Tag: Frozen Four

Notre Dame falls short vs. top-seeded Minnesota State

Tough way to go against a top team

The Notre Dame hockey team saw their memorable season come to a close Saturday night as the third-seeded Fighting Irish fell to the top seed in the East Regional with a 1-0 loss to Minnesota State.

Notre Dame was able to withstand nearly an entire first period where Minnesota State was peppering the net, but just 16 seconds before the first intermission Nathan Smith put the Mavericks on the board with a helper from Brendan Furry.

Unfortunately that was all Minnesota State would need on the night as Dryden McKay turned away all 23 Fighting Irish shots he faced in a 1-0 shutout.

Notre Dame was outshot on the night 33-23 and were unable to convert any of their three power play attempts.

Notre Dame finishes the year 28-12 overall after falling in the East Regional Final.  Minnesota State now advances to the Frozen Four where they will take on the winner of Sunday’s Western Michigan-Minnesota game.

Notre Dame wins overtime thriller and advances to Regional Final

One win away from the Frozen Four after a thriller!

Notre Dame hockey is now just one win away from earning a trip to the Frozen Four after a thrilling 2-1 overtime victory over North Dakota on Thursday night.

The Fighting Hawks struck first with roughly 1:30 remaining in the first period as freshman Brent Johnson netted just his second goal of the season give the game its first tally.  It would be the final goal scored by North Dakota during the 2021-22 season, however.

Landon Slaggert then took advantage of a North Dakota turnover early in the second as he used his backhand on a breakaway to knot the game at one, with an assist from his brother and captain, Graham.  More on him shortly.

The third period saw both Notre Dame and North Dakota get special teams chances with none greater than the Fighting Hawks getting a penalty shot attempt by Riese Gaber but he missed the net.  Matthew Galajda was great in net on the night, stopping 23 of 24 shots he faced.

In the extra frame Notre Dame had a few shots early before Graham Slaggert scored on a power play snipe just 98 seconds into the extra frame to send the Fighting Irish to the East Regional Final where they’ll meet top-seeded Minnesota State.

This is Notre Dame’s seventh trip to a Regional Final all-time as they’re seeking their fifth appearance in the Frozen Four.

NCAA Hockey Tournament: Harvard vs. Minnesota State, live stream, TV channel, time, how to watch

The Harvard Crimson will meet the Minnesota State University-Mankato in the First Round of the NCAA Hockey Tournament on Thursday afternoon.

The Harvard Crimson will meet the Minnesota State University-Mankato in the First Round of the NCAA Hockey Tournament on Thursday afternoon.

Harvard comes into the tournament as the No. 17 seed after finishing the season with a 21-10-3 record while Minnesota State has won 15 games in a row and will be looking to extend that and move on to the second round.

This will be a great day of NCAA Hockey action, here is everything you need to know to watch and stream the game.

Harvard vs. Minnesota State

  • When: Thursday, March 24
  • Time: 12:00 p.m. ET
  • TV: ESPNU
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free)

NCAA Hockey Odds and Betting Lines

NCAA Hockey odds courtesy of Tipico Sportsbook. Odds last updated Thursday at 4:00 p.m. ET.

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Printable NCAA Hockey Tournament Bracket

Notre Dame is 4-1 overall this season against the top overall seed in the tournament. How deep can the Irish go?

Notre Dame’s basketball season came to a close for the men Sunday night with their tough loss to Texas Tech in the NCAA Tournament’s Second Round, but there are still tournament teams playing this March for the Fighting Irish.

The women’s basketball team is alive and well as they take on Oklahoma in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament on Monday, a game we’ll have covered for you here at Fighting Irish Wire.

The hockey team is also in the NCAA Tournament after the brackets were released Sunday night.  Notre Dame earned the third seed in the Albany region and takes on the second seed in the region, North Dakota State, on Thursday.

Michigan earned the top overall seed in the 16-team tournament while fellow-Big Ten hockey rival Minnesota received the second seed in the Worcester region.

