A record-breaking crowd at the Compton Family Ice Arena Friday night witnessed the Sweet 16 celebration of the Notre Dame hockey team, as the Irish (19-3-1, 13-0-0-0 B1G) extended their prolific winning streak with a 4-2 win over Wisconsin (11-12-3, 5-8-2-0 B1G).
An active, exciting, and at times odd 1st period got things going. It started when Wisconsin ended up having a shorthanded goal in the 1st period wiped off the board, but it wasn’t their fault.
Moments before Cameron Hughes beat Irish goalie Cale Morris, Andrew Oglevie appeared to beat Badgers goalie Kyle Hayton on the power play. However, no signal was made and play went on. After the Badgers goal, refs reviewed the goal…not Wisconsin’s goal, but Notre Dame’s. In the end, the refs ruled Oglevie indeed scored about a minute earlier (even though play went on) and instead of trailing 1-0, the Irish led 1-0.
(Notre Dame) GOAL IRISH…somehow. Bear with me…
Earlier, the Irish had a shot on goal that looked suspiciously close to a goal Andrew Oglevie. The fans behind the Badgers goal thought it was, but play went on.
Refs reviewed THAT goal, not Wisconsin’s and determined… (1/2)
— Good Ol’ Hockey Podcast (@GoodOlHockey) January 20, 2018
(Notre Dame cont) …that Oglevie indeed scored earlier in the play. This invalidates Cameron Hughes and instead, it’s 1-0 Irish.
Oh, and Oglevie is now serving 2 minutes for cross-checking.
— Good Ol’ Hockey Podcast (@GoodOlHockey) January 20, 2018
Breakaways would define the next two goals scored in the game. Captain Jake Evans beat the Wisconsin defense at mid-ice and sprinted towards Badgers’ goalie Kyle Hayton. With a calm finish, he wristed the puck past Hayton’s left shoulder for a cultured finish and a 2-0 Irish lead. However, Wisconsin’s Trent Frederic was nearly taken down on his own breakaway attempt by a diving Irish player, then beat Morris low on the ensuing penalty shot.
Luckily for the Irish, defenseman Andrew Peeke got retribution with a goal just 47 seconds left before the end of the period.
The second period contained no such fireworks, save for the very end of it. A rough check into the boards led to some rough stuff between both teams. It ended with Notre Dame’s Justin Wade getting a game misconduct for contact to the head, Cam Morrison with a two-minute penalty for roughing, and Wisconsin’s Peter Tischke and Ryan Wagner also in the box for two-minute roughing after the whistle penalties. It also ended with the Irish still holding a 3-1 lead.
The stalemate would finish not long after both teams finally returned to full-strength, as Wisconsin’s Tarek Baker would beat Morris to draw Wisconsin to within one with about five minutes into the third period. However, Morris and the Irish stood tall to the task, and a Dawson Cook empty-netter sealed the deal.
Wisconsin outshot Notre Dame 35-29, though that’s a byproduct of the Irish going more defensive in the third period after two periods of nearly-even shots. Morris ended up with 33 saves while Wisconsin’s Hayton finished with 25 stops.
The Irish and Badgers will clash again on Sunday, this time at the United Center in Chicago. Puck drops at 3 p.m.
Also of note: the attendance record for Notre Dame Hockey was shattered, as 5,630 fans packed the Compton Family Ice Arena to see the #1 team in college hockey extend their streak to 16 games unbeaten.
•NOTRE DAME 4, WISCONSIN 2
At Compton Family Ice Arena
ND ─ Andrew Oglevie (7) (Colin Thiesen), 7:08 1st
ND ─ Jake Evans (7) (Cam Morrison), 11:51 1st
WI ─ Trent Frederic (10) (penalty shot), 17:56 1st
ND ─ Andrew Peeke (2) (Oglevie, Dylan Malmquist), 19:13 1st
(No scoring in 2nd period)
WI – Tarek Baker (Max Zimmer, Will Johnson), 4:17 3rd
ND – Dawson Cook (5) (Cal Burke, Peeke), 19:22 3rd
Shots: Wisconsin 35 (11-13-11), Notre Dame 29 (13-10-6); Saves: Notre Dame 33 (Morris), Wisconsin 25 (Hayden); Power plays: Wisconsin 0-2 (5 shots), Notre Dame 1-6 (7 shots); Penalties-Minutes: Wisconsin 9-18, Notre Dame 8-27; Three stars: 1. Andrew Oglevie (ND), 2. Andrew Peeke (ND), 3. Travis Frederic (WI); Attendance: 5,630.