The No. 9-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish dominated many facets in Saturday’s contest against the Ohio State Buckeyes, but were unable to find the game-winner as the two squads skated to a 2-2 tie.
Notre Dame won a postgame shootout 1-0 in four rounds for an extra conference point. Andres Lee had the lone goal in the shootout after Ohio State’s Riley Simpson had his shot ring off the post in the previous round.
Notre Dame forward T.J. Tynan, a Columbus Blue Jackets’ prospect, had a two-point game in a city he might one day call home.
Notre Dame only has one win in its last eight contests. Ohio State finishes a four-game home stand 3-0-1.
“I thought we played real well,” Notre Dame coach Jeff Jackson said. “Taking points on the road is important this time of year and I thought our guys played extremely well.”
The Buckeyes were without top defender Curtis Gedig, who suffered an upper-body injury late in Friday’s 6-3 win over the Irish. Ohio State coach Mark Osiecki said the injury could take Gedig out for at least a week to up to a month.
“That made a difference on our blue line and we had a tough time getting the puck out of our zone,” Osiecki said. “I don’t want to take anything away from how Notre Dame played. I thought they played extremely well. They played desperate and they had us on our heels. We hung tough.”
Notre Dame outshot Ohio State 47-22 for the contest and 59 percent on faceoffs. The Irish outshot the Buckeyes in every period.
Brady Hjelle proved why he is one of the CCHA’s top goalies as he stopped 45 of the Irish’s shots. Hjelle has the conference’s second-best goals-against average and save percentage.
“We talked all week about getting guys to the net and getting bodies to the net, especially with a great goaltender Ohio State has,” Tynan said.
Ohio State opened the scoring 11:11 into the first as Darik Angeli finished off a shorthanded two-on-one chance by going top shelf on Notre Dame goaltender Mike Johnson.
Notre Dame was the last team in the CCHA this season to allow a shorthanded goal.
Notre Dame knotted the game at one with six seconds left in the first as Thomas DiPauli knocked in a loose puck in the crease which went through the legs of Hjelle.
“That was our line’s third or fourth scrum just like that that we couldn’t get it in,” Tynan said. “I don’t know exactly what happened. I tried to pass to Tommy [DiPauli] and I kind of watched the net and all of a sudden, it went in.”
Referees looked at the goal for several minutes on video review before upholding the original goal call on the ice as replay was inconclusive.
“I would have loved to have seen the replay they had,” Osiecki said. “The replay we had, there was no stick involved and you see an arm move.”
The Fighting Irish took a 2-1 lead 11:22 into the second as Sam Calabrese’s power-play shot from the right circle went off the right skate of Ohio State defender Sam Jardine.
After Tynan and Robbie Russo took consecutive penalties, Ohio State cashed in on the five-on-three chance. Ohio State showed good puck movement and finished the man-advantage with Tanner Fritz feeding Craig Dalrymple at the left circle and his powerful one-timer beat Johnson.
After Dalrymple’s goal, Notre Dame controlled the game, but was unable to sneak a shot past Hjelle. Notre Dame outshot Ohio State 14-3 in the third period and prevented the Buckeyes from taking a solid scoring chance.
“Our guys did a good job of putting pressure on them in the offensive zone,” Jackson said. “Obviously, Hjelle is a great goalie and you have to earn your goals. It would have been nice to capture one more.”
Saturday’s contest might have be the last time Notre Dame and Ohio State play each other for a long time. Jackson said the Buckeyes declined the Irish’s invitation next season, but Osiecki said he was unaware of such an invite.
