By defeating the Ohio State Buckeyes on Friday night and clinching the Big Ten regular season championship, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish clinched the only bye in the upcoming Big Ten tournament. However, things wouldn’t get easier for the Irish, who welcomed the Buckeyes back to Compton Family Ice Arena for the second game of their series on Saturday night. After Friday’s conference clinching victory, Notre Dame head coach Jeff Jackson emphasized the challenge for his team to build on the big win.
A few minutes into the game, the Irish had an opportunity to jump out in front when defenseman Matt Joyaux was called for hooking at just over three minutes into the game.