Irish Hockey was swept this weekend by the top-15 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes in Columbus. We have your recap here:
Photo by The Irish Tribune
The fifteenth-ranked Buckeyes entered the series 11-4-1 on the season, with notable victories at Wisconsin and versus Penn State.
Notre Dame entered amidst a disappointing 6-10-0 start, coming off a week-long bye after placing second in the 2024 Friendship Four held in Belfast, Northern Ireland. You can find our recap of that event here.
Friday Result: (1-2, Overtime Loss)
A defensive battle occurred on Friday in Columbus. Irish goaltender Nicholas Kempf was outstanding all night, totaling 41 saves to keep Notre Dame in the contest.
Irish forward Danny Nelson got the scoring started with his seventh goal of the season almost 17 minutes into the first period. The play started when Nelson won a draw in the OSU zone, resulting in an assist from defenseman Axel Kumlin directly in front of the net to Nelson to make it a 1-0 game. Kumlin earned his eighth assist of the season, and forward Cole Knuble also earned an assist on the go-ahead goal, his 11th of the year.
The scoreless second period was fast-paced and the defensive battle continued. Kempf made 18 saves in the period, keeping the Irish in the front as their offense struggled. Notre Dame mustered just five shots in the frame, failing to add to their lead. Both teams were unsuccessful on their lone power play attempts of the period, as the Irish took their 1-0 lead into the final twenty minutes.
A mental lapse from the Irish was all that OSU needed to get back in the game. The Irish were assessed a two-minute minor for too many men on the ice about eight minutes into the final frame. Buckeye Davis Burnside buried his seventh goal of the year off a rebound about 20 seconds into the power play to even the game at 1-1 with under 12 minutes remaining. Notre Dame’s offense, again, struggled to get anything going as they added another five shots this period. Kempf saved 12/13 shots in the frame, helping to send the game to overtime.
OSU needed less than two minutes to put the game away. Irish forward Blake Biondi almost had the game-winner himself, but his shot rang off the pipe. It was the Buckeyes’ Brent Johnson who snuck the game-winner just past Kempf to send the Buckeyes home happy.
Key Player Stats:
Nicholas Kempf (ND): 41 saves, 2 goals allowed, 61:53 ice time
Gunnarwolfe Fontaine (OSU): 2 assists, 2 shots, +1
Key Team Stats:
Shots: OSU (43) - ND (19)
Power Play Success: OSU (1-2) - ND (0-2)
Faceoffs Won: ND (35) - OSU (19)
Saturday Result: (1-3, Loss)
Notre Dame’s offensive struggles continued on Saturday, especially early in the contest. Irish goaltender Owen Say played well throughout the game, finishing with 34 saves.
As hinted at above, Notre Dame could not get anything going in the first period. They were outshot by the Buckeyes 16-2 in the first. Friday’s Buckeye hero, Brent Johnson, beat Say on a nice backhand shot with under 30 seconds remaining in the period to give OSU a 1-0 lead. The only other stoppage to occur in the frame is when the Irish forward Brennan Ali was assessed a minor penalty about halfway through the period that the Irish successfully killed off.
Notre Dame struck back about five minutes into the second period when Danny Nelson added his team-leading eighth goal of the season. The goal resulted from a shot from Ali that was redirected off the glass behind the goalie, setting Nelson up for the easy finish. Ali and Kumlin were awarded assists on the game-tying score.
OSU would respond with about four minutes remaining in the period to take a 2-1 lead. Buckeye Patrick Guzzo added his fourth goal of the season off a rebound that directed off Say. Again, the Irish offense struggled throughout this period, being outshot 13-6 in the frame.
A hard-fought and chippy third period from both squads occurred with OSU holding a one-goal lead. The Irish failed to connect on their only power play attempt of the game around five minutes into the third. A Notre Dame mistake would lead to the lone goal of the third period.
With two and a half minutes remaining, Irish defenseman Paul Fischer was assessed a tripping penalty, essentially erasing any hope of a Notre Dame comeback. The Buckeyes made sure to make the Irish pay as Gunnarwolf Fontaine added his seventh goal of the season to extend the OSU lead to 3-1.
Goal-scorers Nelson and Guzzo shared an exchange with under 30 seconds remaining that resulted in the Irish being short-handed once again. No love was lost as the Buckeyes completed their sweep of the Irish.
Notre Dame drops to 6-12-0 and 1-9-0 in Big Ten play. They will be back in action on January 3rd at iconic Wrigley Field versus Penn State as a part of ‘The Frozen Confines’ series.
Key Players Stats:
Danny Nelson (ND): 1 goal, 1 blocked shot, +1
Brent Johnson (OSU): 1 goal on 2 shots, 2 blocked shots
Key Team Stats:
Shots: OSU (37) - ND (15)
Penalty Minutes: ND (10) - OSU (4)
Faceoffs Won: OSU (33) - ND (30)
Click to Join! - https://www.facebook.com/groups/legionoftheleprechaun
Comments