Notre Dame wins shootout over Penn State, 1-0

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Notre Dame senior defenseman Jordan Gross scored the only goal in a six-player shootout and sophomore Cale Morris had a second straight, career-high effort in goal with 55 saves as No. 2 Notre Dame picked up two points after a 2-2 overtime tie at No. 17 Penn State.

In the game witnessed by a sellout crowd of 6,221 at the Pegula Ice Arena, Morris stopped Andrew Sturtz on a penalty shot 3:24 into the five-minute extra season. It was one of five he stopped in the extra session and followed a 48-save performance by Morris in Friday’s 5-3 Irish victory.

Notre Dame improved to 21-5-2 overall and 15-2-1-1 in the Big Ten for 47 points, 13 more than Ohio State, which hosted Michigan State in a later game. Notre Dame is 11-1-1 on the road this season. The Irish and Buckeyes skate Friday and Saturday night on the Lefty Smith Rink at the Compton Family Ice Arena.

Penn State, 0-5-2 in its last seven games, is 13-12-5 overall and 6-9-5-2 in the Big Ten with the one point.

Cal Burke and Dylan Malmquist had first-period goals for Notre Dame. Andrew Ogleview had a pair of assists while Gross and Burke also had assists. Penn State rallied to tie on goals by Sturtz late in the first period and Liam Folkes goal in the second period.

Notre Dame was outshot in the game, 57-34, the 20th time that has happened this season.

Notre Dame was on its game from the start despite a holding penalty against Irish defenseman Andrew Peeke at 0:34. Defenseman Dennis Gilbert, who blocked four shots in the victory, had two blocks and two other teammates blocked attempts as Penn State failed to get a shot on Morris.

The Irish, who entered the game trailing the opposition 18-17 in first-period goals, took a 2-0 lead with goals 1:43 apart. Jones made a glove save on Oglevie, but the puck dropped to the ice and Burke backhanded it home for his 13th goal at 6:38.

The Irish then bounced on a shaky Jones at 8:22 when Malmquist directed the puck into the net off assists from Oglevie and Burke.

But Sturtz, who had three assists in Friday’s game, pounced on a rebound of James Gobetz’s shot that Morris and the Irish could not control and cut the Irish lead in half at 17:49.

After the second period began, Morris stopped three shots and the Irish blocked two more shots, including the fourth in the game by Gilbert, to kill off the remaining 1:44 of Dello’s penalty. But 25 seconds after it ended, Folkes tied the game at 2-2 by jamming the puck past Morris off assists from Brandon Biro and Nat Sucese.