January 9, 1999

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Senior goaltender Forrest Karr kept up his hot pace while senior right wing Brian Urick ended a scoreless game on Notre Dame’s 34tth shot of the night as the Irish used a 2-0 victory Saturday over visiting Bowling Green to move into fourth place in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association, in front of a sold-out crowd at the Joyce Center Fieldhouse.

Notre Dame (12-6-2, 9-5-1) posted its third straight win while edging past Ferris State (8-5-2) in the CCHA standings, after the Bulldogs lost Saturday at second-place Michigan (12-2-1). The Irish remained unbeaten at home this season (6-0-1) and are 9-2-1 in their last 12 home games, with a commanding 51-22 scoring edge in those games.

Miami (4-15-4, 2-12-3) fell into last place in the CCHA, thanks to a 3-2 upset win by Lake Superior (4-13-3, 3-9-2) at third-place Ohio State (10-5-2, 11-9-2) on Saturday night. RedHawks senior goaltender Andy Marsch drew just the fourth start of his career and responded with a career-best 35 saves.

Karr and Marsch combined for 40 saves during the scoreless first two periods, with the Irish failing to score in the first period despite a 23-6 edge in shots.

Urick broke the deadlock at the 3:40 mark of the third period, scoring what proved to be his third game-winning goal of the season and 12th of his career (one shy of the team record held by current Irish head coach Dave Poulin). Sophomore left wing Chad Chipchase set up the power-play score with a shot from the left side of the crease that Marsch batted behind the net. But junior center Ben Simon quickly skated onto the puck and fired a pass towards the right side of the crease, where Urick was waiting for his team-leading 12th goal of the season and 53rd of his career.

Simon and Urick combined on a unique “give-and-go” score in the game’s final minutes. Simon won a leftside faceoff and Urick collected the puck before firing a shot from the center of the blueline. Simon picked off the shot at the top of the crease and kept skating to his right before placing a backhanded shot past Marsch (16:07).

Karr’s impressive weekend included 48 saves and one goal allowed, in addition to directing a struggling penalty-killing unit that rose to the occasion by stopping nine of 10 opponent power plays during the weekend (Karr had 26 saves in Fridays 4-1 win at Bowling Green).

Miami finished 0-for-4 on the power play while the Irish were 1-for-4. Karrwho also had 35 saves in the Jan. 3 win at top-ranked North Dakota (4-3)finished with 22 saves versus the RedHawks, including 11 in the decisive third period. The shutout was the second of the season and second of his career for Karr, who had 16 saves in the 3-0 home win over Ohio State on Oct. 23.

In its last three games against Miami, Notre Dame has owned a commanding 113-59 shot advantage yet has totaled only five goals (losing 3-1 and tying 2-2 last season).

Saturdays victory was Notre Dames first against Miami in the last seven games, stretching back to a 5-2 win at Miami in 1995-96. Prior to Saturday, the RedHawks had owned a 14-1-3 series edge over Notre Dame since the Irish rejoined the CCHA in 1992-93.

NOTES: In other CCHA action Saturday night, first-place Michigan State (12-2-2) posted a 3-1 home win over seventh-place Bowling Green (6-8-1) while Alaska Fairbanks (5-12-0) won 4-1 at Western Michigan (2-9-6) to forge a tie for eighth place Simon now has 85 career points in 87 games and 29 in 20 games this season (10G-19A) Uricks season totals include 12 goals and 15 assists (he is 52-59 in 130 career games).

  No. 9 NOTRE DAME (12-6-2, 9-5-1 CCHA)   0   0   2   -   2MIAMI (4-15-4, 2-12-3 CCHA)             0   0   0   -   0
3rd: ND 1. Urick 12 (Simon, Chipchase),  PP, 3:40;  ND 2. Simon 10 (Urick) 16:07. Shots: ND 23-6-8/37;  MIA 6-5-11/22.    Saves: ND (Karr) 6-5-11/22;  MIA (Marsch) 23-6-6/35.Power Play: ND 1-for-4, MIA 0-for-4.    Penalties: ND 6 for 12:00, BG 6 for 12:00.