Great debut for St. Cyr

SOUTH BEND – Dylan St. Cyr, who has goaltending genes throughout his 5-foot-9, 170-pound frame, made his first Notre Dame hockey start memorable, stopping 34 shots Saturday night at the Compton Family Ice Arena to help the eighth-ranked Irish to a 4-0 victory and a two-game sweep of Alabama-Huntsville.

On Parents Night, St. Cyr’s mother, Manon Rheaume, who played for the 1988 Canadian Olympic team and in 1992 played in an NHL exhibition for the Tampa Bay Lightning, was in attendance to see her son become the second player to record a shutout in his Notre Dame debut. His father Gerry St. Cyr also played goal in the American Hockey League.

Mike Johnson recorded a 2-0 shutout of Providence in his Irish debut on Oct. 16, 2009.

Notre Dame coach Jeff Jackson’s team hosts defending NCAA champion Denver next Friday and Saturday nights. Denver ended Notre Dame’s 2016-17 season with a 6-1 victory in early April at the Frozen Four at Chicago’s United Center.

Junior Andrew Oglevie scored a pair of goals for Notre Dame, each at 19:59 of the first and second periods, the first on a power play. Jordan Gross and Matt Steeves had the other Irish goals and senior captain Jake Evans had two assists.

St. Cyr’s first period between the pipes at Notre Dame was a busy one. His teammates were whistled for three penalties in the first 8:25 and St. Cyr eventually was tested 15 times. His best save was one with his blocker when he turned away Josh Kestner at 12:24.