Notre Dame loses three games to drop to 1-5
By BILL HART
Associate Sports Editor
After heading to Denver for the Icebreaker Tournament, the Irish headed to Michigan for a two-game series with conference rival Ferris State in their four games on the road in just over a week.
While the team did earn its first win of the season, it proved to be the only victory of the road trip.
In the first college hockey game in the Magness Arena, Notre Dame skated against Providence in the opening round. While it was the Friars' first game of the season, their strong goaltending managed to hold down the Irish offense enough to gain a 2-1 win.
The two teams battled to a draw until midway through the second period, when the Friars scored twice within a 29-second span. The Irish scored their only goal at 11 minutes, 21 seconds, when senior defenseman Tyson Fraser scored on a 5-3 power-play opportunity. But that flurry of scoring — three goals in less than two minutes — proved to be the only offensive output of the night.
The Irish played the final eight minutes without starting captain Ben Simon, after he was hit from behind into the boards by Friar defenseman Mike Farrell.
In the consolation game the next day, however, Notre Dame found solace with its first win of the regular season, a 4-0 rout of Union College.
The Irish scored the winning goal at the 10:24 mark of the opening period, when Inman slapped a shot past the goaltender at the top of the crease area. The game stayed at 1-0 until the final minute of the second period, when Inman scored again off a pass from senior right wing Joe Dusbabek, who collected the puck from behind the Union net.
Midway through the third period, the Irish added to their lead with a pair of goals. Dunlop took a pass from Carlson, skated down the right boards before passing it to junior left wing Matt van Arkel, who shot the puck inside the left post at the 9:49 mark.
Two minutes later, sophomore center Brad Henning scored a power-play goal, his first of the season, off of passes from Dunlop and senior defenseman Sean Molina.
After allowing 10 goals in his previous three starts, Irish goaltender Jeremiah Kimento picked up his first career shutout, recording 19 saves while stopping all four of Union's power play chances.
"I think he's been real solid," Dunlop said about Kimento's play. "We've given up a couple of goals, but those were mainly because of defensive breakdowns as a team. He's helped us out, and has made quite a few key saves."
After splitting the Icebreaker Tournament, the Irish returned to the Midwest for a two-game series against conference rival Ferris State. With a week's time to rest, hopes were high that the Irish would be able to keep their momentum against the Bulldogs, who were swept by Northern Michigan in their past two games. But the FSU squad swept the Irish in both games, 4-1, 4-2.
After a scoreless opening period in the first game, the Bulldogs drew first blood off a power-play goal at the 4:11 mark of the second period. Five minutes later, Carlson evened the score off a pass by Fraser.
The teams remained tied until the final period, when the FSU offense scored two power-play goals in a three minute span. In the closing minutes, Bulldog right wing Rob Lightfoot sealed the victory with the only even-strength goal of the game.
In the second game, Ferris State wasted no time taking the lead, as center Brian McCullough won the opening faceoff and slapped the puck to the upper left corner, just past Kimento's reach.
The Bulldogs added three more goals, two in the first period and one in the second before they were silenced.
The Irish avoided the shutout early into the third period, when Inman tipped in a shot from the right point from defenseman Nathan Borega. Senior left wing Andy Jurkowski capped off the scoring for both teams late in the game, scoring on a high shot off a pass from freshman right wing Michael Chin.
Despite the tough road trip, Dunlop feels the Irish are on the right track to regaining their earlier momentum.
"I just think we've got to keep doing what we've been doing," Dunlop said.
"We've been on a bit of a losing streak, but we've just got to put our ear to the grindstone and keep on working."
With the series, Notre Dame's record falls to 0-4 in the CCHA and 1-5 overall.
All Sports Stories for Tuesday, October 26, 1999
