Nov. 27, 1999
DURHAM, N.H. – Josh Prudden and Eric Lind scored their first goals of the season in a first-period span of 63 seconds and Ty Conklin made 25 saves, as tournament host and eighth-ranked New Hampshire hockey team held off Notre Dame, 2-1, in first-round action Saturday at the Conference Classic, in front of an overflow Towse Rink crowd of 6,266.
Notre Dame (4-7-2) set up an exciting final period by scoring late in the second period, on the second goal of the season from freshman center Connor Dunlop. The Irish took the boisterous crowd out of the game with strong overall play in the second period that included a 16-4 shot edge and three power-play chances for the visitors.
The Irish saw their season road record drop to 1-5-1, including an 0-3-1 mark on the opponents ice. Notre Dame will conclude the weekend on Sunday versus a University of Vermont squad (3-6-2) that dropped an 8-0 game to second-ranked North Dakota in the opening game of the tournament, which includes teams from each of the nations major Division I hockey conferences.
New Hampshire (9-2-1) failed to score on four power-play chances but Conklin and the UNH defense thwarted all six Irish man-up opportunities.
Notre Dame had a final power-play chance in the closing moments, after UNH senior left wing Mike Souza was called for an interference penalty with 1:36 left to play. The Irish then pulled freshman goaltender Tony Zasowski in the final minute for a 6-on-4 advantage but failed to get a shot on goal despite the additional skaters.
Freshman right wing John Wroblewski set the Irish goal in motion with a pass into the left corner for senior defenseman Tyson Fraser, who then fed the puck into the slot. Dunlop was in position at the top of the crease and beat Conklin with a low shot that eluded the goaltenders outstretched left skate for a 2-1 game and a frenetic final two minutes of action (18:39).
UNH freshman left wing Patrick Foley initiated the games first goal, skating behind the Irish net before trying to beat Zasowski to the stick side. The puck stayed near the left side of the crease and Prudden was in position to lift a shot over Zasowskis blocker for the freshman right wings first career goal at UNH (4:23).
The Wildcats struck again 67 seconds later, with passes from freshman center Lanny Gare and Souza setting up a shot from the right point by the junior defenseman Lind, who beat Zasowski with a rising shot to the glove side for his fifth career goal (5:30).
NOTES: Notre Dames first-period struggles continued, as the Irish have been outscored 13-4 in the first 20 minutes this season … the Irish failed to score a power-play goal for just the fourth time this season in 13 games.
NOTRE DAME (4-7-2) 0 1 0 - 1NEW HAMPSHIRE (9-2-1) 2 0 0 - 2
1st: UNH 1. Prudden 1 (Foley) 4:23, UNH 2. Lind (Souza, Gare) 5:30.
2nd: ND 1. Dunlop 2 (Fraser, Wroblewski) 18:39.
Shots: ND 3-16-7/26, UNH 9-4-9/22.
Saves: ND (Zasowski) 7-4-9/20, UNH (Conklin) 3-15-7/25.
Power Play: ND 0-for-6, UNH 0-for-4.
Penalties: ND 9 for 26:00, UNH 11 for 30:00.