How Wolverines Used an Early Three-Goal Surge to Win at Notre Dame Stadium

By Steve Kornacki

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- The University of Michigan had a three-goal lead before the sun set on the westward horizon beyond Notre Dame Stadium.

In fact, the Wolverines scored thrice before 10 minutes had expired in Saturday's (Jan. 5) historic first outdoor ice hockey game played in the hallowed stadium where Rockne, Leahy, Parseghian and Holtz coached legendary football teams.

Joseph Cecconi (who scored one of the strangest goals you'll ever see) and Will Lockwood scored within 16 seconds of one another, just shy of five minutes into the game, and then at 9:54 freshman right wing Nolan Moyle scored Michigan's third goal en route to an entertaining 4-2 victory.

Making the flurry of offense against the No. 6-ranked Fighting Irish more startling was the fact that the Wolverines had not exceeded three goals in an entire game since tallying six on Nov. 17 at Penn State.

"We all get frustrated with not scoring goals," said Michigan head coach Mel Pearson. "But it'll come. We just have to continue to work hard, do the right things and believe in each other, and eventually we're going to score. But we have to continue to play well defensively."

Cecconi lifted the puck from between his own blue line and the face-off circle in the general direction of talented Notre Dame goalie Cale Morris, some 125 feet away. The remarkable shot bounced, changed direction and got past Morris. Cecconi said he had in mind that the "boards were very lively" and was hoping to set up teammate Jake Slaker for a possible clean shot.

"But that didn't really work," said Cecconi, who now has two goals to go with 13 assists that rank sixth nationally among blue-liners. "I don't know if it was the wind taking it or the shooting by me, but it bounced in. I didn't even see it go in.

Pearson added, "I've seen some weird goals before, and that one's right up there."

Nick Pastujov and Nick Blankenburg assisted on the goal by winning a faceoff and making a pass, respectively.

Before the crowd, which totaled 23,422 at the 80,795-seat stadium, could stop shaking its collective heads, Lockwood beat Morris again with a flying one-timer he shot while crossing in front of the net from the left on a pass from Pastujov.

"That's a huge goal," said Pearson. "He's a talented player, and he did that on purpose. He goes across, flips the puck on his stick, continues on. He's got the goalie moving from right to left, and he shoots it back to the right. He's a goal-scorer. I know he hasn't scored as much as he wants (with six goals) and I expect a big second half."

Will Lockwood

Moyle, a right wing from Briarcliff Manor, New York, notched his second goal on a pretty play. Dakota Raabe took the puck from defenseman Luke Martin and fed Moyle perfectly. Moyle, breaking in on Morris to the goalie's left, found the small opening in the upper-left corner of the goal to score.

"Raabe made a really good, heads-up play," said Moyle. "He kind of found me in a soft area, and I shot it and kind of closed my eyes, and didn't realize it went in at first. But I was lucky enough."

The burnt orange sunset colored the skies as the teams returned to their respective locker rooms between the first and second periods. It was an unforgettable setting with the sun reflecting off the Golden Dome and Touchdown Jesus just beyond the stadium at the end opposite where the Wolverine goal-scoring binge took place.

"These guys will remember this for the rest of their lives," said Pearson. "It adds a little extra sweetness to it when you win."

Cecconi said, "It was unbelievable, and my first time playing outdoors. … There was a good amount of Michigan fans there, too. It was just awesome playing."

Moyle added, "It was a pretty surreal feeling, and definitely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and something I'll never forget."

Lavigne said he got ready for it during Christmas break by skating at Dog Lake near his home in Kingston, Ontario, remembering the childhood games he played outdoors.

The game was billed as "Let's Take it Outside" for the hockey matchup between two long-time football rivals, and there was a brief physical scrum between the opponents late in the second period that didn't result in penalties.

The Irish had Cam Morrison score early in the second period on a power play, but Lavigne played well, stopping 30 of 32 shots.

Notre Dame pulled its goalie shortly after going on a power play with 5:23 remaining to play, and didn't score with the two-man advantage. But Notre Dame coach Jeff Jackson continued to play without Morris for a one-man edge, and got a goal by Alex Steeves with 2:51 to play to make for a tense conclusion.

Jackson continued to go without Morris in net, and with 11.3 seconds remaining, Raabe finally broke loose with a strong effort at center ice to score an empty-netter.

Joseph Cecconi

"That's why you want to stay out of coaching," Pearson said to ensuing laughter from the media. "That's what these bags under my eyes and the sleepless nights bring. But it's a rush, it's a rush. There's nothing like it in sports, and these high-intensity games. Good for our players, they hung in there."

Pearson noted that "it was fitting" for Raabe, who impacted the game with drive and guts, to seal the outcome.

Lavigne said: "It was tough. It was late, and the snow (from ice shavings) was pretty bad. And with the dark sky, anything that was over the boards was pretty hard to see. So, as a team, we just played great defense those last five minutes. We gave up the one, but that's going to happen with a good team like that pushing with six guys.

"Playing with the sunset was super cool, and then the cold air rushing through. Every time that wind came through, I really felt it. But it's something that I'll never forget and an opportunity not many of us get, and that we might not get ever again."

It was an unseasonable 49 degrees at puck drop, and remained that temperature as late as the third period, when the skies were pitch black, but Pearson praised the ice conditions throughout the contest.

The Wolverines (7-7-6) hadn't won since Nov. 16 at Penn State, and hope this game can jump-start the same kind of stretch run dominance they showed last season. Michigan had a pair of 2-1 losses to the Irish last year on Jan. 5 and 7, but played well and gained confidence to skate all the way to the Frozen Four in St. Paul, Minnesota, where they lost, 4-3, to Notre Dame on a last-second goal in the national semifinal.

"We all know it's time to turn this ship around," said team captain Cecconi. "All it takes is one win, and that's three big points. That's huge."

Michigan and the Irish are tied in the Big Ten standings with 15 points apiece.

"It's a good spark," said Lavigne, "but at the same time, we can't get ahead of ourselves banking that it's going to be the same as last year. We have to go one game at a time with the same mentality we had last year, and things will work itself out in the end."

The Wolverines, who began playing outdoor games in football stadiums in 2001, is now 4-3-1 under such conditions.

Michigan played minus its two NHL first-round draft picks. Both forward Josh Norris and defenseman Quinn Hughes were with the U.S. team playing in Saturday night's gold medal game against Finland in the IIHF World Junior Championship in Vancouver. Norris shares the team's goal-scoring lead with Pastujov at 10, and Hughes' 20 points rank third among NCAA defensemen.

The Wolverines will host Merrimack on Tuesday (Jan. 8), before returning to Big Ten play next weekend at Ohio State.