SOUTH BEND, Ind. — The Fighting Irish closed out their two-game home series against Holy Cross with a decisive 4-1 victory on Friday night at Compton Family Ice Arena (4,521) to earn the weekend sweep.
Solag Bakich had a goal and an assist, Max Ellis tallied his team-leading fifth goal of the season, while Jack Adams netted his first in an Irish sweater and Ryder Rolston sealed the win with his second of the season.
In net, Matthew Galajda finished with 25 saves to earn the win, while Erik Gordon (6) and Thomas Gale (23) combined for 29 saves.
Holy Cross finished 0-for-3 on the power play, while Notre Dame was 0-for-5.
How It Happened
A physical first came to a close still knotted at 0-0, as both Matthew Galajda and Thomas Gale made eight saves in the period.
Notre Dame’s best look in the first came when Trevor Janicke was sent in on a shorthanded breakaway by quick Adam Karashik and Jesse Lansdell passes in the neutral zone, but Janicke’s shot flashed just over the crossbar.
The Fighting Irish then exploded for three goals in the final 3:40 of the second period to build a 3-0 lead after two.
The scoring began with Solag Bakich’s tally at 16:20. After a few Notre Dame chances down low, Adam Karashik found Bakich in the high slot and and he wristed his third goal of the season past Gale. Grant Silianoff had the second assist on the play.
Then at 18:27 Jack Adams fired home a rebound in front for his first career goal with the Irish, with the assists going to Jake Boltmann and Justin Janicke.
Just 51 seconds later, Max Ellis beat Gale gloveside high with a snapshot following an offensive zone faceoff win by Bakich.
Ryder Rolston found the net on a pass from Cam Burke to make the Irish lead 4-0 at 13:27 of the third.
Holy Cross netted the final goal with a little less than five minutes on the clock. While the play was reviewed for goalie interference, ultimately, the goal was awarded for the final 4-1 scoreline.
Notes
- Matthew Galajda started on consecutive nights (as opposed to consecutive Irish games) for the first time this season and the first time since Feb. 28-29, 2020 with Cornell.
- Jack Adams scored his first goal with the Irish and his first collegiate goal since scoring for Union on March 8, 2019.
- Solag Bakich finished with a goal and an assist for his third multi-point game of the season/of his career.
- Notre Dame’s penalty kill is now 33-for-34 on the season.
Mental Miles
- On both Thursday and Friday, Notre Dame wore commemorative jerseys as they partnered with 2014 hockey alum Stephen Johns, who recently retired from the NHL.
- The jerseys will be auctioned off in the coming week at https://auctions.und.com/ to benefit Johns’ #MentalMiles initiative to support mental health.
- Approximately 20 jerseys will be available and each jersey will have “JOHNS” and “28” on the back.
Next Up
- Notre Dame plays its first home Big Ten games of the season next weekend, welcoming Wisconsin on Nov. 12 (7:30 p.m.) and Nov. 13 (6 p.m.).
- Friday’s game against the Badgers will be on NBCSN, while Saturday’s contest will be on NBC Sports Chicago (both games will be available on the NBC Sports App/NBCSports.com).
— ND —