Notre Dame Hockey: Irish Fall in B1G Tournament Opener to Wisconsin

On Friday, the no. 7 Notre Dame Fighting Irish entered the Big Ten quarterfinals at Compton Family Ice Arena looking to avenge an early exit in last year’s conference tournament. Standing in their way was the Wisconsin Badgers, who the Irish took three of four from during the regular season. The Irish, who earned the 3 seed in the tournament, brought a five-game winning streak into the matchup.

First Period

The Irish controlled the tempo of the opening period, out-shooting the Badgers 20-11. Their best scoring chance came when a Justin Janicke shot hit the crossbar, but it was Wisconsin who took a 1-0 lead into intermission thanks to a Brock Caufield shot off the far post.

Second Period

After two unsuccessful power-plays, third time was the charm for the Irish when a Graham Slaggert one-timer evened it up at one. However, the tie wouldn’t last long, as Dominick Mersch tipped one past Matthew Galajda to make it 2-1 Badgers after two.

Third Period

Despite being out-shot 40-25 at that point in the contest, Wisconsin took a commending 3-1 lead when Zach Urdal scored on a two on one. Despite bringing the extra attacker on at the end of the period, Notre Dame failed to capitalize, falling 3-1 in a game in which they posted 50 shots on net and had 5 power-plays.

Game Summary

Scoring

Wisconsin: Brock Caufield at 15:22 in the 1st, assisted by Mathieu De St. Phalle and Carson Bantle

Notre Dame: Graham Slaggert (PPG) at 13:52 in the 2nd, assisted by Nick Leivermann and Ryder Rolston

Wisconsin: Dominick Mersch at 14:30 in the 2nd, assisted by Tyler Inamoto and Corson Ceulemans

Wisconsin: Zach Urdahl at 05:57 in the 3rd, assisted by Sam Stange

Penalties

Wisconsin: Dominick Mersch for tripping at 15:52 in the 1st

Wisconsin: Roman Ahcan for slashing at 04:57 in the 2nd

Wisconsin: Tyler Inamoto for boarding at 12:24 in the 2nd

Notre Dame: Adam Karashim for elbowing at 19:23 in the 2nd

Wisconsin: Ryder Donovan for holding at 07:20 in the 3rd

Wisconsin: Dominick Mersch for tripping at 13:22 in the 3rd

Goalies

Notre Dame: Matthew Galajda, 24 saves

Wisconsin: Jared Moe, 49 saves

Up Next

The Irish will take on the Badgers in game 2 of their series on Saturday, March 5, at 6:00 PM ET. The game can be streamed on Big Ten Network Plus.