It certainly hasn’t been an easy few weeks for No. 15 Notre Dame. But their backbone, Cale Morris, helped put the team back on track with a 37-save shutout of No. 7 Penn State, 3-0, to give the Irish their first win in eight tries.
Max Ellis’ first collegiate goal at 7:35 of the opening period was all the offense Notre Dame needed.
? Highlights are IN from our shutout of No. 7 Penn State!
Recap: https://t.co/hcjZvDRW2B#GoIrish☘️ pic.twitter.com/acelAGgBXf
— Notre Dame Hockey (@NDHockey) December 15, 2019
Alex Steeves and Graham Slaggert each added goals in the second to help the Irish get back into the win column for the first time since November 16.
Northern Michigan 4, No. 1 Minnesota State 1
In the evening’s biggest upset, Northern Michigan snapped Minnesota State’s 10-game winning streak and knocked off the number one team in the nation, 4-1.
Michael Van Unen opened the scoring for the Wildcats in the second only to have the Mavericks Jake Jaremko respond midway through the frame with his sixth of the season.
As we get ready to start the third period, take a look at @VanUnenMike2’s first career tally!#NMUwildcats
pic.twitter.com/hWwV14BwOP— NMU Men’s Hockey (@NMUHockey) December 15, 2019
Ben Newhouse struck late in the period on the power play to give Northern Michigan a lead it wouldn’t relinquish.
Andrew Ghantous and Griffin Loughran added third period goals into empty nets to seal the victory.
Nolan Kent earned the win for Northern Michigan making 30 saves.
No. 16 Arizona State 4, No. 18 Michigan State 3
Johnny Walker’s game-winning goal with 5:40 remaining in regulation broke a 3-3 tie and propelled Arizona State to a 4-3 road win over a red-hot Michigan State club.
✋+?=?
?: https://t.co/Pa4ysGnXUz pic.twitter.com/xeZxXsyfB3
— Sun Devil Hockey (@SunDevilHockey) December 15, 2019
The Spartans had clawed back from 3-1 down in the third on goals by Patrick Khodorenko and Nicolas Muller.
Jacob Wilson (goal, assist), and Tyler Busch (2a) paced the Arizona State offense.
The Sun Devils are now 4-0-2 in their last six after starting the season 5-4-0. The two teams complete their series on Sunday.
No. 12 Northeastern 6, Dartmouth 4
In a crazy offensive back-and-forth contest, the host Northeastern jumped out to a 3-0 lead, kissed that goodbye as Dartmouth scored three straight in the second period, retook the three-goal cushion late in the second and the hung on for a 6-4 victory.
Aidan McDonough was the offensive hero for the Huskies, scoring twice and adding two assists. His power play goal at 10:01 of the second game Northeastern a 4-3 lead, one they would never relinquish.
?MONEY MCDONOUGH STRIKES AGAIN ?
With his 7️⃣th power-play goal of the season and 2️⃣nd goal of the night, McDonough steals the lead back for the #HowlinHuskies!
It's now Northeastern 4, Dartmouth 3! pic.twitter.com/o0iJvhqewx
— Northeastern Men’s Hockey (@GoNUmhockey) December 14, 2019
Special teams played an enormous role as Northeastern finished three-for-six on the power play and killed all three Dartmouth man-advantage opportunities.