To see the entire printable bracket (courtesy of the NCAA) click below.

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Notre Dame falls to Michigan in Big Ten semifinals

Now the Irish get ready for the NCAA Tournament…

The following is courtesy of UND.com:

The eighth-ranked Fighting Irish hockey team was edged by fourth-ranked Michigan 2-1 in the Big Ten Tournament Semifinals at sold out Yost Ice Arena on Saturday night.

Jack Adams scored for the Irish, while Matthew Galajda made 29 saves.

“I thought we battled, we played hard and put ourselves in position to win the game but they scored the key goal in the third period,” head coach Jeff Jackson said. “Their top guys made the difference and scored both goals.”

Notre Dame (27-11-0), which is now 4-1-0 on the season against Michigan, will await the NCAA Tournament selection show on Sunday, March 20.

How It Happened

Hunter Strand worked a quick give-and-go from the far circle with Jack Adams to generate Notre Dame’s first good look of the game, but it was fought off by Wolverine goaltender Erik Portillo with nine minutes to play in the first period.

A minute later, Trevor Janicke tested Portillo, but his shot was blocked aside.

With 3:25 left in the first, Adam Karashik was whistled for the game’s first penalty. Then with 1:34 left on that minor, Jake Pivonka was called for a trip. The Notre Dame penalty kill would go to work, killing off the 5-on-3 and then finishing off the remainder of Pivonka’s penalty to keep it a 0-0 game after the first.

Matty Beniers gave the Wolverines a 1-0 lead at 3:46 of the second, finishing off a 3-on-2 chance from just outside the goal crease.

Ellis nearly tied it with 7:28 to play in the second, diving to get to a rebound in front, but Portillo was able to get his left pad on the chance. Leivermann then sent a wrister that went just wide.

The Irish continued to pressure as the second period moved along and it paid off at 12:04 when Jack Adams worked his way to the front of the net and deflected an Adam Karashik feed high past Portillo’s blocker for his sixth goal of the season. Justin Janicke earned the second assist on the play. The possession started after Solag Bakich had a big shot block on a Luke Hughes chance at the other end.

The teams headed to the locker room, tied at 1-1, after two periods of play.

Michigan’s Brendan Brisson made it a 2-1 game at 3:59 of the third with a wrist shot from the faceoff circle to the left of Galajda.

Landon Slaggert nearly tied it back up with 13 minutes left in the third, but his backhander in front was blocked by a Michigan defender.

With two minutes left in the game, Galajda was pulled in favor of a sixth Irish skater, but Notre Dame would be unable to secure the game-tying goal.

Next – Next Up…

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Notre Dame’s Jake Pivonka is finalist for Derek Hines Award

Congrats to the Irish captain.

An Achilles injury put Notre Dame forward Jake Pivonka’s senior season in jeopardy. He was able to return to game action in mid-December after sticking around as a team leader as he went through rehabilitation. Now, the captain and 2018 New York Islanders fourth-round pick is being recognized in a big way. He has been selected as the Big Ten finalist for the Derek Hines Unsung Hero Award.

The award, which is presented by the Hockey Commissioners Association, is given to the player who best “displays exemplary sportsmanship, is supremely competitive, intelligent and extraordinarily conditioned with an unmatched work ethic.” It is named after Derek Hines, a former Army player who was killed in the line of duty in Afghanistan in 2005.

In 126 career games with the Irish, Pivonka has 38 points, nine of which have come on goals. Of those nine, four have been game-winners. One of those came in the deciding game of the Irish’s Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal win over Wisconsin.

The winner of the award will be announced April 8 during Frozen Four weekend festivities in Boston.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Big Ten Hockey Tournament: Wisconsin goalie stands on head to beat Notre Dame

Win or go home Saturday for the Irish.

Notre Dame put a season high 50 shots on goal against Wisconsin in the opening round of the Big Ten hockey tournament Friday night but it didn’t matter as Jared Moe turned away 49 of those shots in the 3-1 Badgers victory.

