Oct. 28, 1999

NOTRE DAME, Ind. - The Notre Dame offense awakened with a four-goal second period while freshman goaltender Tony Zasowski made 33 saves in his first career start, as the Irish blew by visiting Miami University, 5-2, in Central Collegiate Hockey Association action Thursday night at the Joyce Center Fieldhouse.

Notre Dame (2-5-0, 1-4-0 CCHA) notched its first conference win of the season, after righting an offense that had totaled just 12 goals during the previous six games. Nine Irish players factored in the scoring (led by a career-best three assists from senior defenseman Sean Molina), with five different skaters accounting for the five goals.

Miami (4-2-1, 1-1-1) cut the lead to 4-2 with 11 minutes left to play but could not overcome Notre Dame's second-period explosion, which yielded four goals on 10 shots.

Junior left wing Dan Carlson and senior right wing Joe Dusbabek ignited the Irish offense by scoring power-play goals within a 49-second span (they also had the primary assist on each other's goal). Midway through the second period, Molina banked a clearing attempt high off the glass and speedy junior right wing Matt Van Arkel turned a loose puck into a breakaway goal and a 3-0 Irish lead.

The Irish kept coming, as sophomore left wing David Inman flicked home his team-leading fifth goal of the season less than two minutes after Van Arkel's goal.

Senior left wing Andy Jurkowski restored Notre Dame's three-goal cushion after taking a lead pass from freshman defenseman Evan Nielsen and burying the breakaway for a 5-2 lead with 7:01 remaining.

Miami held a 35-21 edge in shots but ailed to convert on all eight of its power-play chances. Senior Ian Olsen made just nine saves while allowing four Irish goals, with freshman David Burleigh closing out the game between the pipes.

SCORING RECAP

• ND 1, MU 0: Molina sent a 4-on-4 pass to Dusbabek, who then spied Carlson streaking out of the penalty box and flicked a lead pass from the left corner. Carlson skated onto the puck inside the left circle with his stick raised high before drilling a rising shot over Olsen's glove hand (3:45).

• ND 2, MU 0: Senior defenseman Tyson Fraser slid a pass down the blue line and Carlson quickly moved it on from the right point towards the left circle, with Dusbabek quickly redirecting a shot that again beat Olsen's glove hand to the far right post (4:34). • ND 3, MU 0: Molina banked a clearing attempt high off the leftside glass and the puck kicked past players on both teams before sliding through the center faceoff circle. Van Arkel broke into the clear and collected the puck just outside the blue line before tucking a low forehand shot inside the right post (10:03).

• ND 4, MU 0: Molina sent a pass from the back for junior center Ryan Dolder, who angled in from the left while drawing the Miami players towards him before sliding a soft pass towards the top of the crease. Inman skated onto the puck and faked Olsen before lifting a forehand shot over the goaltender's right shoulder (11:30).

• ND 4, MU 1: Miami senior left wing Mark Shalawylo won a left-side faceoff and junior right wing Ernie Hartlieb pushed the puck back to the point. Sophomore defenseman Ken Marsch then took the puck and skated around the back of the Irish net before flicking a shot into the upper right corner of the net (14:09).

• ND 4, MU 2: Shalawylo sent the puck from the left side into a crowded slot area, with freshman defenseman Matt Medvecz smacking home Hartlieb's rebounded shot from close range (8:55).

• ND 5, MU 2: Nielsen collected a loose puck behind the Irish net and fired a lead pass as Jurkowski was entering on a line shift. Jurkowski skated in on the breakaway and sent a low shot to the right side, beating Burleigh's late kick save (12:59).

NOTES: Zasowski became the first freshman to start in goal for the Irish since Matt Eisler started the second game of the 1994-95 season (an 8-4 win over Waterloo). Eisler also started the next game, a 6-3 loss to Lake Superior. ... The Irish still have scored just one first-period goals this season (vs. Union) while allowing seven. ... Dusbabek's goal was his first in the last 17 games. He has 4G-1A in seven career games versus Miami. ... Inman's five goals this season represent half of his total from 1998-99 (10) ... Molina posted the third multi-point game of his career (he had 2A at UAF on 1/9/98 and vs. Brown on 12/28/97 at Minnesota's Mariucci Classic). ... Zasowski stopped the first 19 shots on goal that he faced. ... Van Arkel has totaled 19 of his 25 career points before New Year's Day. ... Notre Dame had totaled just seven goals in four previous CCHA games this season. ... Notre Dame scored four goals in a period for the first time since scoring four in the second period of the 4-2 win at Miami in the 1998-99 regular-season finale (March 6). Inman and Van Arkel also scored in that four-game flurry, as did Aniket Dhadphale and Chad Chipchase. ... Jurkowski has two goals in the last four periods. ... Seven of Notre Dame's 17 goals this season have come on the power play. ... Notre Dame is 3-1-1 in its last five games versus Miami. ... Notre Dame's five goals are its most in 17 games, since a 5-2 win over Alaska Fairbanks on Feb. 6, 1999 ... five different Irish players also scored goals in that game (Brian Urick, Dhadphale, Benoit Cotnoir, Dusbabek and Ben Simon).

NOTRE DAME HEAD COACH DAVE POULIN: "Tony Zasowski played good early and stayed strong all night. He was very solid and played under control. It was just what we needed. ... I was very encouraged by the all-around play. It was the best game we have played this year. ... Sean Molina had a bunch of assists, but that was secondary to his performance. His play was outstanding. ... We got some good goals. Scoring is contagious and a mentality. We should have got more. We need to put all the chances away."

MIAMI UNIVERSITY (4-2-1, 1-1-1 CCHA) 0 1 1 – 2

NOTRE DAME (2-5-0, 1-4-0) 0 4 1 – 5

2nd: ND 1. Carlson 2 (Dusbabek, Molina), PP, 3:45, ND 2. Dusbabek 1 (Carlson, Fraser), PP, 4,34, ND 3. Van Arkel 2 (Molina) 10:03, ND 4. Inman (Dolder, Molina) 11:30, MIA 1. Marsch 2 (Hartlieb, Shalawylo) 14:09.

3rd: MIA 2. Medvecz 1 (Hartlieb, Shalawylo) 8:55, ND 5. Jurkowski (Nielsen) 12:59.

SHOTS: MIA 12-11-12/35, ND 5-10-6/21.

SAVES: MIA 5-6-5/16 (Olsen 5-4-x/9, Burleigh x-2-5/7), ND (Zasowski) 12-10-11/33.

POWER PLAY: MIA 0-for-8, ND 2-for-8.

PENALTIES: MIA 10 for 20:00, ND 10 for 20:00.