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Notre Dame Powers Past NMU Hockey Team, 5-2
 Click the AUDIO buttons to hear post-game comments from the Wildcats. Photo courtesy of NMU Sports Information MARQUETTE---The Notre Dame Fightin Irish jumped to an early 3-0 lead and held off the Northern Michigan University Wildcats, 5-2, Saturday night at the Berry Events Center. STORY FROM NOTRE DAME SPORTS INFORMATION: Notre Dame started fast with a three-goal first period and went on to post a 5-2 win over Northern Michigan on Saturday night at Rick Comley Rink. Max Ellis finished with a goal and two assists, while Trevor Janicke had a pair of goals to lead the Fighting Irish offense. Notre Dame also turned in another strong showing on the penalty kill, going 6-for-6 against the Wildcats to improved to 17-for-17 on the season. In net, Matthew Galajda made 29 saves to earn his second win of the season as Notre Dame improved to 3-0-0 overall. Charlie Glockner (19 saves) and Rico DiMatteo (10 saves) both played in net for Northern Michigan. Notre Dame finished 0-for-3 on the power play, while the Wildcats were 0-for-6. Matthew Galajda made a point blank stop just 15 seconds into the game to keep it scoreless, denying Tanner Vescio on the doorstep. Landon Slaggert then took a quick drop pass by Jack Adams in the neutral zone and skated past the Northern Michigan defense before beating Rico DiMatteo low for his second goal of the season just 1:47 into the contest. Jake Boltmann had the second assist on the play. Trevor Janicke knocked a rebound home from just outside the goal crease to make it a 2-0 game at 10:40 of the first. Max Ellis and Justin Janicke worked a quick give-and-go in the slot to create the chance and earn the assists. It marked Justin’s first career point. Ryder Rolston pushed the lead to 3-0 at 17:45 of the first when he tipped a Spencer Stastney shot just over the net that caromed off the glass and off of DiMatteo and over the goal line. Grant Silianoff earned the second assist on the play. Notre Dame also killed off two Wildcat power-play chances to take a 3-0 lead to the locker room after 20 minutes of play. The Irish kept the pressure up to start the second and Trevor Janicke netted his second of the night at 1:34, finishing off a quick passing sequence down low with Ellis and Adam Karashik, who picked up his first point in a Notre Dame uniform on the play. DiMatteo was then replaced by Charlie Glockner in the Northern Michigan net. The Wildcats got on the board at 16:57 of the second when Ben Newhouse scored his first of the year from the low slot. Midway through the third, Ellis hit the cross bar on a two-on-one chance with Solag Bakich. The play was reviewed but called no goal. Northern Michigan made it a 4-2 game at 17:15 when they scored with the extra attacker on due to a delayed penalty call against the Irish. Notre Dame killed off that ensuing penalty, highlighted by Ellis finding the empty net at 18:36 to seal the win. Notre Dame’s penalty kill went 6-for-6 on the night and improved to 17-for-17 to open the 2021-22 season. Freshman forward Justin Janicke notched his first career point with an assist on his brother Trevor’s first period goal. Graduate student Adam Karashik had an assist on Trevor Janicke’s second period goal, marking Karashik’s first point in an Irish uniform. Trevor Janicke had a pair of goals marking his second career two-goal game and his sixth career multi-point effort. Max Ellis finished with a goal and two asists for his second career three-point game and his sixth career multi-point effort. NORTHERN MICHIGAN SPORTS INFORMATION STORY: The Northern Michigan University Wildcat hockey team fell in a non-conference battle against No. 17 University of Notre Dame Saturday evening, 5-2. NMU had a handful of early chances from point-blank range, including a shot from Tanner Vescio 15 seconds into the contest that was just barely saved by the ND netminder. The Wildcats found themselves down early for the first time this season as the seventeenth-ranked Irish found an open five-hole at 1:47 of the opening period. ND would add two more before the end of the period and the Wildcats faced a 3-0 deficit after 20 minutes of play. After the Irish found twine again with 1:34 elapsed in the second period, the Wildcats made a change between the pipes and Charlie Glockner made his first appearance of the regular season. In 21:34 of playing time, DiMatteo posted 10 saves. The Wildcats got one back when Ben Newhouse found the back of the net at 16:57 of the second period to make it 4-1 game through 40 minutes of play. AJ Vanderbeck would cut the Irish lead in half with a shot from the top of the near circle at 17:15 as the Wildcats skated with an extra man with a power play chance awaiting. Unable to generate much more momentum on the power play, skating six-on-four, the Irish hit the empty net and wrapped the scoring up for the 5-2 final. Glockner, having come in as relief early in the second period, recorded 19 saves in the contest, stopping all Irish chances faced. The Wildcats move to 2-1-0 on the season and look towards closing out their home stand with a strong series against Bemidji State next weekend. Ben Newhouse got the Wildcats on the board with his first of the year at 16:57 of the second period. AJ Vanderbeck skated the puck in and found Hank Crone who skated along the corner to the back of the net. There, he dished the puck back to Newhouse in the slot where he one-timed a shot to the far side of the net. AJ Vanderbeck found the back of the net for his third of the season to cut the score in half, making it a 4-2 game. With the 'Cats up a man on a delayed penalty, Vanderbeck weaved through the offensive end and fired a shot off from the top of the near circle. Trevor Cosgrove and Joseph Nardi each picked up assists on the goal. The Wildcats held fairly even in shots on goal as ND narrowly held the edge, 34-31. Despite trailing in shots on target, the Wildcats attempted over 20 more shots in the contest than the Irish, 21 of which were blocked. NMU also boasted a few blocked shots, picking up nine of their own, led by Ben Newhouse with four. Hank Crone fired five shots on net in the contest, a team high, while three others ripped off four of their own in Trevor Cosgrove, Newhouse and Vincent de Mey. In 37:45 minutes between the pipes, Charlie Glockner turned aside all 19 Irish shots faced in the loss. The Wildcats conclude their six-game home stand next weekend when they host Bemidji State, Oct. 22-23. The return to non-conference play for NMU will be the first for the Beavers. Puck drop for both contests is set for 6:37 p.m. |
