shots: ND (31) - MSU (30)
Power Play Success: ND (1-4) - MSU (0-2)
Faceoffs Won: MSU (32) - ND (29)
Notre Dame’s (5-7-0) schedule does not get easier as the number three ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers (9-1-0) enter South Bend next week.
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