The fourth-seeded Notre Dame Fighting Irish kicked off the 2021 Big Ten Tournament on Sunday afternoon, welcoming the fifth-seeded Penn State Nittany Lions to Compton Family Ice Arena, which due to COVID-19 concerns, is hosting the entire tournament this year. The teams came into the weekend very familiar with each other, having played last weekend in a series where the Irish swept the Nittany Lions.
First Period
Riding the momentum of a four-game winning streak, the Irish got off to a great start. Just over a minute in, the Irish capitalized off Penn State having too many players on the ice, when Colin Theisen buried home a rebound.