Dec. 1, 2017
By Dan Colleran
EAST LANSING, Michigan — Goals 62 seconds apart midway through the second period by Jake Evans and Cal Burke erased a 1-0 deficit and Colin Theisen tacked on an insurance tally late in the third as the Fighting Irish posted a 10th consecutive win by defeating Michigan State 3-1 on Friday night at the Munn Ice Arena (6,392).
It marks Notre Dame’s (13-3-1, 7-0-0-0 B1G) first 10-game winning streak since February 13 – March 21, 2009 and the Irish have also opened Big Ten play with seven consecutive victories.
Cale Morris stopped 29 of the 30 shots he faced, including 12 in the third period. With the Spartans leading 1-0 to start the second period, Morris denied Michigan State leading scorer Mitchell Lewandowski on the doorstep just over a minute into the second period to keep it a one-goal game.
John Lethemon finished with 15 saves in the Michigan State net.
NOTRE DAME SCORING
1-1 | Jake Evans picked off a Spartan clearing attempt in the offensive zone and fired a shot that eventually rebounded out to Justin Wade at the point. Wade shot the puck back towards the goal with Brauer providing a screen in front. Evans corralled the rebound and after his first attempt was blocked on the goal line, his second shot got the Irish on the board at 11:30 of the second period.
2-1 | Evans fired a pass to the bottom of the slot that Cal Burke was able to tip high past John Lethemon for his team-leading eighth goal of the season, with Jordan Gross earning the second assist on the play.
3-1 | Colin Theisen picked up a Gross clear at center ice, skated wide around two Michigan State defensemen and then took the puck hard to the net and flipped it past Lethemon for his fifth goal of the season at 17:42 of the third.
SPECIAL TEAMS
The Irish went 0-for-1 on the power play, while Michigan State finished 0-for-2 as the teams combined for just three penalties on the night.
NOTES
- Notre Dame won a 10th game in a row for the first time since Feb. 13-March 21, 2009.
- Jordan Gross skated in the 136th consecutive game of his Irish career (dating back to the first game of his freshman season).
- Gross posted a pair of assists for his third multi-point game of the season and the 24th of his career.
- Gross now has a three-game point streak (0-4-4).
- Cal Burke‘s second-period goal proved to be the game winner, his second of the season and the third of his career.
- With a goal and an assist, Jake Evans posted his ninth multi-point game of the season and 30th of his career.
- The Irish are now 10-1-0 on the season when leading after the second period.
UP NEXT
The Fighting Irish and Spartans close out their weekend series at 7:05 PM on Saturday, Dec. 2 at the Munn Ice Arena.
— ND —
Dan Colleran, Director of Athletics Communications at the University of Notre Dame, has been a part of Fighting Irish Media since August 2015 and coordinates all media and publicity efforts surrounding the Notre Dame hockey and golf programs. A native of Walpole, Massachusetts, Colleran spent the previous three years working with the men’s hockey and soccer programs at Providence College. Colleran also spent two years as an Assistant Executive Director of Communications & Championships at the Ivy League and is a graduate of Providence College (’06 & ’08G).