IrishIllustrated.com - Shootout downs Irish hockey

November 1, 2009

Jake Brown
IrishIllustrated.com Recruiting Analyst

NOTRE DAME, Ind. - It took just over a year, but an opponent finally beat the Notre Dame hockey team in a shootout.

The Central Collegiate Hockey Association instituted the shootout, to be used during league games that end in a tie after one five-minute overtime period, last season, during which the Irish went 3-0 in such a scenario.

Saturday's game against Ohio State didn't treat No. 11 Notre Dame so kindly.

After skating to a 2-2 tie through overtime, Ohio State won the shootout, 2-1, to earn an extra point in the conference standings.

"I thought we played good in the early part of the game," Notre Dame coach Jeff Jackson said. "I thought we were stagnant in the middle part. (Ohio State) picked up their energy in the third period and I think we held on a little bit in the third."

Notre Dame (4-3-1, 1-0-1-0 CCHA) opened the scoring with a power-play goal by center Riley Sheahan, his second goal of the season, at the 14:56 mark of the first period. Less than five minutes later, Ohio State answered with a power-play goal of its own by Hunter Bishop.

During the second period, with the game tied 1-1, each goaltender stood tall. Notre Dame's Brad Phillips, who finished with 30 saves, made 15 in the second period.

Irish defenseman Kyle Lawson broke the tie just over two minutes into the third period on the power play with his second goal of the season, making it 2-1.

"To be honest I knew it was the end of the penalty," Lawson said. "There were a couple seconds running down there and I just threw it on net ? I was as surprised as anybody. I had no idea what was going on."

But at the 5:02 mark Ohio State's Zac Dalpe skated through the point toward the right circle and flipped a wrist shot to the far post over Phillips' blocker to tie it at 2.

After the five-minute overtime, Ohio State sent center John Albert to take the first shot during the shootout. Albert beat Phillips five-hole. Notre Dame winger Billy Maday followed with a goal of his own.

Phillips then turned away Dalpe, but Buckeyes goaltender Cal Heeter stopped Calle Ridderwall's shot.

Bishop followed by beating Phillips under his pads before Heeter stopped Ben Ryan's attempt to secure the 2-1 shootout win and the extra point for Ohio State.

"Watching practice and stuff this year I felt pretty confident," Lawson said of the shootout. "I don't think we lost in the shootout last year. So we're already on the wrong end of that. But we've got a lot of talented guys and great goaltending. Sometimes the puck goes your way and sometimes it doesn't."

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