In front of a sold-out crowd of 5,069, Notre Dame came out swinging against Wisconsin. Their aggressive forecheck prevented the Badgers from gaining possession in the Wisconsin offensive zone for the first 2:30 of the game. The visitors, though, weathered the storm and used a whistle for a frozen puck to regroup and push back. Whereas the Irish relied on emotion and adrenaline for their control of the game, the Badgers used their skill to even the playing field.
Wisconsin was awarded a powerplay early in the first period, but it was Notre Dame that had the best chances – one, a short-handed breakaway and one, a stretch pass to a newly-freed Ryan Siedem. Both chances, though, were foiled by Wisconsin netminder, Kyle McClellan. The teams then settled into a feeling-out process for the next 10 minutes where neither team wanted to risk much to create chances.
Late in the first period, Wisconsin’s Jack Horbach was penalized for contact to the head and, after a review, Notre Dame was awarded a two-minute powerplay. The Irish pounded McClellan with shots during the first half of the man-advantage, but the Badgers played fetch with Notre Dame’s defenseman for the second-half.
The second period started with the Irish depositing a Wisconsin skater into their bench and ended with them depositing a puck into the Wisconsin goal. After five minutes of uninspired play to open the period, the ice started to open up, especially in front of the goaltenders. Midway through the period, Ryan Bischel had to use every part of his body to keep the puck out of his net after this beautiful setup by the Badgers.
Wisconsin finally broke the scoreless tie with an Owen Lindmark redirection of a Joe Palodichuk shot with 7:20 left in the period. The Badgers looked to be rolling as they controlled play and earned a powerplay with 2:35 left. The Irish, however, had other plans. Due to an aggressive penalty kill, Hunter Strand found himself staring at an open net with the puck on his stick. He gently pushed it into the net to even the game at 1-1 to end the period.
To start the third period, the teams played more uninspired hockey, but that quickly changed with a devastating hit delivered by Notre Dame’s Michael Mastrodomenico. Unfortunately for the Irish, it was called a penalty and Wisconsin wasted no time capitalizing on the opportunity. Lindmark found Charlie Stramel in the slot for a one-timer past Bischel to take the lead.
Notre Dame, though, was given a golden opportunity to respond just minutes later. Following a senseless cross-check to the head of a downed player, Wisconsin’s Palodichuk was assessed a major penalty and escorted off the ice with a game misconduct. The Irish peppered McClellan with shots, but could not get one past him. By the time the man-advantage ended, the Irish were getting desperate. After a sloppy line change, the Irish were assessed their second too-many-men penalty of the game, but they clung to hope for another short-handed goal.
With 3:20 left to play, it looked like their prayers would be answered, but again, McClellan turned away the shorthanded opportunity with a highlight-reel save. He moved right-to-left across the crease with all limbs extended before coming to rest on his backside with the puck securely held between his legs.
In a final attempt to tie the game, Notre Dame traded their goalie for an extra attacker and, although they had some close chances, Wisconsin’s shut-down defense sealed the victory for the Badgers.
By the Numbers
Wisconsin’s Kyle McClellan, the game’s first-star, had 33 saves on 34 shots.
The Badgers had 19 penalty minutes on four penalties and went 1-for-5 on their own powerplays.
Wisconsin is now on an eight-game win streak, their longest since 2000.
Notre Dame’s Ryan Bischel had 27 saves on 29 shots.
The Irish had ten penalty minutes on five penalties and went 0-for-4 on their own powerplays.
Final Thoughts
As anticipated, the Irish needed to play a near-perfect game to beat Wisconsin, but they couldn’t deliver. Their second too-many-men penalty proved to be fatal as it allowed the Badgers to net the game-winner. Though not as talented, Notre Dame hung with the Badgers all night, but Wisconsin is too good of a team to have mental mistakes against
The Heartland of Hockey 
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