Oct. 24, 2003
Chestnut Hill, Mass. – The Notre Dame hockey team ventured into opening night for the Boston College Eagles at Kelley Rink and sent a sellout crowd of 7,884 home disappointed as the Irish handed the number one team in the nation a 1-0 loss.
Freshman goaltender David Brown recorded his second consecutive shutout, making 27 saves on the night and sophomore Mike Walsh recorded his second game-winning goal in as many nights in the victory.
The win, snapped an eight-game winless streak (0-6-2) for the Irish versus Boston College that started during the 1995-96 season. Notre Dame’s last win versus the Eagles came on Dec., 28, 1994, a 2-1 win at Kelley Rink in Chestnut Hill, Mass.
“This was a big win for us tonight,” said head coach Dave Poulin.
“It came early in the season and should give us confidence the rest of the way. We don’t have to talk about playing well, but losing. They showed what they can do against an outstanding hockey team.
Brown kept the Irish in the game early as he turned aside 11 shots in the first period.
“There was pressure early in the game. It was their first home game and the crowd really was into the game. They were a big factor all night. I just tried to make the first stop and let my defense take care of the rebounds. They really did a great job in front of me,” said Brown who ran his shutout string to 120:44 seconds over the last seven periods.
“I thought David did a good job in the first period until we got used to the pace of the game. Boston College is so quick. Once we got used to the pace, I thought we settled down and played well,” said Poulin.
The closest the Eagles came to scoring came in the second period when Stephen Gionta raced down the right wing and blasted a shot off the cross bar.
Notre Dame finally broke the shutout at 14:56 of the final period. With a faceoff to the right of BC goaltender Matti Kaltiainen, Aaron Gill won a faceoff back to the top of the circle to Walsh. Walsh fired a low, hard wrist shot that beat Kaltiainen low to his blocker side for his second goal of the season.
“We just ran the same faceoff play that we had been running. I missed on it once before. Aaron (Gill) won the draw back to me and I just shot it at the net,” explained Walsh.
“I went low to his blocker where I had tried before and it went in.”
The victory, Notre Dame’s second this season over a ranked team improves the Irish to 3-2-0 on the year. The Eagles fall to 3-2-1.
For the night, Boston College outshot Notre Dame by a 27-18 margin. Kaltiainen finished with 17 saves on the night.
Notre Dame returns to CCHA action next week with a pair of games versus the Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks. That series will begin on Thursday, Oct. 30 with a 7:35 p.m. game. Friday’s game is also set for 7:35 p.m. at the Joyce Center.
IRISH NOTES:
** The Notre Dame record for consecutive shutout minutes is held by junior goaltender Morgan Cey. He put together back-to-back shutouts in last year’s CCHA playoffs and finished with a total of over 147 minutes without giving up a goal.
** Mike Walsh has now scored three goals in his Notre Dame career and all three have been game winners.
** The Irish appeared for the second time this season on College Sports Television (CSTV) national game of the week and are now 2-0 on the year.
GAME SUMMARY 1 2 3 F
Notre Dame (3-2-0) 0 0 1 1
Boston College (3-2-1) 0 0 0 0
Scoring
First Period: No Scoring
Penalties: ND: 2 for 4 minutes; BC: 2 for 4 minutes.
Second Period: No Scoring.
Penalties: ND: 1 for 2 minutes; BC: 1 for 2 minutes.
Third Period: ND: Mike Walsh 2 (Aaron Gill), 14:56.
Penalties: ND: 1 for 2 minutes; BC: 1 for 2 minutes.
Shots On Goal:
Notre Dame 5 – 6 – 7 – 18
Boston College 11 – 9 – 7 – 27
Goaltender Saves:
ND – David Brown (60:00) 11 – 9 – 7 – 27
BC – Matti Kaltiainen (58:40) 5 – 6 – 6 – 17
Power Plays:
ND: 0-3
BC: 0-3
Attendance: 7,884 (sellout)