Nov. 1, 2005
Notre Dame, Ind. – Notre Dame goaltender Jordan Pearce (Fr., Anchorage, Alaska) has been selected the Central Collegiate Hockey Association’s rookie of the week for the week ending Oct. 30.
On Saturday, Oct. 29, the freshman goaltender stopped all 27 shots he faced in a 2-0 shutout win over the Princeton Tigers at Notre Dame’s Joyce Center. The shutout came in Pearce’s second career start for the Irish.
The win, the team’s first of the season, snapped a 22-game winless streak (0-20-2) that started on Jan. 9, 2005 at Lake Superior State. Pearce’s first shutout also tied a Notre Dame record for the earliest shutout by a goaltender in his career. Current Irish junior, David Brown, also recorded his first career shutout in his second start on Oct. 18, 2003 versus Bowling Green.
Pearce faced 13 shots in the first period and then had to weather a Princeton five-on-three power play for 1:48 early in the second period in preserving the shutout. He finished with nine saves in the second period and added five in the third for his 27 on the night. Notre Dame’s penalty killers killed all nine Tiger power plays in the game. The Irish got second period goals from freshman Garrett Regan (Hastings, Minn.) and a power-play goal from Mark Van Guilder (So., Roseville, Minn.) for all the offense Pearce would need.
“They (the penalty killers) did a great job in front of me. They took away the shooting lanes and blocked a lot of shots,” said Pearce following the game.
“Our defense really did a great job all night in front of me. I don’t think Princeton had one good scoring chance in the third period.”
For the former Lincoln Star (USHL) and U.S. National Team Developmental Program goaltender, it marked his first shutout in three seasons.
“The win is great and I finally got a shutout. That’s a monkey off my back. I haven’t had one in three years, so it feels good to get one,” said Pearce with a huge grin after the game.
On the season, Pearce is now 1-1-0 with a 3.00 goals-against average and a .880 save percentage. He dropped his first career start at Denver on Oct. 22, losing a 6-3 verdict to the defending national champion Pioneers.
Notre Dame is back in action this weekend – Nov. 4-5 – with a home-and-home series versus No. 3 ranked Michigan. The Irish will face the Wolverines on Fri., Nov. 4 at the Joyce Center in a 7:35 p.m. game that will be televised on tape delay by College Sports Television (CSTV). Saturday’s game at Ann Arbor’s Yost Arena has a 7:35 p.m. start and will be televised live by Comcast Local.