Notre Dame Hockey: Falcons Fly Past Irish to Claim 5-2 Victory in South Bend

Two old CCHA rivals met for the first time since 2013 in Compton Family Ice Arena, and the Bowling Green State University Falcons left with a 5-2 W against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The physicality on the ice matched the tension of this matchup’s past as the Falcons shook up the Irish penalty kill

First Period

The Bowling Green State University Falcons wasted no time in setting the tone and chalked up the first goal of the game barely three minutes into the first period. It was Casey Linkenheld who found the back of the net for the Falcons. However, as Bowling Green’s Alex Barber headed to the penalty box, the Irish went after it and tied it up with a power play goal from Cam Morrison. The Irish played with a clear sense of urgency and won 14 faceoffs to surpass the Falcons’ 3, but it wasn’t enough to command the game.

Second Period

The second period marked a blow to the elite Irish penalty kill with a power play goal from Bowling Green’s Alex Barber. Bowling Green kept it all going with goals from both Alec Rauhauser and Carson Musser to get the 4-1 lead. Fans saw the reignition of the CCHA rivalry as the two squads upped the aggression in the second period.

Third Period

Notre Dame goalie Cale Morris left the net after two frustrating periods, and freshman backup goaltender Ryan Bischel headed to the ice for the Irish. However, the move didn’t fuel the Irish any further, as the Falcons dealt another slap in the face to the Irish penalty kill with a power play goal from Frederic Letourneau to reach five goals. Notre Dame’s Jake Pivonka responded with the second Irish goal of the game, but the Falcons had locked it all in.

Game Summary

Scoring

Bowling Green: Casey Linkenheld at 02:07 in the 1st, unassisted

Notre Dame: Cam Morrison at 10:23 in the 1st with assists from Nick Leivermann and Mike O’Leary

Bowling Green: Alex Barber at 07:32 in the 2nd with assists from Brandon Kruse and Max Johnson

Bowling Green: Brandon Kruse at 14:42 in the 2nd with assist from Connor Ford

Bowling Green: Alec Rauhauser at 17:07 in the 2nd with assists from Sam Craggs and Carson Musser

Bowling Green: Frederic Letourneau at 05:53 in the 3rd with assists from Cameron Wright and Will Cullen

Notre Dame: Jake Pivonka at 15:29 in the 3rd with assists from Spencer Stastney and Cam Morrison

Penalties

Bowling Green: Alex Barber for tripping at 09:25 in the 1st

Notre Dame: Tory Dello for slashing at 16:24 in the 1st

Notre Dame: Tory Dello for holding at 06:59 in the 2nd

Notre Dame: Mike O’Leary for slashing at 03:59 in the 3rd

Bowling Green: Cameron Wright for holding at 07:43 in the 3rd

Bowling Green: Trevor St-Jean for tripping at 13:28 in the 3rd

Goalies

Notre Dame: Cale Morris, 17 saves Ryan Bischel, 9 saves

Bowling Green: Eric Dop, 27 saves

Moving Forward

The Irish and Falcons will meet again at 7:00 p.m. ET Saturday in Bowling Green. To tune in, stream online with flohockey.tv.

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