Notre Dame’s hockey team won their series opener Friday night at Michigan State. Below is the game release courtesy of Notre Dame athletics:
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Landon Slaggert scored early in the third period to break a 1-1 tie and Matthew Galajda finished with 36 saves as 11th-ranked Notre Dame defeated Michigan State 2-1 on Friday night at Munn Ice Arena (5,635).
Hunter Strand also scored for Notre Dame (21-9-0, 14-7-0-5-1-0), while Nick Leivermann finished with a pair of assists.
Pierce Charleson had 20 saves for Michigan State (11-19-1, 5-16-0-1-0-0 B1G).
The Irish and Spartans were each 1-for-3 on the power play.
How It Happened
Spencer Stastney had Notre Dame’s best chance in the first period when he finished off a three-on-two rush by blowing by a Spartan defenseman, but his wrister went off the post to keep it a 0-0 game with just over 13 minutes left in the opening frame.
After Matthew Galajda made two point blank stops on the penalty kill, Michigan State’s Erik Middendorf was able to get a one-timer past the Irish goaltender with 11 seconds remaining on the power-play chance to give the Spartans a 1-0 lead they would take to the locker room after 20 minutes of play.
Hunter Strand got the Irish on the board at 5:13 of the second period when he fired a wrist shot from the faceoff dot that beat Charleson at the far side. Nick Leivermann and Graham Slaggert provided the assists with passes along the blue line.
Justin Janicke almost gave the Irish the lead with 5:30 left in the second after he was set up in the high slot by Jack Adams, but Charleson got a shoulder on the shot to fight it off.
The score remained 1-1 after two periods of play.
Landon Slaggert put the Irish in front, 2-1, at 4:23 of the third period when he tipped in a blocked Hunter Strand shot in front just after a Notre Dame power-play chance expired. Leivermann added the other assist on the play, his second assist of the night.
Just after the go-ahead goal, the Irish put together a solid penalty kill to keep it a 2-1 game.
With 3:57 left in the third Trevor Janicke’s one-timer was denied at the back post and his follow up tip-in was ruled a high stick. There was then a scuffle in front, with Graham Slaggert and Michigan State’s Cole Krygier assessed game disqualifications for fighting after a video review.
Notre Dame then limited any chances down the stretch to secure the win.
Notes
- Graduate student Adam Karashik skated in his 150th career game.
- With a goal and an assist, Hunter Strand posted his first career multi-point game.
- Nick Leivermann returned to the Irish lineup after missing six games with an injury and registered a pair of assists for his fourth multi-point game of the season and the 11th of his career.
- The win was the 72nd of Matthew Galajda’s career and he moved into a tie for 17th all-time (NCAA DI men).
Next Up
- Notre Dame and Michigan State close out their regular-season series at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday night at Munn Ice Arena (Big Ten Plus)