Oct. 20, 2001
Columbus, Ohio – Junior right wing Michael Chin scored his first goal of the season with just 5:58 left in the game to cap a Notre Dame late rally for a 4-4 overtime tie at Ohio State’s Value City Arena on Saturday evening. The goal was Chin’s first of the season and his first since December 2, 2000.
The Irish rallied from 3-1 and 4-2 deficits in this game in pulling out the tie. “I thought we got better as the game went on,” said Notre Dame coach Dave Poulin. “We never let up and were able to force turnovers that we turned into goals. I liked our tenacity in the third period. We have to play that way all the time to be successful.”
The tie gives the Irish an 0-2-1 overall record and an 0-0-1 mark in CCHA play. The tie spoiled Ohio State’s regular season opener as the Buckeyes are 0-0-1 overall and in the CCHA.
Freshman goaltender Morgan Cey turned in a strong performance in goal for the the Irish as Notre Dame was outshot 36-26 on the night. The rookie netminder made 32 saves for the game.
The Buckeyes jumped out to a 2-1 first period lead. Paul Camponigri scored his first of the season at 5:38 converting a Dave Steckel pass in front of Cey.
Notre Dame would tie the game at 10:22 when freshman Brad Wanchulak ripped a shot past OSU goaltender Mike Betz after taking a cross ice pass from fellow freshman Yan Stastny to beat Betz from his off-wing. The points were the first of both Wanchulak and Stastny’s Notre Dame careers.
Miguel Lafleche took advantage of a Notre Dame giveaway, gathering in an errant pass just inside the blue line, and wristing one past Cey from inside the left face-off circle at 13:56. The Buckeyes dominated play in the first period, outshooting the Irish, 9-2.
The Buckeyes threatened to blow the game wide-open early in the second period when Lafleche found Daymen Bencharski all alone in front for his first goal of the season at 3:09.
Cey continued to make key saves – the Irish were outshot 17-12 in the period – until the Notre Dame offense found its’ offensive legs. David Inman corralled a loose puck along the right wing boards and found Aaron Gill streaking to the front of the net. Gill one-timed Inman’s pass over Betz at 6:05 and Notre Dame trailed 3-2.
Ohio State’s duo of NHL first round draft picks, R.J. Umberger and Dave Steckel combined for the Buckeyes fourth goal. Steckel hit Umberger with a long pass at center ice and the Pittsburgh, Pa., native got around the Irish defense and flipped a backhander over Cey’s glove at 8:00 for a 4-2 lead.
Connor Dunlop returned the favor for Notre Dame as he stripped an Ohio State defenseman of the puck and fed to Evan Nielsen who beat Betz with a 15-foot wrist shot at 15:35 and the Irish went into the second intermission trailing just 4-3.
The Irish controlled play in the third period and got the lone goal of the period at 14:02. Dunlop, who had a pair of assists in the game, won a face-off back to defenseman Neil Komadoski who fired a shot at Betz. OSU’s sophomore goaltender made the save, but Chin, who was parked to the right of the goal, stuffed the rebound in for the 4-4 tie.
In overtime, both teams had one good scoring chance but Cey and Betz made key saves. Notre Dame outshot Ohio State, 4-3 in the extra stanza.
On the night, Cey made a career (three games) best 32 saves. Betz made 22 stops for the Buckeys.
The two teams return to action on Sunday afternoon with the face-off set for 4:05 p.m. (3:05 p.m. in South Bend).
Game Summary: 1 2 3 OT F
Notre Dame (0-2-1/0-0-1) 1 2 1 0 4
Ohio State (0-0-0/0-0-0) 2 2 0 0 4
Scoring
First Period: OSU: Paul Camponigri 1 (Dave Steckel), 5:38, ND: Brad Wanchulak 1 (Yan Stastny), 10:22, OSU: Miguel Lafleche (unassisted), 13:56
Penalties: ND: 1 for 2 minutes, OSU: 1 for 2 minutes.
Second Period: OSU: Daymen Bencharski 1 ( ), 3:09, ND: Aaron Gill 1 (David Inman), 6:51, OSU: R.J. Umberger 1 (Steckel), 8:00, ND: Evan Nielsen 1 (Connor Dunlop), 15:35.
Penalties: ND: 1 for 2 minutes, OSU: 0 for 0 minutes.
Third Period: ND: Michael Chin 1 (Dunlop, Neil Komadoski), 14:02.
Penalties: ND: 3 for 6 minutes, OSU: 2 for 4 minutes.
Overtime: No Scoring.
Shots On Goal:
Notre Dame 2 – 12 – 8 – 4 – 26
Ohio State 9 – 17 – 7 – 3 – 36
Goaltender Saves:
ND – Morgan Cey (65:00) 7 – 15 – 7 – 3 – 32
OSU – Mike Betz (28:08) 1 – 10 – 7 – 4 -22
Power Plays:
ND: 0 for 2
OSU: 0 for 4
Attendance: 6,776