Nov. 5, 1999
OMAHA, Neb. - Notre Dame senior center Troy Bagne picked up his
fourth career goal in timely fashion and freshman goaltender Tony Zasowski continued his strong
play, but Nebraska-Omaha sophomore left wing Jeff Hoggan scored with 1:22 left in
regulation to forge a 2-2 tie, in the first game of a Central Collegiate Hockey Association series
Friday at the Omaha Civic Auditorium.
Notre Dame (2-5-2, 1-4-2 CCHA) traded power-play goals with UNO early in the
second period before Bagne skated the length of the ice for a 4-on-4 goal five
minutes prior to the second intermission. Zasowski-who spent the past two seasons in junior hockey as a
member of the Omaha Lancers-made 37 saves to stay unbeaten in his Irish career (he totaled
58 saves in last week's 5-2 win and 2-2 tie with Miami University).
Nebraska-Omaha (0-3-2, 0-3-2 CCHA) remained winless in its first season of
CCHA play despite holding a 39-25 edge in shots on goal. The penalty-kill unit kept UNO
in the game by stopping five of six Notre Dame power plays (including a lengthy 5-on-3
chance).
Notre Dame senior center Ben Simon recorded his first point since the
season-opening series versus Michigan, after knocking home a rebounded power-play shot from between
the circles by junior left wing Dan Carlson early in the second period.
Zasowski-who made a wide assortment of saves with several of his former
Lancers teammates in attendance-has totaled 110 saves in his last four appearances while
allowing just seven goals in those 236 minutes of play (for a 1.78 goals-against average and .940 save
pct. in that stretch).
Hoggan brought the boisterous sellout crowd of 8,314 to its feet with a
breakaway goal at the 19:38 mark of the third period, after faking Zasowski to the left before
flicking a backhanded shot into the right side of the net.
The game was preceded by a rare playing of the Notre Dame Fight Song in an
opposing arena but the Irish failed to shake down the thunder in the first period,
despite nine shots on goal and an extended 5-on-3 chance shortly before the first intermission.
Notre Dame's first-period woes have included just one first-period goal this
season, despite 75 first-period shots on goal (the opponents have combined for eight goals on 87
first-period shots).
UNO's power-play goal came at the 5:50 mark of the second period, with
sophomore left wing
Shane Glover skating from his own blue line and curling behind the Irish net
before sliding a pass
to junior left wing Billy Pugliese, who was camped at the left side of the
crease for the easy tap-in
score.
Bagne regained the lead for the Irish with an unassisted goal, after senior
defenseman Nathan
Borega had knocked UNO's Allan Carr off the puck in the Irish zone. Bagne
collected the loose
puck and skated down the left side before angling towards mid-ice. With two
UNO players still in
front of him, Bagne slowed down and split the opposing players, after faking a
shot and skating to
the left of sophomore defenseman Zach Schibner.
Senior goaltender Kendall Sidoruk had plenty of time to see the play
developing in front of him
but Bagne sent a shot from the edge of the right circle under Sidoruk's glove
hand.
NOTES: Borega and fellow senior D Tyson Fraser skated together for the third
time this
season and the 69th time in their career ... the Irish played without two of
their top players from
last week's Miami series, as senior D Sean Molina and senior RW Joe Dusbabek
both missed
the game due to illness ... prior to the first UNO goal, the Irish had stopped
16 straight opponent
power plays, after allowing three PPGs in both losses to Ferris State ...
Notre Dame has scored
power-play goals in seven of nine games this season while nine of the team's
total 21 goals have
come on the PP ... Bagne's goal was the second of his career in a CCHA game
(he also scored a
key goal in the 3-3 tie at Northern Michigan last season).
NOTRE DAME (3-5-1, 2-4-1 CCHA) 0 2 0 0 - 2
NEBRASKA OMAHA (0-4-1, 0-4-1 CCHA) 0 1 1 0 - 2
2nd: ND 1. Simon 2 (Carlson, Dunlop), PP, 2:56, UNO 1. Pugliese 1 (Grover,
Cassin), PP,
5:50, ND 2. Bagne 1 (unassisted) 15:12. 3rd: UNO 2. Hoggan 3 (Chalmers,
Cassin) 19:38.
Shots: UNO 9-12-16-2/39, ND 11-8-6-0/25.
Saves: UNO (Sidoruk) 11-6-6-0/23, ND (Zasowski) 9-11-15-2/37.
Power Play: UNO 1-for-3, ND 1-for-6. Penalties: UNO 9 for 26:00, ND 6 for
12:00.
