Irish skaters dominate second period on way to 4-1 victory over No. 19 Ohio State

SOUTH BEND – Notre Dame scored three times in the second period, two of them while on power plays, and opened its home Big Ten Conference schedule with a 4-1 victory over visiting No. 19 Ohio State before a sellout crowd of 5,120 at the Lefty Smith Rink in the Compton Family Ice Arena.

The victory lifted coach Jeff Jackson’s Fighting Irish to 5-3-2 overall and 1-0-2 for six points and third place in the Big Ten. Coach Steve Rohlik’s Buckeyes fell to 3-4-3 and 0-4-1 for two points in the conference. The teams conclude their two-game series Saturday at 6 p.m.

Preview: Notre Dame hockey vs. Ohio State: Previewing weekend series in South Bend, TV streaming

 “I was pleased with the effort,” Jackson said. “Our special teams are starting to make progress the last couple of weeks. We’ve kind of stuck by what we’re doing. Both (power-play) units are being productive. Each power play has a little different look, and that makes it harder to kill penalties against.”

Tyler Carpenter, Justin Janicke, Landon Slaggert and Grant Silianoff scored for Notre Dame with teammates Ryan Siedem, Brennan Ali and Hunter Strand each contributing two assists as Notre Dame outshot the Buckeyes 46-35. Notre Dame goaltender Ryan Bischel made 34 saves while his Ohio State counterpart Logan Terness had 42, including 19 in the second period.

  After a scoreless first period during which the Buckeyes outshot the Irish 11-10, Notre Dame dominated the second period with a 22-8 shot advantage. The Irish got on the scoreboard at 2:31 when Carpenter corralled the rebound of Siedem’s shot which went off Terness’ pads and scored at 2:31. Ali also received an assist.

Then with Ohio State’s Michael Gildon off for elbowing, Janicke made it 2-0 at 9:07 with his successful shot from the top of the circle after a pass from Siedem. Strand also received an assist.

The Irish made it 3-0 with the Buckeyes at a 5-on-3 disadvantage. Drew Bavaro fed center Danny Nelson for a one-timer from the top of the slot, and the rebound off Terness’ pads was batted home by Slaggert, his eighth goal of the season coming at 14:48.

In the third period, Strand stole the puck behind the Ohio State net and sent a pass out front to Ali, who drew Terness out before passing the puck to Silianoff for the goal into the vacated net at 10:24.

Ohio State junior left wing Caden Brown ended Bischel’s bid for a third shutout this season when he scored at 15:24 with assists from defensemen Mason Klee and Theo Wallberg.

NOTRE DAME 4, OHIO STATE 1

At Lefty Smith Rink/Compton Family Ice Arena, South Bend, Ind.

Ohio State | 0 | 0 | 1—1

Notre Dame | 0 | 3 | 1—4 

First Period—Scoring: None. Penalties: Ohio State 0-0, Notre Dame 0-0.

Second Period—Scoring: 1. Notre Dame, Tyler Carpenter 3 (Ryan Siedem, Brennan Ali) EV 2:31; 2. Notre Dame, Justin Janicke 2 (Ryan Siedem, Hunter Strand) PP 9:07; 3. Notre Dame, Landon Slaggert 8 (Danny Nelson, Drew Bavaro) PP 14:48. Penalties: Ohio State 4-16 (4-16), Notre Dame 1-2 (1-2).

Third Period—Scoring: 4. Notre Dame, Grant Silianoff 1 (Brennan Ali, Hunter Strand) EV 10:24; 5. Ohio State, Caden Brown 1 (Mason Klee, Theo Wallberg) EV 15:24. Penalties: Ohio State 4-8 (8-24), Notre Dame 3-6 (4-8).

 Shots on goal: Ohio State 35 (11-8-16), Notre Dame 46 (10-22-14). Goalie saves: Ohio State, Logan Terness 42 (10-19-13), Notre Dame, Ryan Bischel 34 (11-8-15).

Power-play opportunities: Ohio State 0 of 3, Notre Dame 2 of 5. Faceoffs won: Ohio State 38 (14-11-13), Notre Dame 31 (8-12-11). Blocked shots: Ohio State 13 (4-7-2), Notre Dame 8 (4-3-1).

 Referees: Jake Rekucki and Barry Pochmara. Linesmen: Pat Richardson and Mike Daltrey. A—5,120 (4,852). Records: Ohio State 3-4-3 overall (0-4-1 Big Ten for 2 points), Notre Dame 5-3-2 (1-0-2 Big Ten for 6 points).

BIG TEN CONFERENCE

            Friday’s results: Notre Dame 4, Ohio State 1; Penn State 3, Michigan State 3 (OT) (Penn State wins shootout 2-1); Minnesota 4, Michigan 3.

            Standings: 1. Wisconsin 4-0-0, 12 points (9-1-0 overall); 2. Michigan State 2-0-1, 7 points (7-3-1 overall); 3. Notre Dame 1-0-2, 6 points (5-3-2 overall); 4. Penn State 0-0-3, 5 points (5-2-3 overall); 5. Michigan 1-3-1, 4 points (5-5-1 overall); 6. Minnesota 1-2-0, 3 points (5-3-1 overall); 7. Ohio State 0-4-1, 2 points (3-4-3 overall).

            Saturday’s games: Ohio State at Notre Dame, 6 p.m.; Penn State at Michigan State, 4 p.m.; Minnesota at Michigan, 7 p.m.