Notre Dame edges Blue Devils in match-up of cross-town rivals

Notre Dame edged out Batavia/Alexander in one of the most exciting cross-town rivalries in Section V.

After losing their first two games of the season, the Fighting Irish notched their first win of the season, 3-2 at Falleti Ice Arena in Batavia on Saturday.

“When we play against Batavia it’s such an emotional game,” said Notre Dame Head Coach Marc Staley. “I just try to keep them low key, as if it is just another game.”

It didn’t take the Irish very long to get on the board, as Kevin Moscicki jammed a loose puck by Batavia goaltender Trevor Rarick just 1:27 into the game. The Ice Devils responded quickly though, as Matt Tambe scored four minutes later to tie the game at one.

Batavia/Alexander would start the second period as the more aggressive team, peppering ND goalie Jimmy Johnson early on before Tambe tipped a Brannon Jones' shot by him to take a 2-1 lead.

Thirty seconds after Tambe’s second tally, Batavia would take a penalty, giving the Irish a power play. However, Notre Dame’s Mason Versage would be called for tripping halfway through, seemingly sending momentum back to the Ice Devils.

But once again Batavia would be called for another penalty, giving the Irish a 4-on-3 man advantage.

Notre Dame finally capitalized on the ensuing faceoff, as Zach Blew blasted a shot through Rarick’s legs from the top of the circle to bring the game back to even heading into the final frame.

The shot advantage in the game was dominated by Notre Dame heading into the third, as they outshot Batavia 23 to 16, however, Batavia would dominate play for the early part of the period.

The Irish would not muster a shot until there was 5 minutes remaining in the game, and only recorded three for the period. However, third one was the difference in the contest.

Versage intercepted an errant Batavia break-out pass with 2:35 remaining, and walked in on goal all alone before flipping it over Rarick’s shoulder for the game-winning goal.

“We had a few missing players,” Staley said of his conservative third-period strategy. “So we went to the trap in the third to conserve energy.”

The game would not end without drama, as Notre Dame would take a penalty with 1:30 left in the contest, but their stingy defense failed to even allow a shot on Batavia’s last power play attempt.

Johnson gave Notre Dame (1-2) a huge boost in goal, making 20 saves. Jeffrey Antolos also assisted on all three of the Fighting Irish’s goals on the day.

“This is a nice win for us,” Staley said. “It will certainly make practice easier on Monday, but we have to continue to work and take it one game at a time.”

One of the main things that plagued the Ice Devils was their inability to capitalize on mistakes, as they went 0-for-5 on the power play for the game.

Rarick made 23 saves for Batavia/Alexander, which falls to 1-2. 

Photos by Howard Owens.

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