The wait between games at the Joyce Center was nearly 24 years for Minnesota Duluth.<\/p>\n
The Bulldog men played Notre Dame on Feb. 9-10, 1980 when both were members of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association.<\/p>\n
Thirty goals were scored in a UMD sweep in a high-scoring era.<\/p>\n
There weren’t nearly as many Thursday night as the college men’s season opened for a pair of teams coming off NCAA Division I appearances.<\/p>\n
Goaltending and a dizzying number of power plays (23) combined to produce a 2-2 overtime tie as the Bulldogs rallied on Tim Stapleton’s man-advantage goal with 7:33 left in regulation. Notre Dame was outshot 40-27, yet was held in the game by senior goalie Morgan Cey and never trailed in the game as the Fighting Irish stretched their home regular-season unbeaten streak to 15 games (13-0-2) before a slight crowd of 1,325.<\/p>\n
The start to UMD’s 61st season was highlighted by a battle of star goalies. The Bulldogs, who were second in Division I in scoring and power-play percentage last season on the way to the Frozen Four, connected just once in 12 man-advantage shifts.<\/p>\n
UMD junior Isaac Reichmuth had 25 stops, including one following a steal by Notre Dame center Matt Amado with 3:20 left in overtime.<\/p>\n
Notre Dame had its best season in school history in 2003-04, going 20-15-4 and getting to the NCAA playoffs for the first time, losing to Minnesota in the Midwest Regional semifinals.<\/p>\n
The Fighting Irish are ranked just fifth among 12 teams in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association this season. UMD is the favorite in the WCHA after a 28-13-4 record.<\/p>\n
It took just 34 seconds of the new season before the promised NCAA crackdown on obstruction tactics to begin. UMD defenseman Todd Smith was called for interference.<\/p>\n
The Fighting Irish went up 1-0 in a 4-on-4 shift at 7:05 of the opening period on winger Josh Sciba’s close-range attempt. UMD tied it just more than three minutes later as Brett Hammond centered the puck from the endboards and winger Josh Miskovich scored from the right circle.<\/p>\n
The second period was a survival test for UMD because of penalties. The Bulldogs were shorthanded for seven straight minutes, included in that was two minutes of a two-man Notre Dame advantage.<\/p>\n
The Fighting Irish managed just one goal during that time, scoring 5-on-3, by center Cory McLean from the left circle with six minutes left in the period.<\/p>\n
UMD’s troubles started when freshman winger Mike Curry was called for a 5-minute elbow major on a hit on Notre Dame’s Matt Amado, and a slashing major. Eighty-three seconds later defenseman Neil Petruic received a cross-checking penalty.<\/p>\n
Reichmuth had to be sharp in the elongated Notre Dame power play. After the Fighting Irish went up 2-1, they still had 4:58 left with a man advantage and Reichmuth stopped Note Dame’s Tim Wallace from point-blank range as two minutes remained on his toughest save.<\/p>\n
Cey faced 57 seconds of a UMD power-play to open the third period and 3:02 of a power play just moments later. The Bulldogs had 20 shots on goal in the third period and Stapleton finally did connect on a power-play rebound to get even as UMD was on a five-minute man advantage.<\/p>\n
UMD had to survive a Notre Dame power play in sudden death when Stapleton was called for hooking.<\/p>\n
Notre Dame opened 2002-03 with a win and a tie at the DECC, and both teams were in the 2004 NCAA Division I Midwest Regional in Grand Rapids, Mich.<\/p>\n
Kevin Pates is a staff writer for the Duluth<\/i> News Tribune.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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