The complete writeup below is courtesy of Notre Dame athletics:

SOUTH BEND, Ind.  – No. 7 Notre Dame Hockey fell to Wisconsin, 3-1, in the best-of-three series opener of the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals on Friday night at Compton Family Ice Arena (3,634).

The Irish earned a season high by putting 50 shots on goal and held the Badgers to 28 on the night but Jared Moe’s 49 saves backstopped Wisconsin to the win.

Graham Slaggert tied the game, 1-1, just past the 13 minute mark of the second period, but the Badgers scored 38 seconds to take back a lead they would not relinquish.

“They played well so give them their due,” head coach Jeff Jackson said after the game. “It was playoff hockey, and you have to be prepared. Anything can happen in the playoffs. The goaltender played well, they keep you on the outside and we have to find a way to penetrate that.”

Graduate student Matthew Galajda made 24 saves for Notre Dame.

Notre Dame (25-10-0) finished 1-for-5 on the power play, while Wisconsin (10-22-3) was 0-for-1.

How It Happened

Five minutes into the opening frame Cam Burke nearly got the Irish on the board after following up a Max Ellis shot on goal, but following video review it was ruled the puck never crossed the goal line after hitting the far post.

Justin Janicke took a nice feed from Jack Adams in the high slot and rang one off the crossbar at 8:25 of the first.

The Irish continued to pressure and with 5:20 left in the first, Jake Pivonka’s stretch pass sprang Ryder Rolston on a partial breakaway attempt but his attempt went wide.

Wisconsin’s Brock Caufield then struck first, scoring his seventh of the season at 15:22 of the first.

Notre Dame had a power-play chance late in the first, with the best look coming from Nick Leivermann but his shot was pushed off the post by Wisconsin goaltender Jared Moe and cleared off the goal line by a defenseman.

Notre Dame trailed 1-0 after one.

With the extra attacker on during a delayed penalty, Jake Boltmann stepped into a one timer with 15:03 left in the second but it was stopped by Moe.

Galajda made a big shoulder stop on Daniel Laatsch at 11:11 of the second and smothered the follow-up attempt. Then Justin Janicke had a chance at the other end but couldn’t solve Moe.

Graham Slaggert broke through at 13:52 of the second, finishing off a one-timer from a Nick Leivermann cross-ice feed while the Irish were on the power play, with Ryder Rolston picking up the second assist. It was Slaggert’s 10th goal of the season.

But Wisconsin’s Dominick Mersch scored 38 seconds later to restore the Badgers’ lead to 2-1, which they would take to the locker room.

The Irish peppered Moe in the early going of the third but couldn’t tie it up before Zach Urdahl finished off a two-on-one chance with Sam Stange for a 3-1 Wisconsin lead at 5:57 of the third

Stastney set Landon Slaggert up in front with 8:39 left in the third, but the puck skipped over the sophomore’s stick when he tried to redirect it in the net.

Galajda was pulled with 3:42 left in the game, but the Irish were unable to extend the game, ultimately falling, 3-1.

Notes

  • With an assist tonight, Nick Leivermann extended his point streak to three games (Feb. 25-Mar. 4; 0-4-4).
  • With Graham Slaggert scoring a goal, it marked the third consecutive game with a tally from the Landon Slaggert/Graham Slaggert/Trevor Janicke line.
  • For Slaggert, it marked his 10th goal of the year, extending his career-high total.
  • Slaggert also became Notre Dame’s fifth 10-goal scorer this season.

Next Up

  • Game two of the best-of-three series will take place at 6 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 5 at Compton Family Ice Arena on March 4-6 (tickets).
  • The game will also be available on BTN+.

UMass just scored the best between-the-legs dangle goal in the Frozen Four final

A goal of the year candidate from Philip Lagunov with this stunner.

