Notre Dame Hockey: Irish Overpower Clarkson in OT to Move One Step Closer to Frozen Four

The only battle between two conference champions in the NCAA tournament ended in a Notre Dame victory tonight. The Irish fought through nearly four periods to beat the Clarkson Golden Knights 3-2 to take the spot in the second round against UMass.

It appeared as if the Irish would set the tone of the game early on, initially outshooting Clarkson’s 6 shots on goal with 11 in the first period. However, Clarkson’s Marly Quince gave the Golden Knights an early lead with the first goal of the game. After overcoming the shakeup and gaining momentum into the second period, Irish forward Colin Theisen responded to tie the game. Though Clarkson’s Haralds Egle reclaimed the lead for the Golden Knights in less than two minutes.

The ejection of Clarkson’s Nico Sturm for hitting from behind early in the third period sealed the outcome of the game. Though the Golden Knights successfully killed five shorthanded minutes, Clarkson lacked their most impactful player in the most critical time. As the period magnified the stakes of the game, the Irish pulled goalie Cale Morris from the net. The move proved effective as Notre Dame’s Bobby Nardella scored to bring the game back to an equal footing. The tension moved into overtime and Cam Morrison eventually claimed the game-winner for Notre Dame after nearly four periods of playoff hockey at its best.

Game Summary

Scoring

Clarkson: Marly Quince at 16:56 in the 1st, assists from Juho Jokiharju and Connor McCarthy

Notre Dame: Colin Theisen at 04:58 in the 2nd, assists from Cal Burke and Nate Clurman

Clarkson: Haralds Egle at 06:29 in the 2nd, assists from Aaron Thow and Devin Brosseau

Notre Dame: Bobby Nardella at 17:29 in the 3rd, assists from Cal Burke and Andrew Peeke

Notre Dame: Cam Morrison at 15:53 in OT, assists from Michael Graham and Bobby Nardella

Penalties

Notre Dame: Tory Dello for cross-checking at 19:33 in the 1st

Notre Dame: Alex Steeves for interference at 07:22 in the 2nd

Clarkson: Greg Moro for tripping at 16:57 in the 2nd

Clarkson: Nico Sturm game misconduct/hitting from behind at 00:19 in the 3rd

Clarkson: Anthony Callin for a face-off violation at 06:20 in the 3rd

Notre Dame: Jack Jenkins for tripping at 08:57 in the 3rd

Notre Dame: Jake Pivonka for a face-off violation at 19:04 in the 3rd

Clarkson: Michael Underwood for hooking at 08:27 in OT

Goalies

Notre Dame: Cale Morris (20 saves)

Clarkson: Jake Kielly (35 saves)

Moving Forward

The Irish will take on the UMass Minutemen at 6:30 tomorrow night for the second round of the NCAA tournament. Catch the game on TV on ESPN U.

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