Oct. 26, 2007
Big Rapids, Mich. – For close to 50 minutes versus Ferris State on Friday night, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish appeared to be in complete control. Leading 3-0 with just over 10 minutes left on the clock, the Irish looked like a lock for their fourth win of the young season.
Someone forgot to tell the Bulldogs as they came to life on a pair of Corey Couturier goals at 10:31 and with 57 seconds left to give Notre Dame a run for its money as goaltender Jordan Pearce came up with a couple of big saves in the final minute to seal the victory, 3-2.
Evan Rankin, Ben Ryan and Ryan Thang scored for the Irish who have now won two in a row on the road this season and seven straight road contests, dating back to Jan. 19 of last season. Notre Dame is now 4-2-0 overall and 2-0-0 in CCHA play. Ferris State falls to 1-3-1 and 0-1-0 in conference play.
Notre Dame out shot the Bulldogs by a 34-27 margin in the game. Pearce finished with 25 saves in the game while Ferris State’s Pat Nagle had 33 for the game.
The Irish did something in the first period that they haven’t done all season and that was score the first goal of the game.
Rankin, a senior right wing, got the Irish on the scoreboard first in the opening stanza at 7:23 when he drilled a wrist shot from just inside the Bulldogs’ blue line that beat Nagle between the left post and his pads. The goal was Rankin’s second of the season and second in as many games. Brett Blatchford assisted on the goal.
The goal marked the first time this season that the Irish had scored first in the opening period and was just their third goal in the first period after six games this season.
The score would stay 1-0 until early in the third period when Notre Dame would score twice in a 1:14 span.
Ryan made it 2-0 at 1:41 of the third off a face off in the right wing circle. Center Christian Hanson pulled the puck back to defenseman Brock Sheahan who got a low hard shot that Ryan was able to redirect in front of Nagle for his second goal of the season.
Outstanding hustle by left wing Dan Kissel led to the third Irish goal at 2:55. Kissel beat the Bulldogs’ defense to a loose puck behind their goal and centered it to the right circle where Thang was trailing the play. The sophomore wasted no time as he buried it behind Nagle for his fourth goal of the year and the eventual game winner.
Couturier got Ferris State back in the game at 10:31 with his first of the night. The junior right wing took a centering pass from Aaron Lewicki inside the left circle and fired a wrist shot that deflected off of Pearce’s blocker and into the goal to make it 3-1.
With 1:31 left in the game, the Bulldogs pulled their goaltender in favor of a sixth attacker and it paid off with 56 seconds left when Couturier, who was parked in front of Pearce, deflected an Evan Case shot from the top of the left circle over the Notre Dame goaltender to cut the lead to 3-2 at 19:04.
Nagle returned to the goal but Ferris State was able to get him off again with 36 seconds left as the Bulldogs swarmed the goal. Sophomore center Kevin Deeth won a big face off to Pearce’s left with nine seconds left and Erik Condra was able to clear the puck down the ice to seal the Irish victory.
The two teams will be back at it on Saturday night for the second game of the series. Game two will wrap up Notre Dame’s three-game road trip and will start at Ferris State’s Ewigleben Arena at 7:05 p.m.
IRISH NOTES:
** The Irish saw their streak of a power-play goal in every game come to an end as Notre Dame was 0-for-6 in the game. The Irish had scored at least one power-play goal in five straight games.
** Notre Dame’s penalty killers were again perfect in the game, killing all six Ferris State chances. On the year, the Irish have given up just one power-play goal in 30 chances and have killed 27 straight penalties over the last five games.
GAME SUMMARY 1 2 3 - F#12/#12 Notre Dame (4-2-0/2-0-0) 1 0 2 - 3Ferris State (1-3-1/0-1-0) 0 0 2 - 2
ScoringFirst Period: ND: Evan Rankin 2 (Brett Blatchford), 7:23.Penalties: ND: 2 for 4 minutes; FSU: 2 for 4 minutes.
Second Period: No Scoring.Penalties: ND: 2 for 4 minutes; FSU: 2 for 12 minutes.
Third Period: ND: Ben Ryan 2 (Brock Sheahan, Christian Hanson), 1:41; ND: Ryan Thang 4 (Dan Kissel), 2:55; FSU; Corey Couturier 1 (Aaron Lewicki, Scott Wietecha), 10:31; FSU: Couturier 2 (Evan Case, Matt Case), 19:03.Penalties: ND: 2 for 4 minutes; FSU: 3 for 6 minutes.
Shots On Goal:Notre Dame 15 - 11 - 8 - 34Ferris State 7 - 8 - 12 - 27
Goaltender Saves:ND - Jordan Pearce (59:46) 7 - 8 - 10 - 25FSU - Pat Nagle (58:45) 14 - 11 - 6 - 31
Power Plays:ND: 0 for 6FSU: 0 for 6
Attendance: 1,279