There are pretty hockey goals, and then there are ones like Philip Lagunov of the University of Massachusetts just scored in the Frozen Four. In the second period of the NCAA men’s ice hockey championship — aka the Frozen Four — fans in the stands were treated to a one-of-a-kind goal that’ll no doubt be on highlight reels for years to come.

With UMass leading St. Cloud State 2-0 in the opening moments of the second period, Lagunov gave Huskies defenseman Nick Perbix a shakedown he’ll never forget, toe-dragging the puck between his legs and through to open ice ahead of him.

Lagunov then finished the gorgeous play with a head fake before sliding the puck on the backhand between the legs of Huskies goaltender David Hrenak. In total, a beautiful skill play to open the Minutemen’s lead to 3-0.

While the highlight gives a great view of what happened on the play after the fact, you need to watch the real-time call as the crowd in Pittsburgh was absolutely stunned by what they just witnessed.

And of course, here are all the angles of Lagunov’s stellar goal for your viewing pleasure.

Unfortunately for St. Cloud State fans, the 3-0 deficit after that Lagunov tally took the wind out of their sails.

Yeah, there’s really no coming back from a goal like that.

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Minnesota Duluth reached the Frozen Four with an epic win in the fifth overtime

Six hours of hockey.

We’re not talking Cawlidge Hawkey here. None of that grating Northeast accent in this post.

This is Midwest hockey and …. well, I don’t know how to write out a Minnesota accent. I think it’s like, “Oh, dontcha know there was a good game the other night and also here is a lovingly crafted pie I just baked.”

But this was a very good game, one that took more than six hours (or 142.13 of playing time) to complete. In the end, the two-time defending champion Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs won the longest game in NCAA Tournament history 3-2 in the fifth overtime to return to the men’s Frozen Four:

Slow motion, better angle:

That’s freshman Luke Mylymok, who appeared in all of 11 games this year, scoring off the rush on the 119th shot of the game. (I hereby decree that all Fifth OT goals scored in hockey, anywhere and everywhere, are now and forever known as “Mylymoks.”)

Mylymok hadn’t played a game in exactly a month, so maybe he had really fresh legs?

No. 1 seed North Dakota had tied this game by scoring two goals in the final two minutes after pulling its goalie.

https://twitter.com/betthepucks/status/1375992356688830467

Hilariously, the highlight package for this game stretches *16 minutes.*

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6F189nkF4vo&t=16s

Fighting Hawks coach Brad Berry had a wonderful way of putting the game into perspective after the crushing loss. From the Grand Forks Herald:

“It will probably go down as one of the most memorable games, even though we lost the game in overtime,” UND coach Brad Berry said. “That’s what sports is. I told the guys after the game, ‘This is life. This is what life is. It’s not fair.’ At the end of the day, we could have argued all day who should have won the game. . . we felt we had a very good opportunity. We had a ton of opportunities to win the game. We felt it wasn’t fair that we didn’t win the game. But again, that’s what sports is, that’s what life is. You keep moving on.”

Well said.

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Former Notre Dame Goaltender Cale Morris Signs With Rockford IceHogs

The Chicago Blackhawks really seem to like Notre Dame products.

The Chicago Blackhawks really seem to like Notre Dame products. Over the past couple of months, we’ve seen them sign Cam Morrison and draft Landon Slaggert. Now, former Irish goaltender Cale Morris is joining the organization. More specifically, he has signed his first professional contract with the Blackhawks’ AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs.

Morris was Notre Dame’s starting goaltender for three of his four seasons. He played 105 games and earned a 58-35-10 record with a 2.17 GAA, a .932 save percentage and 11 shutouts. He was between the pipes when the Irish made the national title game in 2018. Two years in a row, he was the Most Outstanding Player in the Big Ten tournament.

During the 2019-20 season, Morris earned his third consecutive Academic All-Big Ten selection. He was named Honorable Mention All-Big Ten, a Senior Class Finalist and a unanimous selection to the First Team Preseason All-Big Ten. He was one of the conference Three Stars of the Week three times and an NCAA Star of the Week once.